2011 Rock & Roll Denver Marathon

It has been almost 2 weeks since I ran the RnR Denver Marathon. I have mixed feelings about the race since I finished the race in 3 hours 42 minutes which is my best marathon finish. My previous best was 4 hours and 9 minutes for the Walt Disney World Marathon back in January of 2011.

I am very pleased with my finish time since my most optimistic goal was to try and finish under 3:45. However, at about the mid point of the race I developed blisters that caused me to slow down. On one hand I may have finished under 3:40 or even 3:30. On the other hand, the slower pace may have prevented me from hitting the wall or blowing up and finishing the end of the race at a walk.

I have NEVER felt as strong during a long race as I did during this marathon. I felt great and my pace early in the race reflected this. I reached the half way point under 1:44. This is the fastest I have run 13.1 miles. 2 personal bests in one race.

I credit my strength during the race to the hill and interval training I endured to Dave Manthey and his Runners Edge of the Rockies running group. I was also able to train consistently over the spring and summer. After my Boulder 70.3 race, I trained specifically for the Denver Marathon. I ran 400 miles in 3 months. This is the most miles I have put in for a marathon to date.

I started in the 4th wave since I put 3:55 as my anticipated finish time. I decided to try and run with the 3:40 pace group and see how long I could stay with them. The 3:40 pace group was in wave 2 so I doubted I would catch them. I make final adjustments to my Garmin and iPod. I have a marathon playlist that I often used on training runs. The race starts on a down hill so I had to concentrate on staying at my pace. At 2 miles I reached the first aid station which was staffed by Rocky Mountain Triathlon club and Runners Roost. It was great to see many of my friends handing out water and many cheered for me as I grabbed a drink.

The race winds through downtown Denver and past Coors field. After 3 miles I caught and passed the 3:40 pace group. The 4 mile aid station was staffed by the Arvada West volleyball team. I thought this was poetic since I ran cross country at Arvada West and now I am running a marathon. At about 5 miles we enter City Park and I thought I caught a glimpse of 2 of my hyper fast teammates leading the women's marathon.

The day before the marathon it snowed in the foothills and western suburbs so I anticipated running in cold and wet conditions so I put thick wool socks on. At about 9 miles into the race I started to feel hot spots on my feet. After 13 miles the hot spots became blisters. A few miles later, I felt the blisters on the ball of my left foot pop and my feet were in pain. It felt like I was running on hot sand.

All I could think about was getting to the finish line and possibly seeking some medical attention. I cross the finish line and I see that I had PR'd. I skipped the pictures and grabbed a drink and a bagel and entered the medical tent. I looked and my left shoe was soaked with blood. Once I removed the shoe I could see that the skin had separated and blood was still seeping. The doctor poured peroxide over the wound and carefully laid the skin back wrapped my foot. I left the tent and limped to bag check and back to the finish line to wait for Julie.

The next week was painful but bearable. My doctor was impressed and he probably thought I was crazy to endure such misery. He shook his head and prescribed some antibiotics.

Thinking back I can't imagine how I finished the race let alone set a new personal best.