Alamo 13.1 Race Results

Nick and I ran our first half marathon, the Alamo 13.1, on Sunday, March 23, 2014.  The weather threatened all week to rain on our race day parade.  So we woke up early, and headed to the start line, prepared to weather the storm.  Amazingly, the rain held off.  The weather was a cool 59 degrees, perfect weather for a 13.1 mile run.

The course was San Antonio classified as flat, but there were several ups and downs.  Running in Houston, there are no hills, so this was a little challenging for me. 

The race started with the blast of a cannon....And we were off!  

We ran the first 6 miles, which included a large incline.  We took a few breaks after that, getting more into our 9 minutes running and 1 minute walking routine.  Nick and I ran together the entire race, crossing the finish line one second apart, right in front of The Alamo.  

This race was well organized.  Afterwards, we enjoyed the complimentary beer.  They had several food offerings as well as a drawing for one lucky person to win $1,301.  I have to say, one of my favorite perks, is that the race pictures are free - Yes, free!! - and we had several to choose from, which makes for the perfect souvenir to such an incredible experience.  

As soon as we returned home, my vehicle was adorned with a 13.1 sticker!

Official results for Alamo 13.1 held on Sunday, March 23, 2014: 


Emily's Official Time:  2:37:08
- 1135 of 1558 finishers
- 597 of 917 all females
- 102 of 151 females aged 30-34

Nick's Official Time:  2:37:07
- 1133 of 1558 finishers
- 518 of 614 all males
- 83 of 94 males aged 30-34

Alamo 13.1 Race Re-Cap from Nick

Friday

We loaded up in the car with the dogs and drove to San Antonio.  We spent the evening drinking beer and eating pizza while catching up with my family.

Saturday

Spent the morning hanging out and had lunch at my brother's house, then headed for downtown San Antonio for packet pickup.  

Parking being completely insane, Em and I jumped out of the truck and wandered over to the hotel where we were able to pretty quickly find 3 of our names and bib numbers for pickup, but couldn't find my brother's.  So I got in line and picked up the three packets we could while Em called to find out what might have gone wrong.

After a bit of research we found that my brother's last name was not spelled correctly.  The race organizers were very kind and got this corrected for us.

At the end of the day, all packets were picked up and we headed for the house to eat dinner.

Sunday
Woke up very early and left the house, hoping to get a good parking spot by arriving prior to other people.  On route to the race we stopped at Starbucks, but only to use clean restrooms.

Upon arrival at the Alamo, I dropped off my bag and we walked around a bit for quick pre-race bathroom breaks.  The start cannon went off 7.45, I was disappointed that we were not able to see it from the lineup, but all the same it was pretty cool to have a start cannon.

The beginning of the race wound through downtown a little and then we were off to local neighborhoods where we encountered our first hill.  Training in Houston, we aren't used to too many hills.  Honestly, it wasn't' too bad, it was an easy incline to deal with and had a good downhill just afterward.  Then there was some winding around newer apartment complexes and a golf course.

At the end of the golf course there was a major hill, 200 vertical feet and it was banked.  At the top of the hill was an aid station which brought us to mile 6, where the four of us took our first walking break.  Looking back on it, we made a bad decision since it was on a downhill that we took the break, we would have been better suited to get to the bottom, finish the 10K and break from there.  Either way, this is when we got on the Trinity University campus.

I really enjoyed this part of the race because we wound around quite a bit and basically took a running tour of the campus.  There were lots of ups and downs, but we did get to take a lap on the track which was significantly nicer on my joints than the road.  At the end of the campus tour we basically got to run straight back to the Alamo.

Somewhere near mile 11 we took another break.  This is where my legs decided that they were going to be a bit fatigued, so the walk was a little longer than expected, but did give me a great chance to hit a restroom which I had needed since the beginning of the race.

Another break at mile 12 was taken as we were now on the Riverwalk, this is the one where my legs decided that walking made them hurt.  This mile may have been my favorite.  We finished up our part on the Riverwalk and rejoined the road above and cruised through downtown again on our way to the Alamo.  As we turned the final corner, we both turned on the gas and finished within a second of each other.

The finish was right in front of the Alamo and was an amazing receiving line of thousands of people waiting for race finishers, thought they were all very quiet and obviously looking for people that they knew.  Em and I decided that we would stand at the finish and cheer for everyone as they crossed and this helped to get people excited for finishers, including my brother who was smiling pretty big when he crossed and my sister in law who came across excited as well.

We finished up the morning with a few beers before heading back to the car.

Overall, this race was a ton of fun.  It was nice to run with family and it was a great course.  I think we are all planning on running it again next year.

10 for Texas Race (Oct 2013)

10 for Texas was a great event, despite the fact that we ran in 100% humidity.   This was our longest run and a very well organized race.  Nick and I ran together for this one, evident by our time.  We weren't running for speed; we were running to finish the race. 

Official results for 10 for Texas held on Saturday, October 12, 2013: 
Emily's Official Time:  2:04:24
- 1741 of 2170 finishers
- 977 of 1286 all females
- 152 of 196 females aged 30-34

Nick's Official Time:  2:04:23
- 1740 of 2170 finishers
- 764 of 884 all males
- 76 of 88 males aged 30-34

Lake Houston 10K

Nick and I ran our second 10K on August 24th, the Lake Houston 10K in Kingwood, TX.  The weather was a tolerable 81 degrees with approximately 84% humidity, and the scenery was beautiful.  We ran over Lake Houston, an amazing site at sunrise.  

Nick and I ran together for the majority of the race.  This was good for me, bad for him - I beat my previous 10K time, whereas his time increased.  But, I have to say, it was really nice to be able to run next to him, especially when I was getting tired.  

Official results for Lake Houston 10K held on Saturday, August 24, 2013: 
Emily's Official Time:  1:16:29.4
- 344 of 397 finishers
- 162 of 206 all females
- 69 of 89 females aged 30-39

Nick's Official Time:  1:16:31.6
- 345 of 397 finishers
- 183 of 191 all males
- 70 of 75 males aged 30-39

The Hangover Run Virtual 5K

Just finished my first virtual run.  In an effort to complete 13 races this year and because the weather is so awfully hot outside, I decided to sign up for The Hangover Run.  I ran this race on the treadmill at my convenience.  It was actually quite nice.  

Emily's Race Time:  36:52

The race is based on the honor system.  You sign up, complete the race on designated dates, submit your race time and photo (optional), and after the race closes your medal is sent to you in the mail.  Proceeds go to support a charity.  Simple enough!  I may do more of these races in the future.  

Rhythm & Blues 5K

On February 10th, Nick, Kellie and I ran the Rhythm & Blues 5K.  There were several bands scheduled to play along the course, but the weather threatened, so many of the bands canceled.  The course had several inclines, so music along the route was a great way to keep me motivated.  

After our race, there was a half marathon.  While snacking on post-race goodies, we became spectators of the half marathon.  It was fun and entertaining.  The course made three laps, so we were able to watch the front runner and cheer for him.  


Official results for Rhythm & Blues 5K held on Sunday, February 10, 2013: 
Emily's Official Time:  34:06
- 525 of 1174 finishers
- 67 of 159 females aged 30-34

Nick's Official Time:  30:20
- 296 of 1174 finishers
- 36 of 62 males aged 30-34

Color in Motion 5K

Color in Motion 5K was my first "color" run.  I have to say I was a little disappointed that it is advertised as a 5K, according to my Nike watch the course was a little over 3 miles.  That aside, it was a pretty fun run.

The race started at 9am.  We got there early so we had time to walk around.  They had heats every 5 minutes, we chose to run in the second heat. At the starting line, there was a dj playing music and tossing promotional items into the crowd.  There were a few overzealous runners, who used their color packets prior to the race.  We were able to remain clean until right before the race began.  

There were 4 color stations along the route:  red, purple, red green.  There were a few uphill spots along the route, which made me glad we've been running on a pedestrian bridge during our workouts.  I saw several people with strollers, pushing little ones.  I was surprised how many people were running with kids.  

At the end of the race, the route narrows to about two people wide.  There were plenty of people cheering at the end.  Kellie and I finished the race together, she caught me on an uphill.  By the end of the race, we were pretty "colored".

We ran with a few friends, and met up with one another at the post-race party.  

The post-race party included the dj playing music and sponsors handing out more goodies.  If you didn't have enough color from the race, the dj encouraged the finishers periodically to throw their color which created huge clouds of color!  And if that wasn't enough color for the color enthusiasts, there were buckets of color scattered throughout the dance floor.  

Once you had all of the color you could handle, there were two "blow stations"- two guys with leaf blowers that will blow the color right off of you!  

ABB 5K

The ABB 5K was an incredible experience; it is held in conjunction with the Houston Chevron Marathon.  This was my second 5K and I was hoping for a little better results, but the fact of the matter is I completed a 5K and I am proud of that.  There were 3183 runners, so the streets always seemed a bit crowded.  I felt like I couldn't keep a steady pace because I was slowing down due to the person in front of me or I was having to speed up to pass people.  The weather was approximately 70 degrees and humid, very humid.  The roads were wet, which means some spots were pretty slick.  Although rain threatened the race, it held off, and I was very grateful for that.   

The picture below is me and Kellie after the race, showing off our finisher's medals.  

Official results for ABB 5K held on Saturday, January 12, 2013. 
- Official Time:  36:07
- 1812 of 3183 finishers
- 133 of 262 females aged 30-34
- 856 of 1826 all females

Rudolph Run 5k

Well, Nick and I completed our first 5K!!!  It was incredible!  The weather was cooperative and the festivities were fantastic.  The race left me feeling like I could do anything in the world.  Of course, I have plenty of pictures to share.  

The Rudolph Run 5K website encouraged us to dress in costumes.  And you know there was no way we were passing up this opportunity.  Kellie and I dressed as snowmen.  

I even convinced Nick get into the Christmas spirit.  

Originally, Nick and I were going to run our first race together.  But once the race started, I told Nick to go ahead and run at his own pace.  He finished a few minutes before me and had enough time to get the camera and snap a few photos as I finished the race.  

We waited for Kellie to finish her first 10k.  Here she is approaching the finish line.  

Afterwards we walked around,  and got a few pictures with Santa.  

Unbeknown to us, Kellie and I were entered into the costume contest.  (Because we had awesome Snowmen costumes, of course!!)  We had no intention of entering the contest, the race coordinator chose the contestants as we neared the finish line.  The little girl in the photo won the contest.  Congrats to her (even though she didn't seem very thrilled about it)!

And here we are showing off our finisher's medals.