Colfax Marathon Review

Going into the Colfax Marathon this year, I had a plan.  Nothing was being left to chance as it meant everything to run a sub-4:00 marathon.  How can I ever hope to run Boston if I can't chip away at my time piece by piece?  Throughout the training, I tested my paces.  I ran long distance strength and tempo workouts between 8:20-8:40.  My speed work hovered right at 7:15-7:25 miles.  I knew I could run faster as week after week I proved it to myself, but 26.2 miles is really, really far.  I didn't want to be greedy and go for an overzealous finishing time, where I'd bonk the last few miles.  I constantly told myself, "Get the 3:56 that you set out for from the very beginning, finish strong, relaxed, and upright so that you maintain your confidence for the next round."

I followed the Hanson's Marathon Method very precisely for 5 months.  I ate 70% carbs the last 7 days before the race, I drank Gatorade for a day before the race and during, I calculated my fuel and water needs so that I would never have to hit a wall.  I even had my husband toss me fresh water bottles at different locations throughout the course.

Our fueling crew ready to go.  They rode their bikes 17 miles and carried extra water and Gatorade, while cheering for us along the way.  It meant a lot to have them there for two years in a row.  Thanks guys.

Before the race, I planned to stay behind the 4:00 pace group for the first 8 miles.  That way I could warm up slowly and save energy for the finish.  After 8 miles, if I felt good, I would pull ahead and not look back.  The next 8 miles, I would maintain an even effort trying to go for 9:00 miles even, while adjusting for the hill between miles 5-15.  I knew the downhill portion of the course wasn't too steep, but would allow for a faster pace so I planned for 8:40 miles, again going for even effort, between miles 15-22.  The last portion of the race I knew I would be more tired and the hills become rather large again, especially at miles 23-24.  I needed to reserve some energy for that and allow myself to run slightly slower if needed at around a 9:10 pace.  If all went well, I'd be satisfied finishing at 3:56.

Here are my splits:

Miles 1-8:

Mile 1 - 9:07
Mile 2 - 9:10
Mile 3 - 8:52
Mile 4 - 8:55
Mile 5 - 9:20
Mile 6 - 9:02
Mile 7 - 9:08
Mile 8 - 9:00

While the 4:00 pace group was ahead of me for the first 11 miles, I didn't let that bother me.  He set out way too fast, running an 8:50 pace and often faster.  I refused to hold onto him and while the hill at mile 5 slowed me down a bit, I didn't try to make up the time.  Running through the Denver Fire Station with all the firefighters giving us high fives was energizing before we headed into the Platte River.  We passed through Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium where the Broncos play at mile 6.  This is always a highlight of the race and a fun way to start.

I ran with water in a hand-held for the first 10 miles, taking 2 gulps every mile and a Gu at mile 6.


Miles 9-15:
Mile 9 - 8:47
Mile 10 - 8:48
Mile 11 - 8:55
Mile 12 - 8:54
Mile 13 - 8:59
Mile 14 - 9:15
Mile 15 - 9:05

Monica is taking off her sleeves, I am getting ready to toss out my water for Gatorade.

Sloans Lake is a 3 mile stretch of very flat land sandwiched by a couple miles of hills on either side.  It was a nice break and my speed reflected it.  I passed the 4:00 pace group at mile 11.  Around the 11th mile, I felt a blister forming on my right foot.  It was on the pad just under my big toe and every step hurt.  At the halfway point I groaned a bit knowing I had 13 more miles for the blister to grow, but the pounding of my feet on the pavement numbed it a bit.

Here is what our husbands did while they waited for us to reach each check point.  Cheers Mark!

For the middle part of the race, I ran with Gatorade which I highly recommend.  I couldn't have handled it for the entire race as I have a sensitive stomach, but the sugars and electrolytes kept me going.  I also took Salt Stick tabs every hour on the hour and one at the finish line.


Miles 16-21:

Mile 16 - 8:46
Mile 17 - 8:30
Mile 18 - 8:46
Mile 19 - 8:44
Mile 20 - 8:40
Mile 21 - 8:40


The "Screaming Downhill" is a nice break for the calves and because it is an easy grade, my quads didn't feel the pounding.  Every time I looked at my watch, I hovered right around 8:44, which felt really good. We passed through the Invesco Field at Mile High again at mile 20 and while I expected to feel exhausted by this time, I felt relaxed and energized.

Second pass through the stadium.  20+ miles in to the race.

 By mile 18 I switched back to water and Gu.



Miles 22 - 24:

Mile 22 - 8:57
Mile 23 - 9:15
Mile 24 - 9:15

I saw my husband for the last time at mile 24.  This was at the top of the last major hill on the course.  He asked me if I felt good and I smiled at him with confidence.  I felt great.  Not only was I going to finish, but I had yet to hit a wall and I wanted to turn up the pace for the finish.


Finishing Stretch:
Mile 25 - 8:58
Mile 26 - 8:26
Mile 27 - 8:26

People from all the different distances came together during the last couple miles of the race.  It felt really satisfying to pass runners with confidence.  The streets became much more crowded and I had to push past people to maintain my pace.  At mile 25, I became really tired.  For the first time during the race I wanted to be done.  I kept imagining a port-a-potty and a Popsicle.  My blister, now huge, finally popped under my foot and I felt a squishy ooze of warm liquid fill in between my toes that slopped around with every step.  When I saw the finish line, I pushed forward a little harder and collected my medal from a firefighter in 3:55:26.

My husband wanted a picture of Monica and me with our medals right away.  Right behind my knees I had really bad cramping for about 10 minutes after I stopped. This is before I composed myself to smile. 

And, hiding the pain...  We did it, and we finished together like we have wanted to do for over a year.

Not only had I completed the race, but I did it one minute faster than I'd expected.  I followed my plan very closely and executed it with pride.  While my nerves were out of control the entire morning before the race started, I didn't let them get the best of me.  I stayed calm and ran evenly by effort.  I trusted my training and numerous people told me that would be half the battle.

We finally got to meet Tony, from G Force.  Not only did he get a BQ on a really hard course, but he is also a really nice guy to hang out with!

For weeks before Colfax, my nerves were out of control because I needed my training to have been worth it.  Thankfully, I proved to myself that I can run a sub-4:00 marathon.  But the most surprising lesson I've taken out of this race was not so much from that day itself, but from those 5 months of hard work and early mornings.  I can tolerate high mileage and faster paces.  I can run 60+ miles a week.  I can run speed work, strength and tempo runs, I can actively recover while running easy after a hard effort.  My overall paces have gone down substantially as I consistently run at an effortless 8:40 pace and my 5k time has dropped from 25:02 to 21:54.

Lunch after the race.  Thank you Randall for all of your patience, help, and support over the last several months.  And thank you for being at the race, providing me with fuel and encouragement.  It made the difference.

I am currently putting together my next training and race schedule, where I will train for a 3:45 or faster.


~Roadburner

Colfax Through Hanson's

I started training for the Colfax Marathon on November 18, 2013.  Because Hal Higdon's training plans have never worked that well for me, I wanted something different.  I wanted a training plan that would hold me accountable and tell me exactly what paces to run.  I bombed my first attempt at running Colfax in May 2013.  By mile 8, I was cramping and miserable.  After mile 14, I felt beat down and defeated.  Mile 20 told me I was going to finish but at what cost?  Mile by mile went by and I held back tears and surges of emotion until I finally crossed the finish line in 4:24.  Ironically, when I crossed the finish I felt unstoppable.  After everything I'd pushed through to get to that moment I could get through anything life might throw at me.  I could have stopped at any moment.  No one was holding my legs to that flame.  It was all under my own will and stubbornness.  I've never felt pain like that before.  Every muscle in my body begged me to stop and yet I pushed forward. 

At the finish line last year

Six months after the race, I would think about the finish line and smile so enthusiastically you would have thought I finished just days before.  I wanted to recreate that feeling, but I didn't want to hurt this time.  I wanted to have an actual goal, beyond finishing, and I wanted to feel good at the finish line.  No walls, no screaming calves, no regrets. 

I felt like I'd been hit by a bus for weeks after the race.  I remember being completely delirious at mile 24 and for an hour after finishing.

After far too much research I came across the Hanson's Marathon Method.  Essentially this plan tells you to run at varied speeds to work the different muscle groups and create a level of cumulative exhaustion so that you never run feeling fresh.  Mimic the last 16 miles of the race during your long training runs, not the first.  Don't take days off because you are sore, push through it and get stronger.  Last year, I skipped easy days, I didn't pay attention to paces and I ran without focus.  The Hanson's Method doesn't work if you don't follow it very closely and I figured that out right away.

A sincere thanks Luke Humphrey and Hanson brothers.

I became obsessive about my running routine.  As the months went by, I got up earlier and earlier to fit in distance, speed work, strength and easy runs.  I felt it working and I kept thinking about that moment last May when I felt unstoppable.  This time would be better. 

Last Sunday I crossed the finish line in 3:55, just under 30 minutes faster than my previous time. I never felt truly tired until mile 25 where I reminded myself, "Five months of hard work for a few more minutes of discomfort."  I ran negative splits with my final mile at 8:26.  When I crossed the finish line I expected to feel euphoric like I had a year ago, but I didn't.  I never pushed through incredible pain to remind me that I am made up of pure grit.  I had a blister the size of Mars under my foot that wrapped in between my toes.  I felt it for 15 miles of the race and the oozing liquid spreading between my toes as it popped at mile 25, but nothing begged me to stop. 
 

This is just the top side where it stuck out between the toes, the bottom of it is the size of a half dollar around the pad of my foot.  The grass was wet by the port-a-potties and all our shoes were soaked at the starting line.  I've never blistered in my Saucony Virratas before the race. 

If I wasn't that tired, did I push hard enough?  Could I have gone faster or would I have crashed sooner?  If there was energy to spare, how do I train to go faster and feel the same sense of strength throughout the race?

There is no doubt about it, Hanson's works.  Not only do they prepare your body for the beating it takes in 26.2 miles, but the method teaches you how to taper, carbo load, actively recover, and push yourself to limits that have never been tested. 

What I learned was this, training for a specific pace works.  I trained for a 3:56 and ended up one minute faster than goal time.  That was a success.  If I trained for a faster time and put in the miles at that pace, I have renewed confidence my body could handle it as I pushed faster paces throughout the training, but I need to be more aware of my body as I pick up the pace.  I think I got lucky this time.  I ran 60+ miles a week for a couple months and didn't incorporate strength training and weights into my regimen.  Halfway through the race, my right hip flexor started to ache and reminded me that I have work to do.   The second time running the same race, my head was in the game entirely.  I ran mile after mile calculating splits in my mind, seeing what my finishing time would be at current paces.  I did body checks continuously asking myself, "Do I need water or fuel?  Is my stride good?  What hurts right now, what is giving out, what is not strong enough?  What can I improve for next time?"  I never wanted to take off faster than my prescribed pace because I respect the distance too much.

Running marathons is humbling.  It becomes addictive and the effort itself becomes more satisfying than the finishing times and results.  This time I wasn't euphoric about the finale because I steadily looked ahead throughout this process.  For 26.2 miles, I celebrated 1,000 miles of hard work in 5 months.  The race didn't feel like the accomplishment, the training did. 


~Roadburner

Colfax Marathon Taper. My hands are shaking.

I am loosing my mind.  The Hanson's Marathon Method calls for a 10 day taper.  Six days into that recovery period and I can't stand it anymore.  For 5 days I felt strong and energetic.  I was so grateful to finally have energy back.  But now I have more energy than I know what to do with.  I tap pencils, my hands are shaking, my stomach is upset, my heart races, and my legs are begging to move.  I haven't cut out running altogether and I still have a fairly high mileage over this 10 day period, but half the mileage from my peak schedule, 60 miles down to 25, is causing major withdrawals. 

I let my 3 year old son skip his nap yesterday so we could go somewhere.  We ended up at Yogurtini and then the mall where we walked around in circles endlessly.  Walking to pick my son up from school another mom asked me, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine.  I just need to do something." Her eyes bugged out a bit at my enthusiasm.

Last night I cleaned my house.  I cleaned so violently that I fell down in a heap of exhaustion at the end of it.  Twenty minutes later my legs and hands started shaking again.  I fell asleep easily last night but at 5:00 this morning, my normal running time, I awoke to a racing heart and misfiring muscles.  So I came downstairs, ate a quick snack and sat in silence wondering, "What the hell do people do with themselves who get up at ungodly hours and don't run?"

Now that my family is awake, they keep staring at me, like they are waiting for detonation.  So here I sit with my head down, legs secretively shaking under the desk.   

Crap, I have 4 more days of this. 


~Roadburner

Hydration Station

Well, it happened.  Someone finally talked some sense into my hydration plan.  Truthfully, not just one someone, but many.  So to all of you honest people who sent me hilariously poignant messages such as, "...buck up and join the waterless crowd," thank you!  I needed that swift kick in the shorts to get me thinking like a seasoned marathoner.

For three years, I relied heavily on my Camelbak.  It was big and clunky but I loved it.  My good running friend, Monica, joked it was my purse and she was so right.  I stuck all kinds of crap in that thing.

My husband Randall and I at the Denver Rock 'n Roll Half.  How do I have 40 oz of water and he carried nothing? 

Not only does it hold 6 pounds of water, but I stuffed money, keys, a phone, tampons, tissues, Gu, jelly beans, granola bars, band aids, and whatever else I could stuff into it.
 

Yup, I'm a dork.  I even wore my Camelbak for a 3.1 mile run during my first duathlon...

By the time I was loaded up and ready to run, I weighed an extra 12 pounds!

Finishing the Colfax Marathon last year.  Look how happy I am to take that thing off!

This year I decided to shed the extra weight and train only with a handheld water bottle, hoping it would make me faster.  I never once ran out of water and while I initially worried my arm would get tired of holding it, my arms got stronger.  Win-win.

After a 13 miler with only a hand-held and one Gu.  I survived as always.

However, for some reason the idea of carrying 3-4 Gu's and a full water bottle for 26.2 miles has really started to freak me out.  Plus, I will run out of water, so then what?  I've never used hydration stations at races before because:

1. They are so crowded.
2. It would slow me down.
3. I've heard of horror stories where the race directors didn't use potable sources of water and people got horribly sick after the race.  Gross.
4. Those darn cups are so hard to drink from, even if I pinch off the top, maybe one ounce of water actually makes it to my mouth.  
5. When I decide I'm thirsty, I want water.  NOW.  If I can't get water at that moment I focus on it and I panic.  I also don't want to risk dehydration.  That is an impossible hole to climb out of. 

Knowing I didn't want to use my Camelbak this year, I went to a popular running store here in Denver seeking advice.  They convinced me I needed a larger handheld water bottle and a fuel belt for my Gu.  Essentially a fuel belt is a small fanny pack that isn't supposed to bounce around too much.  But when I ran 12 tempo miles on Thursday, I kept thinking about my floppy new appendage.  Needless to say, I am not used to pendulous things on my mid-section.  While a fanny pack was totally cool in the 80s, I'm not sure I could make it work.  Focusing on that extra load ruined the first few miles of my run. 

So screw the fuel belt.  I can carry Gu in my shorts and the larger pocket of my water bottle.  That water will last me until 15 miles and somewhere along the halfway point-ish I hope to see my husband who can throw me another full bottle and additional Gu if needed.  I will also utilize the water stations, although numerous people warned me against the first 3 as they are often understocked and overcrowded.  Also, if the water bottle becomes too heavy and the water stations work out effectively, I can always toss my husband my water altogether to relieve the weight.

Why do I care about weight?  Well, first of all my arm gets tired holding 20 ounces of water for 4 hours.  And second, a friend of mine, who has run Boston 5 times posed this question, "You plan to BQ at some point right?  Have you ever seen a Boston Qualifier, or elite runner carrying something on their body or in their hands for 26.2 miles?"

"Um, no."  I frowned.

"That's because every little ounce truly matters for your overall time.  Even 5 ounces of weight can adversely effect your time."

"Yeah but I have lost 7 pounds in my training..."

"Think of this.  For every 10 pounds you loose, they say you also loose 8 minutes off your overall time for the same effort.  Sometimes a few ounces are the difference between a 3:35 and a 3:37.  While you may not have intended to loose weight, it will help you during the race.  Why would you load that extra effort back on needlessly?"

I've never given so much thought to weight before. Sure elites talk about their goal racing weight and I might too if I could actually run 4:30-5:00 miles for 26.2.  (Shoot if I could run that pace for a half a mile that would be cool.)  Every little bump in the road matters for them.  While I will never be an elite runner, I have worked really hard the last 5 months.  If I can push myself a little closer to the target with the same effort, I'm willing to try. 


~Roadburner

What's after the Colfax Marathon?

I need to finish the Colfax Marathon strong and prove hard work pays off.  I am taking over 20 minutes off my previous marathon time on the same course.  It is a hard route with some rough hills and even though it is 1,000 feet lower in elevation than my home, it is still a mile above sea level.  But what's the next step?

Assuming I don't blacklist marathons forever after this race, I want to start getting my time down to a Boston Qualifier.  I need 3:35.  I'd like a minute or two faster to ensure my qualifying time is fast enough with all the runners out there under age 34.

After Colfax I will take 2 full weeks of not running.  This is going to be hard.  I am not sure how to go from getting up at 5:00 am every day and running 50-65 miles a week to nothing.  I'll let you know if I hold it together.  During that time, I will find a trainer to help me with running specific weight training.  I haven't done much with weights over the last few years and I know that is key to helping my speed, agility, and injury prevention.  If I am going to take my marathon pace from 9:00 to 8:07, I need to work smarter and include weights at least 1-2 days a week.

I also saw major gains in my VO2 levels when I ran speed work once a week.  It had positive effects across the board, leaving my easy runs refreshing, and my tempo runs more sustainable at the desired paces.

It will be important to temper my training as I gain mileage again.  I don't want to start out too high and risk injury, but I also don't want to loose the gains I've made in the last 5 months.  I will listen to my body and back off when it doesn't feel right.  Running high mileage works for me though.  The more I run, the better and faster I get.  I am learning how to use my body efficiently and I often experiment with new techniques and form on my easy days.

The California International Marathon is December 7.  I haven't decided if I am going to run it this year or not, but I hear it is a fast course and the benefits of sea level could work to my advantage.  REVEL Rockies is another option, but seeing how it is a downhill course, I am not sure if I want to trash my quads over 5,000 feet of elevation loss.  Also, it takes place in August, which might be too soon.  Another option could be the Denver Rock 'n Roll Marathon in October.  Again, it feels a little soon to run another full, so I need to wait and see how my body feels over the next month and a half.

Here is my training plan for a 3:35:00 marathon finish.  Each speed work, strength, and tempo run also includes a one mile warm up and cool down. 

I've said all along I wanted a BQ, and I know I have a lot of work to do.  I have to bite this off in small pieces and move there strategically, learning along the way what works for my body.  However, my current tempo, speed, recovery, easy, and distance paces all say I am ready for the next challenge. 


~Roadburner

Germaphobia

The wind in Colorado has been insufferable lately.  My two young boys have been stuck inside and are driving each other (okay, mainly me) insane.  To get them out of the house, we decided a trip to the library and then a nearby park would be fitting.  But when we arrived at the park we found the 30 mph gusts weren't letting up, and there was no way we were going to enjoy the 46 degree temps.

My youngest son was desperate to play and didn't mind being carried away like Toto.  So I struck a deal and decided to head over to the brand-new Chick Fil A that is equipped with a children's area.  Wow, dumb decision. When we got there, the place was packed.  I wrongly assumed 10:00 am would be an ideal time to play as it isn't breakfast or lunch and the place was brand new so it must be spotless.  Nope.  It was not spotless.  There was food and dirt EVERYWHERE.  The handles to the doors were smeared with grease and boogers.  Seriously, there were boogers smeared on the windows.

My two carefree boys skipped off, ripping their shoes and jackets away before I could bolt.  Crap.  We were here to stay.  So I hunkered down in a corner where I could watch them and proceeded to listen to a 4-year-old boy hack his lungs out with such bronchial strength, I was sure we were all infected.  I hate germs.  I am not a total germaphobe all the time, but I really despise taking care of sick kids because they are so miserable and I feel their suffering.  Not to mention, my race is 2 weeks away and hell or high water, I am toeing that line.  Call me selfish, but you don't give up on hard work, missed nights out, lost sleep, blisters, frozen nose hairs and contacts from subzero training runs, and all those miles, just because some selfish mom wants to get her infected kids out of the house.

I let my kids play for about 20 minutes.  I sanitized each of them every few minutes and left.  When we got home, they immediately ripped off their clothes and got into a warm shower.  Did I take it too far?  Yes.  When my kids are completely terrified of germs in the future I will know exactly how those fears germinated.  But hopefully they will also think of their mom's goals and how she never let anyone stand in her way, not even a 38 inch, mucous-ridden stranger.


~Roadburner