Houston Marathon Prep

Well, today was my final group run with the running club. I generally tried to keep from going too fast, which for me means my goal was to run around 13 minutes per mile. I ended up running 5 miles in just under 61 minutes which was a bit faster than I wanted to run. I suppose this is good news as I did not feel that I had extended beyond my desired effort for the run.
The one downside is that I have been feeling some minor pain and stiffness in my right knee since the run. I took it easy the rest of the day and will rest tomorrow and see how it feels. I would definitely be very unhappy to be injured this close to my half marathon next weekend! As for now, I'll continue to rest, take some anti-inflammatory meds and put some ice on it. [Sunday night update, the knee was somewhat improved today, it didn't always hurt, but it feels like it could nag me for awhile. Tomorrow is a swim day, then I'll take an extra rest day on Tuesday--it's a busy work day anyway.][Tuesday afternoon update, the knee has continued to improve slowly, due to a crowded pool, I took a rest day Monday and swam 1000 yards this morning. It's not so much pain as stiffness now, but these is a definite amount of stiffness at the knee joint. I'm trying to decide whether it's better to get extra rest or light exercise between now and Sunday's half marathon.]

For anyone wanting to see me lumber around Houston next weekend, look for me wearing this shirt and (probably) a matching visor. The WISH stands for We're Inspired to Stay Healthy, an online group I have been part of for some time. It is also quite likely the most noticeable running shirt I own.

I haven't yet decided if I will plan to pick up my race bib and go to the race expo on Friday or Saturday. If I can get out of work on Friday, I'll definitely try to go then.

On the triathlon front, I have joined Lone Star Multisport, a triathlon club in the local area, and the Houston Racing Triathlon Club for 2009. I joined both figuring I could decide later which would serve me best. Unfortunately for me, both of them have their January meetings on the same evening. I have also been looking at a new bike, as the old bike is just not going to make it much longer--and was never really suited for what I wanted it to do anyway. As usual for a relatively new endeavor, I don't really know what I want or what questions to ask. Nothing new for me there...