San Antonio R&R

Doin' The Expo

Wheh… We made it! You may think I’m talking about a full weekend that included a couple of days of expo’ing and a marathon, but really I am talking about getting all the kids ready for and over to grandma and grandpa’s last Friday morning. That’s a crazy process that I believe makes trading on the stock exchange floor look a little humdrum. But as I mentioned, we made it and got them all over there (except for Hope, who we took with us to San Antonio), AND most of them even had a change of clothing for the following couple of days – Excellent! I know if Joy reads this (which is likely), she will be shaking her head, thinking that I don’t know the half of it. But, I’m there… I witness the craziness... and as much as I try to avoid getting sucked in, it STILL happens. So, I DO think I am qualified to talk on the matter! (Though I recognize that Joy is like Supermom to the children and me!)

Anyhow, we got to the marathon expo on Friday morning and got our both all set up, finishing about 5 minutes before the doors opened to the masses seeking to get their number. As far as expos go, this was a pretty big one. Plus, I had never been in the Alamodome before, so that was cool. When Joy ran her first marathon (Detroit), the marathoners finished in Tiger Stadium. It was a great set-up that I think could be pulled off for this marathon as well - that would be pretty awesome, I think.

Anyway, I don’t mean to complain, but expo days can be long. I guess it just goes to prove that even talking about something you love to talk about can get old when you say the same things over and over… over over again and then once or twice more… repeating every 10 minutes or so. Plus, besides being on your feet all day, you’re lucky if you get nachos for lunch. By the end of an expo day, you really don’t feel all that different than say, passing mile 22 in a marathon. Seriously. (Except that you don't get any training benefit from it.) I know I know… I really need to quit my cryin’ about this, but I’m just trying to be real. I’m all done with my whining now (smile).

What is SUPER cool, though, is seeing MANY friends that we’ve had the privilege of making through the TIR. Just so we’re clear, it is extremely encouraging (and fun) when you come by. Thanks to those of you who did! When we have TIR participants stop by (esp team captains as they know ALL about how the TIR works and we usually already have a relationship), it is like getting just the right words out on the course near the end of a race. Thanks Again!

Here are just some short bits from the expo:

• We met with and spoke with a guy named Morgan from Michigan who knew many of our old running friends up there. It turns out this guy does some filming for Michigan runner TV, so right there on the spot, he started interviewing us with camera and everything. I have enough experience with this (I have a funny story about ESPN to share sometime) to know that I will be edited in such a way to make me look like a complete and utter tool (no no… more than usual!). I can’t wait to see it!
• Sometimes, when it looked like I was holding down the fort at our expo booth, Joy was really secretly eavesdropping in super-stealth-007-spy fashion from beneath the table (yes, beneath the table), hearing every word. She happened to feeding Hope at the same time, but the above is all 100% true!
• I learned how maybe it does make sense (Markting-wise) for the TIR to have its own Facebook page. The only way it works is if people connect to it by becoming a friend. So… will you be our friend?
• We’re starting to enjoy people-watching at these expos and speculating about who are first-borns, last-borns, etc etc. It’s also funny to observe some different tendencies of men and women as they peruse about the expo. It may be similar to they go to the restroom (at least this is our hypothesis). Men seem to often prefer to go solo, take special care to avoid eye-contact at all cost, and say few words. Women go in big party-like groups, talking up a storm, and possibly hold one another’s hands.
• The incredulous double-take of the day occurred as I was going to get my nachos. I walked by a booth called “strap ‘em down”. I didn’t know what it was and didn’t think twice about it… you know, I was in search of food. On my way back, however, I see this female exhibitor who was vigorously jumping up and down. I thought it was a little odd, and then all of sudden (I guess I am really slow), it occurred to me what was happening. Yes, a woman with the right skill-set for the role was demonstrating the effectiveness of a heart-rate-monitor-looking strap towards helping a certain set of women enjoy exercise more comfortably and safely. I don’t mean to be unsympathetic to the needs of our well-endowed running sisterhood out there, but I couldn’t believe this was for real. I mean, c’mon! Perhaps I am just antiquated in some of my views, but this seemed to me to be right up there with Viagra commercials… You will never catch me singing “Vivaaa Viagra!” no matter how catchy the jingle or how enthusiastically it is sung in the commercials.
• I got to meet and talk with lots of fast people. Brian Sell (22nd in the 2008 Olympics), Melissa White, and other Hansons. I spoke with the Hansons brothers, Kevin and Keith, for a good while. I am a very big fan of what they’ve done. When Joy and I lived up in MI, we didn’t see the Hanson brothers much, but we had many mutual friends/acquaintances. Anyway, they remembered us, so I was feeling pretty proud of that! I also got to speak a bit with Dick Beardsley who may be able to come down to the TIR. Dick has the 5th fastest marathon time for an American EVER, and he is known for that great “Duel in the Sun” against Alberto Salazar in which Dick ran 2:08:53. We’ll likely have more to say about Dick as well as product called NuBound in an upcoming update. Anyway, between getting to see friends, meeting tons of people, and rubbing elbows so-to-speak with running greats, we certainly are privileged when we attend these expos!

Race Organization

I’m sure I am not going to say anything that hasn’t already been said. They got all the basics right with a minimum of snafus. I am sure the effort took extensive coordination with the city as well as with hundreds of other people / groups. Of course, there will be hassles (lines, far-away parking, etc) associated with any race this big, and it’s impossible to accurately see and plan for all that actually happens on race day. So, they deserve big kudos for such a successful first-year event! I am a slightly surprised at some of the things that they can get away with, since they are a large event organization. In some aspects, I do wonder if they are really treating their primary customer as best they could, but I am sure there are many considerations that I’m unaware of. Plus, the market is best judge in determining if they’re doing a good job, and if you look at how this one is doing relative to its competitors, the only conclusion is that they are doing a GREAT job.

Of course, I think they stole the word “Inaugural” to describe their first year race from the TIR, and the Texas Showdown is an obvious a knock-off of the Texas Throwdown… but hey, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? (smile)

The Race

They suggested getting on the shuttles at ~5AM. Well, Joy and I left Round Rock at 5:15AM, and I was intent on stopping at the grocery store for gummy bears. I can’t say that I was in totally the best state of mind. I had just recently told a good friend about the MANY reasons why this would NOT be a good race for me. I am sure my diatribe sounded as though it may require the race of my life to finish ahead of the course cut-off time. On top of all that, it was near freezing as we pulled out of the sub to make our way down to San Antonio.

When we got down there, Hwy 281 was packed and you never know how road closures may surprise. Fortunately, though, I felt like I knew the area well enough to be able to guess where to hop out and go over a bridge to get to the start. Time was getting short, so that’s what I did. Joy said afterwards that immediately after I left, several others did likewise (since we were at a standstill and it was ~7:15), but who knows if they were happy about it. It was about ¾ of a mile to the back of the starting crowd, and then at least another ¼ to the front corrales. I don’t know what it is that makes you choose your warm-up pace when you’re running late to a race. On the one hand, you definitely want to get there, but on the other, it’s not like you want to really run before a marathon! In any event, it was so easy to integrate into the corrale, I even had 15+ minutes to spare before the gun went off. Although a touch cool before the start, the near windless weather was about as good as anyone could hope for. Between forgetting where he was at and sending the wheelers off with a defective air-horn, it looked liked the Governor (pictured to the right) was having a tough morning. For whatever reason, I was feeling pretty chipper - Not bad timing to be thinking positively!. My friend explained after the race that it must have been putting on the bib, and I think he is right. So, from now on, I am going to wear a number for all my runs! Watch out!!!

I really liked the first 10 miles of the course. There was one little hill around 4 or 5 miles. Running by the Alamo was pretty sweet. Spectator-wise, it wasn’t Boston, New York, or Chicago, but it was really good I think… more than I expected anyway. I may have been better off to run about 10sec/mile slower for the first 10miles, but this part is mostly down a slight descent, and I was enjoying myself. It wasn’t nearly the same situation as the Houston Half where I set off foolishly.

I saw Joy and Hope twice at about mile 8.5 and 9.25. BTW, I REALLY liked the section around 9m with all the old Victorian-looking homes and the huge trees putting a canopy over the street. I don’t typically take pictures when I run, but if I had a camera on me, I would have considered doing so here (and maybe at the Alamo, too). Anyhow, in my haste to get to the startline, I had somehow forgotten to bring the gummy bears that we spent 5 minutes getting earlier. I was a little ticked at myself when I realized this, but I thought maybe Joy would remember, and wouldn’t you know it… she did (Thanks, Honey!). We traded gummy bears for a sweaty cap and mittens, and I was on my way.

After 10miles, the half marathoners turned off to finish their run, and it suddenly got a bit lonely. And, honestly, it was a bit weird when I would pass by exuberant cheering groups and the bands. I felt like saying, “It’s ok, it’s just me… in fact, feel free to turn down the volume… please”, but I think the little wave of acknowledgement (because I did appreciate them being there, noise or no noise) only spurred them on some more.

Around 15, it started turning into a little bit of work, but I felt very good about how things were going. I was feeling injury free, which was the primary goal because I want to keep the training moving forward, so I was happy about that. I may have been able to “gut it out” to ran a little faster, but whether I went to wall with it or took it somewhat easier, I was fairly certain that I would finish within a 5-minute block that I would be happy with. So, I was able to enjoy the last 8 miles a good bit more than I have in other marathons.


Steve Sisson, the founder of Rogue Training in Austin (I coach a FUN Rogue group that’s training for Austin!) and the UT women’s XC coach found a great place to be at the top of a short little hill near the 19 mile mark. Back in the day, he was just finishing out his running at UT as I was heading into college. So, I’ve always seen him as a big running bro, so-to-speak. Needless to say, he had great coachy words of encouragement, and they worked (mostly because I don’t want to run all wuss-like in front of him). At first, I thought, “Is that Steve!? Crud! Let’s pick it up and give him a high 5 so that I look good.” And, then, a little bit later, I thought the pace wasn’t so bad, and he’s right, the race was in front of me, not behind! It’s funny how a few good words can change things, and good coaches are good at this because they know where you’re at (so they know what to say), and they inspire some sort of worthy effort.

Due to the wave starts, I saw a LOT of people over the last 4-5 miles! From 22-24 miles, there were a lot of people going out on Mission Rd. as I was coming back in. So many were generous with shout outs of encouragement. It was a good choice to wear my TIR shirt (as if I’m going to choose another (smile)) because many recognized it, and many who may not have recognized it still called out “Texas!” which was pretty awesome. Then, for the last couple of miles I was finishing up with a lot Half-Marathoners.

The finish was a bit wild with all the people filling the Alamodome parking lot, but the space blankets were distributed quickly. I think most were a little less anxious about the big-crowd-hassles, just being happy to have finished. I know I was! If my weekend was a marathon, though, I have to give credit to Joy as hers must've been an ultra. She's one tough momma!