Chevron Houston Marathon 2013

[SilverJK]

So we need to change the entire course so the elite few will have a chance at getting a record.  The 25 competitive runners in a field of over 7,000.    BTW I ran a 5k once... so I'm an expert on this subject.  = P

[livincinco]

Walter Mitty's head is a random fact generator, but you sound like a mainstream media buff so feast away from the trough.  Anyone who believes the Marathon is solely a sporting event is a political neophyte or as the case may be with some here, just switching teams to suit the argument.  So if you haven't figured it out yet like other humorless folks, this thread is what's known as "political satire".  Go look it up, I'll wait.

 

Forgot that school is out for summer and that bored teenagers have taken over HAIF.  Nothing to see here, go outside and play.

[s3mh]

So we need to change the entire course so the elite few will have a chance at getting a record.  The 25 competitive runners in a field of over 7,000.    BTW I ran a 5k once... so I'm an expert on this subject.  = P

 

That is more of a benefit of the change than the reason for it.  The reason for changing the course was by and large for the masses.  The u-turn on Montrose did keep the course from being a WR course.  But it was also a big hazard when the course gets wet.  There were a lot of slip and falls at that spot.  The viaduct is no issue for the elites, other than having a slight hill.  When they go through, it is wide open road for them.  But, when the 4:00-4:30 marathoners go through, it is shoulder to shoulder with a lot of accordion-ing stop and start, walk/run.  That change is 100% for the average runner.  They will be able to keep their pace through the first few miles with the new course. 

[RedScare]

Weird. A couple days ago, Houston was a hopeless stepchild to Portland. Now, we are head and shoulders above them. Guess it all depends on who you're fighting with whether Houston is good or bad.

[SilverJK]

I'll just stick to my longboard marathons.  Maybe one day I'll even do a sanctioned one on a closed course so I can go for my PR!  lol

 

 

 

[s3mh]

Weird. A couple days ago, Houston was a hopeless stepchild to Portland. Now, we are head and shoulders above them. Guess it all depends on who you're fighting with whether Houston is good or bad.

 

So, if I say that Houston has a better marathon, a single day event, than Houston, that means that I think that everything about Houston is head and shoulders above Portland and am a complete hypocrite for thinking that Houston could benefit from adopting some of Portland's planning intiatives to better benefit from redevelopment and density?  And why must you always depend on distorting other people's arguments to serve your own interest.  I never said Houston was a hopeless stepchild to Portland.  My point was simply that Houston should not ignore important quality of life issues in order to serve the short term interests of real estate developers.   

[RedScare]

Is Portland benefiting from planning initiatives? Or is Portland simply perceived to be enlightened by superficial white people who equate european sounding things as superior to American ideas? Is driving up housing costs by artificially limiting building area beneficial to those in the middle to lower middle classes? What about the poor? I suppose they have subsidized housing. Or does Portland simply outlaw the poor? These planning initiatives that the enlightened elites trumpet as the next great thing seem only to benefit the upper middle class.

[livincinco]

Interesting article that references Portland's planning initiatives.

 

http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-18305-renter%E2%80%99s_hell.html

 

Similar article on San Francisco

 

http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Rental-competition-fierce-in-S-F-s-market-3543722.php

[RedScare]

Now, THAT's Quality of Life. Searching for weeks, or even months, for an overpriced apartment is exactly how I spend a fulfilling life.

[s3mh]

Is Portland benefiting from planning initiatives? Or is Portland simply perceived to be enlightened by superficial white people who equate european sounding things as superior to American ideas? Is driving up housing costs by artificially limiting building area beneficial to those in the middle to lower middle classes? What about the poor? I suppose they have subsidized housing. Or does Portland simply outlaw the poor? These planning initiatives that the enlightened elites trumpet as the next great thing seem only to benefit the upper middle class.

 

Funny, I do not recall you shedding any tears when Ainbinder knocked down @100 units of affordable housing.  And I do not see you posting much about the 25+ low income houses that are going to be demolished for the Yale St. Market.  But, now you are suddenly the crusader for affordable housing in Houston.  Right.

 

Nothing about the current Houston rental market is of any benefit to lower and middle class folks.  No one is building anything new inside the loop that is renting 1 beds for under $1,500.  Most of the new construction is going up in the place of older more affordable garden style apartments.  Low and middle income folks are losing big time in the Houston rental market no matter what happens.  At least in San Fran and Portland you have a shot at rent control and subsidized housing.  In Houston, you are just bannished to the suburbs and have to spend 2 hours in the car every day.

 

And there is a chicken and egg problem with land use and housing values.  Take away land use restrictions in areas like the Back Bay, Brooklyn/Manhattan, Georgetown, etc. and developers will wrecking ball all the great architecture and neighborhoods in favor of junky high rises and pencil box apartments.  Those areas would then no longer be desirable and prices will drop.  You can knock down all the great buildings in the Mission District and replace them with pencil box apartments and high rises.  But then no one would want to live there. 

 

Nothing anyone is advocating for smart growth in Houston is anywhere near the restrictions in other areas.  All people around here want is to push the density into the appropriate areas and make sure that there is enough retail built with the density to accomodate the influx of new inhabitants.  Thus, we would rather see a mixed use development than stripmalls/walmarts and CVS's in places like midtown and on Yale at I-10.  And where density is suitable, like along Dallas and W. Gray, throw in some ground floor retail to create some real neighborhoods, mitigate traffic issues and prevent the overcrowding of the existing retail areas.

[RedScare]

Funny, I do not recall you shedding any tears when Ainbinder knocked down @100 units of affordable housing.  And I do not see you posting much about the 25+ low income houses that are going to be demolished for the Yale St. Market.  But, now you are suddenly the crusader for affordable housing in Houston.  Right.

 

Nothing about the current Houston rental market is of any benefit to lower and middle class folks.  No one is building anything new inside the loop that is renting 1 beds for under $1,500.  Most of the new construction is going up in the place of older more affordable garden style apartments.  Low and middle income folks are losing big time in the Houston rental market no matter what happens.  At least in San Fran and Portland you have a shot at rent control and subsidized housing.  In Houston, you are just bannished to the suburbs and have to spend 2 hours in the car every day.

 

And there is a chicken and egg problem with land use and housing values.  Take away land use restrictions in areas like the Back Bay, Brooklyn/Manhattan, Georgetown, etc. and developers will wrecking ball all the great architecture and neighborhoods in favor of junky high rises and pencil box apartments.  Those areas would then no longer be desirable and prices will drop.  You can knock down all the great buildings in the Mission District and replace them with pencil box apartments and high rises.  But then no one would want to live there. 

 

Nothing anyone is advocating for smart growth in Houston is anywhere near the restrictions in other areas.  All people around here want is to push the density into the appropriate areas and make sure that there is enough retail built with the density to accomodate the influx of new inhabitants.  Thus, we would rather see a mixed use development than stripmalls/walmarts and CVS's in places like midtown and on Yale at I-10.  And where density is suitable, like along Dallas and W. Gray, throw in some ground floor retail to create some real neighborhoods, mitigate traffic issues and prevent the overcrowding of the existing retail areas.

 

The reason I shed no tears over that crappy complex is that I do not portray myself as the enlightened liberal like you do. You DID claim to be aghast that the low income apartments were demolished, yet you also claim that Portland planning...which created the overpriced housing market there...is somehow good for people. Your liberal bonafides are rather shallow, which is no surprise. You want mixed use while supporting historic districts that prevent dense housing. You cry about low income housing while supporting initiatives that raise housing prices. Watching your overreactions to everything is great comedy, as you constantly contradict yourself in order to complain about the next faux outrage.

 

Keep it up. I just made popcorn!

[kylejack]

Houston Architecture and Information About The Heights Walmart Forum

[TGM]

Nothing is more entertaining than watching people bash the city they live in while singing the praises of another.

You've got to wonder how pathetic one's existence must be when they pine away for the utopian city-de jour yet remain "stuck" here.

[livincinco]

Nothing is more entertaining than watching people bash the city they live in while singing the praises of another.

You've got to wonder how pathetic one's existence must be when they pine away for the utopian city-de jour yet remain "stuck" here.

It's usually followed by:

"Why don't you move?"

"I can't find a job there."

[RedScare]

"Back home in {Insert economically depressed state HERE}, we used to {Insert annoying local custom HERE}..."

[fwki]

Forgot that school is out for summer and that bored teenagers have taken over HAIF.  Nothing to see here, go outside and play.

 

Droll.  Rebutting political satire looking for facts plays into the satirist's trap.  I don't care if you didn't get it, like it or read it, but keep posting please.  Same with Walter.  I am satisfied that I successfully delivered my message, thank you for playing.

[TGM]

"Back home in {Insert economically depressed state HERE}, we used to {Insert annoying local custom HERE}..."

I'll give it a whirl..

"Back home in Portland, we used to petition the historic commission to allow for hardi-plank on our outhouses containing composting toilets."

[august948]

It's usually followed by:

"Why don't you move?"

"I can't find a job there."

Or....

"Why don't you move?"

"I can't afford the rent there."

[htownproud]

s3mh -- we will just have to agree to disagree on what locals runners think of our marathon (I would say runners like the breakfast and free massage at the end).  for what it is worth, Portland's marathon is generally top 10 in finishers for US marathons (~8500 finishers); Houston I don't believe has ever been (~7500 finishers).  that said, i would sacrifice having a poorly run marathon for living in the great city of Houston.  

[s3mh]

s3mh -- we will just have to agree to disagree on what locals runners think of our marathon (I would say runners like the breakfast and free massage at the end).  for what it is worth, Portland's marathon is generally top 10 in finishers for US marathons (~8500 finishers); Houston I don't believe has ever been (~7500 finishers).  that said, i would sacrifice having a poorly run marathon for living in the great city of Houston.  

 

Agreed.  However, Portland has a very small half marathon (@1800) for a total of 10,000 to 11,000 finishers for both events..  The Houston half has over 10,000 finishers for @16,700 finishers for both events.  The challenge for Houston has been balancing the two very successful events.  The new course is designed to do that by taking away the choke points (via duct and where the half and full meet on the same street) and getting everyone to start on the same start line.  Even though the course will miss out on a great neighborhood, it will still be way better than Portland which seems to go out of its way to find ugly inustrial areas and empty sections of highway for the race course.  At least half of the course is through industrial areas of Portland.  Houston is picturesque by contrast.