RCTC touches down in H-Town, walking away with big feels
Rose City Track Club touched down in Houston with some big goals: personal bests, OTQs, and BQs just to name a few. After a few months of training through Portland winter, teammates were gifted with a little heat, humidity, and sunshine – conditions that were hard to prepare for in the PNW’s doom and gloom.
Overall, it was a tough racing day (we even got some validation from the pros). That said, folks walked away with some positive outlooks and hunger for what comes next. We asked teammates for recaps and love how these mark a moment in time: a few days post-race, filled with raw emotion and soreness. Read through to feel inspired.
Callie Nitz
A Goal: Finish and don’t sh*t my pants in the process
B Goal: PR
C Goal: BQ
Race time: 4:05:32
This cycle was an interesting amalgamation of highs and lows. I had teammates show up every time I needed someone to help bolster me through hard workouts. I did a hard 20 miler by myself and gained so much mental tenacity on that run.
Then, on the Sauvie Island BFLR I irritated my right foot. I immediately told Vince at North Lake Physical Therapy that I was dying and, as usual, he assured me I was not. It felt like irritated fascia on the bottom of my foot and was not something he was worried about. It continued to be a presence I could feel, but was not painful.
I had strong numbers going into Houston but my foot was lurking in the back of my brain and I was worried about my sharpness not getting in my last few big workouts. I started the race in the corral with Emily and Jordan building me up and being the best teammates. I followed them for the first mile and settled into my planned pace and cruised for 5 miles feeling pretty good and really thought I was going to nail it.
I won't lie to you, I hated EVERY step after mile 5. My foot had started to bother me and my hips were already sore. I knew by mile 7 that a BQ was out that day but I was confident that I could still pull a PR. By 13, my foot was borderline painful and I let the mental game slip. At mile 21, I stopped and gave serious thought to pulling out. I called my dad as I did run-walk intervals for one of his famous pep talks and he reminded me that while this race is tough, I am tougher still. By 24, I knew that a PR was out and that was a tough pill to swallow so I limped into the finishing chute to make sure I hit one goal that day.
This race chewed me up and spit me out on the pavement. I left feeling so frustrated and a little embarrassed. But, what I keep coming back to is… this community that we have built. I was getting text messages from our teammates at home following and cheering me on both when I was crushing my paces and when the pace crushed me. I had so many reach out after the race to check on me and listen to my melancholy. I need to thank all of you from the bottom of my soul for this weekend. It was incredible getting to experience it with you all.
While this race was, by most measurable standards a loss, I won the day I joined this team.
Ryan Yambra
Goal: sub-3
Race time: 3:13:00
I had a really solid training block which included PRs in the half (1:22) and the 8K (29:26). I was certain I had the times/training to do sub-3!
Race day started off well enough - I went out just ahead of the 3:00 pacer and was right on track but by mile 16 I was fading. I can’t point to a particular moment where I knew it was over, but by mile 20 my mindset shifted to “just finish” and I basically jogged it in. Still came away with a 1-minute PR.
It’s hard for me to tell if this was a one-off or if I need to experiment with a new coaching method. Maybe I need to get more comfortable with the marathon pace or shoot for something in between my current race time and sub-3.
Not gonna lie: I was very disappointed. But a PR is a PR. Now I’m looking forward to taking a couple weeks off then shifting focus to a 5K training block and possibly breaking 1:20 in the half.
Even though I was disappointed in my result, my heart is SO full. It’s pretty magical that we all got to be in the same place at the same time and share this experience together.
Traveling across the country for a race can sometimes feel lonely, and it was amazing that we were able to pull this off together.
Tobi Probst
Goal: 1:18:36, modified to 1:16
Race time: 1:17:50
Coming off of the Berlin Marathon, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do next. I didn’t have any immediate goals in the marathon and there weren’t any winter trail races I was excited to sign up for.
When I learned that a large contingent from the club was going to Houston I decided to join and figured that the half marathon would be a fun distance to train for.
I hadn't ever raced a half marathon (as in specifically trained and seriously raced the distance) before and I figured some additional leg speed would carry over well to whatever I decided to train for in 2023.
Overall training went well. I stayed injury free and noticed my fitness improving every week. My coach and I took a pretty conservative approach over the two-month block – increasing the intensity slightly every week but keeping the mileage between 40 to 50 miles per week with the peak weeks taking place 2 weeks prior to race day, then a short one-week taper. I did not do much running at race pace and mainly focused on lower threshold paces during workouts with some shorter intervals under race pace to work on efficiency. Typically, I ran one workout day per week with occasional speed work during the weekly long run. The rest of the week was typically easy 40 to 60-minute runs and strides 1 or 2 days per week. I also raced a 5K Turkey Trot and Holiday 10K to test the legs and see where my fitness was.
Coming into race day, my coach and I decided to shoot for 5:48 pace (76min) as my goal. My original plan at the beginning of the block was 6:00 pace (78min), but training went well so we made some modifications as my fitness improved.
I was concerned about some psoas pain that came out of nowhere the week before but it didn’t come up during the race. Going out, I noticed how hard the pace felt right off the bat and was concerned that it didn’t really get easier. But I had mentally prepared with the expectation that it was going to feel this way.
In the middle around mile 7, it became apparent that 5:48 pace was not going to be sustainable on the day. But I wasn’t being dropped and I was still running with the same group I began with. I had started to doubt that I could hang with all the fast people around me but kept reminding myself that I did the training and my coach was confident in my fitness and preparation.
The last 3-4 miles were probably the hardest I’ve ever had to push myself during a race. The half marathon requires a ton of focus and willpower to hold what is honestly a very uncomfortable pace. Coming into the finish I was able to pick up the pace again and managed to come in under 78min. I am extremely happy with my time. I truly felt that I gave it everything I had. I also ran a time I never would have believed was possible for myself even just a few months ago.
One thing that stood out from this experience was training and showing up to races as a team. I can’t recall being less nervous for a race in my life. I ran three races with the RCTC singlet since I joined in the fall and the difference of having teammates at the starting line, along the route, and at the finish had made running way more fun. I love this club and I’m so thankful to be a part of it!
Looking ahead I’m taking this week easy and then will transition into training for Chuckanut 50K in March.
Kevin Ward
Goal: 3:05
Minimum goal: BQ (3:09)
All stars aligned goal: sub-3
Race time: 3:21
Training went really well. By the numbers, it was my best training block leading into a race. I was able to stay (relatively) injury free, manage family-life/running time well to include a good strength routine, keep up with PT, yoga, and recovery all while peaking at 65 miles/week which was the most I had ever run in a week.
I was keeping the prescribed ‘easy’ days very easy-like really, really easy and at the same time was crushing my threshold (TH) workouts and had improved my TH pace by over 30 seconds.
I never really had a “bad day” in training. With the help of the team discussions, I had successfully increased my calorie intake from ~30kc/hr to ~90kc/hr. Long runs and workouts felt good from a fueling standpoint and was able to recover rather quickly. I was able to allow myself the space to be vulnerable mentally whether in mediation or through talking a little about it with teammates and to use that to reshape the way I think about workouts and racing etc.
Lastly, I was able to include some social dynamic to my training by joining this team – joining some runs, workouts, and social events when possible – all made slogging long miles fun and felt collaborative. If I could point to any negatives, its that this block just felt rather uneventful – no real high and low moments. Additionally, training in the winter can be tough and physiologically it was harder to keep some winter weight off as I’ve grown another year “older.”
I’m still having a hard time understanding what happened on race day. In conversations prior with my coach, by the numbers 3:05 was in-the-bag, no question. I only needed less than a 2-minute improvement over my Berlin time for a BQ and that should have felt like clockwork. We both believed that sub-3 was in reach based on my training.
On race day, I felt calm on the start line. I executed an easier first mile and kept the pace on the ‘conservative side’ for the first half so that I could attempt to negative split. At the bridge on 13, I allowed the group I was running with to go and backed off the pace over the bridge, with the plan to shake it off coming off the bridge and settle into making that negative split happen. I cant explain it though, maybe it is a lack of experience, but I was never able to regain control and execute. I would think I was putting in a concerted effort and then look at my splits and they only went increasingly backwards…by a lot.
Somewhere around 17 miles, I could feel the wheels had fallen off. I can’t figure out why though – nutrition was spot on, I was conservative when I needed to be, but I wanted to puke, give up, and cut my losses for another day. Then I spotted Sam Rober and I couldn’t give up. I just had to finish because I knew she was fighting too. Admittedly, I don’t really know Sam, but just knowing that someone else was struggling gave me a new something to work towards. I thought, “If I could just get to Sam, maybe she’ll start running again and we’ll slay the road ahead.”
There were times when I thought maybe it would feel less hard if I just gave to someone else rather than wallow in my own undoing. Though now, I have come to truly understand the quote, “You cannot pour from an empty cup.”
Those last 8 miles I tunneled deeper and deeper into the fiery inferno of marathon hell-full of blurred vision, scrambled thoughts, cramps in everyplace imaginable, nausea, and self doubt. I wish I could say I emerged victorious in battle, but crossing that finish line, I could only cry-tears of defeat, disappointment to my training and my family sacrifice, and discouraged that maybe I may have hit my limit.
Of the positives, I am proud of the work I put in these last few months and if its shown me anything its that I can push myself to be stronger even just a little bit everyday. Having joined this team, while not as active as I would like to be, has also given me an immense amount of pride for others personal success while also having the support to lean on when we need help along the way.
As to where I go from here, its too soon to say. I’ll take the week off, contemplate my shortcomings and successes, hope nothing is broken and start the rebuild… THAT’S WHAT WE DO.
We shall not know just how sweet victory is without the bitterness of defeat.
Sam Bruns
Goal: 1:18
Race time: 1:24:30
Training went pretty well for me, after a couple hiccups early in the block that I put down to life stress I started feeling good and nailing workouts. Based on how I felt going into Eugene half last year, I felt very confident I was going to run well and that 1:18 or faster was on the table. In hindsight, I don't think that goal was out of the question, but for whatever reason I ended up having a pretty bad leg day.
I went out behind the women's OTQ pack which was amazing to experience, the energy and professionalism of that group is so infectious and it felt really validating to be kinda close to that level – at least for a few miles. By 5k, I felt off. We came through ~19 minutes which should have felt pretty controlled but, in reality, had me slightly in the red. I realized that I had to dial it back a notch to be able to hold on the rest of the way. What started as maybe 5-10 seconds below goal race pace became more like 50 seconds slower per mile as my legs completely disintegrated, I felt like I couldn't produce power even at a pace that had been feeling like a jog in training.
I had thought before about what I would do if I was having a really bad day and had decided I was going to just give it the same effort regardless. It was hard to fight 100% as hard as I would have if I'd been feeling good, but I'm happy with the effort I was able to give under the circumstances.
Had a blast enjoying the crowds, special thx to the guy that said my hair looked great, and the person playing "In Da Club" by 50 Cent.
Ended up running 1:24:30ish for a narrow not-PR. It was also good enough to win the nonbinary category for my first running race win ever.
I'm really glad that the Houston organizers gave me and the rest of the nonbinary community the chance to race as ourselves, it means more than I can say.
Emily Gokita
Goal A: 3:20
Goal B: BQ (sub 3:30)
Race time: 3:20:15
TL;DR: Couldn’t have done this without RCTC and my teammates. I feel immensely grateful.
This Houston ’23 12-week training cycle was a dream — strong runs, supportive teammates, healthy body. I feel very lucky — but also, I really manifested that after a less than ideal Berlin ’22 training cycle (5 weeks off with a foot injury rolling into only 10 weeks of running, then a dislocated shoulder 10 days out).
RCTC teammates showed up for me in a big way. Hopping into long runs, track workouts, sending supportive texts, telling me I could do what I hadn’t really convinced myself of yet — shave even more minutes off my marathon time and get the BQ I was chasing in Berlin (that I missed by 6 seconds).
The days leading up to the race felt way more relaxed than I had in Berlin a few months before. Being surrounded by so many teammates in H-Town really helped. I also didn’t give much energy to worrying about the weather, the course, or my execution plan. I had practiced everything I needed to practice. I was basically rinse and repeating Berlin with more fitness this time.
In short: I did it. I set out to run a 3:20 and I did it… 3:20:15. It was hard at times (hello, heat and humidity) but I didn’t let myself walk, I took water at every aid station, I poured a lot of that h2o on my body, and I stayed as calm as possible (my number 1 mantra). Finishing with a 10-minute PR after missing the BQ in Berlin by 6 seconds felt really great.
I’ve got to add: Running most of the race with new teammate Jordan was amazing. I also, for once, felt comfortable checking in with people around me – giving a “good job” or “what are you going for” or “wow, look at that!” – and found that it really helped me stay on track and keep my spirits high.
I finished the race with big, BIG feelings and curiosity. What could I have done if the conditions were more ideal? I’ve only been at marathoning for a little over two years with 3 official races and one 2020 time trial (for fun) under my belt. I’ve been able to chip 10-15 minutes off my PR every time toe the line. All that changed? I started running with inspiring people.
What’s next: I really want to pay it forward. I want to hop into teammates’ hard workouts. I want to be a better cheerleader. It’s amazing what you can do when you have people in your corner. I want everyone to experience that.
Samantha Rober
Goal: 3:07
Race: 3:18
Training was pretty solid for me, I really enjoyed having teammates to run with each week and really appreciated the help with pacing. I felt like I pushed myself in long runs works more than I had ever in the past. Not to say there weren’t hard ones where I slightly struggled or my legs didn’t hurt like crazy at the end, but always managed to accomplish the run. My training pace would have suggested I should have been running 7:05 min pace during the race.
Within that block, I did have a solid amount of foot pain that changed the shoes I could wear which definitely didn’t do me any favors but regardless of shoe I felt I could hit the time.
Some sickness in the house had me super stressed in the taper weeks leading to marathon and the day before I was an anxious mess but, still, I knew I had the fitness
DANG RACE DAY, DUDE.
Felt super nervous race morning. I really just could not calm my nerves. Likely partially because I hadn’t run a marathon since 2018 and this would be a good deal faster. Once we got started, I settled in for the first 8 or so miles. Nothing too crazy. Knew we were running slightly fast, but wasn’t worried about it.
My legs started to feel tired waaaayyyy too early for 7:15 min/pace, couldn’t really nail down why during the race. At mile 10, I had decided I would stick with the 3:10 pacer instead of trying to join Kevin Ward in his pace increase.
I knew I was off at half, and just told myself to roll with this group until at least mile 16. I probably should have backed off pace to conserve and run more like 7:20s, but I’m stubborn. Backed off the pace group at 16 with sights on them for the next couple miles. Apparenly it got absurdly humid and I was losing tons of salt, I started to feel pretty nauseous around mile 18… and the came miles 20-26. I was hurting. I knew my legs hurt but mostly my stomach. I started walking at 22 but Kevin Ward, even though hurting himself, really just became hype man. He ran by me and I knew I had to tag on.
We switched off like this a few times — I was so thankful to know someone out there during this time. While not really knowing Kevin, we were both struggling, but in some weird way motivated each other.
Learnings: I need more electrolytes and salt in the future especially if there is even a remote chance of strong humidity.
Legs are still a mystery on why they weren’t loving life early on, but… what’s crazy is… I ran one minutes slower than my PR and had a walk/run last 6 miles. I know theres more out there from me.
Lauren Ross
Goal: OTQ
Race time: DNF
For me, the Houston Marathon represents a lot of things. I lived in Houston from 2014 - 2018, and it’s during that time that I first started to wonder whether I could get fast fast. It’s there that I learned what it meant to qualify for olympic trials, where a friend believed in me and began to coach me towards that goal, and it’s this race where I just barely missed the time in 2020, running a huge PR that I wasn’t sure I was capable of. This race is magical for me, well-organized and lined with spectators and friends who have believed in me for years.
Houston Marathon 2023 has been on my calendar for over a year, with a plan to run Chicago in October and use that build to springboard my fitness and hopefully shoot for the new OTQ time. Since 2020, the qualifying mark has been lowered 8 minutes to 2:37 - that’s around 5:59 per mile for 26 miles, and nearly 7 minutes faster than I’ve ever run before. Even though that’s a huge difference in my goal time, the difference between 2023 and 2020 is that I went into this weekend knowing beyond a doubt that I was capable of achieving my goal.
My training leading up to Houston was quietly excellent. Coming off Chicago, I shifted focus to working off effort. I ran hilly workouts where I didn’t check my pace, and ended up going much faster than I expected. I ran under 17 minutes in the 5k, a goal which never materialized for me over the summer when I was focused on it; but which just happened to work out at a turny, crowded turkey trot that included a lot of dodging of walkers, strollers, and dogs. I paced some friends for the first 15 miles of CIM and continued on with a workout during which I was shocked at the paces I was able to run. I worried less about my watch, and let my body just run - I PRed the 10k and half marathon on training runs multiple times and never felt like I dug myself into a hole. I was ready.
Leading up to the race, there was a lot of chatter about less-than-ideal weather, and I ignored it. The forecast was for mid-50s and humid to start, reaching the mid-60s by the time I was hoping to finish. Those temps aren’t bad - we don’t train this hard to only race in perfect conditions, we train to be ready for whatever the day brings. I was relentlessly positive, confirming that I WOULD hit my goal whenever asked. I was excited.
During the first few miles, I felt a little off but didn’t linger on it. I’ll settle in and this will feel normal, I’ll pull gels from my sports bra and loosen that up to get some deeper breaths, I’ll tuck into the pack and let them pull me along, I’ll smile and wave to my friends along the course, I’ll stick with it until the next spot where I have friends cheering, then the next; I thought. I began dousing myself with water early and often, and kept on my fueling plan religiously, glad that the PowerBar Hydrogels are so easy to suck down. Something just wasn’t right, and it wasn’t anything super specific - my legs felt ok, my lungs felt ok, but it felt hard. I’d run faster and longer than this in training and it felt easier! I reminded myself for several miles that you never know how the next one will feel until you’re in it. Turns out they all felt bad.
At mile 12, I stepped off the course.
When my friend Starla came by, I hopped back in with her and ran for a while until I found some friends at mile 15 who I knew could drive me back to the start. I’ve quit races before, and usually it feels terrible emotionally. I’ve told myself many times that even if it feels crappy, just finish and you’ll be glad about it, and usually that is the case. I’ve been the person who shakes their head at the pros for dropping out when conditions are hard. For some reason I knew that stopping made sense for me on Sunday, which was confirmed when I finally uploaded the run and checked out my heart rate - sky high from mile 4. It’s tricky to pick apart when things are just hard but you can deal with it, and when things are hard and maybe it’s not a great idea. Usually that’s a battle that comes around 18 or 20 miles. This was different, and while I’m disappointed that the day wasn’t perfect, I’m at peace with my decision.
A lot of times when a race doesn’t go well there are many what ifs - “I bet I could have done X if Y”, or “I think I could have run X if I didn’t drop out” - but this time I don’t feel that. I know what I’m capable of, and it was not happening on that day. I wouldn’t change a thing about my preparation or execution. Now, a few days later, I mostly feel a bit overwhelmed trying to decide what to do next, because I have been so focused on a day that didn’t come together. So far, I haven’t made any plans but stay tuned - there’s more to come in this story!
Krista Weaver
Goal: 2:40-2:42
Actual: 2:55
Started on the slower end of the goal range with the forecast, and got paced through 9 by a stranger.
By 9, I had chills and felt off. I tried to dial it back 10-15 seconds per mile. Somehow by 14, that pace was actually about a minute slower than race pace, but no attempts to speed up actually happened.
My legs felt like bricks, and by 16 the goal simply became to finish.
Like many, I struggle to know what went wrong exactly – was it physical, mental, or both? Despite some cheers from friends in the course, I wasn’t able to speed up.
The one goal accomplished though was consuming each gel – and I was even hungry! – which had never happened before.
Looking forward to my next chance.
The next big races for the Rose City crew are the Eugene Half/Marathon here in Oregon and the legendary Boston Marathon. Time for those next chances.
Photos: Ryo Gokita