October 19, 2008 Get your marathon fix with several upcoming races The cool weather has made for almost ideal conditions for runners training for races, and especially those adventurous individuals gearing up for a marathon. With several nearby 5K and 10K races scheduled for some speed work on Saturdays, it leaves Sundays open for the long-distance runs necessary for marathon training. Texas is very fortunate to have a number of marathons scheduled over a nice time period to run one or more marathons this season. Years ago, the major marathons in Texas were the Dallas White Rock Marathon and the Houston Marathon. San Antonio and Austin had marathons, but were fairly small in number of runners entered compared to Dallas and Houston. This has changed dramatically to the point that all four marathons can be considered major races and will have a large number of runners competing for awards. For those marathon runners hoping to run a qualifying time for the Boston Marathon, these four Texas marathons are as good as any for making a good time. San Antonio is in November, and this year it is part of the Rock ’N’ Roll series. It will draw a large number of runners from central Texas, as well as a big number coming from all over the United States. It helps to have other runners around you when you are at mile 20 and beyond and need a little pace help or encouragement from others also going for a qualifying time. San Antonio has a number of turns and a few out-and-back sections, but is flat; and that makes it easy to check your mile times and not have to make adjustments for steep hills or being left alone with no other runners around for company. The fact of having other runners around may not seem like an important part of the race, but if you have ever been out past mile 20 and not having anyone around to even let you know if you are on the right route really makes those last miles difficult. After San Antonio comes Dallas in December, and this is another great marathon for running a good time. The weather is usually cool and makes it easy to run without having to worry about heat exhaustion as much as some of your earlier long-distance training runs that you may have started at the end of August or early September. This course is considered a flat course and has great support systems along the way. The Houston Marathon is scheduled in January and is a nice fast and flat marathon to run. Since it is after the Christmas holidays most runners can find a few extra days off from work for long-distance training runs. At one time this was the largest marathon in Texas, and it has a great expo for a runner to look at new products such as warm-ups, shoes, training foods, etc. There are programs with the chance to hear excellent speakers from the running world. There are also opportunities to mingle with some of the top marathon runners in the country. They will be sitting at the same tables you will be at for the carbo-loading supper, or maybe even ride up to your room in the same elevator. The Austin Marathon is in February, and in the early years it was run on Town Lake Trail. You ran out to the end of the trail, came back to the starting area and then ran out to the end again and back over the same part of the trail for the fourth time to the finish. It was run on the pea gravel covering of the trail; and that made it good for a soft landing over the 26.2 miles, but was not that good for traction. There were usually a small number of entrants in this race back then. Today it is one of the largest races for a marathon in the country, and has top runners coming in from every corner of the country as well as runners from foreign countries. There is an expo to attend the day before the race, and programs of interest to runners to listen and participate in. The course is considered fast for the first part of the race, but many marathoners consider it the “Austin to Boston” course. It seems that about the time a runner in the Boston Marathon hits the famous Heartbreak Hill, there is a very similar type situation in Austin. Since it is in February, it is a good run to use as a conditioning run for Boston, as a runner can use the conditioning leading up to the Austin Marathon and the marathon itself and use some of this training to carry over for running Boston. A little rest-type training up to early March and then a couple of long runs, and you are ready for Boston in April. In the meantime, enter the local 5K and 10K races for a little speed training; or, if you are not into marathon running, use these races to add to the T-shirt collection in your closet. Dr. Maurice Johnson - better known around San Marcos as “Moe” - is a professor in the Department of Health, P.E., Recreation and Dance at Texas State University - San Marcos. Moe has been a fixture in the San Marcos running community - both as a runner and race organizer - since way back when Moby Dick was a minnow. His column on running and fitness appears each Sunday in the Sports section of the San Marcos Daily Record. • Recent “Running With Moe” Columns • Home • About the Club • Current News • Club Runs • Places To Run • TX Running Clubs • Running Links • Useful Stuff Upcoming Races • Race Results • Country Roads 10K & Kids Run • ARA-Moe’s Better Half Marathon • “Running With Moe” Contact Us!