Houston Half Marathon

I had a good rest and night's sleep preparing for today's race, and was very much looking forward to it since I thought the weather would be good. Indeed it was a good race, as it was nice to see Rick, Joanne, Kim and Laura during and after the race, and the race volunteers and organization was great. Despite temperatures in the mid 60s the very high humidity was much more draining than I had anticipated, and did not negative split owing to the growing impact of the humidity and the unexpected difficulty of dealing with the up and down contours along Allen Parkway.

From a technology perspective my new Magellan Echo running watch paired by Bluetooth 4.0 to my iPhone 6 with the excellent iSmoothRun App worked great, as it controlled my music and gave me verbal pace and distance prompts through my headphones. Naturally, I ran again in my trusty and excellent Newton Motion III's.

Results: pace: 7:41, 7:22, 7:21, 7:40, 7:37, 7:49, 7:51, 7:49, 7:52, 7:54, 8:17, 7,55, 8:24, 8:18. Div.: #10/136, Gender: #365/2169, Overall: #347/4445. Avg. Cadence: 84, Avg. HR: AVHR, 66 °F, 4mph SW, 83% humidity.

Memorial Hermann 10 for Texas Race Report

One of the many benefits of running a race distance in which you have minimal experience is that you are almost assured of achieving a personal record. Happily, I did so in today's race, with an average pace 30 seconds faster per mile then my prior - much hillier - 10 mile race experience over five years ago.

Chip time: 1:18:31, pace: 7:51, age place; 10/80, male: 147/933, overall place: 184/2,262. Splits: 7:30, 7:32, 7;32, 7:49, 8:21 (sock hurting), 9:08 (sock repair!), 7:45, 7:39, 7:39, 7:37.

I had a great race experience both due to my PR, and as the weather was decent, the volunteers friendly and helpful. I did have a problem though with my pair of Injini toe socks. I'm not sure why, as I've worn them previously without problems, but at mile five they pulled up at the heel pinching my toes painfully and I knew I wouldn't be able to finish. So, I removed the socks entirely which solved the problem, but it was agonizing to sit alongside the road as hundreds of runners passed me. In any case, it was the right decision, as with my painful socks removed I was then able to step up the pace and recover lost time. Lesson learned: on race day only do that which you have done before many, many times.

This is yet another personal record running in Newton shoes! In this case my excellent Newton Motion III's shoes proved their top quality as being completely comfortable and run-worthy even without wearing socks (the first I've ever done so in any shoes.)

Finishing the race in the Woodland's Market Street was fantastic as the race organizers had arranged for excellent food and drinks. Thirty minutes prior to the race beginning the race organizers hosted a kids' K which was also fantastic to see and I enjoyed cheering for all the kids, and their parents.

Why a sub-two hour marathon is inevitable

Yesterday, for the sixth time in the last twelve years a talented runner at the Berlin Marathon set another world record, with Kenyan Dennis Kimetto doing so by an astounding 26 seconds! Finishing in 2 hours 2 minutes 57 seconds this translates to an average pace of 4 minutes 41.5 seconds per mile, a great pace for one mile, and an unfathomable one to nearly all runners for 26.2!

As we move ever closer to the prospect of a sub-two hour marathon, for the many doubters that this day will ever come the situation in my mind parallels the early 1950's. Up until the 6th of May, 1954, few but Sir Roger Bannister thought it possible that a human being would ever break through the four minute mile barrier. Yet, Bannister, a hard working medical student with limited time to train applied scientific principles and succeeded. A remarkable achievement, the veritable flood of runners who soon broke Bannister's newly set record proved that the four minute barrier was solely psychological, and not physiological (read the wonderful book The Perfect Mile by Neal Bascomb.)

Since Khalid Khannouchi set the marathon record in London in April 2002, the record has been broken half a dozen times, on average, once every two years. Interestingly, each of the six world records happened on the flat and fast Berlin course, on average by a 27 second margin.

On the assumption that the next dozen years follows the pattern of the prior dozen, the sub-two hour marathon will be broken within that time. Personally, I believe this super achievement will occur far sooner. First, Kimetto already demonstrated that he possesses the needed leg speed, had he run the full marathon at the pace that he ran between 30 and 35 km. Second, and most important, the mega-motivation of a fantastic financial and fame reward will entice many other talented marathoners to the requisite level of physical and mental conditioning.

Apple Watch, preliminary thoughts on its huge benefit to runners

I believe the newly announced Apple Watch will be hugely significant to all health oriented iPhone users, and especially for active runners since:

1. Typical runners train on average one to two hours daily. As with most individuals with desk jobs, even runners' lives are otherwise sedentary. The Apple Watch technology, continuously connected to the internet via the user's Bluetooth connected iPhone will operate continuously on behalf of the user, promoting healthy habits including standing more often and taking the stairs whenever possible.
2. The Apple Watch's familiar, yet new interface, strapless heart rate monitor and accelerometer combined with the iPhone's barometer, cellular-assisted GPS, motion co-processor, an intuitive user interface and third-party Apps will usher unimagined new capabilities.
3. Cardio-based fitness aficionados of all types will hugely benefit from the Apple Watch's integrated heart rate monitor. It must be noted that this is despite most such individuals already owning a conventional chest strap based heart rate monitor, such as Garmin's or Polar's. The reason that I and most runners rarely use our conventional heart rate monitors is that their straps are typically constrictive and uncomfortable. Consequently, having readily available heart rate measurement conveniently displayed on the runner's Apple Watch with no required chest strap will allow the runner to vary the intensity of their exertion, to share their training with their coach or friends, and via an easy yet sophisticated analysis of the results to see and improve their fitness.
4. As with many committed runners I am fortunate to train with a group during my long Saturday morning runs during which we follow the coach's pre-planned route (e.g.: one from my Kenyan Way group.) To avoid getting lost along the often complex, frequently changed and lengthy route we study it in advance and bring along a printed copy. A far better solution will that provided by the Apple Watch as the runner can pre-program their route, then allow the Apple Watch's vibration based haptic feedback to silently alert the runner to each forthcoming turn. This capability will help the runner safely navigate while allowing the runner to relax and enjoy varied new routes.
5. Just as Apple's iPhones' App platform opened the door to new and creative content which hugely extended the leading smart phone's functionality into unanticipated areas, the Apple Watch similarly being open to App developers via the soon to be released WatchKit will quickly grow new Watch-specific Apps. For example, as a fan of the excellent iSmoothRun iPhone App I have been in touch with its developer and am delighted that iSmoothRun will offer an Apple Watch App.
6. The Apple Watch will allow the runner to make payments for potential expenses incurred during the run from supporting merchants, thereby relieving the need to bring cash for the run.

As noted, the Apple Watch user will need their Bluetooth connected iPhone 5+ phones to enable these capabilities. While many runners are uncomfortable at the prospect of bringing their smart phones on their runs, as I had noted over one year ago I have exclusively monitored my runs' distance and pace using the iSmoothRun App on my iPhone 5, carrying it in my belt or in an arm carrier. The App's periodically announced mileage, pace and cadence generally satisfies my needs, though in the future I will appreciate having this information available at a glance.  

Pending my getting my hands on the Apple Watch hopefully early next year it is premature to be fully confident in these high expectations. Nevertheless, I believe that Apple will help many Americans strengthen their commitment to fitness and health.

Simple Hydration Water Bottle Review

This is a partial follow-up to my recent Hot Weather Running Tips post:

As a Houston runner who trains year round I have been looking for a better hydration solution than the constrictive FuelBelt, or hand-held water bottles which hinder the natural running motion. I then tried Simple Hydration's water bottle after seeing its positive reviews on Amazon, and am glad I did as I love it!

Its unique feature is that it rests on your running short's rear waistband, and nestles between it and the small of your back, thereby requiring no supplemental belt and leaving your hands fully free. As its 14 Oz. total weight is near the body's center of gravity it is barely perceivable, feels comfortable, and you can rest easy as it is BPA free and is top shelf dishwasher safe.

In summer months I like to freeze my water bottle before my runs. With the Simple Hydration bottle it nicely cools the small of my back while gradually thawing its contents, providing a wonderful cold drink of water which lasts me perfectly on my typical mid-week six mile training runs. If similarly used with ice versus water I recommend: 1) Not filling the bottle fully with water before inserting into the freezer the night before to accommodate the expansion of ice and prevent possible damage to the bottle; 2) Placing a thin sock around the bottle to protect the skin while providing insulation to keep the water cool longer.

Newton Kismet Review

Over the past three weeks I've run extensively in Newton's latest Kismet stability running shoe. This includes over thirteen mile training runs on Houston's hard concrete roads, and five six mile runs on the hard steel surface of a cruise ship. As a long-time fan of Newton shoes I really like these too!

One oft-heard comment with first time Newton runners is the favorable impact on their running speed, attributed to the Action-Reaction technology lugs incorporated into the sole, roughly under the metatarsals. In prior Newton shoes the presence of these lugs were typically immediately apparent while walking, as the walker notices to a greater extent the lugs' height.  However, Newton's Kismet shoes incorporate tapered lugs, so the shoe is more comfortable while walking and is therefore more versatile and comfortable.

My intuition about the effect of Newton's tapered versus standard lugs is that a bit less energy recovery results, and this may result in a slightly slower running speed.  This impression is reinforced from Newton's own marketing material which uniquely includes the word "fast" in reference to the POP 1 design of the Motion and Gravity, and not the POP 2 design of the new Kismet or Fate.  However, any running speed reduction of the Kismet versus the Motion, if present, is insignificant.

As a major advantage for first time Newton buyers the low $129 MSRP of the Kismet will hopefully encourage more runners to give them a try.

Hot Weather Running

I have been asked to participate in a forthcoming Runners Round Table podcast on hot weather running, and feel myself to be well prepared owing to having run for over fourteen years in hot and humid Houston. With the caveat that I am not a physician, and am simply sharing my personal experiences, the following are my related thoughts.

Heat acclamation helps, but it is no panacea:

The heat-acclimated runner quickly produces large volumes of sweat upon the initiation of exertion in hot conditions. This quick and voluminous sweat response results from the body's prior training in similar conditions, and the resulting trained response provides essential cooling through the typically highly efficient heat transfer mechanism called evaporation. However, under high humidity the effectiveness of evaporation is severely diminished, and as such the runner quickly becomes at risk of overheating due to their rising core temperature.

Repeated stimulation and use the sweat glands allows them to become much more effective at minimizing the losses of critical and life-sustaining sodium and potassium electrolytes. Though a heat acclimated runner's sweat is therefore less salty than a non heat-trained runner's, a dangerous low blood salt condition called hyponatramia is a serious risk for all runners. This risk is heightened amongst relatively new marathoners who are often unwisely instructed to "drink even if you're not thirsty and at every aid station" so dilute their body's electrolytes by excessive fluid consumption, compounded by inadequate heat acclimation resulting in greater electrolyte losses through their sweat.

Personally, while running in hot and humid conditions over ten miles in length I supplement my body's electrolyte stores by taking Succeed S!Cap (a buffered sodium and potassium capsule) approximately every 30 minutes. As it is important to take the capsule with fluids I align the supplement's timing based on Gatoraid or water availability. Conversely, for shorter mid-week runs I drink only water and do not take any electrolyte supplements, though do incorporate additional salt into my diet based on taste.

Humidity is the silent killer:

While for most Americans the absolute temperature is the primary determinant of whether the outside conditions are perceived as hot, for experienced hot weather runners they look first at dew-point. Why?

As noted previously the reason is that our bodies reject heat primarily through sweating. An interesting fact is that human beings have more sweat glands then any other mammal, and it is generally believed that this physiological attribute provided our distant ancestors a survival advantage. Again, when the dew point is high, the resulting high humidity renders sweating as a cooling mechanism largely ineffectual.

Nevertheless, there are solutions available that allow us to continue running, with due caution:

1. Slow down!  Pace yourself for the hot conditions, and not for the cooler conditions which most of us remember our ideal pace to be. In this regard slavish obedience to one's target pace set on our Garmin Forerunner or GPS-integrated smart phone App can quickly lead a runner into heat problems, simply by running at a too fast target pace that is not adjusted for the conditions. Personally, though a cool weather low 8 minute per mile runner, under hot and humid conditions I routinely run between a 9:30 and 10 minute mile pace.
2. Negative Split!  As a dutiful follower of Kenyan Way's Coach Sean Wade, I follow his prime negative split mantra, i.e. to run the second half of every race and training run faster than the first half. Doing so, especially in hot conditions, provides its greatest physiological and race-tactical benefits.
3. Listen to your body and only drink to thirst!  Nevertheless be aware of your sweat rate per mile run, and how this varies based on weather conditions. Towards this end I suggest maintaining a log of your hot weather runs, capturing temperature, dew-point, wind speed, the amount of sun, and finally your weight (without shoes) at the beginning and end of each run. By doing so you can easily determine how many ounces that you had sweat per mile run via your measured weight difference (in pounds) multiplied by 16 then divided by the number of miles run. As I always drink only to my thirst I have never returned from a run weighing more than I had at its beginning (an indication of potential hyponatramia.) In the rare event that my weight loss is greater than 2-3% of my pre-run weight (an indication of dehydration) I realize that I simply hadn't had access to sufficient fluids to fully quench my thirst.
4. Stop for for cold fluids roughly every two miles.  Running with the Kenyan Way group this is easy, as the coach supplies us ice cold drinks every two miles. On your own self-made runs I suggest immediately beforehand pre-deploying along your route frozen bottles of Gatorade, or carrying a frozen drink whose contents are thawed while simultaneously cooling your hands.
5. Run at the coolest time of the day, dawn.  Not only will the early morning cool conditions make your run easier, but from a health perspective you will breathe far less potentially lung damaging ozone and particulates. Runners are typically unaware of their lungs' vulnerability to ozone damage, which results from the massive volumes of ambient air respired.  As ozone is typically found in the highest concentrations in the late afternoon, which results from the effect of UV radiation upon ozone precursors in the atmosphere, this is one more reason to run in the early morning.  Besides being the coolest time of day, the vehicular traffic is lowest as well.
6. Dress cool!  I once conducted an experiment on myself on a hot and humid day in which I ran the outbound half of a training run wearing a thin singlet running shirt while monitoring my pace and heart rate. I then removed my shirt and ran bare chested back to the starting point, while running at such a pace as to hold my heart rate at the same approximate level as it had been beating during the outbound leg. Afterward, the benefit of dressing cool was obvious as the return leg's pace was at least 15 seconds per mile faster!
7. Run on a shady path with maximum exposure to wind.  If necessarily exposed to the sun, periodically reapply a broad spectrum sunscreen and wear sunglasses with UV protection. Use extra caution at higher elevations.
8. What to do when you get too hot nevertheless?  Find shade and place ice packs to the neck, fold of the elbows and behind the knees. This will cool the blood passing through the major arteries and veins, thus cooling the target organs. Don't force-feed cold water, instead, allow water to be slightly cool before drinking. Forced ice cold water can create the condition of shock.

______________________________

Good input to the article from a good friend, former assistant coach and long-time runner: 

I think point #3 is the most important to know your sweat rate.  I understand that every pint of sweat typically has 500 mgs of sodium therefore after loosing a few pints of sweat the sodium replacement becomes critical.  While an experienced runner may be secreting less sodium, as a rule of thumb I try for one Succeed S!Cap (330 mgs of sodium) per pint of water.  

Another suggestion is for longer runs if you carry a water bottle with an electrolyte drink (gatorade), spiking the fluid with a 1/4 teaspoon of sodium is a good way to get sodium in the body early and easily.  There has very little impact to the flavor of the gatorade by adding a little sodium.  I usually use a 1/4 teaspoon for a 20 oz bottle, so if the fuel belt is used then perhaps an 1/8  would be better.  By getting the sodium in the body early on a long run defers any sodium deficient problems.  

This affects people the most who perspire heavily.  Signs are those whose clothes are soaked before others, shoes get soggy wet and those who cramp.  Dizziness and cramps are signs of dehydration and when attempting to re-hydrate either on the run or after the run, sodium is a must either in pill form or food.  Salty but tasty foods - tomatoe based foods like pizza, red pasta sauce, salsa, store or restaurant made soups.  Potato chips are salty but not really healthy. 

Additional good input from a physician and friend:

The body functions best within a certain temp range 98.6+\- 1.4. As body temp rises the risk of organ failure increases. The body keeps cool primarily by evaporation conduction convection and radiation. When you exercise in hot temps the latter 3 are out and when it's too humid there's no vaporization gradient for sweat to evaporate so that becomes less effective. If you're "conditioned" you can tolerate the effects better but invariably you too will succumb to the heat. The risk is much higher in the first couple of weeks of training in the heat and any acclimatization is gone after only a few weeks of being back in a temperate environment. As you note running at dawn when humidity is less as is temp is safest. There's a reason why marathons are run mostly in 60-70 degree weather. 

Meb Keflezighi, Boston Strong!!!

I was extraordinarily lucky in January to meet Meb Keflezghi at the Houston Marathon Expo, and to hear his heartfelt and inspirational personal story in overcoming unbelievable adversity.  A naturalized U.S. Citizen originally born in Eritrea he rewarded his adopted homeland by earning an Olympic Medal and winning the New York Marathon.  His sincerity and gratitude to the United States, his family, the community and to God touched me deeply.

As a long-time Boston Marathon fan, shocked in 2013 by the senseless acts on Boylston Street, I was delighted during this year's Boston Marathon to see Meb personify the "Boston Strong" spirit.  He courageously ran strongly from the beginning of the race, and never faltered.  By doing so he clinched for the United States the Boston Marathon win for the first time in over 30 years, and simultaneously rejuvenated the city's and the country's spirit.

With incredible gratitude we wish Meb our full and hearty congratulations!

Meb, crossing the finish line, just ten seconds ahead of the charging second place finisher!

Meb, tearing up during the award ceremony

Boston Strong!

Texas Independence Relay Race Report

For my sixth consecutive year I was again honored to run with team DOGs (Disciples of the Order of the Garmin) as we ran the 200 mile Texas Independence Relay.

We lined-up, as usual, in the historic small town of Gonzales, and were excited to be blessed with absolutely fantastic weather.

Along the way, we were treated with some beautiful sights. The bluebonnets, Texas' State Flower, were in full bloom and gorgeous.

 

The rural scenery was breathtaking (photo credit to Jamoosh.)

The DOGs got along fantastically. Our team of twelve had four substitutions in the preceding months resulting from injury or relocations, but the new DOGs fit in perfectly. Upon reaching the San Jacinto Monument finish, a short 29 hours and 27 minutes after we began, I was sorry to see the relay race end.  While we were happy to learn that we had finished second in the Mixed Masters' Division, 68th out of 149 teams, the real reward was running a fantastic weekend together. 

During the TIR I learned again that the human body is truly a mysterious and miraculous thing, as I ran the prologue one mile convinced that may very likely be my only mile based on the discomfort I was feeling in my calves which had become aggravated in the preceding few months.  To relax and to set realistic expectations I applied a bit of my talented sports massage therapist Connie's sage advice by cautioning my teammates of my condition.  They uniformly reassured me that I should only do what I could, and they'd pick-up the slack.  With faint hope I proceeded to extensively apply Tiger Balm, repeatedly self-massaging my calves with with "The Stick", and stretching preceding and after each run.  Miraculously, each of my succeeding four legs (8, 26, 32, and 38)  became easier, and afterward my calves had seemingly become rejuvenated as they felt fantastic - both immediately, and in the week afterward.

Newton Motion III Review (2014 Edition)

Newton Motions have always been my favorite all-around training and racing running shoe.  I've worn them in their prior two incarnations, and, as always, Newton’s Action/Reaction forefoot technology provides springy responsiveness owing to their unique lugs that line the bottom of the sole as shown on my recently arrived Newton Motion III's.

The big change in the Motion III's, and my favorite, is the added fifth lug.  This, combined with the Extended Medial Bridge (E.M.B) helps the sole of the shoe better align with the foot’s five metatarsal bones, and delivers more cushioning, greater responsiveness and a broader and more stable base.  Combined, the added lug and E.M.B. allows for a more balanced and efficient running gait. 

Newton's Motion III's also provides a new micro-suede overlay on the upper and 360-degree reflectivity for added safety.  Unchanged are the Motion III's 3mm drop from heel to toe, as the shoe's near-level platform encourages a more balanced and natural posture, an essential component to efficient running.

I found the transition to the new Motion III's versus my prior Motion II's to be seamless.  I just tried them on, and they felt great.  As a result of my confidence in Newton I wore them with essentially no transition (from my previously running in Motion II's) both on last weekend's Texas Independence Relay (~20 miles in four legs) and yesterday's 4 the Park 4 mile race, and they felt comfortable, stable and responsive.

Needless to say, I highly recommend these shoes, and encourage runners new to Newton to try them on at a specialty running store which allows you to get them on the road where they truly shine.

Bayou Classic 10K Race Report

This morning's Bayou Classic 10K was run under humid and windy conditions on a hilly Allen Parkway course. Still, it was a fun run and it was nice to see Chris and Tim at the start and Kim at the finish. The calves felt good, thanks to Connie's massage two weeks ago, self massage since via a foam roller, and Tiger Balm.

My splits point out I again failed to negative split (7:29, 7:29, 7:28, 7:59, 7:45, 8:14), but considering the tough east wind that would have been extremely difficult.  Happy to place 11 / 45 (top 25%) in a tough age group.

Data: Avg. Cadence: 82, Avg. HR: 167, 57 °F, 12mph E, 88% humidity.

Rodeo Run 10K Race Report, and Polar H7 Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor Review

Every year the single 10K race that I look forward to the most is the Rodeo Run.  This year again fully met my expectations.

Arriving early with my wife and her friend, both of whom ran the 5K, we had plenty of time to check-out some horses and decorations of the parade floats prior to my 10K and subsequently their 5K start.  These floats and horses, along with hundreds of parade participants, are viewed by tens of thousands of spectators in Downtown Houston each year to dramatically kick-off the start of the Rodeo.  The spectators, eager to see and cheer for a parade of any kind, are consistently enthusiastic and supportive of the nearly ten thousand 5K and 10K Rodeo Run runners.  This, combined with the high volume shouted encouragement of numerous announcers along the downtown streets, creates a truly celebratory mood particularly in the first mile where the spectator support is the greatest.

Resulting from the cheering crowds and my fresh legs, I consistently find it hard to initially moderate my pace in order to run the second half of the race faster than the first half (Kenyan Way coach Sean Wade's number one rule!)  Sadly, as is oft the case, my earliest mile pace was my fastest, and I subsequently gradually slowed until the final mile, when provoked by a runner in my age group passing me my competitive juices kicked-in and I was spurred to catch him - which I did just before the finish line!  My mile-by-mile paces, on a 70 degree nearly 100% humidity morning were: 7:46, 7:46, 7:58, 8:23, 8:23, then 8:08.

While far from my personal best time I succeeded in protecting my legs for the far more important 200 mile Texas Independence Relay which I will be running with eleven friends in four weeks.  My calves, which I've had issues with in the past months, felt good throughout the race.  For this I again thank Connie, whose therapeutic massage skills have allowed me to run three races in the past two months.  After the race was over I was happy to see that within my division I placed 11th out of 146 - within the top ten percent.

Polar H7 Heart Rate Monitor Review:

Earlier this week I purchased via Amazon a highly rated Bluetooth heart rate monitor, the Polar H7.  It paired easily with my iPhone 5 and, thanks to it being natively supported by the iSmoothRun App I used it to monitor and announce each prior mile's total mileage, pace, cadence and heart rate - all while otherwise playing a motivating music playlist.  This information, conveniently provided without my needing to glance down at my wrist as I had previously done with my Garmin Forerunner proved helpful via cautioning me against a dramatic increase in exertion seen through a sharp increase in heart rate.  The Polar H7 worked well with the iSmoothRun App, and conveniently auto-uploads afterward to DailyMile and RunKeeper.  Bottom line, while I am new to using the Polar H7, I give it a big thumbs up.

Further Planning for the 2014 Texas Independence Relay!

For my sixth consecutive year I'll soon be running the Texas Independence Relay with a great team called the DOGS.  Despite the predictable last minute scheduling challenges, I'm excited!

To see our latest plan, see the individual GoogleMaps' leg-by-leg views shown below or this GoogleEarth KML file for the 2014 DOGS.  Finally, the following very helpful one was recently posted by the TIR organizer.

Sleep Shift 1 Vehicle	Rick	MarkU	David	Ruth	Don	Janet
Leg 1	01-Rick	08-MarkU	09-David	10-Ruth	11-Don	12-Janet
Leg 2	27-Rick	26-MarkU	25-David	29-Ruth	28-Don	30-Janet
Leg 3	33-Rick	32-MarkU	31-David	35-Ruth	34-Don	36-Janet
Leg 4		38-MarkU	37-David
Relay Miles (Legs)	14.2 (3)	19.5 (4)	19.8 (4)	14.3 (3)	15.6 (3)	13.0 (3)
Sleep Shift 2 Vehicle	Paul	MB	Kim	Tim	Kath	MarkO
Leg 1	02-Paul	03-MB	04-Kim	05-Tim	06-Kath	07-MarkO
Leg 2	13-Paul	14-MB	15-Kim	16-Tim	18-Kath	17-MarkO
Leg 3	19-Paul	20-MB	21-Kim	22-Tim	23-Kath	24-MarkO
Leg 4	40-Paul		39-Kim
Relay Miles (Legs)	20.9 (4)	16.4 (3)	17.9 (4)	18.0 (3)	14.1 (3)	14.5 (3)

Versus the plan posted a month ago we had the additional challenge of replacing yet another DOG who had to withdraw due to an illness or injury.  As with our prior unexpected personnel withdrawals we were again fortunate to quickly identify a willing and capable experienced runner to fill the void.  Last night upon realizing that to avoid the second sleep shift needing to be awoken 90-minutes short of their well deserved sleep allocation (to avoid being charged an extra night's stay by violating the hotel's Noon check-out) I again reshuffled the DOGS' running order.

I'm quite satisfied with the results, which can also be visualized - with great emphasis on the hilliness of the 30-miles east of Gonzales - via the following customized elevation map:

DOG FOLLOWERS!
TIR runners can have the entire course on your smart-phone, with your own location shown (as the blue dot) so that you could always see where you are relative to the course.  This is very helpful both for potentially lost runners, and for the passengers in the support vehicles to follow their runners along:

1) Click on the below link (while reading this on your phone).

https://www.google.com/maps/ms?msid=208385123618179864865.0004abc20606c5a9f5000&msa=0&ll=29.606894%2C-96.569824&spn=1.640482%2C2.768555

2) A message may come up about GPS tracking or using your current location... you'll need to accept / ok it.

3) You should see the TIR route come up on your phone (on your phones web browser and NOT Google Maps app), but maybe not a blue dot that shows where you are.

4) Touch the little icon near the top that looks like a diamond sign with a turn (to the right) arrow on it.

5) then a screen with "Directions" at the top should show up. Click on the icon with the person hiking (this is just to the left of the bicycle icon, and beneath "Add Destination - Show options")

6) Then touch the little icon with the map with the pointer on it (to the immediate right of the word "Directions" at the very top)

7) Now, you should be able to see a blue dot at your current location (representing you!). We now see you, too! Just kidding.

Austin Half Marathon Race Report

Finished! After this morning's Austin Half, I was, quite simply, very glad to be done.

My pre-race planning and preparations started well enough, waking-up early enough for my normal Breakfast of Champions (Starbuck's non-fat Venti Cappuccino, Gatorade, yogurt, fruit, and granola.) I arrived at the start corral north of the Capitol with enough time to avoid weaving around the back-of-the-pack runners. My physical condition was acceptable, though clearly nowhere close to my best, as a result of the six-week interruption to my training caused by a calf injury which is now, thankfully, only a painful memory (thanks again, Connie and Sean!) This being the Austin Half Marathon I had intended to do more hill training in preparation, but life got in the way and was only able to do a dozen or so loops around Houston's Miller Outdoor Theatre versus my hoped for Conroe runs.

Despite the reasonable 60°F starting temperature, I didn't factor adequately into account Austin's hills and especially this morning's dripping 100% humidity. These led me to seek to match or improve upon my recent Houston performance, thinking incorrectly that my somewhat improved fitness would overcome the heat and hills. By the eighth mile, running briefly alongside my wonderfully supportive wife inquiring my condition, I was several minutes off my hoped for pace so knew I had to reset to my back-up plan.

Fortunately, I had one! My new plan was to beat two hours total time, thereby to be below 9-minute average pace. However, with continued hills and growing fatigue working against me I knew it would be a close call as I sprinted the final downhill section past the Capitol to the finish line. I just made it with a 1:57:38 time and an 8:58 average pace. Through my inadequate planning I proved myself not to be a sufficiently loyal disciple of Coach Sean Wade, who preaches incessantly - but evidently, not sufficiently! - about the importance of every runner achieving a negative split on each race and training run.

Ultimately, I'm OK with the result. It's being healthy and able to run that's most important; performance is secondary. In the coming days I'll give my body some much needed rest, then will begin my preparations for the Houston Rodeo Run 10K and the always fun Texas Independence Relay!

RoadNoise Safety Vest Review

Through the organizer of the excellent Texas Independence Relay I found out about the RoadNoise. As is shown in the following video, the RoadNoise is a safety vest with small speakers in the shoulders which allows the runner to safely listen to music while remaining clearly visible. I will use it on the next Texas Independence Relay, as headphones (but not the RoadNoise) are appropriately prohibited as it is run primarily on the shoulder of public roads shared by high speed traffic.

To test the product's visibility I wore it after dark while running on the shoulder of the road, observing when approaching vehicles first saw me - evidenced by their moving over or slowing down. I was delighted to see every approaching vehicle do so while at least one hundred yards away. Conversely, in prior evening runs despite wearing a bright yellow running shirt a couple of drivers clearly did not see me - thus proving that bright colors alone do not make a runner visible!

While engaged in this experiment I enjoyed music via the RoadNoise's built-in speakers connected through the earphone jack of my iPhone, which is held securely in place in a Velcro enclosed pouch sufficiently large as to accommodate devices up to a Samsung Galaxy 3. I was impressed that the audio quality was not bad, once I set the equalization to "small speakers" (an important item to test on any new speaker system.)

I was also impressed that even with music played sufficiently loud to clearly hear the lyrics that I was still easily able to hear approaching vehicles and pedestrians. So, I have no hesitation recommending that runners try the RoadNoise. Particularly at this time of year, when days are still relatively short yet the improving weather encourages us to go outside, we need to be ultra-cautious with the potentially deadly combination of heavy vehicle traffic and increasingly distracted drivers.

The RoadNoise is well constructed and designed, and its mesh construction does not restrict air flow so allows you to run cool. Note, however, that as its speakers are powered from your device, you will find its battery to drain much more quickly than normal; consequently, be sure to fully charge it before your run. Also, though the RoadNoise's speakers are water resistant, the vest offers no weather protection for your electronic device, so be sure to protect it (I recommend via a clear plastic sandwich bag.)

From my experience exchanging my previously ordered medium, which proved too snug, to a large I found that RoadNoise's customer service is both courteous and prompt. I received neither a promotional product nor an incentive for this review. Bottom line, I highly recommend RoadNoise!

Houston Half Marathon Race Report

Up until two weeks ago my running was badly suffering. Beginning two months prior my left calf had suddenly acted-up, forcing me to the sidelines for two weeks. Two weeks later, thinking I was recovered, I ran on a cold and rainy day, and on the thirteenth mile my right calf suddenly screamed with pain, once again forcing me to the sidelines. Worried about my declining fitness, every succeeding two weeks I tested my calf's recovery by attempting a short three mile run, and was increasingly dejected since after only two miles I discovered that my calf was not healed.
This sad situation continued for six weeks, when I finally sought-out then heeded the excellent advice of Kenyan Way Coach Sean Wade, who recommended that I see his long-time sports masseuse Connie. Doing so proved nearly miraculous, as she unlocked my extremely tight fascia which had been restricting the blood flow and the cellular healing of the injured calf muscle. As a result of her healing touch, in the past two weeks I've been delighted to quickly ramp-up my running distances - with no hint of calf problems.

With this as my recent backdrop I ran today's Houston Half Marathon intending to run at a conservative pace, as running too quickly would raise the risk of incurring another injury - especially given my loss of endurance resulting from my nearly two month hiatus. I was delighted with today's half-way decent 1:51 time, which while far from my 1:35 personal record proved both calves are fully healed, and I remain on-track to build my endurance towards the Austin Half Marathon in four weeks. Thanks again, Sean and Connie!

Bottom line, when confronting a frustrating running situation, rendered more-so by endorphin deprivation, don't rely solely on your own judgement. Instead, seek out the council of your more experienced coach or trusted adviser.

I love the new 2014 Houston Marathon and Half Marathon course!  Especially notably, both courses, beginning this year, completely avoid the dreaded Elysian Viaduct, a mile long spectator-free road, ramp and bridge north of downtown that had previously provided runners unsightly views of railroad tracks and down-scale commercial properties. Conversely, the new course substitutes neighborhoods with ample, and always appreciated, spectator support. Great job to RD Brant Kotch and his staff!

Plans for the forthcoming Texas Independence Relay!

Returning again in March I am looking forward to running the Texas Independence Relay (TIR) with team "DOGS" for my sixth (the team's seventh) consecutive year. The TIR is consistently well managed, and I'm blessed to have an excellent group of friends to run this relay race with. It is always tremendously fun, and I recommend it highly to Houston-area runners eager for a new adventure.

In the past several months our team has overcome many significant personnel challenges, resulting from the unfortunate injury or relocation amongst four of last year's twelve DOGS. Fortunately, we were successful at finding strong replacement runners whom we've known for years, so we're all looking forward to another fantastic experience.

Listed below is a summary table extracted from my Excel planning spreadsheet with ample stats, additionally showing each leg run with a corresponding Google Maps link:

	DON's TRUCK 1st Sleep Shift:
	Rick	MarkU	David	Janet	Raul	Don
Relay Miles	15.7	19.0	17.6	13.0	14.5	14.7
Prologue Miles	1.15	1.15	1.15	1.15	1.15	1.15
Total TIR Miles	16.9	20.1	18.8	14.2	15.7	15.9
Pace (cool & flat)	8:30	8:00	8:45	11:39	9:45	8:30
Forecast Run Time (h:m)	2:17	2:35	2:39	2:34	2:26	2:07
Forecast Pace (Hot&Hilly)	8:46	8:12	9:02	11:51	10:04	8:41
Overall Elev. Increase (ft.)	528	460	770	285	556	323
Overall Elev. Decrease (ft.)	(498)	(620)	(578)	(395)	(575)	(408)
Overall Net Change in Elev. (ft.)	30	(160)	192	(110)	(19)	(85)
Overall Number of Legs	3	4	4	3	3	3
Leg 1	1-Rick	2-MarkU	3-David	12-Janet	13-Raul	14-Don
Leg 2	28-Rick	10-MarkU	11-David	30-Janet	29-Raul	31-Don
Leg 3	34-Rick	27-MarkU	32-David	36-Janet	35-Raul	37-Don
Leg 4		33-MarkU	38-David
Relay Miles (Legs)	15.7 (3)	19.0 (4)	17.6 (4)	13.0 (3)	14.5 (3)	14.7 (3)
	TIM's TRUCK 2nd Sleep Shift:
	Paul	MB	Kim	Kath	Tim	MarkO
Relay Miles	19.0	18.1	18.4	15.8	17.5	14.9
Prologue Miles	1.15	1.15	1.15	1.15	1.15	1.15
Total TIR Miles	20.2	19.2	19.5	17.0	18.7	16.1
Pace (cool & flat)	8:30	9:00	8:03	8:04	8:21	10:00
Forecast Run Time (h:m)	2:46	2:47	2:31	2:11	2:30	2:33
Forecast Pace (Hot&Hilly)	8:47	9:18	8:17	8:21	8:35	10:18
Overall Elev. Increase (ft.)	585	401	427	537	259	399
Overall Elev. Decrease (ft.)	(433)	(462)	(527)	(575)	(361)	(443)
Overall Net Change in Elev. (ft.)	152	(61)	(100)	(38)	(102)	(44)
Overall Number of Legs	4	3	4	3	3	3
Leg 1	4-Paul	9-MB	7-Kim	5-Kath	8-Tim	6-MarkO
Leg 2	15-Paul	16-MB	17-Kim	18-Kath	19-Tim	20-MarkO
Leg 3	21-Paul	22-MB	23-Kim	24-Kath	25-Tim	26-MarkO
Leg 4	40-Paul		39-Kim
Relay Miles (Legs)	19.0 (4)	18.1 (3)	18.4 (4)	15.8 (3)	17.5 (3)	14.9 (3)

For even better visualizations of the route install Google Earth then click:

• Here for the customized zoom-in on any leg along the route;
• Here for a fun view of our ~36-hour trek compressed to 5.5-minutes!

Here's a great elevation view generated by the very handy GPSVISUALIZER.com tool: