And so, marathon #4 is in the books. Houston certainly exceeded my expectations, as far as the course, organization, and spectators go. And though I always harp on wanting a flat course to run, it really does make a huge difference physically and mentally for those of us who are “hill-challenged”. Here's the brief rundown and a few pics: 
...with Mom and Rachel before the start...
Mom flew down for the weekend on Friday night, and she and Rachel and I headed for Houston on Saturday morning. The rest of the afternoon was spent at the Expo picking up my race packet, driving a bit of the course, and on to the hotel to check in. We were certainly out of our element with the valet parking, complimentary hot chocolate chip cookies and really nice everything! Met up with the Fields and the Montoyas at Spaghetti Warehouse for an early dinner and really enjoyed getting to do that.
MP Team: Ray, Chris, Jeremy and I
5 AM came early, and we walked to the start area (woohoo!), meeting up with Chris, Jeremy, and Ray. The Convention Center was packed with people. 26,000 runners plus friends and family. Quite the madhouse! It was really awesome to have friends to start the race with, even though we ended up finishing a good hour apart. 
heading to the start...
lots o people...
talking to DM on the phone right before the gun...
and we're off!
While I would like to say I ran an awesome race, reality is... not so much. After being sick, I knew there wasn't a prayer for a decent time, so I just did what I could to chill and finish the course. It was a good experience though. Mom and Rachel drove around and saw me at 4 different spots along the way, which was so encouraging. The weekend was much more about spending time with friends, remembering MP while we ran, and learning to relax and enjoy the time. For that reason, I decided towards the end to ditch my chip and left it in a trash bag somewhere between miles 23-24. Ha! I decided I didn't want my day to be defined by splits and times, but rather by good company, good causes, and good memories. And it certainly was that!
cruisin'...
some top-notch spectators along the way...
downhill from here...
homestretch...
done!
However, January 30, 2011: Houston and I have some unfinished business. :)
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