Week in Review

52.5 Miles
Half Marathon Race in 1:19:05
1 Day off after the race
6 Runs
Watched Meagan's race

Well, this week was capped off with a fun weekend of racing a half marathon PR and hanging out with my two good friends, Meagan and Ruth. After a pre-race workout on Tuesday with Will, the rest of my week featured GMAT tutoring, easy runs and a flight to Houston. I arrived in Houston to find that the host hotel was ridiculously nice, as you can tell in the photo below. The weekend gave me a taste of what it will be like on January 14, 2012, when I will be making a run at the Olympic Trials Marathon.

The amazing light in the lobby of our hotel

I enjoyed great buffet-style, high quality meals for both lunch and dinner at the Hilton Americas hotel with Ruth and Meagan and several other runners that we had met along the way. We also spent a decent amount of time eating the free snacks and drinking the free drinks in the Hospitality Suite, which was on the 21st floor with full views of the Houston Astros Stadium, the start and finish line of the race, and the cityscape.

Ruth, Meagan and I at the Hospitality Suite

Of course, I also raced, which I already recapped. In summary, while I'm happy that I achieved a personal best time, I am unhappy with the way that I executed that race. I have analyzed it enough by now and am excited to get back onto my training plan that Mark Hadley already has sent to me, as I prepare for the USA 25k Championships.
Finally, I served as the co-pilot navigator for Meagan's Dad John as we navigated our way through the street closures in downtown Houston to see her at Miles 9 and Mile 15.8. As I'm sure most of you have read her blog, she had an off day and felt dizzy and lightheaded at mile 16, which made for a disappointing day. With the maturity that Meagan exhibited after the race when we picked her up in her very own sag wagon, I am confident that she'll bounce back sooner than later and achieve that Trials qualifier time. Most of all, it was great to meet Meagan's parents and to see how much they care about her running and her happiness. I enjoyed navigating us through the expansive city of Houston and seeing Meagan at various points of the course.

Overall, this was a great weekend that can only better prepare Ruth, Meagan, and I for the Olympic Trials in 2012.