COACH GUY BLOG

If you have been running for long enough then it’s highly probable that you have experienced symptoms of dehydration or bonking on a run. This has happened to me on many occasions and each time I learn a valuable lesson. With proper planning and knowledge both of these issues can be avoided.

I decided to race the Houston Marathon early on in September of 2018. After racing on the trails over the summer it was time to give the Marathon another crack. My Debut was CIM in December of 2016. It was a terrible experience, and from that point I wondered why anyone would want to race 26.2 miles on pavement. In all honesty, I didn’t prepare as well as I could have, which exposed a lot of weaknesses. Especially in someone who is naturally a middle distance athlete. Sarah and I both were entered through the athlete development program, which meant we received a free entry, and would able to line up behind the invited elites. It’s very nice that Houston has this program, as it gives athletes with good credentials a opportunity to perform on a big stage.

This post goes into detail about everything you need to know regarding easy running. First, let me start with defining "easy pace" as it relates to running. Easy running is a pace that you can withstand for a long duration and is aerobic in nature, meaning done with oxygen, without producing an amount of lactate that would cause fatigue in the working muscles. This pace is different for everyone, depending on you level of fitness. The term can confuse runners for a number of reasons, especially those that are new to the sport. Running is not easy, but this pace is easy, or should be easy relative to the work that will be done at other paces. Most of a athletes training should be done at a easy pace.

This year was the 6th running of the Holiday Half Marathon in San Diego, CA. The point to point race starts northeast of San Diego and finishes at the beautiful Torrey Pines State Beach. The course is run primarily on the route 56 bike path and Carmel Mountain Rd. It’s known to be quick since it has a 711-foot net elevation drop along the rolling bike path. San Diego probably has some of the best weather in the world, especially during the winter months. The fast course, ideal conditions, and escaping the cold mornings in Boulder put this race on my radar when constructing my racing schedule earlier this year.

This year was the 42nd running of “America’s friendliest marathon”! The three races are always held on the same day, with the 8k starting first at 7 am, the half at 7:30 am, and finally the Marathon at 7:45 am. So what is it that makes this event so friendly and special? Well, it could be how the community comes together – from the Sportsbackers, who put on great events in and around the river city – to the volunteers, who devote their time to make sure every aspect of the event runs smoothly – to the party zones, where people offer encouragement when it’s needed most – to the runners themselves, who endured months of training, coming together to compete and complete their goals.