The MS Runner

It’s official.  I am running my next marathon and it is the inaugural Rock N Roll Denver Marathon.  It’s pretty much the same as the old Denver Marathon, but they have new owners, and of course a higher entry fee.  I actually didn’t want to do this one, but I got a free entry which saved me $90, and it’s the inaugural Rock N Roll!

So I’m starting to ramp up my training and the big question is, do I do speed work this time?   The reason that I’m hesitant is that every time I do speed work with a group, I injure myself.  I don’t know if it’s because I’m too competitive and I push myself harder with other people around or what?  So do I do it, but back it down a bit, or just do it on my own?  Aaacckk.

I did a nice little race last weekend called the Stadium Stampede 5K.  Towards the end, you run through Invesco Field which is where the Bronco’s play and see yourself on the big screen.  I did the race with Diane’s 13 year old niece Colleen, and it was the farthest she has ever run.   She did awesome and I hope that we can run again soon.  I took 2nd in my age group with a 24:32 time.  I thought maybe I would be in the top 10, but definitely not 2nd.  I actually miss 1st by 5 seconds and if I would have know that I was so close, I would have kicked it into another gear.

I did the half at the Denver Marathon this past weekend and I must say that it was a success.  My goal was not to push myself too hard, finish somewhere around 2 hours, and not hurt my knee.  The day was perfect for running.  It was 50 degrees at the start and got up to about 62 at the end.  The one thing that I would change about this marathon is the start.  You have the marathoners, the half marathoners, and the relaythoners all starting together.  It’s like a freakin’ cattle call and I felt like I was going to go to the slaughterhouse.  And the one thing that really pisses me off is the people that line up towards the front with runners that will run the race in 3 hours or so, and the only thing that they can run well with is their mouth.  Oye.  Anyways, I think they should have qualifying waves and if you are a slow poke, you will have to be at the end. But, after the crazy start, it thinned out a bit, but there were always other runners around you.  I like that because if can fall into a group that runs your pace, it seems that much easier to run.

Around mile 5, my legs started feeling heavy.  Being that I hadn’t run longer than 10 miles sine June, I was a bit concerned.  But then at mile 6, I had one of my Stinger Energy Gels, and felt much better.  I probably should have taken it a mile sooner, but I’m a creature of habit.  I seem to always have one at mile 6 instead of having one when I need it.

After mile 6, I ran into someone I knew and she was doing the half also.  This is a week after she ran the Chicago Marathon!  Amazing.

Between mile 7 and mile 11, I really don’t remember much.  I kind of get into a zone where I don’t notice anything or even pay attention to my time.  I checked my watch at mile 11, and it was at 1 hour and 42 minutes.  I was doing okay, and I didn’t even try and do the math to see if I was going to make it in 2 hours.   I just kept along at the pace I was going and figured I’d be right about 2 hours.

Once I hit the point where you could see the finish, I thought I’d pick up the pace a bit, because I felt strong and good.  There was less than a half mile to go, and I think I passed about 15 people to get to the finish line.  My final time was 1:59:38.  I broke 2 hours, and more importantly, I didn’t hurt myself.

One nice thing about this marathon, was the beer garden afterwards.  They actually had some good beer instead of the typical Bud or Coors.  It was all from Left Hand Brewing Company here in Colorado.  As I was sitting there tossing back a few Sawtooth Ales’s, this woman sat down next to me and starting talking about the run.  It turns out that she is 66 years old, ran the half marathon that day, and has done 5 marathons already this year!  She’s not even sure how many marathons she has done in her life, but she said it’s well over a hundred.  Maybe close to two hundred.  Incredible!

Well that’s it, and now I aim for the OBX Marathon in North Carolina.  Since I have not run much this summer, I’m doing the half.  At sea level, I’m shooting for 1:45.