By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

 On Sunday, January 16th, I participated in the 50th anniversary edition of the Chevron Houston Marathon. I want to start by stating that it was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had in 40+ years of racing. From the organizational perspective, the race is at the same level of any big-city event. It is up there with any Major. On the personal side, it was uplifting. From the coaching side, it was memorable.

About to cross the finish line with a hand in my heart and the other one thanking The One who made this miracle possible

I knew the event’s center of operations was the George R. Brown Convention Center, which is huge. I never expected it to take the entire place. The execution of the bib pick up was flawless even though a bit more signage would have been welcome for the sake of out of-towners, such as me. I did not visit the expo, though. Friends told me it was a smaller version, given the Covid reality of the world.

Running morning was cold, cold, cold. Thirty-six degrees when we left our Airbnb. But we were able to find refuge, toilets and a place to rest while we waited for our corrals to open. Everything was so well organized and orderly that your only worry was walking to the start. The whole shebang was taken care of for you.

The course was flat, sans an overpass and two, minor underpasses. We ran through beautiful areas of the city and crowd support was solid without being overwhelming. There were so many port-a-pots throughout the race that I never saw a waiting line. There were even urinals at the starting line, first time I’ve seen this in the US. I stopped about mile 14, not because I had to but as a preemptive measure, just because I could and there were no lines.

Last mile, back in downtown, was stunning. Lots of fans and photographers lining up to welcome back the runners. After picking up our spectacular finisher’s medal, we went into the Convention Center to get our finisher’s shirt and food bag. The only unflattering thing I have to say about the race is the shirt. It was a cheapy fabric, fits poorly and the design was nothing to write home about.

I fully recommend this event to anyone interested in a big-city race. This is a Marathon-Major-like organization without the Marathon Major label nor price tag.

COACHING EXPERIENCE

I had a wonderful experience with my four coached athletes in the race. All three marathoners set PRs even though two of them contracted Covid just three weeks before the race. This hindered their expectations and the size of their PRs, but they both achieve their A-Goals through courageous performances. The half marathoner was able to cross the finish line strong, healthy and with a big smile on his face. His goal was finishing after a long hiatus, and that was accomplished, too.

All runners trusted the process, followed their training diligently and executed their race plans to the tee. Thus, the results.

There is nothing more satisfying for a coach than one of your runners telling you: “Thank you. I couldn’t have done it without you”. Even though it sounds (and it is) self-serving, it reminds you that, even though they all had in them the ability to achieve what they just did, your guidance made a difference in this runner’s race. And that is priceless.

MY RACE

On the personal side, I was able to complete the Houston Marathon (my 11th), just 207 days after open-heart surgery. I trained with a race/walk protocol that allowed me to make this a reality, despite having time for just two long sessions (16 and 17 miles). Yet, in just four months, I was able to complete the race in 5:16:45. The time is nothing special, but on my race, time was irrelevant. It was all about crossing the finish line.

Even though it was my 11th marathon, this finish line was special.

The chilly weather was helpful. I ran the first 7 miles biting an 11 pace, and from there started my walk/run protocol of .18/.82 (weird splits, sure, but it was where, after much practice, I felt more comfortable). I reached miles 16, 18 and 20, tired but strong. Legs started to hurt reaching miles 21 and 22 and after the walking break for Mile 23, the legs just stop firing. I tried to restart the running, but it wasn’t happening. I ran some quick math and realized that if I restarted now, I could go sub-5, but the legs were shot. Then I realized that being at Mile 23, 30 weeks after OHS, was miracle enough and I wasn’t going to let the clock dictate the terms of my happiness or what God was allowing me to do. So I walked most of the last 5K with a big smile, never resenting the time lost or wondering why I didn’t go for the half.

I crossed the finish line with teary eyes and a couple of seconds later, I hear the unmistakable screams of my beautiful wife welcoming me. Unfortunately, she was on the other side of the street, and it would take about an hour for me to hug her. But the fact that she witnessed the miracle of my finish, firsthand, uplifted my spirit.

Houston was a spectacular experience in every sense of the phrase. As a runner, as a coach and as the protagonist of something improbable. Because what I personally accomplished is so unlikely that it can only be explained by the divine intervention of God, through me. This is what proves that it is a miracle. Sharing it with my friends from the No-Club Runners multiplied tenfold the experience.

I can’t wait to see what’s next!