2014 Mothers Day in Denver
Sunday, May 11, 2014
2014 Mothers Day in Denver
Last week I talked about how hot it was at the end of the marathon. It was probably in the 70’s which is hot for a race, later in the day it did get up into the 80’s. One week later the high on Sunday was around 40 with lots of snow. It snowed all mother’s days and most of Monday too, this weekend when I pace the temps will be back into the 70’s.
2014 Mothers Day in Denver
2014 Mothers Day in Denver
Sunday, May 4, 2014
2014 Colorado Marathon
26.2 miles - 3:27:53
Comparing this race to my PR marathon I am not as fit, I weight 10 lbs more and the weather was much hotter (I don’t do well in the heat) yet I was able to come with in 1 minute of that PR time. How is this possible? The course might be part of it because it has lot of downhill but the heat probably canceled out that benefit. I think the biggest change is my confidence, I wanted a PR and I was willing to risk hitting the wall to get that time. In the past I have been too conservative and scared that I don’t run to my potential.
Miles 0 – 16, 2:04:06 – 7:45 pace (900ft of elevation loss)
10 minutes before the race I got to meet Bill Rogers. This race is a beautiful point to point course that starts up in the canyon and runs all the way back to town. The only down side to this is you have to catch a 4:30am bus which meant I was up around 3:30am. I knew it was going to be a warm day when it was already 55F at the start (usually under 40F). The race had 1300ft of elevation loss and 900ft of that was in the canyon. The downhill weren’t steep it was just perfect amount of downhill. I felt like I was coasting down and round the corners. The scenery in the canyon was amazing and the walls kept us in perpetual shade. During these early miles I felt great and little warm but happy that I was clicking off the miles. My watch wasn’t so happy in the canyon I had to rely on overall time and mile markers (old school). My original goal was to run 3:20 pace to give myself a little room for a PR. At times I ran at that pace (7:38 ) but I could tell it was over my threshold because I would get out of breath. I decide to slow down a bit, 10 seconds per mile (7:48 ) felt so much easier and was still on pace for a PR. In case you’re wondering I do spend my marathons endlessly calculating pace times, finish times and what if times.
Mile 17-20, 4 miles at 7:48 pace (225ft of elevation gain, 100ft of elevation loss)
Coming out of the canyon we were no longer shaded in fact now we were completely exposed for the rest of the race. Spectators are not allowed in the canyon so many of them wait at the bottom. I was happy greeted by a wall of spectators as we ran up the first hill of the race. This section contained a few hills that weren’t all that big but when you hit them at 7:40 pace they can put you in the red zone real quick. I remember checking my watch at the 20 mile marker and saw 2:35 my fastest ever in a race or training. In my head I said “you got this”. My friend Alex was also at 20 so I got a double boost of energy.
Mile 21-24, 3 miles at 8:08 pace (150ft of elevation loss)
But then everything started to come apart. I actually started to slow down on mile 20 but I told myself that I just needed a mile or two to recover. I ran about 7:55 for 20 and 21 a little off pace but this was just the start of bad. The heat was really bothering me and I realized I was in trouble. I couldn’t calculate needed times anymore and I ran past my family at mile 22. I have never run past my family without noticing them, I was so focused on putting one foot in front of the other. I ran miles 22 and 23 in 8:09 and 8:21. I didn’t know if a PR was still possible I didn’t care I just wanted to finish and end the pain.
Mile 25-26.2, 2.2 miles at 8:58 pace (150ft of elevation loss)
I don’t remember much about these last few miles other then I was hot and miserable. My muscles had gone stiff and I felt like each step could set off a cramp. I didn’t walk, I didn’t look at my watch I just kept moving forward. I told myself “I can do anything for 20 minutes” I ran mile 25 and 26 in 8:34 and 9:21 with my finishing kick 0.2 also around 9:00 pace.
Post race
I am happy with my finish time which ended up being 0:58 off my 3:26:55 PR. But I had the guts to go for it and commit to a hard goal, I left everything I had out on the road and it hurt. I feel like if it hadn’t been so hot I could have held on and finished in 3:23. This has been a huge motivator and now all I want to do is go get that PR. I am already researching fast fall marathons. After the race I realized how dehydrated I was my lunch was 2 slices of pizza with 2 glasses of water and 2 glasses of root beer (and a Gatorade, bottled water and frozen coffee between the race and lunch)
Weird Stat
Actually my 3 fastest marathons are separated by 58 seconds.
3rd 3:27:53 – 2014 Colorado Marathon
2nd 3:27:27 – 2012 Colfax Marathon
1st 3:26:55 – 2012 Rock n Roll Denver
A few pics
Here is where I past my family around mile 22
My favorite spectators
Comparing this race to my PR marathon I am not as fit, I weight 10 lbs more and the weather was much hotter (I don’t do well in the heat) yet I was able to come with in 1 minute of that PR time. How is this possible? The course might be part of it because it has lot of downhill but the heat probably canceled out that benefit. I think the biggest change is my confidence, I wanted a PR and I was willing to risk hitting the wall to get that time. In the past I have been too conservative and scared that I don’t run to my potential.
Miles 0 – 16, 2:04:06 – 7:45 pace (900ft of elevation loss)
10 minutes before the race I got to meet Bill Rogers. This race is a beautiful point to point course that starts up in the canyon and runs all the way back to town. The only down side to this is you have to catch a 4:30am bus which meant I was up around 3:30am. I knew it was going to be a warm day when it was already 55F at the start (usually under 40F). The race had 1300ft of elevation loss and 900ft of that was in the canyon. The downhill weren’t steep it was just perfect amount of downhill. I felt like I was coasting down and round the corners. The scenery in the canyon was amazing and the walls kept us in perpetual shade. During these early miles I felt great and little warm but happy that I was clicking off the miles. My watch wasn’t so happy in the canyon I had to rely on overall time and mile markers (old school). My original goal was to run 3:20 pace to give myself a little room for a PR. At times I ran at that pace (7:38 ) but I could tell it was over my threshold because I would get out of breath. I decide to slow down a bit, 10 seconds per mile (7:48 ) felt so much easier and was still on pace for a PR. In case you’re wondering I do spend my marathons endlessly calculating pace times, finish times and what if times.
Mile 17-20, 4 miles at 7:48 pace (225ft of elevation gain, 100ft of elevation loss)
Coming out of the canyon we were no longer shaded in fact now we were completely exposed for the rest of the race. Spectators are not allowed in the canyon so many of them wait at the bottom. I was happy greeted by a wall of spectators as we ran up the first hill of the race. This section contained a few hills that weren’t all that big but when you hit them at 7:40 pace they can put you in the red zone real quick. I remember checking my watch at the 20 mile marker and saw 2:35 my fastest ever in a race or training. In my head I said “you got this”. My friend Alex was also at 20 so I got a double boost of energy.
Mile 21-24, 3 miles at 8:08 pace (150ft of elevation loss)
But then everything started to come apart. I actually started to slow down on mile 20 but I told myself that I just needed a mile or two to recover. I ran about 7:55 for 20 and 21 a little off pace but this was just the start of bad. The heat was really bothering me and I realized I was in trouble. I couldn’t calculate needed times anymore and I ran past my family at mile 22. I have never run past my family without noticing them, I was so focused on putting one foot in front of the other. I ran miles 22 and 23 in 8:09 and 8:21. I didn’t know if a PR was still possible I didn’t care I just wanted to finish and end the pain.
Mile 25-26.2, 2.2 miles at 8:58 pace (150ft of elevation loss)
I don’t remember much about these last few miles other then I was hot and miserable. My muscles had gone stiff and I felt like each step could set off a cramp. I didn’t walk, I didn’t look at my watch I just kept moving forward. I told myself “I can do anything for 20 minutes” I ran mile 25 and 26 in 8:34 and 9:21 with my finishing kick 0.2 also around 9:00 pace.
Post race
I am happy with my finish time which ended up being 0:58 off my 3:26:55 PR. But I had the guts to go for it and commit to a hard goal, I left everything I had out on the road and it hurt. I feel like if it hadn’t been so hot I could have held on and finished in 3:23. This has been a huge motivator and now all I want to do is go get that PR. I am already researching fast fall marathons. After the race I realized how dehydrated I was my lunch was 2 slices of pizza with 2 glasses of water and 2 glasses of root beer (and a Gatorade, bottled water and frozen coffee between the race and lunch)
Weird Stat
Actually my 3 fastest marathons are separated by 58 seconds.
3rd 3:27:53 – 2014 Colorado Marathon
2nd 3:27:27 – 2012 Colfax Marathon
1st 3:26:55 – 2012 Rock n Roll Denver
A few pics
Here is where I past my family around mile 22
My favorite spectators
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Green Mountain on a rainy day
Here is what I love about trail running, you never know what you will find. Today on my trail run I came across an interesting sign...
At the top of the mountain we could see everyone getting poured on at the cheery creek sneak. Mitch and I were nice and dry although it was painfully windy.
At the top of the mountain we could see everyone getting poured on at the cheery creek sneak. Mitch and I were nice and dry although it was painfully windy.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
2014 Platte River Half Marathon
13.1 miles - 1:37:04
A friend of mine wasn’t going to run this race and I didn’t want to let his bib go to waste. Last weekend I ran 34 miles over the weekend so I wasn’t ready for a race but I thought it would be a perfect opportunity for a tempo run or a little bit harder than tempo run. I decided to run 1:38 only because it was any easy to figure out 7:30 pace on the course. A few of my friends also wanted to run sub 1:40 so the 4 of us set out together.
Miles 1-3 (Avg pace 7:31)
Our group stayed together as the race winded through town. I felt great and the pace just felt like a nice weekly long run. I was a little worried about getting boxed in because the first few miles were on a nice wide street and then the rest of the race was on bike paths. We couldn’t have asked for a better spring morning. 30’s at the start and around 50 at the finish line with clear skies.
Miles 4 - 6 (Avg pace 7:15)
My friend Matt is a new runner and very fast, faster than he knows. Matt started pulling away and I decided to go with him. That was the last time we saw Gary and Abby, they both ran great races. Matt pushed the pace we ran mile 4 in 7:11 and then mile 5 in 7:12. At this point I decided that I couldn’t continue at that pace and have a nice tempo run. I let Matt go and ran mile 6 in 7:23.
Miles 7 – 12 (Avg pace 7:26)
Those fast miles got me a little out of breath. I decided the the rest of the race I would settle in the 7:20’s. I ended up catching Matt somewhere between mile 8 and 9. I convince him to run with me and we did for a little while before he fell behind at a water station. I figured I would let him run his own race.
Mile 13 and the last 0.1 (Avg pace 7:23)
A lot of this race was on a slight decline and in the last few miles we had a few rollers. But mile 13 has a big hill over the highway on a viaduct (8th avenue). I kept an eye on my watch to make sure I didn’t slow down too much. My pace went above 7:30 but I got a little of it back on the downhill. We took a turn and could see the finish about 3 blocks away. My watch recoded my last 0.1 at 5:40 pace. I was pretty happy with my time. I did exactly what I wanted run strong and not kill myself. Next week is my peak training week for this marathon and its going to be tough. This is my second fastest half marathon now out of 5 total now. I love the half marathon, I don’t know why I don’t run more of them.
After the race I jogged back to the top of the hill and cheered on all my friends. I love this new group of friends I have made, it’s like a big family. We all met after the race and ate and talked, it was a lot of fun doing this race with so many friends.
This was around mile 5. I am in the Green having way to much fun, Matt is a few steps in front of me in race mode.
Post race picture with the Mile High Track Club. We had about 10 more that didn’t make it to the photo opp. It was a great day for our team with so many PR’s.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
2014 Run Through Time Marathon
Salida, Colorado
4:48:29 (8 minute course PR)
In Colorado this is the earliest marathon of the season, the next opportunity is late April. I have decided to make this my early season fitness test. I love this race, the views are amazing the people are laid back. This was my 16th marathon and my second on this course. I have become a much more laid back runner I don’t worry about my training, taper, dinner breakfast or anything. I just love to go out and run.
First climb 0 – 7 miles
The race started on the road and I stayed calm and tucked into the middle of the pack. It’s a long climb and I am not very fast on the uphill. It was about 30F and I was wearing a long sleeve shirt and shorts. I knew it would warm up once the sun came out. Running a trail race is weird in the beginning it’s like everyone is trying to hold out and not walk for as long as possible. Not me I know how I like to run trails and my strategy include lots of walking mixed with running.
Big Climb 8 – 13
At mile 8 we left the single track and started up the dirt road. Even with my short walk breaks I had passed a lot of people. I remember how bad I felt on this road last year, this year was different I felt relaxed and fine. I cruised up the 5 miles of dirt road (2,400ft vertical) with out to much trouble. At the top I was so happy that I was not only 5 minutes ahead of last year’s time but it felt so much easier this time.
At the Top 14-20
It was a nice relief to finally not be running uphill. Once at the top the course rolled up and down but the down side was now it was mostly over snow and ice. I almost fell a few times and I pasted a few people with some battle wounds. After passing the aid station at mile 13 the crowds thinned out and for a few miles I didn’t see another soul. It was amazing to be out away from people and civilization at the same time a little scary. I thought I lost the course but then rejoined a small group. Mile 19 and 20 were step down and in some places to steep to run. My legs got very tired and I actually looked forward to some climbing.
Downhill to the Finish 21 -26.2
Actually this section starts off with a huge hill of about 300’ over a half mile. After that the rest of the race was huge down hills with the occasional short ups. Once we dropped in elevation the snow disappeared and we were back on dirt. Everything hurt and eventually it was hard to keep pace even on the downhill. I stopped to catch my breath and take a few pictures and then I was off again. The finish is very low key you run across the bridge into the finish with 10’s of people cheering you on and there are no metals. I love everything about this race.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/462445017
Last year I ran 4:56 which translated to a 3:31 road marathon 2 months later. So I am hoping that my 8 minutes faster will translated to 8 minutes faster in May and a new PR! At the same time this was a training weekend. Sunday I went out for a 12 mile trail run making the weekend 38 miles of trail running.
Not my worst race picture, I think this is mile 3
Mile 4ish
Nice view of the snow capped 14,000ft peak (Mt Shavano)
Here is the dirt road, doesn’t look like much but it never ends
Mile 15 – highest spot and lots of snow and ice
Mile 18 - This is looking away from town, the mountains seemed to stretch on forever without any signs of civilization
Also near mile 18 going down hill
This course had it all mud, dirt, pavement, snow, ice and even sand
This is about 100ft later and now its steep downhill on sand
Almost back to town (mile 23)
Mile 24. It was hard to watch the trail with the awesome views
We weren’t done yet and the town disappeared below the hill
This might be my new favorite trail picture. Mile 25 the finish is just over the hill
4:48:29 (8 minute course PR)
In Colorado this is the earliest marathon of the season, the next opportunity is late April. I have decided to make this my early season fitness test. I love this race, the views are amazing the people are laid back. This was my 16th marathon and my second on this course. I have become a much more laid back runner I don’t worry about my training, taper, dinner breakfast or anything. I just love to go out and run.
First climb 0 – 7 miles
The race started on the road and I stayed calm and tucked into the middle of the pack. It’s a long climb and I am not very fast on the uphill. It was about 30F and I was wearing a long sleeve shirt and shorts. I knew it would warm up once the sun came out. Running a trail race is weird in the beginning it’s like everyone is trying to hold out and not walk for as long as possible. Not me I know how I like to run trails and my strategy include lots of walking mixed with running.
Big Climb 8 – 13
At mile 8 we left the single track and started up the dirt road. Even with my short walk breaks I had passed a lot of people. I remember how bad I felt on this road last year, this year was different I felt relaxed and fine. I cruised up the 5 miles of dirt road (2,400ft vertical) with out to much trouble. At the top I was so happy that I was not only 5 minutes ahead of last year’s time but it felt so much easier this time.
At the Top 14-20
It was a nice relief to finally not be running uphill. Once at the top the course rolled up and down but the down side was now it was mostly over snow and ice. I almost fell a few times and I pasted a few people with some battle wounds. After passing the aid station at mile 13 the crowds thinned out and for a few miles I didn’t see another soul. It was amazing to be out away from people and civilization at the same time a little scary. I thought I lost the course but then rejoined a small group. Mile 19 and 20 were step down and in some places to steep to run. My legs got very tired and I actually looked forward to some climbing.
Downhill to the Finish 21 -26.2
Actually this section starts off with a huge hill of about 300’ over a half mile. After that the rest of the race was huge down hills with the occasional short ups. Once we dropped in elevation the snow disappeared and we were back on dirt. Everything hurt and eventually it was hard to keep pace even on the downhill. I stopped to catch my breath and take a few pictures and then I was off again. The finish is very low key you run across the bridge into the finish with 10’s of people cheering you on and there are no metals. I love everything about this race.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/462445017
Last year I ran 4:56 which translated to a 3:31 road marathon 2 months later. So I am hoping that my 8 minutes faster will translated to 8 minutes faster in May and a new PR! At the same time this was a training weekend. Sunday I went out for a 12 mile trail run making the weekend 38 miles of trail running.
Not my worst race picture, I think this is mile 3
Mile 4ish
Nice view of the snow capped 14,000ft peak (Mt Shavano)
Here is the dirt road, doesn’t look like much but it never ends
Mile 15 – highest spot and lots of snow and ice
Mile 18 - This is looking away from town, the mountains seemed to stretch on forever without any signs of civilization
Also near mile 18 going down hill
This course had it all mud, dirt, pavement, snow, ice and even sand
This is about 100ft later and now its steep downhill on sand
Almost back to town (mile 23)
Mile 24. It was hard to watch the trail with the awesome views
We weren’t done yet and the town disappeared below the hill
This might be my new favorite trail picture. Mile 25 the finish is just over the hill
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Cold weekend of running
Well I didn’t learn my lesson from yesterday (20 miles at 10F). I set of for a frosty 8 mile trail run on fresh snow in 7F temps. Surprisingly it felt much warmer than yesterday’s windy run. The trail run was tough with 1,600 ft of climbing, my legs were mush from yesterday’s 20 miler. Swimming in the pool tomorrow is going to feel so awesome.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Snowy Bergan Peak
Today I ran with my trail group up the side of an icy mountain, nearly every step was on snow and ice. It was slow going up and slow going up and also back down our 10 mile trip took 2:30 (15 min pace). We started at around 7600ft and climbed up to 9600ft. To add to the torment I ran 15 miles yesterday so my legs were absolute crud today.
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