Chevron Houston Marathon Training Week 25

Monday, December 12, 2016

Today is a joyous day around here! I have a lot of reasons to be thankful. I am thankful for 25 solid weeks of training. I am thankful for the health and strength to run. I am thankful for my last warm-up series race, the Fort Bend KIA 30K. We started our morning with the usual get together with the running group. These are not all of our members but I'd say a great chunk of us ran the 30K. 
Fort Bend Fit
I've been very proud of my friend Melissa who took the step of faith and has been training for her first full marathon. She has excelled this season and I am believing that God will help her run a strong Houston Marathon. I'm waiting to see if she catches the bug and signs up for 2018. 
Melissa is a super woman!
I looked at the weather on race morning and decided to wear shorts and leave all extra winter garments at home. Smart decision. I also heard there was rain in the forecast, so I asked God for the best weather possible for that race morning. We had a few showers and they were all very refreshing. I ran this race for the first time in 2013 so I was familiar with the route. We ran a 3 loop course and then you run back to the finish line. I saw my friend Xavi as we took off and we pretty much ran the entire race together. I can't be thankful enough for her! She really made this race dreamy. We talked about everything under the sun. I enjoyed her company so much I hope I see her at the Houston Marathon course! I also want to feature her here at the blog, so stay tuned!   
Xavi and I running the race. I'm running my mouth too. lol!
I went into this race with faith that everything was going to work out well. I drank plenty water during the week and my nutrition plan was to go back to my tried and true Clif shots and blocks. I learned (again) that if something works, there's no reason to mess with it. Oh, a fun fact about Sugar Land races, the water stops are super cool. I had pretzels and peanut m&ms at my last loop. I washed it down with gatorade, which was delicious! 
I think that when we hit the wall, we follow one of our coaches' advice and we had a peppermint. Between that and some funny stories from Xavi, we were out of the loop and on to the finish line. 
I think we were 2 miles away from the finish when the police told us we didn't make the pace requirements so we had to move to the sidewalk. We continued in the sidewalk and we had to pay some extra attention when crossing the street but we made it okay. When we got closer to the finish line, several of Xavi's friends were waiting for her and I saw one of my running club buddies. My official time is 4:12. I am mostly thankful that I did not go to the hospital because I was hydrated. I finished well, in my own two feet because I am healthy and strong. God has been good to me and I give Him all the glory and praise for reaching another finish line. 
Thank you Jesus!
The great thing about running a race 10 minutes away from your house is that you get get home much quicker. My calves were super tight so I soaked on epsom salt and put on my compression socks. I can't really sleep after races because the adrenaline is so high. So I just rest for hours. Yesterday was the day we had a birthday part for my husband so I got the kids and the house together for the party. I think that distance running is not as difficult as pushing grocery carts after your long runs. Haha! I've done it all before, so I am used to it and very thankful. 

I was supposed to get an extra medal for completing the 3 warm-up series races but they ran out of medals (what a great problem to have!). The organizers told me to find them at the Houston Marathon expo so I can get my medal there. Cool deal! 

5 weeks to go friends! I continue to ask for your prayers and for your encouragement. Houston is my goal race and the way we choose to start our new year. Running is a blessing and the health to run is a great reward. Have a great day! 

Previously in this Series:
• Week 1
• Week 2

• Week 3
• Week 4 - Barry Walter
• Week 5 - Christine Soliman
• Week 6 - Ron Booth
• Week 7
• Week 8
• Week 9
• Week 13
• Week 14
• Week 15
• Week 16
• Week 17
• Week 18
• Week 19
• Weeks 20 and 21
• Week 22
• Week 23
Week 24

Read the stories of my previous Marathons in Houston:
• Chevron Houston Marathon 2014
• Chevron Houston Marathon 2015
• Chevron Houston Marathon 2016