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

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