Sugar Land 30K

Heading Out
My race morning began when I drove down to the mall and parked next to the Cheesecake Factory. (Hey, it was in our instructions!) For this weekend, the RW SmartCoach schedule was requesting a 20-miler from me. So after picking up my timing chip and finishing my usual 10-minute walking warmup, I took a one-and-a-half-mile jog around the mall parking lot. At the end of this, my clothes were already soaked in perspiration. Our temperatures are running twenty degrees above average for this time of year. We'd be starting under conditions of 72F and 90-percent humidity. I joined the crowd behind the starting line shortly before the horn went off. I crossed the starting mat and started my Garmin.

"This Looks Familiar."
If scenery during a run is important to you, then by all means avoid this race course. After leaving the mall, runners run a few miles to Palm Royale Boulevard and then go up and down the boulevard three times. The Sweetwater subdivision of Sugar Land is home to many of Houston's pro athletes, but we didn't see any of them, just the high walls of their McMansions. This triple-loop setup could potentially be very confusing to an unsuspecting racer. To the credit of the race organizers, mile markers 4 through 16 were very visible, even if they were seemingly scattered across the loop. But as long as I kept conscious of how many times I had been around, it wasn't an issue.

Reaching Redline
What was an issue was the rising mercury, not to mention the numbing boredom of the course that was setting in after making six U-turns on the same stretch of road. I had made it all the way through mile 14 locked in on a very comfortable pace in the tens and elevens. But three hours into the race, the temperature was reaching towards 80F and little of my perspiration was evaporating. I could sense my heartrate beginning to race and I started feeling lightheaded.

The Battle of Lexington
I interpreted my symptoms as possible warning signs of heat exhaustion. In miles 15 through 17, I shifted into a run/walk pattern to keep things under control; I was struggling to keep myself relaxed, but leaving that loop behind for good probably saved me from going loopy! As I made the turn onto Lexington Boulevard for the return trip to the mall, the sun was really getting to me and I was fretting about "running out of gas."

As if on cue, a cool breeze started blowing. "Where were you earlier?" I wryly asked aloud. ;) But I wasn't complaining; the battle had been turned! I was able to pick up my run again for the rest of the race, blowing a kiss at the mile 18 marker as I went by. The end was finally at hand.

Watch me finish!

(I'm wearing blue.)
Gun Time: 3:44:29
Chip Time: 3:43:06

Looking Forward
At the end of the race, we got some nifty medals. As much as I've complained about the course itself, I do have to give kudos to the race organizers and volunteers that made the human-controlled part of this experience pleasant to deal with. There was plenty of fluids available on the course and plenty of pizza, bagels, soda, and fruit at the post-race party. They even arranged to make finishing videos (like the one you just saw) available for download to everyone.

Well gentle reader, that's the story of my last race of 2007 and my first race as a member of the 35-39 age group. I suppose I should be feeling fairly good about my level of preparation for next month's marathon. Sure, I'm feeling fatigued and a wee bit sore, but nothing on my body outright hurts. I just hope we get some a "normal" January morning in Houston that won't force me to walk for extended stretches again due to heat issues.