January, that was my last post? What a lame blogger I am! I'll type up a report on the triathlon training soon, but here's my race report from my second marathon.
Colorado Marathon
Fort Collins, CO
3 May 2009
The course is mostly rural and scenic, similar to the Steamboat Marathon course in that it runs down a river valley into town. It starts about 17 miles up the Cache la Poudre River canyon, 3.5 miles up from the Mishawaka amphitheater. After exiting the canyon there are a few boring miles before the last 6 miles run down the Poudre river bike trail and finishing in Old Town Square in downtown Fort Collins. The course is almost entirely downhill. The net downhill is 1128 feet with only one real hill the entire way. The average downhill grade is 0.8%.
Pre-race nerves weren't as strong as last year, before my first, but they were still there. Friday evening was the worst, I think I kept busy on Saturday and avoided some then. It's hard to describe exactly what the nerves are from, as even when nervous I knew I was going to finish, just general nerves about a big task ahead I guess. I do think during the taper you notice every ache and pain, but that doesn't seem to bother me too much. Though I based my training plan on a 4:05 finish (predicted by a half marathon time last November), as my training went on I wasn't confident that was realistic. I didn't decide on a race plan until Saturday afternoon. I decided to go out at a 9:40 pace (4:15 finish) and adjust at 10 miles if I felt stronger. 16 miles is more than enough to make up the less than 3.5 minutes I would have lost at that point.
Race day started early with oatmeal and a banana and then a car ride to the buses. I love the feeling arriving at a race, especially a half or a marathon. Looking around at the other fit athletes I sometimes have to pinch myself as I forget I'm not just with them, I'm one of them. The bus ride up to the start of a marathon can be a little daunting. It's dark, daybreak just coming as we got to the top. And on a windy road it takes about 45 minutes to get to the top. The camaraderie with the other runners helps time pass and the nerves calm. I finished my coffee as we got to the top with about 40 minutes until the start. I got in the portapotty line which moved quickly for once, and then walked around and soaked in the atmosphere. It was just past daybreak, there was wispy fog around the tops of the peaks on the sides of the canyon, and light dustings of snow here and there, overall very pretty. About 10 minutes before the start I shed my pants, downed a gel and some water, and checked my bag.
Before I knew it we were running. It is amazing how strong you feel the first mile or two of a marathon. I started at my 9:40 pace and felt almost guilty for running so slow. I was in no way going to go out too fast though, even with the downhill course. I did that last year, it doesn't work. The first 10 miles actually felt easy. I crossed the 10 mile mark on pace for a 4:12 finish and feeling very strong. I stopped for the first time here, watered some bushes, turned on the MP3 player for the first time, and got back to it. I was feeling incredible at this point, quite happy with my performance. I picked up the pace a bit for a mile to make up for the stop and then at 11 I slowed back to around 9:40-9:45. I found some people to pace off of and just kind of zoned out, listening to tunes, taking in the sights, and running along. When I say zone, I mean it, as from mile 11 through mile 19 my mile splits fell within about a six second window. That may be the steadiest I've ever run. It wasn't as effortless as the first 10, I did have to concentrate on keeping my pace up, but physically everything I needed to call on was there. At mile 19 I was on pace for a 4:17 finish. The confidence I gained during that stretch was immeasurable, especially since the second half of my last 20 miler was tough. Miles 14-18 or so were also the toughest of my first marathon, at least mentally. I had no trouble with focus this time.
Mile 19 ends on top of a hill. As I started up the hill a girl came up next to me and started to pass. The two of us pushed on together and got each other up the hill without slowing too much. We exchanged high fives at the water station on top and then continued on with smiles. Not long after I started feeling tight in the calves. I pushed through it, but it didn't go away. A halfassed attempt to stretch at mile 21 didn't help, but it was still more just a little discomfort at this point. The going was certainly starting to get tough, but I was able to keep up the pace. At mile 22 it got hard. It took everything I had to keep going. And I did, for about a mile, keeping my pace towards a 10:30 pace, still thinking a 4:20-ish finish was in reach. About mile 23 the cramping hit my calves though. Between the physical and mental fatigue I was running at about an 11:30 pace. The last 3.2 miles were all at about that pace, all pure guts. It probably sounds strange but pushing on through those miles, though they were the slowest of my race, was what I was most proud of. I finished at 4:28:35, bit ahead of my “worst case” goal of 4:30. I finished with a smile though, dreaming of holding pace the whole time instead of “just” for 23 miles next time.
It's 5 days later now, and I'm still on cloud 9. The confidence I gained, the sense of accomplishment I feel is incredible. You other runners, maybe only you other marathoners, are about the only ones who understand this. Most people, my wife included, just think I'm nuts for wanting to run for 4+ hours. I'm not sure what's up next on the marathon front, but I want to give breaking 4 hours a serious run next spring.
19 May 2009
18 January 2009
Living in the Limelight
They say everyone has their fifteen minutes of fame. This may be mine. I think I mentioned being selected as a Finalist in the Weight Watchers Inspiring Stories of the Year contest last year. I wasn't a Grand Prize winner, so no trip to New York. But some fame has come my way nonetheless. In an effort to drum up first of the year business Weight Watcher's PR firm sends out briefings to media outlets regarding local people who have had success. As a finalist in their contest my story was pushed towards the Colorado media. I have had requests for a newspaper interview, 2 radio interviews, and 3 TV interviews in the past couple of weeks. I was caught a little off-guard by this, and am not a limelight kind of guy, but did agree to do all but one of the radio interviews. I've now done all but one of the TV interviews, and they haven't been as bad as I thought they would -- meaning I wasn't uncomfortable doing them, which I thought I would be. I suppose the interviewers are good at helping you not feel that way. I especially enjoyed doing the newspaper interview. It was a very relaxed conversation at a coffee shop one evening. The longer duration of this interview helped me realize all that has gone into this over the past almost four years now.
My spring and summer racing plans are starting to shape up. I've decided on the Colorado Marathon on 3 May, which runs down a beautiful course in the Poudre Canyon and ends in downtown Fort Collins. I've also decided to do a triathlon, aiming for the Loveland Lake to Lake Triathlon on 20 June. It's an olympic distance tri, 1.5K swim, 30 M bike, and 10K run. I've got to learn how to swim that far -- it will be the hardest part. If I can get out of the lake I'm home free. I'll pick up some shorter races along the way, the Horsetooth Half Marathon in April for sure, the Bolder Boulder 10K on Memorial Day, and probably at least one 5K around Saint Patrick's Day. I'm probably nuts, but know I will enjoy every bit of it, the races and the training.
My weight has crept up a bit, but is still low enough that Weight Watchers meetings are still free. I've weighed in under my Lifetime weight for 9 straight months now. It seems almost silly that I once was more worried about maintaining my loss than losing in the first place. It's all in the mindset, I think. If you think you can go back to eating like you used to, you'll start weighing like you used to. In other words, nothing changes - there is no finish line. And I'm OK with that.
Lastly, a good quote I came across late last year:
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man. -- Benjamin Franklin
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Now playing: Rush - Limelight
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My spring and summer racing plans are starting to shape up. I've decided on the Colorado Marathon on 3 May, which runs down a beautiful course in the Poudre Canyon and ends in downtown Fort Collins. I've also decided to do a triathlon, aiming for the Loveland Lake to Lake Triathlon on 20 June. It's an olympic distance tri, 1.5K swim, 30 M bike, and 10K run. I've got to learn how to swim that far -- it will be the hardest part. If I can get out of the lake I'm home free. I'll pick up some shorter races along the way, the Horsetooth Half Marathon in April for sure, the Bolder Boulder 10K on Memorial Day, and probably at least one 5K around Saint Patrick's Day. I'm probably nuts, but know I will enjoy every bit of it, the races and the training.
My weight has crept up a bit, but is still low enough that Weight Watchers meetings are still free. I've weighed in under my Lifetime weight for 9 straight months now. It seems almost silly that I once was more worried about maintaining my loss than losing in the first place. It's all in the mindset, I think. If you think you can go back to eating like you used to, you'll start weighing like you used to. In other words, nothing changes - there is no finish line. And I'm OK with that.
Lastly, a good quote I came across late last year:
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man. -- Benjamin Franklin
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Now playing: Rush - Limelight
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22 November 2008
Who's that guy?
I have received a lot of funny looks when showing my old driver's license to people as the picture did not look like me. Nobody declined me anything, butI decided I should get a new one before voting earlier this month just in case. It seems almost obligatory to post "before and after" driver's license photos, so mine are included below. The before is from 2002, I was probably around 300. The after is 2008, at 180. The poor quality of the current photo isn't my fault, it's that bad on my license as wellMy weight has been fluctuating up and down, a little more up than down, lately. Still at a weight I can live with but not as low as I'd like it to be. As I sit down and make fitness plans for the winter months losing some more weight is going to be part of that too. I want to run a lean and mean marathon next spring!
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Now playing: KUNC (NPR Radio Stream)
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02 November 2008
sub-2 Hours!
I ran my first half marathon in 2:31:56, a pace of 11:35 seconds per mile, about 18 months ago. Not too long after that I decided I wanted to run a half marathon in less than 2 hours. At the time I had been running for 6 months and my speed had picked up tremendously, I had taken 2.5 minutes off my 5K pace in those 6 months so I figured it was just a matter of time and work, but a sub-2:00 half was going to happen sooner rather than later. Afterall, I had just started doing speedwork for the first time, minutes were just waiting to fall off my time. I was naive then.
I realized pretty quickly that it wasn't going to be as easy as I thought. By the end of last year I ran a 2:15, and a 2:09 this past spring. As mid-summer approached I decided to target the Heart Center of the Rockies Half Marathon for my sub-2:00 race. I'll leave out the gory details of my training, but suffice it to say that some runs I had it, some I didn't. I was 75% sure I couldn't maintain the 9:09 pace needed to break 2:00 for 13.109 miles. But that 25% kept me working. Here's my race report.
Heart Center of the Rockies Half Marathon
Saturday 01 Nov 2008
It was a perfect day for a race. The temperature was around 50°F at the start, maybe 60°F by the end, the sun was shining, there was no wind. I was happy with my taper, my legs were feeling quite strong the previous several days, I beefed up on carbs the previous night, and stayed out of the kids Halloween candy (within reason ;-). Oh, and I was well hydrated as evidenced by 3 trips to the bathroom during the night Friday.
I ran with a guy from work and a lady he knows. The guy from work could have gone faster, but we both appreciated his running with us and we both set PRs today. It certainly helped me to have someone to run with the whole way - when solo it seems easier to give yourself permission to slow down a bit when the going gets tough. Today I just ran with the other two, hardly glancing at my pace on my GPS. I've run with Frank, the guy from work a few times these past few weeks and it was these runs that convinced me sub-2:00 was possible. They were some good tempo runs in the 6 mile range, all about the pace we ran today or bit faster. The thing about those runs is that I just got behind Frank and a couple other fast guys at work and held on, not paying attention to pace until we were done, then saying "wow, I didn't know I could run that fast". There really is something to be said about Seaweed's comments on giving yourself permission to run faster. Interestingly, a month ago I accpeted that sub-2:00 wasn't likely and would probably have to wait until April. I think this lack of pressure and the confidence from recent tempo runs allowed me to relax and run a good race.
I didn't run negative splits, so maybe could have run a tiny bit smarter, but I think I did pretty well. Miles 1-8 were all sub-9:00 miles, ranging from 8:40-8:59. Miles 9-13.1 I was slowing a bit, but not a ton. All but one of those were between 9:00 and 9:10. Mile 12 was the toughest at 9:20. My kick at the end was a gradual speed up of maybe 20 seconds a mile for the last 0.5 mile or so, in other words I didn't have a ton left at the end, I left it all on the course. It certainly is fun to be up in the middle of the pack during the race, a relatively new experience for me on races of this distance. I am used to being "lonely" the last 3 or 4 miles but there are a LOT of finishers in a half between 1:50 and 2:10. Finishing 153rd out of 297 finishers I can say I'm a mid-packer now.
This was my sixth half marathon, my finishing time of 1:56:40 is a PR. My previous half PR was 2:09 last April, though on a VERY hilly course and no taper. Think 600 ft of climb in the first 2 miles and a week after a 20 mile run. My first half was 2:31:56 in April '07, 18.5 months ago. That was a watershed day for me as it changed my outlook on myself, my weightloss, and my fitness. But that day I never dreamed that this time was possible. Who knows what the future holds. My buddy Frank was talking about taking up ultrarunning, in my oxygen deprived state at mile 8.5 I thought this was a good idea.
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Now playing: Dire Straits - Money for Nothing
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I realized pretty quickly that it wasn't going to be as easy as I thought. By the end of last year I ran a 2:15, and a 2:09 this past spring. As mid-summer approached I decided to target the Heart Center of the Rockies Half Marathon for my sub-2:00 race. I'll leave out the gory details of my training, but suffice it to say that some runs I had it, some I didn't. I was 75% sure I couldn't maintain the 9:09 pace needed to break 2:00 for 13.109 miles. But that 25% kept me working. Here's my race report.
Heart Center of the Rockies Half Marathon
Saturday 01 Nov 2008
It was a perfect day for a race. The temperature was around 50°F at the start, maybe 60°F by the end, the sun was shining, there was no wind. I was happy with my taper, my legs were feeling quite strong the previous several days, I beefed up on carbs the previous night, and stayed out of the kids Halloween candy (within reason ;-). Oh, and I was well hydrated as evidenced by 3 trips to the bathroom during the night Friday.
I ran with a guy from work and a lady he knows. The guy from work could have gone faster, but we both appreciated his running with us and we both set PRs today. It certainly helped me to have someone to run with the whole way - when solo it seems easier to give yourself permission to slow down a bit when the going gets tough. Today I just ran with the other two, hardly glancing at my pace on my GPS. I've run with Frank, the guy from work a few times these past few weeks and it was these runs that convinced me sub-2:00 was possible. They were some good tempo runs in the 6 mile range, all about the pace we ran today or bit faster. The thing about those runs is that I just got behind Frank and a couple other fast guys at work and held on, not paying attention to pace until we were done, then saying "wow, I didn't know I could run that fast". There really is something to be said about Seaweed's comments on giving yourself permission to run faster. Interestingly, a month ago I accpeted that sub-2:00 wasn't likely and would probably have to wait until April. I think this lack of pressure and the confidence from recent tempo runs allowed me to relax and run a good race.
I didn't run negative splits, so maybe could have run a tiny bit smarter, but I think I did pretty well. Miles 1-8 were all sub-9:00 miles, ranging from 8:40-8:59. Miles 9-13.1 I was slowing a bit, but not a ton. All but one of those were between 9:00 and 9:10. Mile 12 was the toughest at 9:20. My kick at the end was a gradual speed up of maybe 20 seconds a mile for the last 0.5 mile or so, in other words I didn't have a ton left at the end, I left it all on the course. It certainly is fun to be up in the middle of the pack during the race, a relatively new experience for me on races of this distance. I am used to being "lonely" the last 3 or 4 miles but there are a LOT of finishers in a half between 1:50 and 2:10. Finishing 153rd out of 297 finishers I can say I'm a mid-packer now.
This was my sixth half marathon, my finishing time of 1:56:40 is a PR. My previous half PR was 2:09 last April, though on a VERY hilly course and no taper. Think 600 ft of climb in the first 2 miles and a week after a 20 mile run. My first half was 2:31:56 in April '07, 18.5 months ago. That was a watershed day for me as it changed my outlook on myself, my weightloss, and my fitness. But that day I never dreamed that this time was possible. Who knows what the future holds. My buddy Frank was talking about taking up ultrarunning, in my oxygen deprived state at mile 8.5 I thought this was a good idea.
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Now playing: Dire Straits - Money for Nothing
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12 October 2008
Worldwide Festival of Races
The Worldwide Festival of Races is the brainchild of SteveRunner, author of the Phedippidations. It's a virtual race, think globally, run locally. The race is run around this past weekend, as part of another organized race or on a course of your own design. The idea is just to run together as one global community. There were 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon options. The people behind the race describe it better than I, so click on the link above if you want more info.
On the Weight Watchers Guys on a Diet message board we organized a team of 25 runners. Some of us were experienced runners, many were running their first ever races at the distances they signed up for. I am quite proud of Team GoaD Racing as many of them completed a feat they did not think possible when I brought this concept to their attention last spring. Way to go, guys!
My "race" was really a training run for the Heart Center of the Rockies Half Marathon I am running on 2 November this year. I ran a 2:10:54, just about 2 minutes slower than my half marathon PR. I was happy with this time for 2 reasons, first I ran at a training intensity rather than a race intensity. And second I had tightness in my left Achilles at about mile 10. Against my runner instincts ;-) I slowed down for the last 2 miles by about 90 seconds a mile to give the Achilles a break. Through 11 miles I held a consistent 9:45 pace which would have been a PR for me, and is 15-30 seconds off my anticipated pace for the upcoming race.
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Now playing: Runners Roundtable Podcast: Steve, Toni, Nigel, Nik, Dan & Zen Runner... - Episode 4: John Ellis and Matt the Dump Runner
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On the Weight Watchers Guys on a Diet message board we organized a team of 25 runners. Some of us were experienced runners, many were running their first ever races at the distances they signed up for. I am quite proud of Team GoaD Racing as many of them completed a feat they did not think possible when I brought this concept to their attention last spring. Way to go, guys!
My "race" was really a training run for the Heart Center of the Rockies Half Marathon I am running on 2 November this year. I ran a 2:10:54, just about 2 minutes slower than my half marathon PR. I was happy with this time for 2 reasons, first I ran at a training intensity rather than a race intensity. And second I had tightness in my left Achilles at about mile 10. Against my runner instincts ;-) I slowed down for the last 2 miles by about 90 seconds a mile to give the Achilles a break. Through 11 miles I held a consistent 9:45 pace which would have been a PR for me, and is 15-30 seconds off my anticipated pace for the upcoming race.
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Now playing: Runners Roundtable Podcast: Steve, Toni, Nigel, Nik, Dan & Zen Runner... - Episode 4: John Ellis and Matt the Dump Runner
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28 September 2008
Been Awhile
I realized I haven't posted anything here since the marathon. Not that I expect anyone to hang on any words here, but thought I should post an update. I've had a great summer, the highlight spending 9 consecutive days in a tent on vacation with my extended family in the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks this summer.
On the running front I definitely backed off my mileage after the marathon. After posting 100+ mile months in April and May I logged 64 miles in June and only 29 in July. Though my running miles backed down, my cycling jumped way up. I cycled 75-100 miles a week during those months and have become quite interested in cycling. In August I started ramping up for a half marathon on 1 Nov and a trail race I ran a couple weeks ago so I'm back at around 70 miles per month now. I'm hoping to average 20/wk from here to the end of the year which will put me at 1000 miles for 2008 and give me a good base for a spring 2009 marathon, maybe the Colorado Marathon the first week of May.
I mentioned I ran a trail race a couple weeks ago, the Sombrero Trail Race in Estes Park. It was only 4.5 miles, but had lots of uphill in it. I beat my goal time by 4.5 minutes. I had a blast at the race (and finished in the top 20% of the field!) and more importantly thoroughly enjoyed trail running this summer. Next year I'd like to do a half or full marathon on the trail. It is truly a different experience than running on the road and something I'd like to do a lot of in the future. Maybe someday I'll be one of those ultrarunner nutjobs you read about!
On the weight front I've basically maintained my weight from marathon time. I've been down as much as 5-7 lbs from the marathon, but have been up a few at times too. I'd like to drop another 10-15 and hope to do so before my spring marathon.
On the Weight Watcher's front I have some exciting news. WW runs a contest each year called the "Inspiring Stories of the Year" contest. You submit an essay (or video recording) and it is judged mostly on the merit of how inspiring it is. I submitted the essay. Of 1500 entries I was one of 17 entries chosen to be a finalist! I won a Macy's gift card and am in the running for a grand prize which is a trip to NY for a photo shoot, a night out on the town, a feature on the WW website, etc. I'm not sure when we'll find out these results. I've included my essay below.
There is no finish line”
On the running front I definitely backed off my mileage after the marathon. After posting 100+ mile months in April and May I logged 64 miles in June and only 29 in July. Though my running miles backed down, my cycling jumped way up. I cycled 75-100 miles a week during those months and have become quite interested in cycling. In August I started ramping up for a half marathon on 1 Nov and a trail race I ran a couple weeks ago so I'm back at around 70 miles per month now. I'm hoping to average 20/wk from here to the end of the year which will put me at 1000 miles for 2008 and give me a good base for a spring 2009 marathon, maybe the Colorado Marathon the first week of May.
I mentioned I ran a trail race a couple weeks ago, the Sombrero Trail Race in Estes Park. It was only 4.5 miles, but had lots of uphill in it. I beat my goal time by 4.5 minutes. I had a blast at the race (and finished in the top 20% of the field!) and more importantly thoroughly enjoyed trail running this summer. Next year I'd like to do a half or full marathon on the trail. It is truly a different experience than running on the road and something I'd like to do a lot of in the future. Maybe someday I'll be one of those ultrarunner nutjobs you read about!
On the weight front I've basically maintained my weight from marathon time. I've been down as much as 5-7 lbs from the marathon, but have been up a few at times too. I'd like to drop another 10-15 and hope to do so before my spring marathon.
On the Weight Watcher's front I have some exciting news. WW runs a contest each year called the "Inspiring Stories of the Year" contest. You submit an essay (or video recording) and it is judged mostly on the merit of how inspiring it is. I submitted the essay. Of 1500 entries I was one of 17 entries chosen to be a finalist! I won a Macy's gift card and am in the running for a grand prize which is a trip to NY for a photo shoot, a night out on the town, a feature on the WW website, etc. I'm not sure when we'll find out these results. I've included my essay below.
There is no finish line”
I turned the final corner and had 1.5 miles to go. Thoughts and emotions were racing through my mind. I remembered being 18 and fairly athletic. I remembered being 36 and unable to keep up with the guys on my softball team anymore. A concert where walking from the parking lot to the amphitheater took me so long I missed several songs from my favorite band. I remembered swollen legs and difficulty getting up off the couch.
I remembered being scared while walking into the local Weight Watchers center to learn how to lose weight for the first time in my life. I remembered being amazed at how low a healthy weight was. I remembered deciding I wanted to just be a “normal fat guy” instead of a “big fat guy”. I definitely remembered the first compliment I received after beginning to live healthier. I remembered thinking this was actually not too difficult. I remembered walking, then hiking, and then climbing mountains. I remembered realizing I was then a “normal fat guy” and also realizing that was no longer enough.
I remembered that I used to be outgoing, an extrovert. I remembered not realizing how much I had changed. I remembered the self confidence coming back, the extrovert in me peeking back out. I remembered my meeting leader and the friends I have at our WW meeting. I remember the friends I have on the Guys on a Diet message board and how they all wished me luck in this race. I remembered the man who told me I didn't look like I belonged at Weight Watchers on the day I first weighed below my goal weight. I remembered the wonderful celebration at my meeting the day I reached lifetime status. I remembered the easy stretches, and the hard stretches.
I remembered the first step I ran. The first 5K race. The first half marathon. I remembered the day I decided I would run a marathon. I remembered the long slow runs in the cold, wind, and snow. I remembered the short fast runs in the heat. I remembered never wavering in my resolve to run this race.
I then passed the 26 mile mark and snapped back to the present as I saw my wife and children up ahead. 285 yards and I'll have a medal around my neck. But I won't be finished. This is for life, there is no finish line.
04 June 2008
Steamboat Marathon
27th Steamboat Marathon
1 June 2008
Hahns Peak Village to Steamboat Springs, CO
Actual finish: 4:58:26
Anticipated finish: 4:35:00.
Overall 242 of 315
Men 155 of 184
M35-39 27 of 29
Hahn's Peak Village sits north of Steamboat Springs by just about 26 miles. It is at about 8200 feet in elevation, Steamboat Springs sits about about 6800 feet. Per my GPS the course had 2000 ft of descent and 600 feet of ascent.
About a week before the marathon I started getting serious butterflies. Not always, just off and on. They peaked the Friday before. The closest I've had to this was the morning of my first half marathon, but it was just that morning and nothing like this. I knew I would finish, knew I was as well trained as any beginner, but logic could not win this battle. Saturday night was better than most that week, probably a mix of having dinner with a buddy who also ran the race and our families and the accepted inevitability by then. But it really wasn't until I started running the race that the nerves completely left.
Riding the bus up was fun, lots of light conversation, some jokes about how brilliant the half marathon folk (lining up on the other side of the street) were, etc. Looking around on the bus everyone looked like a runner of some sort. Not all skinny elites, but everyone looked the part. It was cool to feel part of that group. Feel, heck I am part of that group!
The marathon course was beautiful. It ran down a river valley with only the last 1.5 miles being in town. There were mountain peaks in the distance still partially covered in snow, meadows full of wildflowers, the sounds of the river high from spring run off at times, and very little traffic.
The weather early on was perfect, about 55F at the start, no wind, sunny. I was expecting to be cold at the start, being early and being 1400 ft above the finish, so I knew it was going to be hot before it was all said and done. The first 6.5 miles of the marathon went by fast. I felt awesome, knew I was going a little faster than I wanted to (10:15 mile avg vs 10:30 goal), but I wasn't feeling it at all. My legs were still very fresh and I was having a great time. A net 778 ft down certainly helped!
During the second 6.5 miles I slowed partially because of some uphill sections and partially because I was starting to feel it in my legs some. Not terribly, but there was enough of the race left I didn't want to push too hard. This section saw my average pace drop by 30 seconds a mile to 10:44 over a net drop of 359 ft though there were some rolling hills in this section. I hit the half marathon with a split time of 2:20. A little off my anticipated pace which would have give a split of 2:18. At this point I was starting to feel a little fatigued. I was encouraged by the split time, but could tell my pace was slipping and thought a 4:35 finish was unlikely. I was still in very good spirits and still enjoying myself greatly.
The third quarter of the race was the toughest for me. Miles 14 to 18 specifically. My overall average pace dropped 15 seconds a mile over these 4 miles alone. Mentally I found these miles hard to keep going. It wasn't that I was physically unable to run at pace, I was having trouble mentally focusing on running at pace. When not fatigued it is easy to set a pace and run it almost on auto-pilot. Here I had to focus on running faster or I just slowed down to a 12-13 minute pace. It was about mile 18 that I realized that this is what they mean when they say the marathon is as much mental as physical. There will be more pushing the pace under fatigue conditions during my next training. At mile 18 I dropped my pace down to 11 minute miles or so and held them until the hills at mile 20. The third quarter of the race was a net 248 ft downhill. Overall I still felt good as I finished the leg running strong. Definitely tired, but I could sniff the end.
The last quarter of the race has some hills cruelly placed at miles 20-23. All together about 248 ft of climb. You get it all back in miles 23-26 for no net elevation change in this leg. After running great from miles 18-20 the hills were a rude awakening. I could hold a decent pace on the level, but uphill I could not, a 13 minute pace was all I could muster. At mile 23 I picked it up again and ran a sub-11 minute average for the last 3 miles. I had no kick at the end, but did run the last mile at a constant 10:13 pace for a relatively strong finish. It was 75F for last 1.5 hours I was on the course. It felt like 95F.
I thought I would be emotional at the end, afterall I have come a lot longer than 26.2 miles to get to this point. I had a few moments in the latter miles where I teared up briefly while reflecting, but that was it. Finishing was wierd, after running that long it just felt wierd to stop. It felt good, don't get me wrong, but I just kind of stood there at the end of the chute taking it all in. One of the volunteers even asked if I was OK, I guess because I had been standing there for awhile. With a big grin I told him everything was great. They say you never forget your first one. Of that I am sure.
I awoke on Monday the same guy. Still committed to living a healthy lifestyle, still got a little flab to lose, still love playing with my 2 girls, still like to run. But there was a little bit of pride stuck down inside me somewhere that wasn't there before. As I lost weight I became one of "the other half". Last Sunday I became one of what the other half aspires to be. One of the rumored 1% to ever run a marathon in their lifetime, one of the < 0.2% who will run one in 2008. Damn.
I'll definitely run another. This fall maybe. Sometime I'll run one in a bigger city just to see what the hub bub about, but I suspect I'll prefer the rural locations.
Pics: Up top is from about mile 6, down below is one from mile 18 and one at the finish.
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Now playing Rush - Marathon
via FoxyTunes
1 June 2008
Hahns Peak Village to Steamboat Springs, CO
Actual finish: 4:58:26
Anticipated finish: 4:35:00.
Overall 242 of 315
Men 155 of 184
M35-39 27 of 29
Hahn's Peak Village sits north of Steamboat Springs by just about 26 miles. It is at about 8200 feet in elevation, Steamboat Springs sits about about 6800 feet. Per my GPS the course had 2000 ft of descent and 600 feet of ascent.
About a week before the marathon I started getting serious butterflies. Not always, just off and on. They peaked the Friday before. The closest I've had to this was the morning of my first half marathon, but it was just that morning and nothing like this. I knew I would finish, knew I was as well trained as any beginner, but logic could not win this battle. Saturday night was better than most that week, probably a mix of having dinner with a buddy who also ran the race and our families and the accepted inevitability by then. But it really wasn't until I started running the race that the nerves completely left.
Riding the bus up was fun, lots of light conversation, some jokes about how brilliant the half marathon folk (lining up on the other side of the street) were, etc. Looking around on the bus everyone looked like a runner of some sort. Not all skinny elites, but everyone looked the part. It was cool to feel part of that group. Feel, heck I am part of that group!
The marathon course was beautiful. It ran down a river valley with only the last 1.5 miles being in town. There were mountain peaks in the distance still partially covered in snow, meadows full of wildflowers, the sounds of the river high from spring run off at times, and very little traffic.
The weather early on was perfect, about 55F at the start, no wind, sunny. I was expecting to be cold at the start, being early and being 1400 ft above the finish, so I knew it was going to be hot before it was all said and done. The first 6.5 miles of the marathon went by fast. I felt awesome, knew I was going a little faster than I wanted to (10:15 mile avg vs 10:30 goal), but I wasn't feeling it at all. My legs were still very fresh and I was having a great time. A net 778 ft down certainly helped!
During the second 6.5 miles I slowed partially because of some uphill sections and partially because I was starting to feel it in my legs some. Not terribly, but there was enough of the race left I didn't want to push too hard. This section saw my average pace drop by 30 seconds a mile to 10:44 over a net drop of 359 ft though there were some rolling hills in this section. I hit the half marathon with a split time of 2:20. A little off my anticipated pace which would have give a split of 2:18. At this point I was starting to feel a little fatigued. I was encouraged by the split time, but could tell my pace was slipping and thought a 4:35 finish was unlikely. I was still in very good spirits and still enjoying myself greatly.
The third quarter of the race was the toughest for me. Miles 14 to 18 specifically. My overall average pace dropped 15 seconds a mile over these 4 miles alone. Mentally I found these miles hard to keep going. It wasn't that I was physically unable to run at pace, I was having trouble mentally focusing on running at pace. When not fatigued it is easy to set a pace and run it almost on auto-pilot. Here I had to focus on running faster or I just slowed down to a 12-13 minute pace. It was about mile 18 that I realized that this is what they mean when they say the marathon is as much mental as physical. There will be more pushing the pace under fatigue conditions during my next training. At mile 18 I dropped my pace down to 11 minute miles or so and held them until the hills at mile 20. The third quarter of the race was a net 248 ft downhill. Overall I still felt good as I finished the leg running strong. Definitely tired, but I could sniff the end.
The last quarter of the race has some hills cruelly placed at miles 20-23. All together about 248 ft of climb. You get it all back in miles 23-26 for no net elevation change in this leg. After running great from miles 18-20 the hills were a rude awakening. I could hold a decent pace on the level, but uphill I could not, a 13 minute pace was all I could muster. At mile 23 I picked it up again and ran a sub-11 minute average for the last 3 miles. I had no kick at the end, but did run the last mile at a constant 10:13 pace for a relatively strong finish. It was 75F for last 1.5 hours I was on the course. It felt like 95F.
I thought I would be emotional at the end, afterall I have come a lot longer than 26.2 miles to get to this point. I had a few moments in the latter miles where I teared up briefly while reflecting, but that was it. Finishing was wierd, after running that long it just felt wierd to stop. It felt good, don't get me wrong, but I just kind of stood there at the end of the chute taking it all in. One of the volunteers even asked if I was OK, I guess because I had been standing there for awhile. With a big grin I told him everything was great. They say you never forget your first one. Of that I am sure.
I awoke on Monday the same guy. Still committed to living a healthy lifestyle, still got a little flab to lose, still love playing with my 2 girls, still like to run. But there was a little bit of pride stuck down inside me somewhere that wasn't there before. As I lost weight I became one of "the other half". Last Sunday I became one of what the other half aspires to be. One of the rumored 1% to ever run a marathon in their lifetime, one of the < 0.2% who will run one in 2008. Damn.
I'll definitely run another. This fall maybe. Sometime I'll run one in a bigger city just to see what the hub bub about, but I suspect I'll prefer the rural locations.
Pics: Up top is from about mile 6, down below is one from mile 18 and one at the finish.
--------------
Now playing Rush - Marathon
via FoxyTunes
27 May 2008
Getting Nervous
This past Friday night I was kind of off-kilter, but wasn't sure why. About an hour later it hit me, I was starting to get nervous. It's only gotten more frequent since then. 26.2 miles, that's a long way to run. Rationally, logically I know I did enough training and know I should be as ready if not more ready than your average first timer. But emotionally I'm still nervous. There's nothing more I can do at this point either, so being nervous doesn't help anything. Hopefully logic wins out soon.
This past week was week 2 of the taper. I bought some clipless pedals and shoes for my bike and enjoyed several bike rides with them. I can tell I am going to really like them and suspect it will enhance my cycling strength. I also had a good tempo run, a 5K speedwork session, and a 10K race that I substituted in for my long run this week. The Bolder Boulder 10K is a huge race with around 50K participants. I believe it is the second largest 10K in the US. It's a fun race with tons of spectators, bands along the course, and a fun finish into the football stadium and 2/3 of the way around the track. I know a 10K race isn't exactly part of the standard taper, but it is fun, and it's a company tradition where I work so I'd never live it down if I skipped it. I didn't meet my goal time of 54:00, but the 55:38 I ran was still a PR (by 8:24)!
I don't know if I'll post again before the race or not. This week I'm hoping to relax, eat well, drink lots of water, do a couple 3 mile marathon pace runs, and skip all my cross training (no matter how much I'll want to ride my bike). And I think I'll dig out that book of marathon stories and re-read some of the stories in it.
Week 2: 13.2 miles, long run 10K race
----------------
Now playing: The Band - Ophelia
via FoxyTunes
This past week was week 2 of the taper. I bought some clipless pedals and shoes for my bike and enjoyed several bike rides with them. I can tell I am going to really like them and suspect it will enhance my cycling strength. I also had a good tempo run, a 5K speedwork session, and a 10K race that I substituted in for my long run this week. The Bolder Boulder 10K is a huge race with around 50K participants. I believe it is the second largest 10K in the US. It's a fun race with tons of spectators, bands along the course, and a fun finish into the football stadium and 2/3 of the way around the track. I know a 10K race isn't exactly part of the standard taper, but it is fun, and it's a company tradition where I work so I'd never live it down if I skipped it. I didn't meet my goal time of 54:00, but the 55:38 I ran was still a PR (by 8:24)!
I don't know if I'll post again before the race or not. This week I'm hoping to relax, eat well, drink lots of water, do a couple 3 mile marathon pace runs, and skip all my cross training (no matter how much I'll want to ride my bike). And I think I'll dig out that book of marathon stories and re-read some of the stories in it.
Week 2: 13.2 miles, long run 10K race
----------------
Now playing: The Band - Ophelia
via FoxyTunes
18 May 2008
2 Weeks and counting
This marks the end of my first week of the taper. I went out and ran "only" 12.8 miles today. I averaged my anticipated marathon pace of 10:30 per mile and that included stopping to walk as I drank my watered down Gatorade and ate my fig newtons. I also ran the last half faster than the first, the last quarter the fastest of all four. It was a good run, and will be my last double digit run before the race. I originally planned 10 for next weekend but since the Bolder Boulder 10K is on Memorial Day I am going to use that as my long run next weekend. I'm looking forward to the Bolder Boulder. My company sponsors any employee who wants to run this race, we have 15 of us signed up this year in 3 teams. I am in considerably better shape this year than last and think I have a real shot of taking 10 minutes off my 1:04:02 time last year.
For the first time in 3 weeks I did not commute to work on my bike. I have put a self-imposed limit of 15 miles or less per ride, 2 times a week, during my taper. As much as I want to get out and do more I do not want to get sick or overdo it with only 2 weeks to go until the marathon. I did have some quality runs this week though with a good 5 mile tempo run and a speedwork session of 800s. After doing 1600s for most of my training the 800s felt REALLY short.
Week 3: 23.6 miles, 12.8 mile long run
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Now playing: Blues Traveler - The Mountains Win Again
via FoxyTunes
For the first time in 3 weeks I did not commute to work on my bike. I have put a self-imposed limit of 15 miles or less per ride, 2 times a week, during my taper. As much as I want to get out and do more I do not want to get sick or overdo it with only 2 weeks to go until the marathon. I did have some quality runs this week though with a good 5 mile tempo run and a speedwork session of 800s. After doing 1600s for most of my training the 800s felt REALLY short.
Week 3: 23.6 miles, 12.8 mile long run
----------------
Now playing: Blues Traveler - The Mountains Win Again
via FoxyTunes
13 May 2008
Lifetime
If you've only read the latest entries here you know I'm training for my first marathon, but may not know that this whole thing started with me walking into Weight Watchers to lose weight. 3 years and 2 months ago I started that. Today, 13 May 2008, I have achieved what Weight Watchers calls Lifetime Status. To do this I had to reach a goal weight, in my case set by my doctor, and then maintain that weight (or below) for six weeks. To me this means I don't have to pay Weight Watchers anymore! I don't believe in artificially setting a weight to stop at, but rather think that your body will tell you when it wants to stop. I'm still losing weight, so my body is not there yet. And I'm OK with that as I still have some flab to lose. There is no finish line.
My WW meeting leader is quite proud of me. I was her first member to ever lose 100 lbs, and her first to hit 150 lbs lost. She orchestrated quite the party at our meeting this week. There were noise makers, a cooler of (root) beer, and a few pictures of me around. The weekly topic was about exercise, so most of the meeting was a discussion between her and I. Additionally she and several WW members who have been attending the same meeting as I for some time chipped in and got me an REI gift card. It was a very touching time. When you accomplish something it is easy, maybe even human nature, to downplay the achievement. Seeing the celebration others planned and hearing that you are an inspiration to others is both humbling and an ego boost at the same time. Since I do not feel I am finished it was all kind of weird. But it was very touching, very cool.
Below is a scrapbook page my wife made with pictures from along the way as a gift to my meeting leader.
----------------
Now playing: The Beatles - A Day In The Life
via FoxyTunes
My WW meeting leader is quite proud of me. I was her first member to ever lose 100 lbs, and her first to hit 150 lbs lost. She orchestrated quite the party at our meeting this week. There were noise makers, a cooler of (root) beer, and a few pictures of me around. The weekly topic was about exercise, so most of the meeting was a discussion between her and I. Additionally she and several WW members who have been attending the same meeting as I for some time chipped in and got me an REI gift card. It was a very touching time. When you accomplish something it is easy, maybe even human nature, to downplay the achievement. Seeing the celebration others planned and hearing that you are an inspiration to others is both humbling and an ego boost at the same time. Since I do not feel I am finished it was all kind of weird. But it was very touching, very cool.
Below is a scrapbook page my wife made with pictures from along the way as a gift to my meeting leader.
----------------
Now playing: The Beatles - A Day In The Life
via FoxyTunes
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