30K Race Results

Just a quick update on my race yesterday....

I ran the Houstonian Lite 30K yesterday morning, as part of my marathon training plan. 30K is equivalent to 18.6 miles, so this basically took the place of my long run for the weekend. Overall, I feel that I did GREAT! I finished in 2 hours 35 minutes 6 seconds, for an average pace of 8:20 per mile. My goal was to pace at 8:30, so this was very satisfying.

The wild card in all this was the fact that I only got 4 hours of sleep the night before, and had consumed a "few" adult beverages at the previous night's Christmas party. Both of these factors are highly frowned-upon by the running experts, for obvious reasons. Funniest thing was overhearing a couple of runners at the start line, talking about their previous night's activities. One asked, "Did you drink anything at the party?" The other responded, "No way, if I had anything to drink, there's no way I'd be able to run this morning." Gulp! At that point I seriously wondered if I'd be finishing this 19-mile challenge....

Well, I managed to do quite well, despite the cold (35 degrees at the start). I kept a very solid pace most of the race. The only time I really felt tired was at Mile 17, when the guy I was pacing off of decided to accelerate to 8-minute mile pace. Normally this would not be a problem for me, but after 17 miles, I was just about done. I managed to keep up with him, and even passed him at Mile 18. I finished strong, running at a near sprint as I crossed the line.

As of today, I'm down to 34 days until the marathon. Physically I'm holding up well (better than last year). Unless an injury sidelines me, I think I'll be able to meet my 4-hour marathon goal without too much trouble. Now, back to training.....

greg

P.S. Official Results: Runner Triathlete News (Click on "Houstonian Lite 30K")

P.P.S. Race Photos: Your Sporting Image (Available after 12/15/05)