Frosty’s Frozen 5mi Race Report

I ran this race with my wife’s work our team had about 15 people in the 5 mile race at 9 am and (me and the CEO) in the 10 miler at 10:30 pm. So when I showed up the CEO dude came up to me and said that he was going to switch races to the 5 mile so he could take every out to breakfast right after the race. This was at 8:40, I decided to switch races too but that meant it was time to warm up right now and I didn’t even have my bib yet.

A crazy start
I tossed my clothes in my car got my bib, I only had time to get in about a half a mile warm up. I did a few sprints and then lined up for the race literally seconds later bang the race was off. 10 seconds into the race a car pulls into the race course. The car was confused and just sitting there so I was one of the first runners to go around on the driver’s side. The car then flips a uturn and almost runs me over, to avoid the car me and a few other jumped off the road and ran through the bushes. When I popped out on the other side my adrenaline was pumping and I was flying. I looked around and I was probably in 10th place. I looked at my watch and I had run 5:50 pace for the first 0.2 miles.

Mile 1 – 6:20 Avg HR 177
The rest of the mile I tried to relax and find a sustainable pace. A lot of this mile was slightly down hill and this was an out in back course so I knew that I would have to run back up this section to finish. The course for the most part was clear but every once in a while patches of ice reached across the entire path. 6:20 pace over ice is a scary proposition given my recent track record over ice. Most of this mile I was getting past by people since I went out to fast.

Mile 2 – 6:24 Avg HR 183
By mile 2 all the passing was over and I was now with the people I would run the rest of the race with. I was feeling pretty tired already and this mile really hurt. My breathing was still out of control and I was afraid that I had ruined my race by going out to fast. My foot that has been having problems was starting to complain, not good. I seriously felt like the train was about to come off the rails.

Mile 3 – 6:32 Avg HR 184
As you could probably tell things were still getting worse. We turned around at 2.5 miles which didn’t do much for my mind. I kept thinking only half way done… that first half really really hurt. This was the low point of the race I felt like I was about to turn it off and jog back at 8 min pace. We crossed the creak and started heading towards the finish. Not much longer and I could hear yelling “Go Allen!”, “Your doing great keep going!”. It was coming across the creek from my teammates. I was exactly what I needed when I needed it.

Mile 4 – 6:27 Avg HR 188Remember when I said we had about 15 people running the race. Well each one of them was yelling and cheering for me from across the creek at various locations. My mentality flipped and I was thinking only 2 miles left no big deal. My foot was hurting a lot and my quads felt destroyed but I knew I could hold the pace. My breathing was out of control but still it didn’t matter I was a man on a mission and that mission was finish the next 2 miles under 6:30 pace.

Mile 5 – 6:26 Avg HR 188Coming into the last mile I was actually on 6:10 pace for the first half of the mile but this section had some up hills. All my friends were gone now and I was on my own but their encouragement was still propelling me to the finish line. When I came around the last turn I could see the finish line about two blocks away and I sprinted to the finish (see pic below). My wife and some coworkers that weren’t running the race cheered me across the finish.

Post raceI have purposely stayed away from this distance for a reason. This was not a PR but I am going to call it a non teenager PR or post weight loss record (still working on the name) any ways in need to have two sets of PR’s. I believe that this was mostly likely my best race of my adult life.

Official time 0:32:09 (6:26 pace, Avg HR 183 Max HR 194)
24th place overall out of 700
2nd in Age group out of 36 ($15 gift card to the running store)
1st finisher on our team and made them proud, they paid for my entry and I wore their shirt (I am sponsored!)

 

What do you do with your marathon metals?

Xander  Displaying my metals,  he thinks I have won all of those races.

2011 Las Vegas Marathon Race Report

3:55:13 - 8:59 pace - 30+ min PR
12/4/2011 - 4pm start

Training:
After coming off a great (1:30) half marathon in October I thought I would primed to crush my marathon PR. But the training since then was filled with injury and burnout. In the 8 weeks before the race I got in 4 speed workouts 2 were cut short because of calf pain. A week or two before the race the calf pain died down but left behind was a more serious Achilles Pain. I didn’t know if it was injured or just sore from my tight calf muscles pulling on it the last 4 weeks. I didn’t tell anyone about this new injury. I didn’t want any of my friends or family to worry about me during the race. Deep down I was worried… real worried.

Leading up to the race:
Because of the injury I felt extra nervous during the taper, it was as bad as my first marathon. When I am really nervous for some reason my quads start getting sore (phantom pains?). Everyday leading up to the race my quads felt a little worse than the day before. I was mostly conserved with my Achilles and I almost switched to the half marathon at the Expo the day before the race. The anxiety of running a night race is awful because you can’t do anything but think about the race every second for hours before the race starts. I decided at the last minute that I would go aim for 3:40 far from my original goal of 3:20ish.

0 – 13.1 miles (8:34 pace, Avg HR 156):
It was surprisingly cold in Las Vegas, at the start it was in the high 40’s with some really cold gusts of wind every now and then. The marathon had about 4,000 runners and my first mile was pretty slow but after that I was able to settle into an 8:30 pace. I think I got about 3 miles before my calf/Achilles started hurting. I was concerned but this is how my lower leg has felt for the last month so I pushed through. The first half of the marathon was extremely boring, we ran a bunch of loops trough an area that was mostly industrial. I finished the first half in 1:52, exactly where I wanted to be and felling pretty good. I was planning on hitting the gas and running a faster 2nd half with the help of the huge crowds and awesome scenery. I was pumped!

13.1 – 20 (9:02 pace, Avg HR 160)
The marathon joined the half marathon course at 13.1 miles and ran the last 13.1 on the strip. But the half had started 20 min before I arrived and I hit a wall of people (terrible race planning) 33,000+ runners in the half marathon. The half marathoners I first encountered were running about 10:00-10:30 min pace. I was pretty frustrated and the rest of the race I spent zig zaging through runners. I don’t know how I did it but I kept a positive attitude and just kept plugging along. I saw a couple of marathoners that completely lost it and were pushing people out of their way. Maybe I was just happy that my calf had held up so far. The spectators were awesome, I have never seen so many people watching and cheering on the race.

20-26.2 (9:34 pace, Avg HR 167)
Around mile 20 the road started to open up a little (except at aid stations) and I was able to run faster. Only I couldn’t because my quads had secretly turned to jello and I am not sure why. In the last 2 months I have run 19-21 miles 4 times and my quad have never complained. Maybe the load of work shifts to my quads when I run above 9 min pace. Also my calf’s had been slowly getting worse making for a painful last few miles. Also at this point there were a lot of people walking that I had to navigate around but I kept my cool and held a consistent pace all the way to the finish. I finished in 3:55:13 a PR of about 30 minutes! Until I looked at the data this morning I had assumed that I slowed down much more when in reality my 2nd half was only 11 min slower than my first half. Also this was the first marathon that I completed without walking.


Post Race
My calf and Achilles feel great but my quads still feel like I hiked up a mountain yesterday. I am itching to go run already but I am going to stick my 1 week off plan. It’s a good thing that its ugly outside or I would have gone for a run today. I am looking forward to start training for the next marathon with what I have learned. Most importantly I need to cross train more to address that quad weakness and say injury free.

Stats
Overall: 987 out of 3766
Men 30-34: 157 out of 435

Marathon Progression
Oct 2009 – 5:19 @ 220 lbs
Jun 2010 – 5:02 @ 207 lbs (17 min PR!)
Apr 2011 – 4:25 @ 178 lbs (37 min PR!)
Dec 2011 – 3:55 @ 180 lbs (30 min PR!)


And finally some pictures
At the starting line


At mile 13 – Still looking comfortable


At mile 25 (not looking so comfortable)


Finish Line. It’s kind of hard to see me but I am on the right in the white shirt. To give you an idea of the traffic the left side is the half marathon finish.


After walking back to the hotel, my wife won $300 while I was out running
 

Red Rocks 5K Race Report

I ran this course a few weeks ago so I knew how hard it was going to be, its 2 miles down hill and 1.1 back up with almost no flat spots. My friend and I deiced before the race that no matter what happens in the first 2 miles you are going to crawl the last 1.1, so we might as well take advantage of the downhill.

Mile 1 - 6:16, Avg HR 165, net loss 205’. As we start off the race I was in pain, last night I stood in a trash can full of ice but my Achilles were still sore today. The race started with a hill climb but even with that the first mile still was mostly downhill. I didn’t warm up enough and I about pulled my hamstring running down the first steep hill. I eased back but then it felt like I was braking with every step.

Mile 2 – 12:19 (6:03 mile split) Avg HR 171, net loss 245’. Now that I was properly warmed up I was able to extend my stride without my hamstring feeling like it was going to give. This mile was entirely downhill and very fast. The slamming on the concrete didn’t feel good on my Achilles and my quads were also taking a beating. I was actually looking forward to the end of the downhill.

Mile 3 – 21:49 (9:29 mile split) Avg HR 185, net gain 345’. Yes you read that right a 9:29 mile and wasn’t out of matches, actually I was passing people. Almost immediately after the 2 mile mark the race turns and climbs back to the starting area. I was surprised at how many people ran 6 min pace and were now walking. This mile hurt like hell is was a man killer.

Finish 3.1 miles – 23:13 (14:00 pace for the last 0.1), Avg HR 189 (Max HR 193), net gain 105’. Believe it or not I was still passing people while running 14 min pace. That’s because this entire 0.1 mile section was spent climbing the stairs to the top of the Red Rocks Amphitheater. My quads were on fire by the time I crossed the finish.

Overall I finished 25th out of 2,000 people. The course was absolutely gorgeous and I am sure this is one that I want to run again next year. Hopefully next year I will be able to take it easy the day before.

Englewood Schools 5K race report

Today was my first race of this weekend, I was already signed up for a race on Sunday but I couldn’t pass this one up. It was small race put on by our kid’s schools, probably about 50 people in the race. Since my half marathon last weekend I haven’t run a single mile under 9:00 pace so I wasn’t sure if my speed would be ready to go sub 7:00’s today. I didn’t know till the end but the race was only 2.8 mile not an actual 5K.

1 Mile – 6:15, Avg HR 170. We went out really hard running the first 0.5 just under 3:00. After that blazing fast start there were only 3 of us in the lead group. I was in front setting the pace while the other two followed. I felt really good, I was actually surprised how quickly I had recovered from last week.

2 Miles – 12:34 (6:19 mile), Avg HR 184. After the excitement of the first mile our group’s pace dropped. About half way into this mile one guy made his move and I followed while the other runner was dropped and never returned. This guy put about 50 ft on me and I thought he was going to run away from me too. I figure I at least give it a try and I dug in and caught up to him but I was really in the red zone then and he easily pulled away immediately.

2.8 Miles – 17:21 (5:59 pace), Avg HR 191 (Max HR 198!). Going into the last mile this guy picked up the pace but I still caught him but he pulled away again. We play this cat and mouse game most of this mile. The race finished with 1 lap on the track. MY TRACK! I should have mentioned earlier that this race finish at my old high school where I have run lots of races. I wasn’t going to let this guy beat me on my home turf. As soon as we hit the track I made my move, again I chased him down but this time I didn’t let up and I went around him. He chase me for about 100 m before he broke (we put on a good show for small fundraiser) I didn’t slow down at all and sprinted into the finish in 1st place.

Overall I ran the 2.8 mile course at a 6:16 pace. That would have been an awesome 5K time but I am still really happy to win the race even if it was a small race. 2nd pace finished about 0:10 behind and 3rd place finished about 1:00 back. Also I got to beat my kid’s principle and a bunch on other kid’s parents that I know pretty well. My odd track coach was also there and got to see me win (he is the mayor now). I don’t think I ever won a race before.

Now it’s time to really test my ability to recover and see if I can run hard again in tomorrow’s 5K.

2011 Denver Rock n Roll Half Marathon

1:30:31 New PR!

The Course:
This race starts and finishes only a few miles away from where I live but home field advantage hasn’t been the case. 2 yrs ago I ran my first marathon on this course, I hit the wall hard at 18 and walk 50% of the last 8 miles to finish in 5:19. I was happy I finished my first marathon but not happy with my time so I marked the calendar for my redemption the next year. Last year I had even a worse marathon on this course and got my first DNF ever, so again I marked my calendar again for redemption the next year. But this time was different I made a vow to myself to lose some weight and get healthy and few days later I joined loseit. This year a marathon didn’t fit into the plan (because of business travel) but I figured a successful half marathon would be just as good. Emotionally I had a lot riding on this race, I owe all my weight loss to my failures on this course.

Training:
A few weeks ago I had a failed track workout and I realized that I was just completely burned out, since then I have stopped all my regular speed workouts. I did have a few hard runs, a 10K at 90% effort 2 weekends ago and a 20 mile progression run last weekend but other than that I have just been maintain my mileage the last few weeks. And it worked, going into this race I was feeling so good that I almost switched to the marathon at the Expo, instead I registered for next year’s Denver RnR Marathon.

Read Set Go:
The logistics of the race are a nightmare 15,000 runner in either in the half or the full marathon plus spectators. After checking my bag I only had time for a 0.25 warm up before it was time to line up. Conditions were perfect the rain from the day before had cleared it was a nice 40F on the starting line.
Mile 1 – 7:05 I was in the first wave to start but it was still wall to wall people, I didn’t have a choice on speed here.
Mile 2 – 6:52 Once the traffic cleared up I picked up the pace. This mile was a scenic stretch threw the heart of downtown Denver.
Mile 3 – 7:09 I realized that have run the last mile too fast for my comfort, so I slowed the pace on purpose here.
Mile 4 – 7:09 Near the end of this mile there is a big hill, not really long (2 city blocks) but steep.
Mile 5 – 7:10 I spent the majority of this mile trying to get back into a comfortable pace, I was still in the red zone from that hill and my breathing was out of control.
Mile 6 – 6:48 The race entered City park while the sun was rising over the building in the distance (beautiful) and for the first time I felt like I hit my stride. I was running comfortable and fast.
Mile 7 – 7:00 Stopped for a bit to eat a cliff shot and drink some water.
Mile 8 – 6:52 Slightly downhill for part of this mile
Mile 9 – 7:01 Now leaving City Park and back to the streets of Denver. This part was an out and back section I remember last year being on the other side watching the fast runners go by and thinking next year I want to be up there with those guys.
Mile 10 – 6:53 I know that the next mile has 2 big hills so I take advantage here of the flat. At this point I am 99% confident that I can hold this effort all the way to the finish.
Mile 11 – 7:08 This is the mile I was a bit worried about with its two big hills, I gave both of these hill all I had. I was flying past people going up both of these hills it felt great. I knew that once over the top of the second hill was going to be a nice 2.5 miles downhill to the finish (home course advantage).
Mile 12 – 6:36 Once on the downhill it didn’t take long to recover from the up hill effort. There were some flat spots but I held my downhill pace through them. Like the uphill section I was passing people left and right, my confidence was sky high.
Mile 13 – 6:16 Another mile of mostly downhill running, the start and finish was at the same place so the earlier miles must have had a lot more up than down. I felt so good (runners high) that I just kept picking up the pace. I passed so many people in this last mile.
Last 0.1 – 0:32 (5:20 pace) I sprinted in the last 0.1 which was also downhill. They had barriers along the road holding the huge crowd back. The volume from this finish line crowd was just awesome. The last 2 years this course had made me feel like a loser but not today, I starting a new home course tradition. Overall I was 148th out of 8,900.

A 20+ min PR but not my first:
Here is my Half marathon progression (These are all the Half’s I have ever run)
Jun 2009 – 2:15 (220 lbs) This was my first half ever and I was pretty happy with my time (had 2200’ of downhill, 0’ up)
Sep 2010 – 1:53 (209 lbs) I can’t tell you how happy I was to run under 2hrs, I didn’t even care about the 22 min PR.
Oct 2010 – 2:25 (209 lbs) This was last year’s Denver Marathon, they counted me as a half marathon finisher.
Oct 2011 – 1:30 (180 lbs) coming into this race my goal was 1:35 but I felt really good and finished with a 23 min PR.

At the 5K mark, still crowded and the sun isn’t quite up.


Here I am crossing the finish line, this is first finish line picture where I am not looking at my watch.


Finished! Time for some beer and pizza (yes that’s my post race recovery meal)
 

Fans on the Field 10K

– 42:15 (6:49 pace, Avg HR 177)

Earlier in the week on Wednesday I had a failed speed workout and I knew right from then that I wouldn’t be racing this one but using it as a workout. On race day I decided on something in between race and workout, pacing my friend on his time goal. On Saturday my daughter’s friend had a birthday party at Jump Street and being the active parent I am I jumped with the kids for a couple of hours, which I still felt on race day.

Mile 1 – 6:44 (Avg HR 165). My legs felt like crud right from the start. This first mile felt way harder than it should have.

Mile 2 – 13:24 (6:40 mile split, Avg HR 177). As the excitement of the start wore off this mile felt like work, not fun. My quad felt like they were going to rip off of my hips and my friend that I was pacing was now pulling away from me.

Mile 3 – 20:07 (6:43 mile split, Avg HR 178 ). At the start of mile 3 we ran through the Pepsi Center and along the arena were the Avalanche and Nuggets play.

Mile 4 – 26:55 (6:48 mile split, Avg HR 178 ). I started to hit my stride and the pace just felt easier (quads feeling better). I caught up to my friend and took the lead as pacer again. Also on this mile we ran through Coors field (Rockies Stadium) and a short section along the dirt from home base to 3rd base and then out the back of the outfield.

Mile 5 – 33:56 (7:01 mile split, Avg HR 181). Back on the streets of down town Denver the tall building made nice shade. My friend and I were running with a small group and all of us really hit started to run out of gas and the pace slowed.

Mile 6 – 40:58 (7:02 mile split, Avg HR 184). Huge traffic jams as the 5K race merged back onto the same course. My friend says he is done and not to wait for him and go for it. I held the same pace be he and the group we were running with dropped way back.

6.2 Miles – 42:15 (6:25 pace, Avg HR 190). I picked up the pace a little for the final stretch but I still held back because my quads were burning up (and this was a flat course). The race finished on the sidelines of the 50 yard line of mile high stadium (Broncos). I felt like a star running out of the same tunnel onto the field.

I really did have a lot of fun and this was one of the coolest races I have ever run. But it was hard holding my pace through the halls and 90 degree turns inside the stadiums. I finished 35th out of all the men and 5th in my age group. My friend only fell behind by 0:20 in the last mile and finished with a PR by over 2:00 (he was pretty happy).