Well, the Holidays have been survived, and they were actually quite enjoyable. Lots of fireplace time, a yummy Xmas brunch, and time with my favorite kiddoes. I came back from Canyon a day early to get my last big long run in and will certainly remember to do that again. It was really nice to have Sunday afternoon to regroup and relax a little bit before starting into the work week. Here are some random tidbits to wrap up 2009...
Though I’m sure it’s been around a while, I’ve discovered a “new to me” website called FPO. I found the link through another site and have been looking through it in the last day or so. Surprisingly, Facebook designed a really amazing piece for their top advertising clients. I also found an old colleague's work on there as well. Quite impressive.
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So, two and a half weeks til Doomsday, and by that, I mean none other than the Houston marathon. Woohoo! I typically border on anxious/nervous about this time, but found myself getting closer to excitement today. A little preview…
The Chevron Houston Marathon is the nation's premier winter marathon, annually attracting participants from all 50 U.S. states and more than 20 foreign countries. It has been ranked among the top five marathons in the nation by Ultimate Guide to Marathons for fastest course, organization and crowd support. More than 5,000 volunteers organize the race, which is Houston's largest single-day sporting event. In July, the Aramco Houston Half Marathon reached capacity in less than 24 hours, while registration for the 38th running of the marathon was completed just hours later. The combined field limit will be 22,000 runners.
While I am sure to never run into them, here are a few of the Elites that will be joining us on the 17th: Kenyans Jason Mbote, third at the 2008 Seoul International Marathon in 2:07:37, and Charles Kibiwott, fifth in the same race in 2:08:30, are among the top men's seeds. Joining Mbote and Kibiwott in Houston are countrymen Benson and David Cheruiyot (not related). Benson Cheruiyot ran a breakthrough race at the 2009 Chevron Houston Marathon by clocking a time of 2:11:33 - his best marathon effort by two and a half minutes. He also finished third in Houston in 2007. David Cheruiyot, one of only two men to win in Houston three times, won back-to-back marathons in 2005 and 2006, and took the top spot again in 2008.
Brett Gotcher (Flagstaff, Ariz.), who finished third in the 2009 USA Half Marathon Championships, will return to Houston in January but move up in distance. The 25-year-old Gotcher will make his marathon debut as one of the top seeds in the 38th running of the Chevron Houston Marathon. The former Stanford University All-American at 10,000 meters won his first national road title in September, claiming the 20K crown in 58:57 in New Haven, Conn.
Paige Higgins (Flagstaff, Ariz.) and Erin Moeller (Mt. Vernon, Iowa) are the top American women entered in the Chevron Houston Marathon. Higgins brings a 2:33:06 personal record into the race. She qualified for the 2009 World Track & Field Championships in the marathon and finished 30th in 2:37:11. Moeller was 10th at the 2008 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in 2:36:51. In the nine marathons Moeller has completed, she has netted six top-10 finishes.
Shalane Flanagan (Pittsboro, N.C.), who won a bronze medal in the 10,000 meters at the 2008 Olympics, will make her half-marathon debut in January at the 2010 USA Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Aramco Houston Half Marathon. The 28-year-old Flanagan has been one of the best middle-distance runners in the U.S. over the past six years, making two Olympic teams and setting American records on the track at 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Flanagan was the USA champion at 5,000 meters in 2005 and 2007, before winning the USA Olympic Trials at 10,000 meters in 2008. That victory sent her to Beijing, where she became only the second American woman in history to medal in the event at the Olympic Games. Her American Record of 30:22 run in China still stands. Joining Flanagan on the starting line January 17, 2010 will be the top finisher from the 2009 national championships, Magdalena Lewy Boulet (Oakland, Calif.), who crossed the finish line in 1:11:47. She will be returning to defend her title.
Elite runners in both men's and women's marathons will be vying for $130,000 in prize money, with a $35,000 first-place award in both races. Too bad there’s not a purse for a 4.5 hour race time… But ya know, they will run for thousands of dollars, and we will run for thousands of kids in slavery. I’m ok with that.
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New fav: wearing a scarf all day. Who knew?
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I joined the Skype community the other day and am quite excited, although I’m not sure who I’ll be Skype-ing, just thought I’d be fun. Need to figure out how the video camera part works though. It’s a work in progress.
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In other running news, Boston will be one to watch this spring… John Hancock Financial announced a few weeks ago that both Meb and Ryan Hall have signed on to run for the win in April, each seeking to be the first male American winner since 1983. Keflezighi sits at a 2:09:15 PR with his New York City win while Hall boasts a 2:06:17. The match-up should be a good one. Press release here.
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The week back in Dallas has been a pretty quiet one so far. Lots of downtime at work and not much going on in the evenings. Could it be that life is slowing down slightly? Eh, doubt it. New Year’s is here, but not too many plans in the works just yet. Thought about camping, but it might be too cold… Considered ice skating, but after a vision of breaking an ankle, thought better of it… Might have to resort to going out somewhere Thursday night and returning for a movie marathon with Rachel. Poor kid is on call for work all weekend. Gross. Anyway, this guy I’ve been working with this week (who happens to be a runner and designer and church-goer… crazy) asked me about NY’s Resolutions the other day. I still think they’re overrated, but maybe it wouldn’t hurt to come up with a few… stay tuned.
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