We Ate Lightning, We Crapped Thunder. We Were Proof.

Hey, what the hell is this in my pudding? Oh, yeah... proof.

I'm extremely proud of proud of all of Team Spiridon that were out there giving the race a shot Sunday. Most of us had a great day of PR's and firsts. I know a few of us had mixed to not-at-all mixed feelings about our individual results. Let me tell you - as beautiful as the day was, it was tough. People don't take into consideration the effects of solar heating. Even with the ambient (air) temperature being relatively cool, when the sun is beating down like that, and there's a bit of a breeze, you dry out quickly.

I chatted with some older, experienced marathoners along the way - a couple who have run all 17 Austin Marathons, and a couple of age group leaders. Clearly, they were leading really, really old age groups. They both still passed me. Point is, they all were having a bit of a harder time than expected out there.

For some of us, including me, the race was an abject lesson in pace management. In some races, you can recover from going out a little too fast. Here, the first two and a half miles are uphill - if you're too fast on them, it is going to come back to haunt you.

But let's go through the list:

First among the half marathoners was our last-minute/honorary member for three weeks, Amy Smith. She came in at 2:02:08, a time weirdly consistent with her 3M time of 2:02:02. On a harder course, this is an improvement.

For the Team Spiridon regulars, the first half marathoner was Jacala, a.k.a. "Sandbagger", who came in at 2:28, I think about a 12 minute PR over her 3M time. She has, incidentally, registered for the Nashville Marathon in April, and I'm real confident of her ability to run it.

Carmen has been making a great comeback from the IT band troubles that knocked her out for a few weeks before 3M, where she ran a little over 2:58. She came in with an amazing improvement, at 2:41:52. She should tell all those people who told her she couldn't do something to stick that time somewhere. If she keeps running, she'll break 2:20 at some point, and she is certainly capable of running a marathon, too.

Paul was a little disappointed in how long it took to finish his first half marathon - 3:00:36. Are you f-ing kidding me? You finished, after injuries, DNF'ing 3M and quite a few long runs, and with those clunky-ass looking new shoes. Be proud of what you did. You'll get faster, and you'll end up running the full marathon like you wanted to.

Then there's Debbie - and I mean, holy crap. After a 3:08:24 PR at 3M, she PR'ed again, and beat three hours, with a 2:59:04.

Stacy, we missed ya. Sailing and beer the day before the big race? It's OK, it's another lesson learned, right? At least you got a great race at 3M in.

The marathoners had it a bit rough - no slight at all to the half marathoners, but at about 10 or 11, the sun was doing its thing, and we were feeling it.

Christina was first to come in, at 4:20:32. We stuck together until Lightsey, when I told her she needed to take off. Unfortunately, she really took off, apparently running the next mile at about a minute over her marathon goal pace, and running most of her next 8-10 miles too fast, as well. Obviously, I'm really proud of her, and there's nothing for her to regret. But, it is a lesson in the idea that every second you go out too fast at the beginning of a long race is going to cost you as many as four seconds per mile at the end. Thirty seconds per mile fast becomes as much as an extra two minutes. You all saw from some of our speed workouts the thin line between good fast pace, and leg-toasting pace.

Kellie came in at 4:44:59, a PR over her 4:46:49 from last year. She passed me at the turn from Arroyo Seco onto Romeria, looking as strong as she does on a 10-mile run.

Phillip was close behind, at 4:52:03. I saw him up on White Rock, as I was starting my long, slow death march to the finish. he was walking, but his attitude really assuaged my own disappointment some. He basically just said he was having a rough day of it, but he was going to have as good a time as possible. For the next two or three miles, we'd leapfrog each other as we each alternated walking and running, before he got away from me for good.

Mirsa, who joined our group late, missed the majority of the quality workouts, but otherwise stuck with the schedule and her training, enough to beat out five hours with a 4:56:55. Did I see you pass me, or did I miss you?

Daniel ran his first marathon in several years at 5:01:30. He had passed me with the 4:45 group somewhere around mile 20, I think. The question on everyone's mind of course, is - did he have to stop to poop as he always does?

Eve should not have dawdled in front of the stadium to talk to me - she ran a 5:03:02. Pretty good for the first marathon for someone who didn't think she was going to be able to run a week ago.

Jim finished his tour of Austin, his first marathon in over 10 (20?) years, in 5:33:47. Again, I feel like anyone that was out there for over 4:00 had a pretty difficult time of it. He is not at all the same runner that trained for the half marathon a year ago - he dropped weight, got stronger, managed his injuries well, and his always upbeat and positive attitude just kind of took over, I think.

Then, there's the Twins, Mandy and Jean. With their white caps tufted with pink feathers declaring, "If You're Not Last, You're First", and with training in recent weeks sidelined by illness, injury, work, broken transmissions, and an ill-timed but apparently fun Costa Rican vacation, the two were determined to try to go the distance, by any means necessary, and at any speed necessary.

Mandy's had an intermittent knee pain over the past few weeks, and she was coming off the flu last week. We talked a bit, and I very probably should have more strongly discouraged her from running. Her knee started hurting again in the first few miles. It buckled under her a couple of times, but she still fought all the way through to mile 15 or 16 before stopping and getting medical help. Maybe it wasn't entirely bright, it probably was a result of not the best coaching, but there's no doubt that it shows a lot of guts and sheer will, and she should be proud of what she did. She'll be back. She'll run marathons, and she'll do them well.

At the finish, we waited and waited, not knowing what had happened to Mandy or Jean, but fearing the worst. We finally got a call from Mandy's boyfriend, Paul, filling us in on Mandy's story, and letting us know that Jean had decided to press on.

We waited.

We waited some more.

And then, we continued waiting.

Finally, Christina saw a tall blonde in red shorts and a white cap running smoothly down Congress. Jean finished at 6:28:59, smiling and waving. I am as immensely proud of her as I am of our fastest runners - I had found 5:07 on the course to be incredibly grueling, and I can't imagine being out there for six and a half hours. I once read a quote from a champion female marathoner after running a marathon at a slow pace with an old-timer. She spoke of having a newfound and tremendous respect for the people on the end of the race course opposite from the one she was used to.

There are people who weren't able to be there with us for various reasons -Stacy, Matt, Cassie - but I hope they got something out of their time with us, and I know they're all people who will continue to find ways to challenge themselves, whether it's running or otherwise.

I'm incredibly proud of all of you, and of us as a team. I honestly think we did it better than most. We trained as hard as anyone. We were friendlier on the roads. We volunteered our time. We looked out for each other and respected each other. And in the end, in different ways and different times, we showed what we were made of.

Congratulations to all of you, and I can't wait to see you all at Tiniest Bar on Saturday night.

The Grand Finale

First off, I let you guys down a bit this week, and I'm sorry. I took a little too much on with the marathon. It's 9:15pm, and for the first time this week, I'm sitting with nothing pressing on me except, oh yeah, I'm running a marathon tomorrow morning. You should all be winding down and relaxing, and I had decided to tell you all this in person tomorrow morning, but in case anyone checks, here's the ending.

So, the finish. I left the half marathoners and the marathoners at 15th and San Jacinto, the courses rejoining each other for the first time since mile ten.

You have this one last hill, but it's nothing. When Phillip and I ran Austin in 2006, the first for both of us, this hill was at mile 20 or so. It sucked severely.

You've all trained harder than I did in 2006. You've hit more hills than we did back then. A couple of weeks ago, after we ran our repeats around the Capitol, we came back to Whole Foods this way, and everyone agreed this hill was nothing to worry about.

And now, at the end of your race, you can't let it slow you down. Form form form, strong strong strong. At the top, you turn right onto 11th, and you get a downhill. Let it take you. Be careful and in control, because you'll be tight at this point.

Left turn on Congress, and it's glory time. The crowds are there, and let me tell you, they love to see a good finish, whether it's for first or four thousandth. You sped up coming down the hill - hold that pace coming out of the turn.

At tenth street, kick it up a notch. Adrenaline can knock out cramps and a good deal of pain. Start picking runners in front of you and passing them, one by one. Run fast by being quick and relaxed - more like strides than sprinting - if you try to push yourself, you risk pulling a hamstring or something. Stay relaxed and in control, and finish strong. Run all the way through the finish.

Now, I do have some other things to say. Maybe I'll say them in the morning, but if we don't all get together, and if you're reading this as you eat your race morning breakfast...

I’m a sentimental guy. People give me a hard time about it. It’s a little uncool. I’ve always felt like in our everyday lives, we get cynical and hard, and we don’t allow things to touch us. But we all want things to mean something. We watched Rocky the other night, because I think, as cheesy as we may think it is, the story speaks to us. We all want to believe that there’s something more to us than the normal measures of life indicate. We all, at some level, want to be heroes. And ultimately, whether we’re embarassed to admit it or not, that is why we run.

I know I’m going to be happy with the times many of us run today, but really, I could care less. Times, Boston qualifiers, even winning, are all inadequate measures of who we are, and of our hearts. Heroes are not made by their accomplishments.

There will be things outside your control: the weather; the roads; the people around you; how your body feels; how hard you did or didn’t train in the past. Those conditions may set the stage, but heroes are not made by the conditions they find themselves in.

You can control the choices you make, and that’s the beauty of this sport. Heroes are made by their choices. You have already made tough choices, by committing to the training, and by being here today, putting yourself in a situation where you will be faced with tough, painful choices.

And everyone out here today, from the Olympic hopefuls and winners to the back of the packers, from people running their first half marathon, to the 87 year old I met last night running his 732 marathon, from the three hour marathoners to the three hour half marathoners - they all have the same opportunity to be great, to be, in some small but important way, heroes.

You have to be mature and intelligent today. If you’re feeling ill, dehydrated, or really injured, then slowing down or stopping is every bit the smart and equally tough choice.

But hopefully, that won’t be the case. Hopefully, every time we want to slow down, but don’t really have to, we’ll really get to choose the kind of person we are. Every time we want to walk, but don’t, we’ll win. Every time we want to quit, but don’t, we’ll get to be heroes.

So, today, choose how you run. Take what the course gives you, and be smart with how you use it. Take what your body can give you, and take a little more.

Today, choose to be who you want to be. No matter what you do for a living, how much money you have, what degree hangs on your wall, no matter what mistakes you’ve made, how you’ve succeeded, or what you’ve lost, today, you can be the kind of person you want to be. You all have it in you - the training, and the will. I’ve seen it in every one of you, and I am extremely proud of you all. This is your time. Don’t let it go.

Dragonslaying: The AT&T Race Plan, Part Duh (sp?) - Part Deux: The Other, 16.2 Mile-Long Tail

Composite titles strike me as funny.

When we last left our intrepid band of questionably intelligent runners, the marathoners, clearly not understanding there was another option, took a left turn onto Exposition, while the only slightly smarter half marathoners took the shorter way back to the finish...

Half marathoners, skim through this - there's stuff to help you, too.

Miles 11 and 12: The End of the Beginning
OK, so the marathoner's are not off the dragon's back yet. But only have a little over a mile left to ride through it. You've all run it enough times that you'll probably unconsciously avoid potholes. And, for those of you who ran the Double Dragon, just think to yourself, "Well, at least I only have to do it once today."

Here, form, form, form. The road should open up a bit with the half marathoners turning off. Get out of the camber on the sides, and run the crown. Also, as you know, there's been a lot of construction here, so the road might be a little ugly around the edges. Stay out of that.

You get the short climb, then the long climb up to Windsor, then you've got a little reprieve until the big hill going up to Westover. Don't worry about your time here. Get up the hill, balancing your pace and your energy output. Keep your head up, and your hips pressed into the hill. Roll all the way through your foot with every stride. There will be some crowd support here, but you should really be able to hear the crowd and the band at the top. Let that draw you up the hill.

When you get to the top, relax, shake it out. You've got another, oft-overlooked hill going up to 35th, and you get a little rise up to the top of the bridge over Mopac. Cherish this - it's the last of the true hills.

Now you get a downhill to Jackson, where you make a left turn.

Miles 13-18: Where the Hell Am I and What the Hell Am I Doing?
I always think this point is a little disorienting, which is bad, since I'm already only half Asian. HA! Sorry. Anyway, by this time, the initial excitement of the race has worn off, you enter neighborhoods where the crowds are spottier, and you've gotten through the section that people are stressed about, and that presented a set of challenges for you. From here on out, it's just a matter of running, and running, and running.

You can't lose purpose here, and your priority purpose now is to get back on pace. If you feel good, you might be tempted to speed up, thinking it's flat from here on out. I would advise against that - it's flat, you've beaten the hills, but you've got 14 miles left to run. Trust me, it's not as simple a calculation as it seems - "Gee, I've run 12 hard miles, and I feel good. I should speed up." Well, maybe, maybe not. You've run 18, 20, 22, and you should remember how the miles catch up to you quickly near the tail end of that distance. So, no matter how good you feel, just use these next four miles to see how you feel getting back on and staying on your marathon goal pace.

You'll take a right turn at 41st through a little neighborhood, then a left on Bull Creek. You're still climbing north, but this is mostly flat. You hit the halfway point on Bull Creek, near 45th. Yihah. You cruise up to Hancock, take a right, go down a little hill and up a little hill. Again, just maintain pace.

There's again not a lot to say about these miles. They're flat to "false flat". You're running. You're trying to stay on the flat parts of the street, off the camber. You're staying relaxed. If you feel things tightening up, change things up a little - butt kick for a few strides, pull the knees a bit higher for a few.

There's a small incline up White Rock to Great Northern, then you enter, as I always think of it, and as Douglas Adams might say, "the long, dark, teatime of the soul." Long and flat, the road itself is numbing, even discouraging for some people, and you're entering the true "middle miles" of the race. You've been on this road and on those miles, so you know them well. You know both better than the majority of the other runners out there. So, this is a good test of your where you're at with your pace. If you hold pace well here, and you get through mile 16 and up to Foster, and still feel just outstanding, then you can start thinking about turning up the pace.

If you do increase your pace, start planning in your head. Plan on just increasing your pace by just five seconds or so, and holding that pace up to mile 20, where you can reassess it then.

You might be at a point where you seriously doubt your ability to maintain your pace for the rest of the race. You're at an important decision point, and only you can truly make that choice. I will say that if you held on up to Great Northern, don't let your performance on Great Northern decide the rest of your race. It's a tough stretch of road. Just hold on, do your best, try to run comfortably for now, and make any real decisions after mile 18.

At Foster, behind Northcross, you should see some crowds again, which should really help. You also know that you've hit the uppermost point of the course, and soon you'll be heading home. Let it boost you, but if you're considering upping your pace a little, again, think back to your training runs, and ahead to the final miles, and carefully weigh your decision.

Finishing mile 18, you're halfway down Morrow. Start looking at the ridiculous blue line we painted down the street - it'll be there for quite a while. Think of it as a big blue thread pulling you down the course.

Mile 18.5-24: Homeward Bound
I refer to the song, not the ridiculous Disney movie, though, if the ridiculous Disney movie works better for you... whatever.

At 18.5, you turn the corner south onto Woodward, and you're on your way to the finish. You're close to the end of the dreaded "middle miles", and the elevation profile finally starts trending downhill. This is another good spot to relax, shake out the arms, and hit the mental and physical "reset" button. If you're looking at the finish at this point, it's going to seem improbably far. You still want to break it into manageable chunks, a few or a couple of miles at a time. It's like when we do repeats - you don't want to think about the total mileage you have left, it's easier to think about the repeat you're on right then, and worry about the next one later.

These are flat to slightly downhill streets. If you struggled through the middle miles, try to regain a relaxed rhythm. If you're feeling strong, and have easily maintained your pace, you again have to choose whether to hold where you are, or give the pace a little nudge.

Most of us are going to have felt discomfort and maybe a bit of pain by now. We've all had little to large dings in the past six months, and we all know what we really need to be concerned about, and what we can safely push ourselves through. If you're hurting here, don't dwell on it, but don't just try to ignore it, either - take a zen approach, or rather, a zazen approach. It's like meditaiton. People think they have to clear their mind, and they end up getting all mentally bunched up by trying not to think. Acceptance (but not resignation) is the better way - go through your body from head to toe. Think about how you feel. Look at it like you're picking up a shiny object, then put it back down. Go through it all, then be done with it.

I also know that all that zen stuff is a matter of practice, and sometimes just too hard to do. If it doesn't work for you, then just... don't give up, right?

Down Woodward and Arroyo Seco, left on Romeria, and back onto Woodrow, all the way to North Loop. Again, all you have to worry about is finding your rhythm and pace.

North Loop is a little challenge. If you've been struggling or just been holding on, let it take a little pace from you - conserve your effort to get you to the finish, or for where it's better used. If you're feeling good, try to minimize how much it takes from your time, but don't burn yourself up.

You turn right on Guadalupe, left on 46th. 46th kind of gently undulates ahead of you, up and down, and you can still see that blue thread pulling you down it.

Left turn on Avenue H, right on 49th, right on Red River. You should get some crowds at Hancock Center. Take it as a sign that you're close, you're out of the suburban and mental wilderness, and returning to center, where there's going to be lots of people supporting you.

Your right turn on 41st gives you a brief downhill, then the last hill worth worrying about. You're gonna be tired - don't let your head sag, because you know the shoulders, back, and hips follow. Don't think about the effort, think about the form. That will carry you through, and will make you feel stronger.

You can also think about the fact that when you turn the corner, you've got fast downhills, and only two miles to go...

Miles 25-25.9: Blow and Go
For those of you who ran Duval, you know this section is fast. Don't go crazy - it's not the finish - but challenge yourself to pick up the pace a little. Do it by pulling and holding your form together. Do it by switching your brain back on, keeping your head up, trying to be alert. Do it by thinking about quick, light turnover, not muscling yourself through.

When you get down into campus, it might get quiet again. Don't let it get you down. You're getting to mile 25 in front of Memorial Stadium. Stay strong.

When you emerge from campus, you might see some crowds again. More importantly, you're just about a mile from the finish. San Jacinto seems to have a little slight uwards grade on it - don't let that hurt or slow you down this far in. Form form form, strong strong strong.

OK, the ending for everyone coming up later this afternoon...

Dragonslaying: The AT&T Race Plan, Part One

OK, this will look a little familiar to some of you who were in a different group last year. That’s because I wrote it, and with some changes, it still applies. I'm also rolling the first ten miles, and the last half mile, of the marathon and half marathon race plans together. Some of you remember being beginners and getting the cold shoulder from some marathoners I tried to integrate you with. It was important to me that this group be different, and you all made that a reality. You've run together as a team, and come to like (or at least tolerate) each other socially, and to respect each other as runners on your respective journeys. So, let's walk through this one together.

This is a different race…
If you ran 3M, do not take this race for granted. This race is an entirely different experience. Race management at 3M was all about regulating pace, and getting through a very few gently sloping uphills. The AT&T Half, and the first 12 miles for the marathoners, will be about intelligence, maturity, patience, and, of course, force of will.

Despite the difference in the elevation profile from the old Freescale courses or from 3M, this course can still be fairly fast, if you manage it properly. Many people who ran their first half at 3M will actually run faster at AT&T, just with the benefit of that bit of experience. If you’re smart and patient about the hills, you won’t give up too much time, and you’ll get enough long downward slopes to recover and catch a little of that time back. If you fail to manage the hills, going at them too hard and fast, you will pay the price with your pace later, and you won’t get the full benefit of the downward slopes.

Prepare, Yada, Yada, Yada
I won’t rehash all the stuff from my previous novel on pre-race prep, but I will emphasize that you need to be PARKED, AND ON SITE AT 6AM. No excuses, no flexibility. The race is incredibly well organized, and has been planned to cover almost every eventuality. In its first year with the downtown start/finish, parking and traffic proved to not be a problem. But the facts remain – 12,000 runners will be trying to get to a downtown start/finish, and many routes into the race area will be getting sealed off after 6am. I know the traffic plan for the route, and can answer individual questions about the best routes to take from different locations. You can also check out the traffic guide, which should be online shortly.

Have a plan, and two backup plans, for how to get to the start, and for where you’ll park.

Make sure you pack your clothing drop bag the night before. Warm, dry clothes, a small towel (you should always know where your towel is), even shoes, if you can get them in there. Put your ID and a bit of cash in your shoe or wrapped up in something where it won’t come out, so you can buy some extra food or drink after the race from the Farmer’s Market.

There are no pace groups for the half, but you can get in with one of the full marathon pace groups for the first ten miles. So, if you’re looking at a 2:15 half marathon, get in with the 4:30 pace group (NOT THE 2:15! HA!). The pace group leaders usually do a great job of running a flat, constant pace, and there are two for every pace, to help ensure consistency. Still, be prepared to run your own race – they’re not robots. The starting chute will be divided by signs into various per-mile paces. Use those to place yourself.

The Course: Slaying Dragons
So, I’m not a Harry Potter fan, and I got tired of Dungeons and Dragons really quickly, but I tend to think of challenging parts of a race course as dragons. In running and looking at this course last year, I began to think of it as one dragon in three parts. I think you can do the same with the marathon course, except that parts of the dragon are… a lot longer. That’s why one of our runs is called the Dragon, or the Double Dragon.

You can choose to view the dragon, this course, as your opponent, or your friend, whatever works for your psychology, but either way, you need to understand it.

I’m hoping everyone’s driven the course this week. You’ve run all of it, but again, familiarity is one of your best weapons. Drive it, study the map, the elevation profile, run through the course in your mind as much as you can. Let’s run through it here…

Mile 1-3: Enter the Dragon
The tendency of almost all runners is to go out too fast, caught up in their own adrenaline, fooled by their fresh legs, and lured into the mob mentality of the people around them that are suffering from the same afflictions. It really is like an amped-up warrior charging a dragon head-on. It looks impressive until the warrior gets summarily bitten in half or burnt to a crisp.

IF YOU GO OUT TOO FAST IN THIS RACE, YOU WILL SUFFER.

You’re going to climb 215 feet in about 2.7 miles. So, look at the first three miles as your warm-up. For those of you trying to run at a certain pace, you can be as much as a minute slow for that first mile. Let the crowd slow you down – don’t waste too much energy trying to dodge around people. Look around, soak in the experience. Wave at the bands, the crowds, thank the police officers. Look at all the shops. Be aware of your surroundings – what’s the address of the San Jose Motel? Does Guero’s look open? What flavors are up on the Amy’s Ice Cream menu? What brand is the giant boot? Do what it takes to calm yourself, and slow down.

As for the hill on South Congress, it’s not as bad as it looks, if you treat it with respect. It actually breaks into several chunks, with short flats in between. Treat it as multiple short hills, and enjoy those little recoveries. Use these first hills to set the precedence for your hill-climbing form for the day. Head up, hips pressed into the hill ahead of you, arms relaxed but setting the pace for your legs.

When you get to about Mary Street, past the first mile, it seems to level off, but you still have a very slight grade all the way past Oltorf, through the second mile, pretty much to Cumberland. When a race starts on hills like this, it’s hard to get into a groove. It’s easy to get down on yourself and think you’re not running well, and that you’ll never make your pace. The dragon that is this course gets help from the dragons of fear and doubt that reside in us. You’ve got to do battle with them, too. Accept the course for what it is, know there will be ups and downs, and be confident in all the work you’ve put in.

When you’re approaching Lightsey, look up ahead to see how the crowd is shaping up around the corner. You don’t want to get caught too far inside, where you might be forced over the curb, and you don’t want to be pushed to the outside. Pick a line through the corner and stick with it. If it gets crowded in this or any other turn, be light on your feet in case they bump someone else’s, and if someone in front of you is pushing you in or out, give them a very light, quick touch on the elbow to let them know you’re there.

On Lightsey, you get a reprieve, with a short downhill. Use it to relax a bit. People who don’t know the course will use the downhill too much and then get walloped by the hill at the end of the street. You’ve all run it, so you know better.

Once you get to South First, if you’ve been disciplined, then you’ve bopped the dragon soundly on the head. Great. Don’t get cocky.

Mile 3-5: Glide.
You turn right on South First, and start to descend 210 feet over the next 2.4 miles. You still have to be smart, though – this stretch is just as dangerous as the uphills you just conquered.

When you turn the corner and turn, you’ll release off the little hill on Lightsey. I want you to think again about relaxing, shake your arms out, loosen your neck and shoulders, then focus on settling into an easy pace. This is where I think you should start feeling like you’re running a race, which just means getting your head together and settling into a rhythm.

Do not try to make up time. This is another stretch where people are going to ruin their day by failing to be smart and mature. If you run it properly, and with some restraint, you’re going to get some time back, and you’re going to bank some energy, as well. On some of the steeper downhill portions, you might even put the brakes on a bit – but not too much. You need to control your pace, minimizing impact, and keeping your turnover rate from getting so high you’re actually taxing your lungs and legs. But, you don’t want to be really jamming on the brakes, either, because you’ll burn out your quads. It’s like driving a car down a mountainside – you have to finesse the brakes so you control your speed without burning them up. You’ve all worked on finding that balance – do it.

You’ll come down onto level ground past Whataburger and RunTex. You’ll feel the incline going over the South First Street bridge, then it’ll level off as you enter a fun but twisty portion of the course that deserves its own section…

Mile 6: Like Rats In a Noisy Maze
Enjoy the gospel choir at 2nd and Lavaca, and soak up the sound from the crowds. This should be the first place on the course where you’ll get great crowd support. Draw energy from it, but don’t let it affect your pace. Thank the crowd with a smile and a wave, and store that energy away for later.

You’ll turn left on 4th Street, then go over to Nueces. This is probably going to be one of the two most awkward portions of the course – a tight left turn onto Nueces, which will have condo construction on the right, and two lanes to run in, three if there are no cars parked there (the meters will be bagged with “no parking” warnings on Friday). The road surface here is also a bit rough, and possibly loose. You’re on Nueces for a short block before making another tight left onto 3rd, then a quick right onto San Antonio. Remember the suggestions on tight corners in crowds – recognize early, plan a path, and make contact, if necessary.

Miles 7-9.5: The Part Where You Just Run
Once you turn right onto Cesar Chavez, you’re in for the long stretches that lay between you and the dragon’s back. Please don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten my overworked metaphor… you’re fighting dragons here, remember? At this point, you’re pretty much on the dragon’s neck.

I don’t feel there’s a lot to say about these bits of the course. That’s why there’s no clever titles for these miles. You just run. You’ll get some long slow downgrades, and a few shorter inclines. Just stay relaxed, and hold your pace. This part of the course may be boring, but it’s not insignificant, because they set you up for the hills that start at Enfield.

Also, you should make sure to pay attention under the Lamar overpass – a couple of Mandy’s Rock Camp bands are playing, one of them called “Holy Hand Grenade.” Quote some Holy Grail at them.

Near mile seven and a half or so, after you come out from under the Mopac Bridge on Veteran’s, you have the hill that goes up by the fire station and up to Lake Austin Blvd., across from Magnolia Café. It’s steep and a little long. But how many times have you run up this? You’re on your turf now. You have the homefield advantage, and you should feel comfortable here. When you hit the street that comes down from RunTex, shake out the arms and hands, relax, and roll easily into the hill. When you see the fire station, I want you to think about your form, and about keeping your hips under you and pressing them into the hill. Reinforce that good form.

There’s about a two-mile stretch down Lake Austin. Again, this is old hat to you. It’s just not a big deal. It is boring. Sorry. Here’s a point where the forecast is for a 13mph headwind. Not too big a deal, but if you start feeling the wind giving you a lot of resistance, tuck in behind a group of runners, and draft.

Miles 9 and 10: On the Back of the Dragon
So, at the end of Lake Austin, you turn right onto Enfield, right into what all the fuss is about for those that whine about the course. But again, you’ve all been here, trained here. I might have trained you too much on this route. You marathoners ran it twice a couple of weeks ago. You’re on the dragon’s back, and there’s not much he can do about it. He will writhe up and down, but you’re just going to hold on, maintain your form, keep your wits about you, and ride the hills like you have in training runs before, for not quite a mile.

At Exposition, almost exactly ten miles in, the marathoners and half marathoners will split off. I’ll continue with the half marathon course for a ways here, and wrap up both courses tomorrow.
So, the half marathoners have just a 5K left. You’re sliding down the dragon’s back. Again, relax from the head down, shake out your arms, and take advantage of the downhill towards Mopac. Again, as before, do not fly down this. Strike that balance. Use this to relax and gather your strength for your finish. You’ll still pick up a little pace just naturally. You want to do that and regain your energy.

Miles 10.8-12.6: The Dragon’s Tail (Well, One of Them)
Coming out from under Mopac, you get a smallish uphill. Remember your form. Keep your head up, think about your hips, and focus on being smooth and strong.

When you get to the top, just past West Lynn, make a decision. If you feel like you’ve got a lot left in the tank, and can pick up the pace, then this is the time to do it. If you do increase pace, DO IT GRADUALLY. Keep it under control, and keep it smart - you’ve been through enough workouts that you should be able to feel what you have left in you.

Remember, too, that the dragon has one last true challenge for you – the uphill at mile 11.7, coming off the Lamar Street overpass on 15th Street. It’s a steep one. There’s a long downhill coming into it – maintain a strong, but relaxed pace. At this point, let the downhill carry you a little more than you might have earlier in the race, but still, keep it under control. Remember back to the workout in Clarksville, on Pressler, on the street with the crazy yelling guy, where you maintained your form down the hill, and worked on a slightly quicker, relaxed turnover. Find that day's groove again.

Relax and gather yourself to take that big hill. Hit it, and let it take just a little off your pace. It’s steep, that’s OK. Hold your form together – on a hill this steep, if you run with your hips under you, when you hit the top, you’ll feel a release, and it’ll feel good as you transition into another nice long downhill. Even the female half marathon winner last year commented on being surprised by this hill. You aren't surprised. You've run it, and you've run more hills, tougher hills, than most training groups do.

When you reach the top, relax, take some good breaths, and remember – you don’t have to slow down, because the effort you needed to climb the hill just dropped off. Trust that, and let your breath come back to you as you go down the hill a couple of blocks. Feet light, relaxed, but a little quick. Get back on your finishing pace.

You get some flat and then a little downhill towards the turn at San Jacinto. Hold your pace, or, if you have it in you, pick up the pace again just barely, and gradually. Let the downhill carry you into it. If there’s someone that’s kept their distance ahead of you for the past several minutes, decide you’re going to slowly catch them over the next few blocks. When you catch them, pick someone else, and go after them.

At San Jac, you rejoin the marathoners. Next, we'll catch them up to you, then finish it together.

iPod Arm

I love music. And I am big on wanting to block things out in certain situations - in law school, I took almost all my exams with headphones on, back in the days when even recordable CD's were not commonplace. The one time I was asked to remove the headphones, I was lost, and couldn't focus. Having not gone to that class at all may have also figured into the negative experience, but I really felt I was better off writing about immigration law with Tanya Donnelly's sweet voice in my head.

Well, as you know by now, personal music devices will be verboten at this year's AT&T Austin Marathon and Half Marathon. Last year, without an enforcement mechanism in place, and before USA Track and Field officially banned them at USATF-covered events, they went with just strongly discouraging their use.

Many large marathons, including the Marine Corps Marathon, immediately, and probably eagerly, complied. The Twin Cities Marathon warned people headphones were banned, but people ignored the warnings, or perhaps couldn't hear them over the Justin Timberlake rattling in their skulls, and 176 runners were disqualified. I'm not clear yet how it will be enforced in Austin. I note that there seemed to be more headphones than ever at 3M, despite their ban.

The flap from the average headphone-wearing runner crowd is pushing the USATF to reconsider, but for now, the rule stands. I do wonder how much influence Nike, obviously a major sponsor in many events, is going to impose on the race director community, since they've put so much into their partnership with Apple.

In large part, the USATF enacted the rule to conform to the policy of the International Association of Athletics Federations, which is mainly concerned with the use of two-way radios in competition.

For most races, though, the main issue is safety. I can't think of the last race where I didn't see a number of examples of people being completely oblivious to their surroundings because they were wearing headphones. I've seen people not able to hear the sirens of support vehicles passing them, or the shouts of "wheelchair up" when a wheelchair racer needs to be able to pass. I was even observing at 3M that when moving through a not-too-thick crowd, a runner will hear you come up and often move over just a little to help you pass through a tight spot. Runners with headphones tend to be in their own little world, though.

I also believe (pause for effect) that headphones have a deleterious effect on running form. Yeah, that's right. I'm tempted to submit an article on "iPod Assymetry Syndrome" and submit it to a medical journal, except that I'm lazy.

I started thinking about this watching an avid marathoner I knew for well over a year that would wear her iPod on her right arm. She also wore her long hair in a ponytail, and many times, running behind her, I could see the ponytail didn't swing evenly. You could trace the asymmetry to her shoulders, and to... the arm with the iPod strapped to it. From there, you could even see the slight imbalance in her stride. She even had some issues in the leg that ended up getting the shortened stride, which could be due to any number of factors... but you had to wonder.

I know when I run with an iPod on my arm, it's easy to get caught up in cord management (pardon the pun). Watch runners, and most of them carry their music-bearing arm differently.

As we've all figured out by now, the high repetition of the motions of running means that imbalances and eccentricities have consequences, and will likely be mirrored elsewhere. Everyone should, by now, be feeling and seeing the link between the way you move your arms, and your stride.

When you shorten the travel of one arm, it's likely to play out in the stride, because you're essentially throwing yourself out of balance. There's also the added tension in the shoulder from carrying that arm out slightly. Over any appreciable distance, it all translates to "no bueno."

When I do take the iPod on a training run, I use a little Shuffle and attach it to my waistband - it doesn't move through a range of motion, so the cord stays stable. Even then, I make the the cord short enough or run it through my shirt so that I don't have to move the arm on that side any differently to clear it.

Finally, and most importantly to me, I don't want to race or even train much with music, because it's a crutch, even a cheat. Clearly, we want to run with music because it benefits us - it keeps us from getting bored, it motivates us. There's a reason the Nike+ iPod system has a "Power Song" feature. Hell, I want to add a Nano to my ridiculous Apple product lineup just so I can push the button and immediately go to AC/DC's "Hell's Bells".

One whin- sorry, "runner", in one of the articles said "I need my music to get me through it. A marathon is a mental challenge and if I don't have my music to keep me motivated, it just isn't fun."

Well, guess what? Remember that we do this precisely because it is not "easy", and it is not "fun" in the same way as, say, Whack-A-Mole, or taunting Ron Paul supporters online. You've all learned how important the mental component of distance running is. The thing is, we're not all running to challenge the winning time in a race - we all run to challenge our own limits and abilities, and that's ultimately a mental challenge of your ability to deal with discomfort and pain, and to continue to push yourself. Whether you are physically capable of running a 2:20, three-hour, four-hour, or five-plus hour marathon, it all comes down to your ability to push yourself.

Even that "boredom", that being alone in your head, is one of the difficult parts of distance running. It's one of the reasons running's a challenge in the first place - can you keep your mental focus over the miles, and over the time you need to complete those miles? Music can help you dissociate, which is a perfectly acceptable method of dealing with pain and boredom. But again, it's external, it's not a skill or a layer of toughness you've developed. You're just taking it away. You might as well be racing on painkillers, or high.

If you say you get bored, or need the distraction, and music gives that to you, then that music is a crutch. The mind is a powerful thing - I completely believe I could run a faster race at almost any distance with the "Rocky" theme pounding through my head every step of the way. But I don't race with headphones, exactly because it's such an effective crutch.

There are plenty of good, real external motivators in a race - spectators are a huge one. But spectators are an expected, almost natural part of a running event. Support from other humans for what you're doing that moment is meaningful, and should be more inspiring than any song. And ironically, with headphones on, you're going to miss a lot of that.

I'll do training runs with an iPod occasionally, when I just need to knock out a run, and because I almost see running with music as a separate sort of activity from running. But more often, I'll specifically choose to go without it, because I know I need to exercise my mental focus and toughness.

I've been happy seeing some of you ditching the headphones as the training season has progressed. If you still train all the time with headphones, I recommend taking some runs without them in the next few weeks to get used to the difference.

You've all trained really hard, and most of you have displayed some extraordinary toughness along the way. Listen to some relaxing music the night before. Crank the tunes up in your car on the way to the race, and get pumped. But leave the headphones at home. We've got 40 bands on and around the course. We've got a gospel choir at mile 5.5 that is gonna blow you away. One of Mandy's Rock Camp kids bands, Holy Hand Grenade, will be on Cesar Chavez, under the Lamar bridge. It's going to be an inspiring day, even without whatever you damned kids are listening to these days.