Fun Weekend in Houston!!!

           I'm about to cross the finish line.....YIPPEE!!!!

Logan's view of the finish line......

Running the first half of the race (I didn't know Logan saw me....)

The DQ Cowboy pumpjack at Luling, TX. (There were pumpjacks EVERYWHERE!!!)

We had a fun weekend in Houston! Friday night, Logan's parents and my parents came in and we all had dinner together here at our house. And sure enough, Dad had to turn around and leave early Saturday because of work. Mom stayed with Weiss all weekend and left today (Monday), so that was a big help because I am sore after the marathon, but nothing Tylenol won't help! Anyway, Logan and I left for Houston Saturday about 10:30 AM for Houston and stopped in Lockhart for lunch at Smitty's Market (it had been recently recognized in Texas Monthly BBQ edition). And it was REALLY good! We had brisket, he had sausage, and I had ribs, which I had been really craving. YUMMO! We then stopped at Luling for softserve (me) and an Oreo Blizzard (Logan). He will randomly pull off the road when he sees a DQ because Logan always says "Texas stop sign!" Anyway, we finally made it to Houston and to the Marathon Expo, where I picked up my number and shirt. They also got my pre-race weight, which there's more on that later!

We then went to Urban Outfitters in Rice Village, got some Jamba Juice, and looked around a bit. I wanted Ethopian food, so we looked the closest restaurant up with a program on Logan's phone. We drove to the location, and of course, it was in a ghetto part of town, next to a Dollar-King store ("Everything $1.09 or less!"). Needless to say, we'll just go to the place in Austin....We went back to the Galleria and ate at Kenny and Ziggy's, a New York style Deli. And it WAS really authentic; it had a Yiddish menu where we had to do a Wikipedia search on our phones before we placed our order! I had chicken soup with a matzo ball and a kreplach. He had a corned beef sandwich, and it was HUGE! Very good place, by the way! There are only two locations: the one at the Galleria and downtown Houston. Anyway, afterwards, we went to Barnes and Noble, looked around, and bought some books! Great date night! We then went to our hotel room and I went to bed pretty early (10:30 is early for me!). 

We woke at 5 AM and got ready to go downtown for the marathon. Logan dropped me off, where I made my way into the convention center before the marathon and dropped off my gear. The race started at 7 AM, but my heat was at 7:10. (It was a MUCH better way to start than San Antonio's marathon, where we had to stand in place for more than an HOUR behind the starting line!!!) Anyway, I LOVED the route and all of the beautiful neighborhoods through Rice Village and the Tanglewood area. I drank at nearly every water stop because I was thirsty and it was unnaturally warm for a January marathon! I had to stop at the Port-O-John at mile 10ish and mile 21, so I was "well hydrated!" I saw Lexy and her family at mile 18, and Logan at mile 20! I told him I felt good, and I was, at the time. It's amazing how quickly you can change, however. My pace started out better than normal, but I really slowed down about mile 21... It started getting really hot (they posted a runner's heat advisory) and I was running out of steam because the course at the end really wasn't shaded. And to top it off, there were 3 or 4 underpasses on a major road we had to overcome, which is difficult at the very end of a marathon! So my time was about 5 minutes later than my last! But I DID have a great time, and I would love to run Houston again in the future!

Anyway, I crossed the finish line and they took my post-race weight. Most people lose about 4 lbs., but I had gained 2!!!!! So the medical team wanted to ask me some questions. Some of the answers I gave made them ask for a blood and urinalysis, and they ran some lab work. They said I had "mild" hyponatremia---I was over hydrated (which may have also kept me from running optimally, as well). This can actually be life-threatening if it is extreme, but mine was more like when you feel "water logged." My sodium was a bit off, as well. I was worried about becoming dehydrated during the route, and my body was also thirsty, so I kept drinking!!!

We left from the convention center to come home and stopped for "Billy's BBQ" and DQ at Bastrop. We came into Marble Falls at about 6, where Mom was keeping Weiss! He was asleep (late nap) when we got there.... Anyway, it was a fun weekend, and marathon #2 is now under my belt. Next stop: the Austin Half-Marathon!