Rodeo Run 10K

15,000 on Texas Street ready to stampede. The guy in the banana costume slipped ahead and I never saw him again

(This is being typed on March 3. Yeah, I snoozed a little on this blog post!)

If spring is breaking in, then 'tis the season to Rodeo! The Rodeo Run date hasn't been really all that kind in the past weather-wise, but 2012 brought in some pretty good running weather. Just cool enough to be refreshing, the overcast skies were a welcome sight in a late morning run that has given me sweltering sun . . . . when not pelting me with rain and wind.

I've always had an affection for the 10K distance -- it requires you to save some in the tank lest you burn out early, yet it's still short enough where you want to make each second count. And I'd have to say that this was overall a really good race for me at this time. I was able to keep the sub-11 minutes pumping through practically the whole race, except for mile 5 (rising over the Elysian viaduct for the second time) and the brief mile 1 rail stoppage.

Yes, one of the unexpected things runners sometimes get in a race finally happened to me. During the Leeland Street leg of the course, a string of METRORail cars on Main Street rolled into my view. After halting in my tracks for a couple of dumbfounded seconds, I realized that hundreds were bearing down on my position behind me, so I made a point of turning around and yelling

"TRAIN!"

Once again, I saw numerous people demonstrating of one of my pet peeves -- wearing headphones during a crowded race. I still don't understand why someone might think it's a good idea to block out the surrounding sound during a mega-event like Rodeo Run. There are bands on the course, course marshals are barking out directions, and other runners may try to alert you that they're about to pass . . . or warn you of a train.

Safety first, pardner.

It's all downhill from here!

The splits:

Mile 1 - 11:32
Mile 2 - 10:43
Mile 3 - 10:54
Mile 4 - 10:40
Mile 5 - 11:07
Mile 6 - 10:51
Last .25 - 2:24
10K Elapsed Time - 1:08:12 (per Garmin Forerunner 205)
10K Elapsed Time - 1:08:05 (chip time, with 5K halves of 34:12 and 33:53)

CitySolve Urban Race

Outside the Chase Bank tower, the sculpture Personage and Birds by Joan Miró was one of our final checkpoints.

Yesterday afternoon the rain clouds blanketing the city took an intermission just long enough to let the lovely Laurie and I race CitySolve Houston under dry skies. And after the gusty soaking we took in 2010, it was a relief to be able to keep the umbrellas stowed away this time around.

♫♪ "Red Solo Cup
you're more
than just plastic.
You're more
than amazing
you're more
than fantastic." ♫♪

CitySolve is a scavenger hunt that asks racers to solve pop culture trivia or other puzzles to derive their photo checkpoints. For example, one of yesterday's clues referencing Ashton Kutcher's relationship troubles was pointing us to take a picture of ourselves in front of Demi's Dog House in Neartown.

At high noon all teams assembled at Little Woodrow's for this battle of wits to the death . . . or about four hours, whichever came first. After a kickstarter question led us under the freeway to Discovery Green, we picked up our full clue sheets and sat down to plan our attack. At 12:35, we had finished our phone-tapping and paper-scribbling and set out for the Main Street Square METRORail station.

I was wearing my Garmin Forerunner 205 and after boarding, the spring bars for the wrist strap popped loose. Rather than try to fix it aboard a shifting train, I thought it best to stow it away in my backpack. Even hidden away there, the GPS receiver would go on to record our entire journey. So that Couldn't-Have-Worked-If-I-Was-On-A-Bus alibi by marathon cheater Rob Sloan is still very much busted!

In hindsight, there were a few places where more careful reading of the clues would have made our wanderings more efficient. Our biggest goof added an extra half-mile to our race by forcing us to double back south into Midtown to complete a cup-stacking challenge at Maple Leaf Pub, which must be the only sports bar in the city of Houston to have hockey on every screen.

CurrentlyVince Field-Tested-and-Approved Pro-Tip:
CitySolve is much easier if your phone
isn't turn-of-the-century tech.

By the time we plopped our butts down on the sofas back at Little Woodrow's at nearly four o'clock, we were far from contending for the cash prizes, but we had experienced eight miles through city neighborhoods in a way that you simply don't get while cocooned in an automobile. Better yet, we logged our nine checkpoints, so unlike our soggy mess two years ago, we finished the assignment and avoided DNF shame. And as the new season of The Amazing Race begins on CBS tonight, I'll certainly have a little more empathy for the contestants scrambling to keep their directions straight!

Our journey!

Top Ten Suggested Marketing Taglines for the 2012 Houston Astros

10) Hey, it couldn't get any worse this year, can it?
9) We've got one season of reprieve before we're stuck in the same division as Albert Pujols again.
8) With the power output of our lineup, you can rest assured that no one's 'roiding here!
7) We promise that you'll never see Orbit again.
6) Given a choice between watching us or the London Olympics on tape-delay . . . we win, right?
5) The Mayans would have wanted you to enjoy a few more games before it's all over.
4) We've got Livan Hernandez -- fresh off of his 1997 World Series MVP campaign.
3) Minute Maid Park: The perfect antidote to the congestion of Houston rush hour.
2) You did hear about the lower beer prices, right?
1) Did the Texans or Rockets win 56 games last year? Didn't think so!

Heart of Katy Fun Run

The rhythm of the Katy Taylor drumline helped us beat the cold.

I made a race morning decision to drop in on this year's Heart of Katy Fun Run at Christus St. Catherine Hospital. It was a challenging race because I had been focusing on endurance so much leading up to last month's Aramco Half, so this was really the first time in a while that I tried to dial up the pace at a shorter distance.

The air at gun time had a brisk texture to it as it was 40F with a breeze gently pushing from the north. The good thing was that it was still humid enough to breathe comfortably. I was decked out for battle in my "Houston cold" gear -- dual-layer shorts, a T-shirt covered with a long-sleeve tech, gloves, a hat and my Nike earwarmer band. The earwarmer band provided some great pre-race amusement as I rummaged through my car for a few minutes before noticing that it was still wrapped around my forehead.

The course is a simple out-and-back on a very flat Kingsland Boulevard, and I was indeed able to push the pace. I had been flirting with the idea of cracking 30 minutes, but had to take a couple of short walk breaks just to keep things safe. Later I'd learn that I was only a couple minutes away from taking home age group hardware, so I'll take that as encouraging even in this small community race.

The splits:

Mile 1 -- 10:04

Mile 2 -- 10:09

Mile 3 -- 10:35

Last .1 mi -- :55

5K elapsed time -- 31:44 (per Garmin Forerunner 205)

5K elapsed time -- 31:36 (per IPICO chip)

5K elapsed time -- 31:44 (per gun time)