Cowtown ULTRA Marathon

My Bucket List

For me, The Cowtown Ultra Marathon was about my Bucket List. Tera (Asst RD) and I have been friends since 2000. We visited at the WR expo to discuss my Bucket List and the Ultra Marathon. I e-mailed her to confirm I would register for the ultra while at the Houston Marathon expo. Imagine the look of shock when Libby and Peggy realized I was registering for the ultra!

Is the Bucket List debatable when race morning temps are 40 degrees with 25+ mph winds??? No, there can be no debate. The Bucket List is about living life to the fullest so I take what the day gives me, lace up my shoes, then I go for it! Not only am I running the Ultra by myself, there are only 140 runners registered for the Ultra. (118 finishers)

Race Plan
Plan A: complete the Ultra (12:00+ goal pace – thanks Coach Cathy)
Plan B: split off at mile 8 with the half marathoners
Plan C: split off at mile 23 with the marathoners

Race thoughts and mile splits (13:07 avg pace)
M1: 11:12 Yes, it is cold and windy!! I hate gloves, but I should have brought them. Thank goodness for the trash bag I snagged from the side of the road and my new shirt with thumb holes. (expo sale)
M2: 11:07 Maybe I’ll run with the 5:15 pace group. Not working.
M3: 11:03
M4: 10:50
M5: 11:23 WOW, now the marathon starts! I hear Cathy saying “slow down”.
M6: 11:26 Stop to remove one layer of clothing. Why did I overdress?? Libby is surely cussing me.
M7: 12:10 See first person with an Ultra bib – Hector. Are the other 138 runners all ahead of us?
M8: 11:39 The half marathoners split off. Plan B is no more.
M9: 11:45 Focus on slowing to a 12:00+ pace. Walk the up hills. Run the down hills.
M10: 12:08 More focus on a slower pace plus a 30 second port-a-let stop.
M11: 11:55
M12: 11:54 Déjà vu - enter Trinity Park. Home of El Scorch 25K. The Bucket List 2008.
M13: 11:49
M14: 12:44 Déjà vu – Colonial Golf - In 2000, I came to run 8 miles of a relay, but ran 18 miles.
M15: 12:44
M16: 14:11 The sunshine is beautiful. I am soooo overdressed!
M17: 14:27 Stop to remove wind vest and push up leggings. Why didn’t I wear shorts?
M18: 13:20 No wind, but lots of shade. Now I am cold. Re-apply the layers. Why didn’t I bring gloves?
M19: 16:19 The North wind is almost stopping me in my tracks! This is two miles of a gradual uphill…
M20: 16:09 Call Todd at home. WHAT is the deal with the wind? He says “28 mph gusting to 34 mph”
M21: 14:06 Call Jean-Maria. You ran the half marathon, go home. No need to wait for me to finish.
M22: 14:57 Call Libby. I am closer to 13:00 pace. Stay at the hotel. Plenty of time for a nap!
M23: 13:52 The marathoners split off. Plan C is no more. Déjà vu –El Scorcho start/finish line.
M24: 15:30 El Scorcho was at midnight and hot as hell. Now it is the unrelenting damn North wind!!
M25: 14:38 This area is wide open, but it seemed so narrow when only a flash light guided the way. M26: 16:08 One more mile into the wind, up hill then U-turn. Will I ever enjoy running at Trinity Park?
M27: 13:12 With the wind at my back, running along the Trinity River is fun. Maybe I like Trinity Park.
M28: 13:43 Pick it up, but save energy. Jean-Maria said the final two miles are up hill.
M29: 12:39 Enjoy the slight down hill. Tera hugs me and screams “Paula is an Ultra Marathoner”!
M30: 13:48 Yes, it is up hill. Hector goes out of sight as he enters the final turns.
M31: 13:40 More up hill and twisty turns. Then the FINISH LINE!!!

Finish Line Celebrations
The 17,000+ runners and their spectators were all gone. Only the finish line clock and banners remained as the final ultra marathoners finished, but who cared?? Todd, Libby and Jean-Maria were loudly cheering me as I completed the final half mile. After I crossed the finish line they all came over to give me congratulatory hugs. I was blessed by having the opportunity to share this experience with them. More great news followed as I learned that both Libby and Jean-Maria had a PR in the half marathon! Although, the ultra marathon was about my Bucket List I will return to Cowtown for the next four year as it will take five finisher medals to complete the star. Click here to read about the Five Year Medal Star.

A Personal Record

OMG! Tonight was a great run! I beat my 5 mile PR by 3:34. An avg of 10:16 and the last mile was a 9:41 :) :) :) I LOVE running on cool clear nights. Off to shower then log back on for a few more hours of "real job" work.

Total Miles 5.0
Total Time 51:25
Average Pace 10:16

M1 10:40
M2 10:30
M3 10:19
M4 10:12
M5 09:42

What's My Workout???

I left the office at 8PM determined to return to the TUE/THU speed sessions. Before shutting down my computer I pulled up our Houston training schedule. 5 - 5 min x 2 min walk/jog @ 9:52 - 10:13. Hmmm, no speed workouts since Oct...

I was able to complete the first 5 minute cycle. I am okay that my walk breaks ended up being a little longer than 2 minutes, but I did run all 25 minutes at a 10:00 min pace.

It's almost 10PM, but I did it. Nothing like watching the Biggest Loser while on the treadmill :) Bring on THU's speed session!

Houston Marathon LSD

The 5 day forecast was 41 degrees with a high of 60. The 1 day forecast was 68 degrees, 80% humidity with a high of 85. I wish my job allowed me to TOTALLY miss my forecast projections!

Houston Marathon is in two weeks, I missed my 20 and 22 mile training runs. My last long run, 18 miles, was 6 weeks ago. Today’s goal was to get 23 miles on my legs pre-marathon. It wasn’t pretty - 9 miles running then 14 miles walking…. Why did we park the car 7 miles from the lake? So we couldn’t quit!

Will I run Houston Marathon? I don’t know. If I survive the long work hours for the next two weeks and the forecast is weather perfect, I will probably run. If I don’t run my ego will remain fully intact. This is marathon #17. I haven’t run a marathon in 3+ years. I didn’t want to run another marathon unless I raised the bar and trained to break 5 hours. I trained perfectly from August until I got what I thought was a routine cold the first week of November. The doctor was quite surprised I was able to run 16, 12 and 18 miles, but said “NO” when I asked about my upcoming 20 miler. Was it because my x-rays revealed bronchitis and pre-pneumonia and I had just finished a breathing treatment? I didn’t run a step for 2 weeks then ran the DWRM half marathon. Thankfully my finish time confirmed my training was still on target. Then I caught another cold resulting in more meds and 2 weeks of no running.

Why would I run Houston Marathon? The same reason I stared down the Texas heat all summer to run 4 miles, hit the wall, walk 5 miles. My health has declined in both 2007 and 2008. Running and completing races literally keeps my foot in the game and is the only way I know I am continuing to win my battle against MS.

Thank you, Peggy, Frances and Ken. Without each of you, a sub 5 marathon may have remained only a dream. If it isn’t Houston, I know I will achieve this goal.

Total Miles: 23.84
Total Time 5:37:23
Avg Pace 14:46

M1 11:15
M2 11:18
M3 11:13
M4 11:18
M5 11:23
M6 11:16
M7 16:32
M8 11:21
M9 11:34
M10 13:08
M11 14:52
M12 17:00
M13 17:14
M14 17:27
M15 18:01
M16 16:52
M17 16:26
M18 16:46
M19 16:33
M20 16:47
M21 16:55
M22 17:20
M23 14:45

I am a Runner!

New Year's Day. Rolled out of bed. Brushed my teeth and put on my running clothes.

I have been battling upper respiratory infections since the DRC half marathon. Today was my first run since DWRM half marathon. I ran 2 miles, coughed 2 minutes then ran 2 more miles. I missed both my 20 and 23 mile training runs and Houston Marathon is approx two weeks away.
I am a runner and began the New Year as always -- running :)

Total Miles 4.0 Total Time 43:58 Average Pace 10:59
M1 10:44
M2 10:58
M3 11:03
M4 11:13