Maybe I can add Video. FinishCam provides video of the finish which is pretty cool. Now let's see if I am cool enough to figure out how to do it. Likely that I should click on the "add video" button.

Holy smokes ... it might have worked. If so, I will post the Half Marathon video too.

Another week of about 60 miles, but it seemed really tough. Maybe it is too much too soon. I have even had some knee issues again and I know that I need to get to the gym for some strength training - especially in the quads.

I ran the 25K race along Allen Parkway on Sunday in warm and humid conditions. What happened to November? We have not really had any nice and cool days for running. October was better. The race went OK if you judge it by what splits I ran and what my planned splits were. I was pretty much dead on. It was not so good in that those planned splits were supposed to be pretty easy. I wanted about 3 -5 miles as a warm up and then 10 or so at marathon pace - or between 6:40 and 6:50. Eric and I started a bit faster than planned, but used the first lap to work down to marathon pace. It was OK that first lap (this is a 3 loop course). The next lap was fine, but it was getting tougher and we started running with Christie Lammers who is a smoking fast 50 year old spring chicken in awesome shape. She joined in with us and then started pushing the pace on the last lap. We caught Melissa Henderson who I think will get to run in the Olympics. I told Christie to run in without me because she obviously had a lot left. I wanted to stick to the plan so that I would not be taxed with a race type of effort. That is where my plan failed.

This race was much closer to a race effort than a marathon paced run. My legs were very tired; my knee was acting up; my quads felt trashed; and, I am still tired. I should have known I was running too hard when I was passing people who were racing that day and can beat me in a race. The conditions got to a lot of people. In a comparative sense, I am a good warm weather runner. I don't like it, but it seems my body type handles it better than most. My best placing in the Boston Marathon was the 2004 furnace when I ran 3:19 and finished around 1000th whereas I ran 15 minutes faster in 2006 and finished around 1400th.

Anyway - here are my splits:

Loop 1 -- 7:13; 7:22; 7:20; 6:36 (short); 7:22 (long)
Loop 2 -- 6:52; 6:48; 6:46; 6:46; 6:50
Loop 3 -- 6:41; 6:39; 6:47; 6:42; 6:58

I will do another entry and post a picture of something. I don't have a race picture so who knows what it will be this time????

The Houston Half Marathon - running behind Mike and Eric. This was a pretty good run. We started out fairly easy and generally picked up the pace throughout. I actually ran it a bit harder than I wanted to and was more sore after than I would have liked. Splits were 7:05, 6:58, 6:54, 6:43, 6:41, 6:46, 6:40, 6:52, 6:37, 6:29, 6:47 (long as i missed the marker) 6:16 (short) and 6:27.

I had a 67 mile training week which was a big jump for me. That explains the sore legs, but it did not really slow me in the race. My knee felt fine too. I am feeling run down this week though and even some quad and knee issues, but not bad.

Thanks to Esme Fantozzi for the pictures taken during the race! Also major props to Mark C who ran 3:00:38 in the Dublin Marathon!