The thrills of soccer

Kathleen and I had some great seats at a Saturday night soccer match between the Houston Dynamo and New York Red Bulls at Robertson Stadium, on the grounds of the University of Houston. Fun and entertaining yes; exciting - not really. Few really good shots at the goal on either side, and too many mistakes. After 90 minutes of pretty intense but futile back and forth attacks, defense and counter-attacks, the game ended with a rather tame 0-0 scoreless tie. The 19,000 or so spectators had a nice time nonetheless: there was plenty of beer, some Dynamo Girls action during the halftime break, and incessant drum-playing, chanting, cheering and booing, particularly from the eastern 'end zone' grandstand. I would definitely like to return some time again soon.

Some orange-clad Houston Dynamo fans - and our view of the field

This area of the stadium - the east 'end zone' is known for being particularly boisterous and noisy, with incessant drum-beating, cheers, chants and boos ringing out. A large contingent of these ultra-partisan fans show up in a big group, marching into the stadium like a conquering army.

Earlier on Saturday, we ran a 5K at Rice University. The official results aren't up yet, but I ran pretty close to 21:17 which was a nice confidence booster for Boston. Unfortunately a 5K time isn't a great predictor for a marathon time; if it were I'd be finishing under 3:30 - which is not going to happen. This morning's 10-miler with Steve and Allison proved that. Admittedly it was extremely humid and warm, but I was really laboring towards the end. Hopefully this week's much reduced running and moratorium on strenuous cross-training (surely a little lifting can't hurt?) will help to rejuvenate my tired legs. I am very relieved to have my last long run under the belt, the end is in sight!