Sunday, May 1, 2011

Colorado Marathon 5/1/11

Colorado Marathon
May 1, 2011
Finish Time: 4:03:27


The Expo

The Colorado marathon had a nice size expo for such a small race (1,000 marathoners and 1,500 half marathoners). There were tons of freebies and nice race apparel for sale. The race shirts were Brooks tech teeshirts with women's sizes and pink. It was at the Hilton Hotel near downtown Fort Collins.

The Start

The race starts at 6 am at the top of the Poudre Canyon, so we caught the bus at 4:30 am in downtown Fort Collins, CO. The bus ride was nice, warm, and had bathrooms on it (which is always nice), although we didn't need to go until we got to the top and there was a chilly wait for the Porta Potties  :-( There was a very efficient line to get on the bus so we didn't need to wait long at all. We also parked in the parking garage near the bus line so it was really easy to get to the start. It was about a 45 minute ride up the canyon. Tons of nervous energy and PR talk on the bus. Everyone is all hyped up to get ready. Some poor woman who was running her first marathon got stuck in the seat in front of us with a "Know it all Marathoner" who qualified for Boston twice (blah blah), anyway this lady had to hear her boast about her fast times the whole ride. Then as they went to get off the bus Mrs. Marathoner says, "Good Luck," the other lady turns and says, "I just want to finish with a petrified look on her face." We hope she did!!

At the start line, we didn't need to wait too long. Of course we had to pee once we got off the warm bus with the bathroom, so we made our way to a thankfully short line of Porta Potties. Lesson learned: If there is a bathroom on a transportation bus- GO!!! Once we were ready, we huddled and waited for about 20 minutes. We had extra clothing to shed and donate and hand warmers in our gloves. We wore two layers - old PJs and then sweats on top of it (so we were nice and toasty). It was a small group of people huddled at the top of the canyon waiting for the start. At the start, the race director played taps on his trumpet and we were off...

The Race 
Feeling really good- still in the canyon


First of all the race is all downhill. Great course for a PR!! You run through the Poudre Canyon for 18 miles. This is a beautiful run along the river and through the mountains. The air is crisp, there aren't a ton of runners so it isn't crowded at all. It was truly gorgeous! There were plenty of aid stations with heed and water, bathrooms, and people to help. The race was so small that it really felt like we were on a  very scenic and quiet run with each other. You run by some houses and at one point we smelled a wood burning stove outside. It seriously felt like some kind of run in a novel. The first 13 miles went by so fast that we were both still full of a ton of energy at the half way mark. This is also when we ran by the start of the half marathon (they start half way down the canyon). It was funny to see all of their shed clothes along the road. At that point we had been running between 8:45 and 9:00 minute miles. We were on a roll....

Course Map and Elevation Profile
You exit the canyon around mile 15 when you hit a small gas station known as Ted's place. This is when we saw the first group of spectators. It was a small race so after coming off of NYC and LA, it was a totally different kind of race. This is whether you run alone without many spectators until miles 16- 26, and even then they are small groups of people. These groups were awesome though! There were a lot of families, small children, signs, and locals cheering us on. Lots of cow bells :-)
Just out of the canyon- it started to really heat up!!

At around mile 17 we saw Andy, my husband (Tracy), on his bike. This was right before the only hill on the whole course so he came at a perfect time. He then rode his bike along side us until we turned onto the Poudre trail at mile 21. He was an awesome distraction and cheerleader for us. So great to see him and say, "See you at the finish line!!" He left to go get our children where they would meet us at the finish line.

We did it- even got a PR!
Miles 21- 24 were the only boring parts to the race. After running through a canyon where it is shady and cool with a river by your side, it is a little uneventful to run along a hot, dry, trail. Between miles 19 and 21 there were no water stations so at mile 21 we were really thirsty. We drank and they handed out GU at that point too. As we ran along the Poudre trail it felt more congested because we were mixed with the half marathoners on a small trail. We still ran on and eventually got to the more shaded area of the trail around mile 24. As we neared the end, we were running fast with the goal to break 4 hours. When we finally go off the trail, we ended up on the street heading south to the finish line. The only bad part of the race happened at this point. When we stepped onto the street, there was road construction so the road was all dug up, uneven gravel. After running 26 miles on paved road and path, we had incredibly uneven grounding. We still pushed on and ran as fast as we could until we reached a chute with spectators on both sides cheering us on. This included Tracy's whole family cheering! The DJ announced our names as we neared the finish and then in typical Stracey fashion- we grabbed each other's hands and with our arms in the air we crossed the finish line with a final time of 4:03:27.

Post Race

We got our new bling, waters and posters for the marathon. There was a tent behind the finish line with bagels, oranges, apples, and more water. We ate and then left to our cars for a post race brunch hosted at the race headquarter hotel- The Hilton. We all ate together (Stacey, Andy, and Kyla, Annabelle, Rachel, and Jillian). There is nothing better than a nice big display of food after running 26. 2 miles. After the brunch we headed back to my (Tracy's) house took showers and dressed comfortably for our next stop.... pedicures and massages at the Aveda salon. Very relaxing!!!! Post massages we picked up some Lemon Meringue pie and headed home for Andy's BBQ- Ribs, beans, corn on the cob.... let's just say we did a good job replacing the calorie deficit from the run that morning.

  Overall a wonderful race with a great time and by far the most scenic race so far!!