"Lookin' Good" Shamrock Strut 10K

(March 25 update -- gun and chip times were posted and I've added them down at the bottom of the report.)

It's not often that I go race with a specific target time. Usually I just try to go out and run a smart race and accept what I'm capable of on any given day. After setting a 10K PR time of 1:00:24 on the hilly and crowded Rodeo Run course two weeks ago, however, I just knew I had a sub-60-minute time due.

I arrived at the Houston Eye Associates building about half an hour before gun time and met my sister, who was there to cheer me on and attempt to use my digital camera. This morning's field was on the small side, with probably no more than 500 runners in the 5K and 10K events combined. After a brief warmup, I dropped myself into the middle of the crowd behind the starting line and the horn went off.

The race itself went quite smoothly. The course was roughly a 3-mile loop, so I'd be running it twice. (For those familiar with Houston, it ran down Brompton to N. Braeswood with a turnaround at Stella Link.) I think I did a pretty good job of keeping the first mile relaxed and under control.

After completing the first loop, I began to think about how I'd maintain my effort through the crucial miles 4 and 5. And then I was passed by a woman with a Perfect Ponytail(tm) and lime green shorts. Perfect. I used those shorts as a pacing beacon for the next two miles. I couldn't hold on forever, though, and she slipped out of my sight by the turn back onto Brompton. But she had unknowingly helped me accomplish my goal:

Mile 1 - 9:10
Mile 2 - 9:35
Mile 3 - 9:39
Mile 4 - 9:42
Mile 5 - 9:42
Mile 6 - 9:52
10K elapsed time - 59:37 (new PR!)

I don't know my chip time yet, since they never posted any results slower than 50 minutes during the postrace party. The webpage for this race claims that it has the "best postrace party in Houston," but I couldn't discern anything that stood out for the adults. For kids, however, it was like a mini-carnival with a bounce house, ferris wheel, face painting, etc. The closest to adult refreshments I got was the table from Two Rows restaurant, who was there with a tray of their delicious beer muffins. Overall, I thought the race, which benefits a Foundation that covers the hospital and surgical facility fees, medications, and other ancillary expenses for indigent Houstonians with critical eye problems, was well operated.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, everyone! So, how did my sister do behind the lens, you ask?


This is me completing loop number one. She almost missed me going by until I shouted at her. You'd think it wouldn't be hard to spot a guy wearing a green shirt and a shamrock on his hat!


Approaching the finish line.


Oh, sure, let's get one more picture before leaving the race site.

Event: "Lookin' Good" Shamrock Strut 10K (15 March 2008)
Location: Houston Eye Associates building (Houston, Texas)
Result: 59:27.6 (chip), 1:00:04.8 (gun time), 59:37 (Garmin Forerunner 101),
Benefits: Houston Eye Associates Foundation