Guest Blogger: Shane's Aramco Houston 1/2 Marathon Race Report

So, I forced asked da' man to write a race report about his first 1/2 marathon experience. Please welcome my guest blogger, my husband Shane. The man who has enough cojones to put up with me.

Editor in Chief note: I am also known as Vivian, which makes me feel like I am 83.
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About twenty months ago, I was lying in bed consumed by the pain that was a result of a second back surgery in the same week. I had 2 herniated discs in my lower back (L4 & L5) that I developed from working 7 years in a warehouse, routinely lifting 100-lb boxes improperly. I struggled with the pain for years and thought I would never do anything athletic again in my life. Thanks to my wife’s inspiration and encouragement, all of that changed.

After the surgery, my physical therapist told me that I needed to lose my gut if I wanted to prevent further damage to my back. Vivian had recently started to run with a group and was like a kid in a candy store when she spoke about her running experiences. It didn’t take much to convince me to start running with her and burn some extra calories. I started slow at first; running a minute or two and then walking…I believe that all of you runners call this “…”. Soon, Vivian talked me into a 5K and believe it or not, I survived. Before long, she had me doing long runs…relatively speaking…8 miles is long to me OK! I couldn’t believe that I was actually running these distances. I played 4 years of high school football and we were all about sprints, so never before in my life had I run more than 2 consecutive miles and now after back surgery I was running 8 miles on the weekend…not to mention losing weight and feeling great. However, my back started to hurt after the long runs and my distances began to decline, as did my hope. At that time, I had already signed up for the Aramco Half-Marathon, but was wait listed and thought I would never get in and gave up hopes for running for fear of another surgery. Exactly 8 weeks before the marathon, I received an email informing me that I received a spot and had to respond within a couple of days or I would lose my bib. I decided that I would not use my back as an excuse or let it get in my way…in the words of my favorite band, Metallica, “what don’t kill you make you more strong.” I called Vivian and told her to make me a condensed training schedule for the marathon.

I started training and felt great, no issues, no pain and no problems. Then I got sick and missed a week of training…the week of my long run. Nonetheless, I bounced back after my sickness and got back into training. I ran my first 10 mile run on a treadmill because it was freezing outside and I didn’t want to risk getting a relapse of the flu. This was my longest run ever and it really sucked doing it on a treadmill, but I made it. Then I started having issues with one of my toes on my left foot, followed by major issues with my right ankle. Eventually, I ran through these issues and was pain free again. The next week, I did 10 miles in The Woodlands and loved it…my best run ever. I had tried out a new supplement, Cytomax, and it really lit a fire under me. This stuff is great and kept me moving and I don’t do a long run without it… By now, my taper started and I ran 8 miles the next weekend and 6 the following. The miles were logged and I was ready. I had lasagna with my son, Lil’ Buster on Friday, followed by seafood pasta prepared by my father-in-law on Saturday evening. Yeah, I know, a little over the edge on the carbo-loading, but it was a good excuse to eat ;) I drank way too many fluids on Saturday and paid the price during the race…see below.

Now it was time for the half-marathon. Although I had never trained at a pace under 12 minute miles, I set a goal for myself of a 02:30:00 half. Vivian dropped me off at the GRB around 6AM and I walked in, amazed by the number of people. I ran into an old schoolmate, Chandler, which I knew since Kindergarten. He was running the marathon with his sister that came in from Atlanta. It was nice to see him again. After an easy stretch and quick trip to the head, I was out the doors ready to go. Then I ran into one of Vivian’s running friends, Anna, who I met at last year’s marathon. She was with her friend Kate and we had a little small talk and photo session prior to the race. I wished them well and hit the head again…damn…I guess I was over hydrated, if that is possible. I was a little nervous because I had not yet run 13.1 consecutive miles and feared that by body would give out or my back would give me issues, but once I started running, all of those fears disappeared. The crowd was amazing and they kept me motivated, calling my name and cheering for all of the runners. Running up the first hill was a bit unexpected, but seeing the mass of runners helped get me through. The first four miles it smelt like a sewer, but it was nice to see all of the spectators in the neighborhood. I saw one house that had about 20 people outside getting an early start on their buzz…beer and champagne while cheering on the runners.

The miles went by quickly and seeing Vivian and my family and friends at mile 8 and again at mile 9.5, helped keep me motivated. My first mile was 11:40 and this set the pace; I remained under an 11:30 pace for the remaining 12.1 miles. I had no pain throughout the entire race, no shin splints, no issues with my ankle, and no back pain…nothing. But I did have one major issue; I had to piss like a race horse since mile 4 but did not want to stop. Besides, all of the facilities had lines of six plus people and I would never make my time if I stopped. In the end, my bladder got me and I sprinted into the stall a little after the 10 mile marker…that’s when my legs tightened up for the first time and my right hamstring felt like it was going to pop out of my leg. After about 3 minutes, which seemed like an eternity, I sprinted out and carried on with my pace, despite the hamstring issue. I finished the half-marathon in 02:29:47, just 13 seconds under my goal…what a sense of accomplishment. I also experienced a sense of dumbness when I went to get my medal. I walked up to the volunteers, as did the other finishers, and I asked for my medal. The volunteers just stood there staring and I wasn’t sure what the different medals signified. I asked whom to get the medal from and the volunteer said it didn’t matter. Unknowingly, I asked for the big round medal and was informed that those were for the FULL finishers…in the words of Psycho Robby…”that’s a cool feeling.” Then I went back inside the GBR to grab some food and ran into Team Strive, who have always made me feel welcome and given me encouragement…thanks!

The only thing I didn’t like was dodging in and out of all of the walkers and those who decided to stop directly in front of me for no reason. According to the Garmin, I logged an extra 0.25 miles from all of the zig zagg motion. Overall, I’m very pleased with the experience and the results. I’m ready for the next one and looking to drop my time by doing some real training…sprints, hills, etc. Thanks for reading and thanks to all of my family who helped me through this, especially my wife, Vivian.

#31486
SPRING, TX
Age: 31 Gender: M
2:29.47