So in case you missed it, the Colfax Marathon did not go as expected. I went into it with a bad hip and just feeling pretty drained. I was over trained and drained. While it didn’t go great for me, the race itself was really great! So let’s get on with it…
Expo
The expo was awesome! They held it at the Wings Over the Rockies museum in Denver so there were planes everywhere which was really, really cool.They even had a to scaled X-Wing fighter!
A photo posted by Katherine Pease (@kpease128) on May 16, 2015 at 8:08am PDT
Grabbed my packet, my beer wristband, and my tshirt and was on my way! The goodies were pretty respectable, nothing extraordinary but a snack bar and some other coupons and goodies.
I did my usual 2 mile shake out run which was harder than it should have been and hoped some rest and adrenaline would make race day primo!
Race Day
The race was in Denver so Wookie and I drove down, he dropped me off near the start area. There weren’t clear directions for where exactly I should be dropped off so I ended up walking a bit further, but it’s okay. It helped me to shake out my nerves a bit.
I was ready to #KeepItTight for #TeamSparkle
I got to the start area, used one of the many many porto-potties and then checked my bag. I looked around briefly for the first aid to grab some tylenol but couldn’t find it so went to the start area and planned to pick it up at one of the many first aid stations listed.
See how many first aid stops were listed!
With a beautiful duet singing of the National Anthem we were off!
We started off through the park and then through the downtown area and then on to Colfax Ave!
The course was a great tour of downtown Devner and some of the surrounding neighborhoods. The loop around Sloan’s Lake was awesome. They had been hyping the dragon boats that would be on the water, but none were to be seen. 🙁
We then ran through some more neighborhoods with lots of people out cheering and tailgating the race which is always fun!
So I had been on the look out for a first aid stop. Around mile 6 I asked a volunteer at a water stop, he had no idea. Asked at the next couple water stops, no dice. Augh. My hip started hurting and mentally I NEEDED tylenol. Around mile 12 I gave up my pursuit and just came to terms with my race.
It was getting hot, I was overtrained, and I wasn’t going to get tylenol to keep my hip pain at bay. This was my race.
Around mile 22 I saw a sign that said “Embrace the Suck” and that’s what I did. I walked more frequently than I would’ve liked in those last few miles. I didn’t get my second win during the final miles. I was hot and this just wasn’t my day. I tried every montra I had in my arsenal, no dice.
I just tried to enjoy the race, the beautiful sunshine day and just enjoy the moment anyway I could.
The course was great and the race was pretty great, it just wasn’t my day.
I finished in 4:06:44 which is a respectable time, but not what I wanted that day. This is slowest race since the Dopey Challenge marathon in 2014.
The post-race area was super awesome. I grabbed my free beer but decided to skip the barbecue. There were lots of vendors around, but I was drained so I just sat and enjoyed my beer before heading home. If it had been a better race, I would’ve really enjoyed the post-race offerings!
Pros:
Great Course
Frequent water and Gatorade stops
Beautiful medal
Great post race party!
Port-o-potties everywhere!
Cons
Invisible First Aid stations – seriously where were they hiding?
Unclear instructions for parking and drop-off at the beginning of the race
Congrats on your 11th Marathon! That is awesome! I'm sorry to hear it didn't go as planned, but just finishing it says a lot! I hate running at altitude myself, but it makes me feel awesome when I run at sea level – so just know how much ass you'll kick at your next out of state race (at least that's what I tell myself)! =)
Thanks Amanda! Yeah I'm excited to run at sea level again and kick some behind (hoepfully). Marathons are always a learning experience and definitely learned a lot about myself.
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Congrats on your 11th Marathon! That is awesome! I'm sorry to hear it didn't go as planned, but just finishing it says a lot!
I hate running at altitude myself, but it makes me feel awesome when I run at sea level – so just know how much ass you'll kick at your next out of state race (at least that's what I tell myself)! =)
Thanks Amanda! Yeah I'm excited to run at sea level again and kick some behind (hoepfully). Marathons are always a learning experience and definitely learned a lot about myself.