CO Marathon...

K and I arrived in Denver, CO late Friday evening, May 1. There was no time to acclimate to the altitude for this Texas girl because we needed to avoid taking a day off from work since we already have K's vacation days allocated for the year. And, part of the appeal of this race was that it was easy for us to access with a short nonstop flight from ATX. The weekend was all business - the business of running a marathon.

After lunch in Denver on Saturday with a friend from my internship year up there, we made the drive up to Fort Collins. We headed straight to packet pick-up, which was a pretty straightforward affair with a small expo.

Go Fast, Take Chances #oiselle

I added a pin for South Austin

Then, we drove the marathon course, so I would be familiar with what to expect during the race. The only other time that I have done that was for my first marathon in Austin (when the course was point-to-point). I was glad that we did because I was able to get a sense for the elevation profile, which was largely a gentle downhill rather than a steep, quad-burning downhill. It also reaffirmed my suspicion that the race was really going to be divided into 2 sections - the first part through the canyon which was peaceful and scenic then the more exposed and boring section for the last 10 miles or so. I knew the temperatures would be warming up too in the latter section, so I had to be mentally prepared for a tough stretch after leaving the canyon. I had a plan though...which ended up helping in the later miles on race day (but probably didn't come soon enough).

We had my usual pre-long run pasta dinner at Noodles & Company (thank goodness for a chain restaurant) then I got everything ready for the next day.

Race day (Sunday, May 3) had an early start with my alarm going off at 3:45am. We left the hotel around 4:15am, and K dropped me off in the downtown area of Ft. Collins to catch the bus up to the race start. Taking the official buses up was the only way to get to the start. We arrived at the start around 5:15am or so, and I was greeted with a sound system blaring a song about Boston when I got off the bus (inspiring for the hopeful BQ runners) and hundreds of runners milling around. I went ahead and hit the port-o-potty before the lines got too long once the rest of the buses arrived. It was actually a bit windy so I stayed in my warm clothes and sat down in front one of the big trucks to stay out of the wind. I just took in the beauty of the moment and thought that this has the potential to be a gem of a race - much smaller and more intimate than the other big city marathon races that I have recently done and in such a majestic setting.

The marathon was capped at around 1,300 participants (and had sold out). There wasn't too much fanfare around the start - a pre-recorded version of the national anthem was played as folks started to mill around to line up for the start, mostly in relation to the pacers. I saw a woman in Rogue socks and her friend in an ARC shirt, so I said hello as we shared in the experience of being there from Austin. And, then a few minutes later, we were off! I choked up a bit when I crossed the start line thinking about how long I have been anticipating this day and it had finally arrived!

The race started at around 6,100 feet above sea level. Going into the race, I knew that how my body handled the altitude was an unknown factor that I couldn't necessarily plan for or control. So, I had just focused on what I could control - my training. I peaked at 60mpw this training cycle with several weeks at 50mpw or higher. That's definitely on the higher end for me, so I was eager to see how my body would respond with the consistent and higher mileage in my legs. I have previously run a couple of 50k trail races in the mountains at much higher elevation, but there's a definite difference between those kind of runs and trying to run a road marathon at elevation well. And, my goal for this race was definitely to run this marathon well - not simply to finish. I don't really know how to describe the impact of the elevation on my performance, but it was definitely noticeable within the first half mile. And, it's not even that I had started super fast (mile 1 was 8:58 or so). My heart rate never really felt like it was soaring and I always ran a pace that felt comfortable for me at the time, so I don't know how to describe how it affected my performance other than to say that I noticed that running that first half mile felt different than starting a run at home.

And, don't even get me started on the sun. Oof. When we drove the course the day before, K commented that I should have enough cover from the canyon walls that I shouldn't have to worry too much about it to start. So, I simply started the race wearing my visor as I normally do, and I had planned to pick up my sunglasses from K when I saw him at mile 16 or 17 as I entered the more clearly exposed sections of the race. I remember how blinding the sun was at MCM last fall, so I was trying to plan ahead for that this time around. Turns out that I needed my sunglasses from the start, as we were running directly into the rising sun from the gun. And, remember how much more intense the sun is at elevation. This did not bode well for my race.

I tried to enjoy the beauty of the course for the first few miles. It was so peaceful with nothing but the sounds of runner's footsteps and the flowing Poudre River as we went along. The miles were passing at a fairly good clip thanks to the downhill nature of the course, but I was a lot closer to the 3:45 pace group than I needed to be. I went through mile 6 in around 52 minutes, I think. But, I already knew that it wasn't going to be my day. The pace felt comfortable, so it's not that I started too fast. I was just really warming up in that direct sun...and I knew it was going to get worse. I was supposed to stop and refill my water bottle at mile 7.5-ish, but ended up going on until about mile 10 (not a good sign in terms of hydrating for how warm it was going to be later). By that point, I had already started walking in some sections - mostly when we were out of the shade. I noticed that nobody else around me had started to walk yet, so I started to worry that this was all in my head (no need to worry because the carnage was to come later for a lot of others apparently).

This was where the first water stop was located - around mile 2.5

My overall pace had slowed considerably because of the walking breaks, and I ended up going through the half in 1:58. While that is a respectable time, it was pretty disheartening at that point because I knew it could have been much faster if I hadn't started to fall apart so early from the weather. Mentally, I actually declared my race done once I reached halfway. I was done. Cooked. I didn't care anymore. But, the thing is that I still had to get back to town 13.1 miles down the road, so even though I may have resigned my race at that point, I had to keep moving forward (no matter how slowly). I knew the 4:00 hour pacers would be pulling through soon and they did. Even though I didn't really have much will, I hopped aboard and stayed with them until about 14.5 miles. The pace was nice and relaxed, but I just didn't have the will because I was so darn hot. So, I let them go, and I just tried to focus on getting to mile 16 where I knew K would be waiting. I stopped to refill my water bottle again at around mile 15...and pour some water over my head to try to cool off.

Mile 16 came and went as we exited the canyon, but I didn't see K until just past mile 17 (near the planned intersection where I knew he would be parked). That had been a tough stretch after I realized it was another mile down the road more than I expected before I would actually see him. I stopped for a couple of minutes while I told him that I was mentally done and so, so hot. I was thankful to get my shades and my iPod and overjoyed to have him surprise me with a coke (something I first appreciated at the aid stations for my trail ultra's). He asked whether I wanted him to meet me at mile 21 since that seemed to be another point that he could access fairly easily. I told him no, just meet me at the finish.

Mile 17

And, with that, I took off down the road for the next mile like I was shot out of a cannon! Wow, what a difference the caffeine and some good beats made! I was seriously flying down the road passing everyone! I knew a hill was coming around mile 19, so that would be a speedbump for my momentum, but I completely underestimated how much of a difference running with music can make. It really helped keep me happy and less focused on the negative thoughts.

Unfortunately, it didn't really help with my overheated body temperature. But, getting to run through someone spraying us down with a hose just past the mile 19 aid station was a welcome blessing. We then entered a bike path for the next few miles that pretty much broke any remaining spirit I had left. It was exposed to the sun and boring. Not many folks looked good here. When I ran, I still had nice turnover in my legs and often got encouragement from the folks I passed about how strong I looked. But, the running was always interspersed with a lot of walking by that point. K ended up surprising me at mile 21-ish, which was a nice boost because I got more of my coke here. I also stopped to refill my water bottle again at this point. I knew I had a bit more on the bike path before the race would enter more of a neighborhood section for the last 5k. The race route had apparently been changed this year due to some construction - which turned out to be a blessing because we got to get off the bike path sooner.

Mile 21

Again, I was thankful that we had driven the course the day before because I had a sense of the last few streets and turns that were ahead in the last couple of miles. I got a big boost from Kelly Clarkson - What doesn't kill you (Stronger) - at mile 24, and she took me all the way to the finish on repeat. I'm definitely not a super expressive person, but there was some fist pumping in the air at the end. I finished in 4:18 - not the time that I was hoping for, but I also didn't implode as badly as it could have been given the conditions.

 

I waited for K at the finish line - he missed my strong finish because he wasn't expecting me until a bit later given the negative sentiments that I had expressed earlier about my pace and mental state. We then drove over to one of the nearby restaurants that was offering runners and their families free pizza and beer. What a great perk!

And, with that, it was time to shower, pack, and head back to Denver to catch our 6pm flight home.

Closing thoughts:

• I am not a good warm weather runner. Period. Doesn't matter if it's humid as it is in Austin or not as it was in Colorado. 
• I think it's unclear what kind of impact the "higher" mileage and weekly yoga sessions from this training cycle had on my performance. The variables that seemed to really matter in this race were the weather (71 degrees at my finish and the direct sun exposure) and elevation. So, I guess I'll continue with that regimen, but also add another factor of trying to lose a few more pounds to see what difference that can make for the next race (I was up about 2-2.5 pounds compared to when I ran MCM last October).
•  Never underestimate the power of a coke and some music to get through the later miles.
• Even though I never really felt in a happy place mentally, it is surprising to look at the race photos of me smiling and sailing along.
• While I think of myself as someone who loves the downhill, I think I need the downhill to be mixed in more with the flat and slight uphill just for variety sake. And, definitely more downhill in the later miles as opposed to the beginning.
• I have switched over to Skratch for my hydration/nutrition, and it seemed to work fairly well in my first marathon using it. Even though I also took salt tablets during this race (starting at mile 6 once I realized how much I was heating up), I was still covered in salt at the end, so obviously I needed more.
• This is the second marathon in a row where I have been blinded by the sun. From now on, it is going to be visor AND sunglasses at the start.
• Still need to work on mental toughness. 
• Physically, the only issue I really had during the race was with my right hip. It flared up during the last few miles of my last 20 miler, and I had my massage therapist work on it a couple of times before the race. I'm sure the highly cambered road in some spots exacerbated any problems that I had with it coming into the race.

So, what's next? St. George in October (another downhill race starting at 5,000+ feet) then Philly in November....which means another summer of training in the Austin heat and humidity with my running buddies!