Houston Marathon Running Pace 2008

5:15 marathon time or 12:01 minutes per mile

This was my first time to set the Houston Marathon running pace for someone other than myself. When Arlen Isham, Houston Marathon Pacer Team Coordinator, asked me to volunteer to be a pacer; I asked for the 4:30 (10:18 min/mi) pacer group. This was the running pace that I was used to doing.  However he said that he really needed someone to handle the 5:15 marathon running pace. So….. off to the races.

The weather Sunday was ideal for the Houston Marathon, a cool and breezy 42 degrees. It warmed up into the 60’s and the low humidity breeze stayed all day.

Since my group was going to be in back of the pack and I was the only 5:15 pacing leader; I lined up in the white corral for a 7:10 am second wave start. The red corral was the first wave and started at 7:00 am after the national anthem.

Several folks that met me at the Expo (Houston Marathon Veterans booth) were patiently waiting for me between the 5:00 and the 5:30 running pace groups. I was trying to stay out of the brisk wind as long as possible.

Once the second wave got to the starting line timing mats, I utilized the 5 min. run and 1 min. walk technique with additional walking through the water stops and any hills (i.e., viaducts, overpasses and underpasses). I used my Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS to try to find the right mix of run and walk speeds. I found that running at 11:00 min/mi and walking at 13:30 min/mi was a good balance. At the first mile marker, the group had a 12:00 chip time. This was further reinforced by the folks calling out the second wave gun time at various mile markers. The group stayed very consistently at 11:50 min/mi (second wave gun time). I slowed the running pace down so that we were not more than 5 minutes ahead of our 20 mile target time. This would allow for those running out of energy in the last 6 miles and a possibly slower running pace. I gave 10 second count downs when it was time to shift gears to running or walking.

I asked James Scheffer (Bib 6383), a first time marathoner, to help me carry the balloon stick and to help with keeping track of the time (when to run and when to walk). James was a big help to me because I would lose track of time while talking to various runners.

I found out that while setting the running pace, that there are a few administrative things to carry out. Quite a few runners asked running questions that ranged from our run/walk running pace strategy, to what to do after the marathon, to personal experiences, and to how do you become a pacer.

At the half way point, we were 5 minutes ahead of pace schedule (by chip). Everyone around me said that they were feeling good about the pace. In fact, several times I was asking the group to slow down.

One of the high points for me was to shake hands with George Bush (the elder) around Mile 19. It seemed surprising that he would be out there for 4 or more hours to cheer the back of the pack onward. He was surrounded by stern looking men in black overcoats. Although I did not see her, some told me that  Barbara Bush was sitting in a chair farther from the road.

As we came through the Memorial Park area (Miles 20 thru 22), I encouraged those that felt better to leave the group and increase their pace. Some did and some eased off the pace. At this point we were about 4 to 5 minutes ahead of the chip time schedule.

During the race, I never understood how many of the marathon runners might be trying the 5:15 pace. I thought from those around me that the number was 40 or 50. However based on the number of finishers that came in plus or minus 5 minutes of our target pace time there were an amazing 314 souls pounding the pavement to victory. Eight were from my Galveston County.

I crossed the finish line at 5:12:58.

I gave the balloon stick to a young girl in the George R Brown (GRB) Convention Center.

In the GRB several marathon runners with their medals around their necks thanked me for helping them.

With all said and done, I really enjoyed helping others (>300) achieve their running goals.

I am ready to lead another Houston Marathon running pace next year.

Copyright © 2008  EasyOnlineOrdering.com

Richard Jares