Sportybrains

Wow, where to begin!?

I'll attempt to put this non-race report of The Woodlands Marathon/Half in a more condensed and 'highlighted' version for the sake of my readers-there's so much I can say about the past 48 hours!

Lets just say I had one of the best times NOT racing that I have ever had before. I saw a lot, learned a lot, witnessed some really neat things and most importantly, some more good quality time with friends-especially Rebecca, who ran a super-smart race and finished beautifully on the too-well manicured streets of this fine town.

After a neat conference call with my new running research team (think 4 sport psych people all in different states at once talking shop:)) I picked up my packet from the race I withdrew from, well, mainly because I like free things-why not, right? Ok, I'll admit even with all my knowledge of sports psychology and perspective, I hit some low spots leading up to this thing since I was one of the original top seeds. I believe that I did succeed, however, in putting it aside and taking it all in thought. Back to the event....

Packet picked up, work in the bag and a couple hours later it was time to hit the press conference/expo and meet up with Ms. R. before having a low key pre-race dinner at my apartment.

While we did have a low key dinner, it was not without some nice company in PowerBar Teammate Camille Herron, the race's headliner and one of the top marathoners in the country. In my one-bedroom apartment. Hey, that's how runners roll. Camille (a super-fun gal who won in 2:37 and change, btw) was very gracious the whole weekend and was always willing to share her experiences, training advice, and any other random and crazy questions Rebecca and I had. As I'm still quite tired from yesterday, here's how the day pretty much panned out:

Race morning-up at 4, at the VIP area to volunteer at 5, slog massive amounts of coffee, make sure the elites have what they need and get out to the 6:45 AM start. I'll admit, I started out going the wrong way-oops-but they got where they needed to go.

6:45- race is off, I yell out some good words to Rebecca, Krista, Camille, and everyone else taking off and finish volunteering. I brought my bike to the course to cruise around and hit it at about 7:15 or so.

7:30- Riding like gangbusters alongside racers trying to catch the leaders on a nice race course. I finally catch everyone at about mile 11 and start cheering like crazy. What I didn't know is that they cannot hear me if I ride by while fast. Call it inexperienced cycling. And a killer threshold workout.

9:00-some light rain starts, drips down my helmet and I decide to cut back and quit joyriding for the day. I fell kind of bad for the runners and go wait at the finish. Actually joyriding felt more like a crazy spin class as I tried to make up ground in the wind!

9: 20ish-Here comes Jeffrey Eggelston and Camille killing the course in 2:15 and 2:37. Way to set the standard early on! Realizing I still have my VIP credential on, I head into the chute.

9:50-Heeere comes Rebecca-looking amazingly strong and steady at the finish. I think I made up for not being able to find here a couple months ago after her awesome Houston finish! Congrats Becca-your consistency in this beast of a race is truly amazing.

11:00 off to feed the marathoner, her BF, and myself. Cycling (and a little vicarious effect of watching runners) makes you hungry too!

12:00 pick up Camille and Jeffrey and hang out at another local pub. Talk more shop. Have more fun.

3:00 short jog (yup gotta start somewhere) at the apartment before round 2 (or is it like 6 or 7 now?).

6:00 convene at the closing ceremony, talk to a bunch of runner peeps, winners, and anyone else who'd listen!

7:30 dinner reservation at the Goose's Acre-one of our favorite hangouts with Becca, Keith, Coach Bill, and  some other (top) race finishers. Drop runners off at their hotels.

11:00 Freakin' tired. No mas!

 And there you have it. The committee-which consists of many of my awesome friends, did a fantastic job with resurrecting a classic race in this unique and special community of The Woodlands, TX. From a bystander's perspective I thought this event was first-rate and I am CHOMPING at the bit to totally heal and race again. I badly want to try my hand at this fast course in my own backyard.

I saw lots of friends finish either their first of 26th marathon, met some incredible runners and saw the challenges and rewards of putting on a big event. Congrats to everyone who finished, PR'd and worked to put this race on the map!

Stay the course.