June 8, 2017

Colorado Marathon Race Report – 2017

Back in May, Cory, Cannon and I packed up and headed North to Fort Collins. I signed up for the Colorado Marathon as a catered training day in preparation for Leadville Silver Rush. I have completed this marathon twice before in 2011 (my first marathon!) and 2013 and love it. It was a little sad heading out to the buses without Cory as we ran this race together in 2011 and 2013. But I was excited to get to see him and Cannon around mile 20.

For the Colorado Marathon you are required to pick up your race packet on Friday or Saturday before the race on Sunday. Fort Collins is about an hour north of where we live so it wouldn’t be too terrible to dive up and back twice but my brother lives in Fort Collins so it was fun to just crash with him overnight. Packet pick up was smooth and easy this year. There is a very small expo where you could pick up anything you might need for race day. Easy in and out without much excitement.

The Colorado Marathon in a point to point race so they load all the runners up on nice tour buses and drive you up the Poudre Canyon. I was lucky enough to sit by a really fun family of a father and his daughters who were running the race together. It was nice to chat with them and tell them a bit about the race. This year the weather was much warmer than it has been in past years so I was way overdressed for the morning wait for the race start. The race organizers provide a bag drop so you can send all your morning things down to the finish. I got to the start area about an hour before the start time so I took my time milling around and waiting in line for the bathrooms.

Sunrise in the canyon

Soon enough we lined up for the start, ready to get the party started.

The first 10 miles are my favorite part of the race, you run down the canyon, right next to the river through the pine trees, it feels amazing.

In years past the early miles have just clicked by without any effort. This year after just a couple miles I already felt a little tired. I could really feel the lack of taper but I was having fun regardless, I just kept reminding myself that it was a training run and just to take it easy. Since I wasn’t racing I decided to wear my hydration pack as that is what I will be using for my summer races.

We passed the half-way mark and made our way out of the canyon and started making our way towards town. My brother and parents were waiting for me at about mile 18, it was such a great lift to see them. Cory and Cannon were waiting for me a little further along, it was the best thing to see my little guy.

The last few miles meander into town on a bike path, it’s still nice but as usual the last 6 miles of a marathon feel long. The last mile seemed to go on FOREVER, and according to my watch the course was half a mile long, guess I need to work on running the tangents LOL.

I was happy to cross the finish line and make some deposits in the training bank for the Leadville Silver Rush 50. After finishing we all headed to The Rio for Mexican food and margaritas. Last year we all came out to cheer my mom on when she ran the Colorado Marathon, it’s become a tradition that we head to The Rio, I was almost 9 months pregnant last year so there was no margarita for me. This year I so enjoyed having my margarita and celebrating with my family. Cannon was a champ, but really tied after his morning of cheering, he cuddled with his Grandpa during lunch.

Cannon LOVES his Grandpa!!!

And with that, marathon #6 in the books, I love this race, I hope to run it many more times in the future. Maybe even with my kids one day just like the Dad I met on the bus on the way to the start….life goals.

Three years of the Colorado Marathon

May 19, 2017

Desert Rats Trail Marathon – Trail Running Festival Race Report

In April I ran my first marathon since having Cannon. I worked hard and got on as many trails as possible during the winter months in Boulder. When searching for an early season trail race Desert Rats Trail Marathon seemed like a good fit. I came in feeling ready for the distance but I was a little fearful of the hills and the heat.

We packed up the car, with what seemed like everything we own (9 months old need a lot when traveling!) on Friday morning and started heading west to Fruita, Colorado.

Fruita is a really cute small town with a big focus on mountain biking, it reminded me a lot of Moab. We rolled into Fruita in the late afternoon and checked into our hotel. We stayed at the Fruita Comfort Inn which was everything we needed for a place to crash before a race and was really affordable. I particularly liked that the room had a microwave and a refrigerator, this was great for traveling with a baby. Cannon was stoked on the king sized bed.

After checking in we headed to packet pick-up at the Fruita Community Center. In true trail race form packet pick-up was low-key and easy to get in and out of. After we had my shirt and bib we went to The Hot Tomato for pre-race pizza. The Hot Tomato was really cute but it was standing room only on a Friday evening so we put in our order and took Cannon back to the hotel so we could relax and get his dinner. We ate in our hotel room, got Cannon ready for bed and all turned in early.

Race morning was really easy, the trail head was just 15 minutes outside of town with plenty of parking. We got to the start line before the sun was up.

The start was nice and low key with plenty of bathrooms which is key to a successful race start! The race director reminded us to carry water as the aid stations were 5-7 miles apart. The marathon and 50k started together, there was only about 70 runners in each race so the start was easy to navigate and find your pace group. You also run the first 2 miles on a jeep road before turning onto single track so there was no worry of getting caught in the wrong place in a conga line. The first climb was pretty long but afforded us a great view at the top.

The course was beautiful and kept us entertained with views and varying terrain.

Lots of smooth single track and rocky technical sections.

[Source] – Race photos were free with entry!

There is over 3000 feet of climbing and basically no flat sections to this course so if you are looking for a fast time, this race is not for you.

My favorite part of the course was where you run along the edge of a cliff above the river.

Then you get to run along the ridge above and see where you just were.

I took my time on the course, for me this was not about setting a PR, the course was difficult and it was hot!!! I just wanted to have fun so I did just that and took lots of pictures along the way.

My least favorite part of the race came right at the end, there is a really steep long climb along the highway on a jeep road, it’s not as pretty as the rest of the course. I was also cooked and ready to be done. Running in 70-80 degree heat after training all winter is a shock to the system.

The finish was fun, with lots of good food, Gemini Events knows we want more than a stale bagel and half a banana. They had the grills going and everyone was having a party.

I was tired and SO SO SO happy to be reunited with my boys.

Finisher medals were dog tags, nice little reminder of the race. I would definitely recommend this race to anyone looking for an early season trail race. They have the marathon and 50k on Saturday and a 10k or half marathon on Sunday.

April 10, 2017

WEEKLY RUNDOWN – MARATHON TRAINING WEEK 15

Week 15 of marathon training is done and in the books, now less than a week until race day and I can’t wait! It’s been a little difficult to cut back on running this last week. I had gotten into mindset of trying to run as much as possible so it’s hard to remind myself that it is important to cut back and let my body absorb the modifications.

As usual I am linking up with Jessie at The Right Fits and Jess Runs ATL to recap last weeks training.

———–

Monday: Rest day, feeling very antsy, wanting to get out on a run.

Tuesday: 4 easy miles on the treadmill since I wimped out of running outside in the rain/snow.

Wednesday: 5.6 steady miles in the morning around the hood. It was beautiful and sunny after the storm.

Thursday: Speed work on the treadmill, 4 half mile repeats and 4 quarter mile repeats.

Friday: Cory and I decided it would be nice to have a morning coffee shop date with Cannon so we made a plan to include running and coffee (could it get better???). I ran form home to the coffee shop (7 miles) and Cory drove there with Cannon. We had so much fun hanging out with Cannon and drinking amazing coffee at Cannon Mine Coffee. When we were done Cory ran to work to get his miles in while I drove with Cannon. We are thinking of making this an every other week(ish) tradition.

Saturday: Full rest day, we took the extra time to go meet the Easter Bunny for the first time. I was a little worried that Cannon would be scared of the giant bunny but he had a great time.

Sunday: 15 miles at Heil Ranch in Boulder, it was a bit windy but still a perfect day on the trails. The miles ticked by easily and I loved being out on the trails. Starting to get excited for my marathon.

Totals:

Running: Just 36.7 miles now to just not do anything stupid before Saturday….

February 13, 2017

Weekly Rundown – Marathon Training Week 7

Week 7 flew by, and after this week I will be half way to Desert Rats Trail Marathon. It was the start of exams last week so things were a bit crazy, there was not enough strength training but I hit the minimum goal of 30 miles for the week.

I am linking up with Jessie at The Right Fits and Jess Runs ATL to recap last weeks training.

———–

Monday: Just a quick 2 mile run on the treadmill to shake off the dust.

Tuesday: My legs were still feeling heavy and stiff so I did a little interval run on the treadmill. After a 5 minute warm up I ran 1 min hard 1 minute easy for a total of 20 minutes, then cooled down. It did the trick and my legs felt much better after.

Wednesday: Early morning 7 mile run in the hood.

Thursday: 3.2 mile evening run, I would really like to get in some longer runs mid week, but I am just glad to be getting out after Cannon goes to bed.

Friday: Friday got away from me quickly, so I decided to jump on the treadmill for a climbing workout before heading to bed.

Saturday: I moved my long run to Saturday since there was snow in the forecast for Saturday night/Sunday morning. I decided to keep it simple and just do laps in the neighborhood. Cory and Cannon joined me for the first 5 miles then I completed 10 more on my own.

Sunday: I squeezed in 3.75 miles before swim class for Cannon

Totals:

Running: 35.13 miles

Strength: None (boo)

April 26, 2015

Boston Marathon – Spectator Report

To be very clear, I did NOT run the Boston Marathon this year (maybe one day) but this year I got to tag along a spectate for my speedy hubby Cory who did run.

Going to Boston for the marathon was pretty amazing start to finish. On the plane it was pretty surreal to have so many athletes on one flight. At least half the people were wearing Boston Marathon jackets from years past the other half seemed to be wearing other marathon gear or ironman backpacks.

Just being in the city was also incredible, athletes everywhere! The locals were all so nice and encouraging. Everyone would wish athletes luck and seemed genuinely happy to have you in their city.

If you can ever go to run or even just to spectate I say do it, it was an incredible experience. I will write another post with tourist information I learned while there, but for now I will focus on the race and activities.

Pre Race Information: Boston Marathon had the best organization I have ever seen for a race. They sent great information well in advance and provided many maps and information. I felt like we always had everything we needed and Cory was clear on where he needed to be when and with what.

Expo: The race expo for the Boston Marathon is like nothing I have seen before, it was HUGE. While it took a little while to get in, the wait wasn’t long and there was bag check security. While it did cause some backups I did appreciate the level of security and that they seemed to really be concerned about everyones safety.

For being as large and busy as the expo was, I feel that it was organized well. Staff, security and volunteers were all friendly and happy to help. We were directed in to packet pick-up, got Cory’s bib, shirt and goody bag.

All the gear was pretty nice. Next we headed into the expo and made it into the official Boston Marathon gear area. There was so much stuff to pick from, it reminded me a lot of Ironman gear. The “must have” piece is always the official jacket that changes colors every year. It was pretty neat seeing runners wearing jackets from past years, I think the oldest one I saw was 1995. Cory didn’t love the jacket but my mom and I decided he needed to have it so we bought it for him anyway 😉

[Source]

Races – On Saturday there was two races being put on by BAA both finishing at the marathon finish line. An open 5k, that I so wish I had known about ahead of time. It would have been so fun to race even a 5k there with mom and dad! There was also a mile invitational. We watched a few waves go off, so fun to watch such speedy racers!

Pasta Dinner – The night before the marathon there is a hosted pasta dinner. I can’t comment on it since Cory decided he didn’t want to go. I can’t blame him, every other race meal we have gone to the food has been bland and not terribly appealing. But I do wonder if we missed out on hearing some cool information. Let me know if you have gone, was it worth it?

Race Day – For racers, be sure to bring throw away warm ups! You have a checked bag but you leave that in Boston Commons and have HOURS before you start running. So bring something to keep you warm at the start that you don’t mind not getting back. Also if you can carrying your cell phone is nice if you have family or friends with you. It’s a huge race and it was so helpful that Cory had his, he carried it in an SPI belt and said he didn’t even notice it. Cory has offered to write a race report that I can post soon.

For spectators I will state the obvious and say get there early for a good spot and be prepared to walk kinda far. Public are not allowed very close to the finish line so wear comfortable shoes. Also there are multiple security check points. Don’t assume that because you have made it through a check point you are “in” like at an airport. I think we went through 8 check points. If you want to get around fast be sure that you don’t carry anything, even a small wrist bags will need to be checked. This year it was pretty cold and poring down rain so that added additional issues. I did carry a back pack with warm ups for Cory and in the end we were glad that I did! It was really fun to watch the elite racers come through I couldn’t believe how fresh they looked so close to the end. While I would have loved to see Des or Shalane win it was still amazing.

It was really inspiring to see all the men and women from the military running in their fatigues. Can you imagine running a marathon in combat boots, much respect!

There is a service you can sign up for that will text you updates with your runners splits at certain check points, this was really nice to see. We cheered on everyone until seeing Cory come past us, the cold had gotten to him (he did not have throw away warm ups) so he wasn’t having his best race but was still having fun. We hurried as best we could back towards the finish line to meet Cory. There is a family meeting area organized by last name that makes things a lot easier, Cory had just beat us there. He was cold and tired so we were extra glad that I had his warm ups with me so he didn’t have to walk to Boston Commons in the rain to pick them up.

Overall great race and really fun. My Mom and Dad traveled with us, they are multiple marathoners themselves (hmmmm…apple doesn’t fall far from the tree does it) so they loved it too.

Cory did great on a wind, cold, wet day, #proudwife #BostonMarathon #BostonStrong

Up next: Boston Tourist Report

September 30, 2014

Rocky Mountain High-est Leadville Marathon Race Report

I haven’t been able to get in any races longer than a half marathon on trails so I caved and signed up for a road marathon. Leadville’s marathon seemed like a good idea since it was at high elevation and I {heart} Leadville

The race claims to be the highest road marathon in the world, so I figured I might be good training for possible ultra marathons in Leadville next summer.

This was the first year for the race, it was small and low key much like the trail races I have been racing lately. If you get energy from crowds and lots of aid stations this race isn’t for you.

It does offer friendly volunteers and incredible views.

Since the course had only a handful of aid stations I decided to run with my hydration pack and carry everything I might need. I was completely fine with this since I will be rocking my pack for my 50k so I might as well get used to it.

I had a great day and enjoyed my time in Leadville. My only real complaint about the race was the lack of amenities. There were no restrooms along the course. For a full marathon I was disappointed. And frankly uncomfortable for quite a long time. Luckily there was a golf course pro-shop along the way that let me use their restrooms, a little more support would be great.

Not the races fault by any means but I did learn that when you train on nothing but trails, 26.2 miles of pavement hurts.

The best part was the the race support the nonprofit GECKO

Giving Every Child Knowledge of the Outdoors (GECKO). The premise sounds simple enough. Yet study after study shows that our children aren’t getting enough outdoor play. And this trend isn’t improving. The latest information shows that less than 25% of children are active outdoors more than twice per week. Does this statistic worry you? Because it definitely worries us.

The finishers medals were made by local school kids with the elevation stamped on it.

Overall it was a good race and I would run it again for sure.

May 14, 2013

Colorado Marathon Race Report

On May 5th I ran my second marathon (3rd if you count Ironman, but I don’t and that’s another conversation). I almost dropped to the half but I am happy with my choice to run the full. It hurt and I had some GI issues but I had fun and didn’t have to pay $20 to switch. So besides MY personal experience that you can read about, here are my thoughts on how this race is run.

You must pick up your packet on Friday or Saturday before the Sunday race, this is a little bit of an inconvenience for Cory and I as it’s over an hour drive from Denver. We didn’t want to make the trip twice. We opted to stay in a hotel the night before but didn’t think about this logistical issue until the week before and ended up in a slightly seedy hotel (I brought my own pillow and blanket). The expo is easy to get into and navigate but also very small with basically no swag other than your race shirt. The shirt this year is very nice, much better than two years ago with women’s cut available.

Race morning you must meet down town between 4:00 and 4:30 am to catch tour busses to the race start. The race is point to point, basically they drive you 26 miles up the mountain canyon and you run out. We caught a fairly early bus because I am type A like that. The ride was comfortable and there was a bathroom which was nice for a runner on an hour long bus ride. It is a little surreal to ride what you will have to turn around and run out it makes the distance very real. The bus was full of nervous chatter but I was feeling fairly at ease since I had put no pressure on myself to do anything more than just finish. When we got to the top it was dark and we had over an hour before the race start, good news was that the bathroom lines were short, bad news is we froze!

Even with sweats it was cold and I didn’t want to sit and lose more heat so I stood freezing for 90 minutes, not the best start to marathon. If I did it again I would catch a later bus. Another issue at the start was not enough bathrooms. The lines were ridiculous!

the start couldn’t come fast enough I was ready to run and warm up!

Aside from some of my complaints the course is breathtaking. It is awesome to run down the canyon with the sunrise and the river flowing next to you!

The first half of the race is so scenic that the miles just click by. One mistake I made was not hydrating correctly. I was at the back of the bus when the volunteer gave us updates, both Cory and I heard that there was aid stations about every mile. Looking back at the race site it actually says every other mile so we must have miss heard and it was more like every 2.5 miles so I didn’t always take a gel at the right time that led to some GI distress later.

About mile 16 you make it out onto the plains and run along a busy road, this is my least favorite part of the run but it is still nice.
One thing to note is that the canyon road is closed to traffic which is great for safety but if you want a lot of crowd support, you’re not getting it at this race. You probably won’t see your family until mile 18 of the marathon. If you like having cheering fans and seeing your family multiple times, this race is not for you.

After my stomach started to bother me I was really ready to be done but seeing my parents and their dogs after 21 and a half miles really lifted my spirits. I told myself at the beginning that if I was really hurting or on the verge of injury I would pull out when I saw them. I wasn’t feeling great but I really wanted to finish so I trudged on.

Doodles!

Hey mom!

The rest of the course is along a bike path, nice and flat until you turn into old town and run up the road to the finish line.

I was so happy to see the 26 mile flag. While I enjoyed most of the run, the post race was a little lacking. There wasn’t a party feel, and the food was oatmeal. It was Cinco de Mayo and they were serving Oatmeal! Others may have liked it but I wanted guacamole and a margarita! On the bright side the medal was cool.

Colo marathon medal.jpg
After the race we refueled like a boss with lots of mexican food! Thanks mom and dad for all the support!

May 14, 2012

Marathon Week

I hope that talking a lot about my upcoming marathon will make it more real. I keep forgetting that we are running a marathon and then it comes up and I freak out a little. I need to let it sink in that it is here and that I AM ready for it!
I am not hoping for a PR with no real taper or focused training, I am just hoping for a good long training day. Luckily this week is a recovery week so things will be a little lighter and hopefully my legs will show up on Sunday ready to go the distance. This week looks like:

Monday: 6 mile run and 45 min yoga
Tuesday: 9.5 mile interval run
Wednesday: 30 mile bike ride with pick-ups along the way
Thursday: 2800 m sprint focused swim
Friday: 45 min yoga
Saturday: 2 mile open water swim to an hour transition bike ride
Sunday: Colfax Marathon with 1 mile warm up and cool down

Totals for the week:
Swim: 3.75 miles
Bike: 60 miles
Run: 43.7 miles
Strength: 1.5 hrs
Totals: 17ish hours and 107.5 miles

This feels like a BIG drop but hopefully that will make it all that much easier to hit it hard for the last three week push.

On a separate note I could use your advice. I just bought new shoes over the weekend and I am not sure which pair to wear for the marathon.

I know I am pushing the “nothing new on race day” rule BUT my feet have been hurting lately and I think it might be due to running in my old shoes.

Third times the charm!

So what would you do? Try to break in new shoes this week and run the marathon in them or stick to the old ones?

June 16, 2011

Colorado Marathon Race recap

Running my first marathon with my husband was an amazing experience, it was harder than I imagined but also one of the most perfect days of my life. I spent the first two thirds of the race feeling so grateful to be running a marathon. I was supposed to run a marathon on my 30th birthday back in September but was sidelined by an injury and was devastated so just getting to the start line was a victory for me this time around. To be honest I am disappointed in my time but I am trying to look on the bright side that it is a starting point that I can try to improve on in the future.

The day before was a little frantic and left us running around like chickens with our heads cut off, lesson learned there is that we need to plan the day before big races. I did find time for some proper fueling:

Thanks Cory for taking such a flattering picture of me, maybe you shouldn’t take pictures while driving.

The race is held in Fort Collins about an hour north of Denver and since we had to pick up our race packets the day before we spent the night at my brother’s house. The expo was pretty small but I was excited to get my number and shirt.

After laying out all my gear, I went to bed early in anticipation of our 3:30 am wake up call. It was cold and dark but at least we had luxury tour buses.

Two years ago my brother ran this race and he had to ride up the canyon in a school bus. It was colder than I thought it would be but we were happy that there wouldn’t be a large temperature swing between the start and finish.

We arrived at the start when it was still dark and cold, there were plenty of bathrooms but it would have been a good idea for us to have something to sit on. It was too cold to sit on the ground so we stood around getting stiff.

Quickly we were on our way running out of the canyon following the Poudre River.

For over the first half of the run I was so happy and grateful to be running and wasn’t wishing the miles away.

About mile twenty my IT bands started to really hurt and I knew I just needed to put my head down and tough out the last six miles.

I was so happy to turn onto the road that took us into downtown and to the finish

Official time was 4:59:13, lots of room for improvement but I did it and I am so grateful that my legs took me the full distance.

I am also very grateful to Cory who was there with me every step of the way. He could have an this race much faster but stuck with me and was my personal photographer. Thanks babe!

May 1, 2011

Night before first marathon

I have my things layed out, nothing left to do but sleep then RUN!

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