Marathons I have run since 2010. I ran the Dallas White Rock Marathon at 16 and 18 years of age, then took a 30 year hiatus.

Pearl Street Marathon

10 Sunday Oct 2021

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Boulder Marathon, Marathons, Running

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Boulderthon, race results

I ran the Boulder Marathon this morning. Four years after my last marathon. Not sure if I can explain why running 26 miles was important to me. Let’s just say 2020 was hard and I wasn’t happy with my weight gain. I wanted to be a runner again and running a marathon seemed like the best way to become one. That’s how runners think.

Same road as the first photo, Oxford Road, but headed back west at 11 miles

Although most of the race was run on the Boulder Backroads, as in past Boulder Marathons, this one finished downtown on Pearl Street, so the organizers branded it as the Boulderthon. Who am I to consider that kitschy? Well, I’m a product manager. I understand marketing, it’s one of the hats I wear more frequently at work. I’ve named my share of products. Given that the biggest draw of this event, per the race organizers, is the downtown finish on Pearl Street, I’d have named it the Pearl Street Marathon. Think Colfax. Think Peach Street. Something meaningful to the locals. That would have differentiated it from past Boulder Marathons. I shouldn’t complain though. The event could not have been more well run.

Karen and I spent the night at the Hotel Boulderado. There’s no parking at the race start at the Boulder Res, and I didn’t want to make her drop me off so early, plus the hotel is near the finish on the Pearl Street Mall. We enjoyed a nice dinner at the hotel restaurant, Spruce, Farm & Fish where I ate raw oysters and Cod. That thing about runners eating pasta before a marathon is a myth. There were also buses lined up near the hotel to ferry me to the race start in the morning.

The weather was awesome and likely helped me to do better than expected. 43° at the start. Low 60s by the finish.

Nothing stretches distance out longer than straightness, and this course had some long, straight roads. The half-mile-long dam at the Res was the worst. Because it’s straight in every dimension, it felt like three miles. Oxford Road was about four miles of straightness, but at least it undulated vertically with some hills. Still, I felt really good the first half and didn’t start to feel fatigued until mile sixteen. I pretty much ran to the race plan I shared last weekend, except I ran a bit faster overall; 50 seconds per mile faster in the first half and 10 seconds faster per mile in the second half.

My breathing felt great this entire run. I never once felt like I wasn’t going to finish. I did start walking a bit at the aid stations to drink and douse my head with water in the final 10K. I also walked a tad whenever my heart would start to race past my max heart rate. I found I could recover after a half minute or so of walking. This was also in the final 10K. Still, I finished well ahead of my goal, in 4:35.

My legs tightened up after twenty miles and shortened my stride, but I never came close to cramping. I helped a runner out at 23 miles by giving him the rest of my pickle juice when I discovered him on the side of the trail with cramps. I had two 17 ounce water bottles, one with Tailwind, a high-calorie sports drink that’s not at all sweet tasting, and the other with dill pickle juice. You won’t find a sports drink with anywhere near the sodium as pickle juice. It has more salt than the Dead Sea. But I drink it because it tastes good.

As usual, I found religion those final six miles. Because I didn’t want to disappoint God, I made promises I couldn’t keep with the Devil. I’m kidding of course, but man, the things you say to yourself to get across the finish line. The twenty-fifth mile was uphill with a quick downhill near the end. Colorado races will always throw a hill at you near the end. Race Directors are cruel.

I wouldn’t say I put on a kick, but I did finish strong. Karen and friends were there at the finish. Chris Price served as my crew chief and took all these photos. He rode around the course on his bike, ready to resupply my sports drinks, or carry me off if I DNF’d.

Finished 5th in my age group, even though I was 4th and an hour quicker in my last Boulder Marathon. I think other competing marathons in October, or Covid, and maybe the poor air quality this summer, diluted this year’s competition. The first two weeks of my ten week training plan was inside on the elliptical to avoid the unhealthy air quality. I wasn’t as fit as I’d hoped to be for this event, but man, it felt good to run it. I’m a runner again.

Poudre Canyon

07 Sunday May 2017

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Marathons, Running

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

2017 Colorado Marathon, race results

A marathon is a long run. Don’t bother fact checking that, unless you intend to run one. In my experience, it’s also true that the miles in the second half of the event are longer than the first thirteen miles, if measured by time rather than distance. That was true today as the 70° heat eventually caught up to me. Still, I had a good run. This photo of me and Karen was taken in the Cubby Room at Bisetti’s Ristorante. We went for Italian and for some reason got sat in their most romantic setting. It’s a private room with a fireplace. Yes, I drink wine the night before a marathon. You never know when it’s going to be your last.

20 miles smile

Marathons can also make for a long day. I boarded a bus from the Hilton Fort Collins at 4:30am this morning to ride up Poudre Canyon for the 6:30am start of the 2017 Colorado Marathon. My Weather Channel app said the race would begin at about 54°. That was from the night before, I didn’t have a signal in the canyon. Other people were showing 60°. Not ideal for running a marathon. Surprisingly, I’m still smiling in this photo at 20 miles.

20 miles barn

My buddy Chris drove out to Fort Collins to take these photos. Can’t thank him enough. This one is the same spot, at 20 miles. You can see the cloud cover helped to mitigate the heat. I ran the first half at a 7:30 pace. Pretty fast considering I train between 8 and 9 minutes per mile, depending on the distance. I knew this was from a combination of the nearly 1% negative grade and running with others. This had me well ahead of my target time of a 3:50 finish.

21 miles

My pace dropped to 8 minute miles for the 3rd 10K, miles 14 to 20, still really decent. This accomplished one of my biggest goals, which was to run the third quarter of this marathon strong. The heat got to me right after this photo though. You can see the fatigue setting in. I ended up vomiting three times in mile 22, which began my slow down. You could say I vomited a 9:30 pace for mile 22.

23 miles

Before I succumbed to the heat, I was on pace to easily qualify for Boston, and was feeling excited. Running ten pounds over my weight from the last few years, I wasn’t expecting to run this fast. But I slowed down to a 10:30 pace for miles 23 and 24, then an 11:30 pace for the final two miles. After getting sick, I began to stop at the aid stations for a half minute to not only drink additional fluids, but to pour several cups of water over my head. Seemed like the smart thing to do. Not sure I would have finished if I didn’t stop for water. I train with my heart rate under 150 beats per minute; the combination of this heat and my early pace gave me an average heart rate of 177 bpm. Not used to that.

kick

I did finish, fairly exhausted and with a bit of cramping afterward. It was good to have Chris and Karen there to help me recover. Not sure if I’ll be able to train for marathons in the near future, now that I commute to Denver for my new job, but I’d like to run this puppy again. Great course. Just need to get lucky with the weather. I thought my bib number, 537, all primes, would work some magic, but weather rules in marathons. I’m happy with this one though. Great run overall. Finished at 3:42 and took second for my age. As I was passing an Indian kid, about 20 years old, earlier in the race, he said to me in a strong, rhythmic accent, “Wow, do you mind sir, telling me your age?” Told him I’m 55 and he said something else about being impressed. Not sure what he saw. My hat would have been covering my gray hair. Apparently I look old below my hat.

finish

South Platte River

18 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Marathons, Running

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Denver Marathon, race results

I trained this summer with the intensity and focus of an obsessive-compulsive with Asperger Syndrome. Friends and family questioned my sanity. I sweated out ten pounds in the High Plains heat of July and August. My end goal was the Boulder Marathon. I was satisfied with that run, it was my best marathon from the ten I have run since 2010. Call me greedy, but I just can’t let all that training go without squeezing in another run – and today is the Denver Marathon. I know my training is no guarantee of a good marathon, two of those previous ten went horribly wrong. I hit the proverbial wall in the Austin 2011 and Steamboat 2013 marathons and took over 4 hours to finish. I developed arthritis in my symphysis pubis from the Denver 2010 race. I think about all my previous marathons, good and bad, as I ride the shuttle to the race start at Adams County Fairgrounds. Marathons can be brutal, but I feel good about this one.

It’s not enough that the Denver Marathon is run at a mile high in altitude. This year’s course is entirely uphill from start to finish. I was initially irritated by this as I only learned of the course change after registration. I’m maintaining some optimism now after more careful study of the elevation chart. It only rises a little over 200 feet, maybe 600 feet total elevation gain, over 26 miles. With the exception of what appears to be a sizable hill after 9 miles, I probably won’t even visually notice the incline. Hope my heart rate is equally blind.

The major difference over previous years is that rather than running through beautiful and classic old Denver parks and neighborhoods, this year’s course runs upstream along the South Platte River – from Brighton to Downtown Denver. The marathon will launch from a section of trail termed the Colorado Front Range Trail – part of a proposed 876 mile path stretching from Wyoming to New Mexico. Despite the cynicism that accompanies age, I’m hoping for a picturesque, fall-colored, riverfront experience. On paper, the 18 mile South Platte River Trail flows through significant industrial parks and waste treatment facilities. It might be more aptly named the Commerce City Marathon.

I left my iPhone at home so I won’t have any photos. Just as well I show the Denver Marathon logo to note that this will be the final Denver Marathon, at least for the Rock and Roll series. They can’t get approval for the requisite road closures. They’ll continue to run the Half. I start out feeling good and on pace. My goal is to run under 3:30. My first 10K is nearly perfect at 47:50 – about a 7:50 pace. I maintain this for the half, again running almost perfectly to plan at 1:45 with an 8 minute pace overall. Problem is, I start to feel fatigue at 10 miles. I run miles 9, 10 and 11 at 7:53, 7:51, and 7:50 respectively, but slow down to 8:13 for both miles 12 and 13. And this is where the wheels begin to fall off. I slow down to 9 minute miles by mile 16, and the 3:30 pace sign passes me.

I begin running a 10 minute pace by mile 18, slowing down eventually to a 13 minute pace after mile 20. I walk parts of the final 10K and finish in 4:05. My 3rd worst time ever and my 3rd marathon over 4 hours. The fun was over by the half way point and finishing was pure hell. My legs, specifically my glutes, had zero power after 13 miles. I feared this in the back of my mind because my runs have been like this for the last two weeks. I might have strained my glutes in the Jamestown Hill Climb. I’m pretty disappointed but happy I finished. I don’t take these marathons for granted. You can be in the best shape ever and run a poor marathon. I know that.

I suspect strained muscles as my biggest issue, but there could have been others. My age division ran horribly. My Boulder time would have finished 3rd here. I still finished 17th which is hard to believe. The winner barely broke 3:30. So maybe it was the heat. It warmed up into the 70°s and the course had no shade whatsoever. General consensus from talking to others afterward is that this course sucked. It felt so long running out in the farmland north of Denver. Things hardly improved in Denver. Pipes spewing industrial waste into the South Platte were pervasive. And the smell running past the treatment plant was disgusting. This course essentially ran through Denver’s toilet. The South Platte Trail running through Downtown wasn’t exactly spectacular either. Denver’s urban trail system is awesome, but this course wasn’t the showcase.

Maybe I’m being bitter because I had a bad run. Or a bad second half. But then there was the idiot lady who walked in front of me with a metal suitcase at the 26 mile sign without looking. I hit her suitcase hard. Still can’t believe I didn’t go down, but it was a momentum killer for sure. There was no kick after that.

Might take some time off from running to heal. Absolutely everything hurts so much right now. I might be burned out on running. Winter sports are calling me. When I think I can do stairs again, I’m going to check out my snowshoe and snowboard gear in the basement.

Boulder Backroads Marathon 2015

19 Saturday Sep 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Boulder Marathon, Marathons, Running

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Boulder Backroads, Boulder Marathon, Boulder Res, Gadi, race results

This morning’s Boulder Marathon is what all my massive mileage training is about. Over 600 miles in the heat of July and August. Last weekend’s relay race over Georgia Pass has me feeling confident. Although, working 13 hour days in New York all week and only exercising less than 60 minutes in aggregate on hotel aerobic machinery has me questioning my taper plan. My legs should certainly be fresh. Hopefully the unabated restaurant and bar calories will find purpose twenty miles from now.

Chris and I start out together the first half mile. We’re both wearing shorts and tech t-shirts without gloves despite the 47° starting temperature. It will warm up 1° per mile; we couldn’t ask for better weather. Chris is running the half marathon and surges ahead of me in the first mile. I’m not wearing my Garmin, it’s recording stats but in my pocket. I’ll relate my mile splits here but I don’t know them while I run. I run my first mile in 7:42. The only bad start in a marathon is one that goes out too fast. This is probably too fast but it is mostly downhill. The next five miles are up hill.

Still, my next four miles are in 7:23, 7:32, 7:49, and 7:49. I watch Chris this whole time race about 200 meters ahead of me against two guys in blue and one in yellow. There are less than 400 runners between the full and half marathons, so we’re completely spread out after two miles. Chris drops the two blues before hitting Niwot Road at three miles and runs even with the yellow guy until five miles. At this point, Chris surges and increases his lead over me to a quarter mile. The yellow guy surges a couple of minutes after Chris, but never again reaches him. Chris sees me after a goofy loop-back turn off Oxford Road and puts on a massive surge that takes him out of sight for me until I see him at the half finish. This photo shows his kick near the end.

Chris finishes 5th in his age division and 34th overall. I think the half is more competitive than the full. You get a sense of how fast Chris kicks in this finish photo based on how high his feet are off the ground. His 1:33 is a personal record.

I cross the half six minutes behind Chris in 1:39 – which is a good ten minutes faster than I expected. I see this time on a clock at the Boulder Rez. This is surprisingly fast in a 7:30 pace but I feel strong. I run much of the second 10K with Gadi, a runner who recently moved from Israel to obtain his Masters in Psycology at Naropa University in Boulder. We talk much of the time but he finishes at the half. I’m certain at this point I can run a second 13 miles, I feel that strong. I do expect to slow down on the upcoming hills and do by a minute to an 8:30 pace as the third 10K gains elevation again.

My legs become heavy on the final uphill mile, the 19th mile, but I pick my pace back up at twenty miles. Some other runners begin to surge here, sensing the downward slope. I don’t get into a race though because I know I won’t be able to hold it. My goal all along has been to feel comfortable the entire race, which is why I don’t monitor my watch. I pass a couple of runners on this final 10K and one passes me. After 22 miles, the course turns off Niwot Road onto a trail along an irrigation ditch. The gravel feels like hot coals under my tender feet. This begins my slowdown as my stride significantly shortens.

I tend to describe bonking or hitting the wall in terms of running out of fuel, but this is how it feels. All the muscles in my abdomen and upper legs begin to melt. The heaviness and burning from lactic acid would be preferable to this sensation of vanishing body parts. My slowing pace is like a dream where I’m running but moving in slow motion because I don’t have control. I picture my blood cells moving into my muscles and stealing away without replenishing the lost proteins. It’s a brutal scenario where momentum is only maintained by leaning forward and hoping my legs drop in front of me in time to catch my fall because I haven’t the ability to contract my thighs and lift my knees. I don’t bonk necessarily here but slow down even more at mile 24. This slowdown is more from heavy legs – not nearly as painful as hitting the wall.

The cheering crowd steers me toward the finish line like sirens to the rocks. I yank my Garmin from my pocket at the 26 mile sign and notice I’m close to a 3:30 Boston Qualifying time. I didn’t plan on sprinting to the finish, but pick it up a bit anyway for the final quarter mile. I cross in 3:30:05. Five seconds off qualifying for Boston! This doesn’t actually bother me though because I wasn’t trying to run this fast. Even with my slowdown the final two miles, this marathon was everything I hoped it would be. I felt great. I’m totally satisfied. I never bonked. And my second half was only ten minutes slower than my first, not a bad margin. Good enough for 12th place overall, although only 4th in my age division. 50 year olds are fast in Boulder. I would have either won or taken second in just about every other age group. I complete my day with a massage at 3pm, a steak dinner at 5, and I’m watching CU go into overtime against CSU. Awesome day!

Winter Marathon

15 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Marathons, Running

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Austin Marathon, Austin Marathon 2015 race results, seasonaltimetravel, Shoes and Brews, Stephen F. Austin Hotel

Nineteen hours after arrival, my eyes stare south down Congress Avenue at the first mile of the 2015 Austin Marathon. My stomach reminds me that I could still be in bed, warm and comfy. My legs are simply ready. Born and bred to run. Primed. This was their idea. I know winter marathons to be a bad idea. The Colorado ice age inhibits meaningful miles. But with 15,000 runners poised over my shoulder, I’m in a one way cypher. My only path is forward, for 26 miles of Austin. I can do this.

My cold feels magically better. Maybe colds don’t survive as long in warm winters? The heat when the starting gun fired was around 60°. I don’t question it, I’m happy to accept this gift from the marathon spirit. I can breathe. “Thank you, marathon spirit.” So things are looking up for me. I’m going to run however I feel.

I maintain discipline with the start from 2nd Street and run my first mile in 8:17. A little on the fast side of plan, but close enough for me. I feel naked in this crowd without a tattoo and I don’t see anyone I know. I figure Rebecca started somewhere behind, but don’t really know. She’s running the half. We’ll share most of the biggest hills in the first half of the course. Mile two goes by in 8:03. I think I ran faster because my legs warmed up, but mile two is more or less the same incline as the first mile. Same goes for mile three. I run this in 7:52. Again, a bit of a miss to the low side but not that far from my previous mile pace. At this point, I’m at the southern-most segment of South Austin. I turn right and run up hill for a few more blocks on Ben White Blvd., before returning Downtown with another right-hand turn.

I strategically expect my pace will change running down South First Street. Amazingly unchanged, the homes and businesses still look like Austin when I used to live here. Somehow cooler now. Despite the low-hanging clouds, I’m seriously sweating. 85% humidity. I’ve been wiping mold spores from my forehead since mile two. I should begin to run well under 8 minutes now, until somewhere in Tarrytown, and I do. I hit mile four in 7:32. Mile five in 7:22, again for mile six in 7:22. This is where I cross the bridge in this photo, turning west along Cesar Chavez.

Mile seven stays low with 7:36, mile eight lower yet in 7:34. Then I hit the pace I want to run in the hills of Tarrytown. Mile nine hits 7:59, mile ten 7:58, mile eleven 8:09, mile twelve is in 8:02 and mile thirteen is 8:04. Honestly, I wanted those times a second or two under 8 minutes, but Exposition and everything west is Texas Hill Country. Running slower was the right tactic.

The site texting me says I ran the first half in 1:42 for a 7:54 pace. I’m on pace for my stretch goal, and try maintaining it further. I’m on the east side of Mopac now, running north up Bull Creek. I complete the next four miles like clockwork. I run mile fourteen in 8:00 even. Mile fifteen in 8:01. Then a bit of a slowdown occurs on mile sixteen with 8:15. I’m moderately concerned with this and determine to pick it up. I run mile seventeen in 8:11, a marginal improvement, but I felt like the time would be faster. Fatigue is setting in.

The 3:30 pace sign catches me and aids me to run 8:06 for the eighteenth mile. This is a struggle though. I let the 3:30 runners go and slow to a 9:04 for mile nineteen. I’m depressed over this and give things one more shot with an 8:34 for mile twenty – a welcome milestone. I accept my demise after this and shuffle in with mostly nine minute miles to the end. 8:56 for mile twenty-one, 9:17 for mile twenty-two, and 9:20 for mile twenty-three. In mile twenty-four, I see Chris Amaro at the Hancock Golf Course. He runs up the hill with me to Duvall, and leaves me to run in the remaining miles.

I’m done competing and keep an even effort across the UT campus with a 9:18 mile twenty-four, 9:08 mile twenty-five, and final twenty-sixth mile in 9:17. I cross the finish line nine minutes short of my stretch goal in 3:39, an 8:24 pace. Once I accepted that I was slowing down, I played up the point that I was also under last year’s pace, by six minutes, so I’m happy with my run. Disappointed I couldn’t hold that faster pace, but shoot, I had a cold.

Rebecca PR’d in 2:10, this is only her second Half. We all enjoyed hanging out on the balcony at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel. Great spot. I finished up with a massage by Jesse at Massage Envy in Round Rock. I told her to apply deep pressure, even though I normally like medium. Figured it would aid in muscle recovery. It was good, but there were some painful moments. Jesse could whip out a finger and bury it in my flesh like a switchblade. I enjoyed fifty shades of massage. Been basically eating non-stop ever since. My eleventh marathon is complete. This ends my winter running season. I’ll be in Austin for a few weeks, and it’s already spring here.

The Marathon

19 Sunday Oct 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Marathons, Running

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

2014 Denver Marathon Race Results, Denver Marathon, Shoes and Brews

I rise at 4:30. AM. Per my nutrition plan, I forgo coffee. Discipline. I’m serious about this run. Not in a stressful way. I’m going to have fun today. This run is going to feel awesome. My goal is to run an even, steady pace. Maintaining my pace in the 4th quarter of a marathon requires a slower start and not prematurely boosting my metabolism before the event with coffee or breakfast. I don’t really know if this will work. My experience running suggests I’ll benefit from the slower start. As for delaying my metabolism, well, I read the Internet.

Chris picks me up at 5:15. We drive down together to the VIP parking spot close to the race start. We are there an hour before start, but I almost feel rushed. Time goes by fast. I do take a sip of coffee before the race, but this is within 30 minutes of start time. At least I think so at the time. The 7:15 start is delayed by nearly ten minutes waiting for street closures. I take some potassium supplements too before the start. Trying to avoid muscle cramps in the 4th quarter is the focus of my nutrition plan.

This year’s course has some key changes. We still run down 14th Street, past the Pepsi Center. Instead of crossing Speer, we turn west on it and run up and around Sloan Lake. The lake neighborhood is pretty once we reach it. This is a much hillier course. This doesn’t bother me since it’s early in the run. I pace with Chris the first two miles as he starts out with controlled 9 minute miles before accelerating to a 7:30 pace. My Garmin records 8:58 the first mile, and 8:32 for mile two. This is the last I see of Chris for awhile as he quickly surges away on an uphill segment. The road conditions are a bit disappointing with significant construction debris. I later meet a woman who fell and was injured from this.

My goal pace for today is 8:30 but I speed up after these initial hills. I complete mile 3 in 8:00. The course around Sloan Lake flattens out for miles 4 and 5. I run these in 7:53 and 7:27. I’m speeding up but it’s early. I feel very comfortable with this pace though and feel like I can maintain it without much effort. Mile 6 is another uphill. I run mile 6 in 7:28. This completes the first 10K – at a faster clip than I planned. Sloan Lake fades from view but we continue through some picturesque neighborhoods painted yellow, red and orange in the fall colors.

Mile 7 continues the incline. I begin chatting with a runner who is complaining about the hills. I tell him I’m pleased with the course change up. Hills aren’t bad when they are early in a race. I maintain a decent pace with a 7:41. Mile 8 begins the drop back into downtown Denver and with it my pace falls half a minute to 7:19. My pre-race plan, from studying the elevation profile, is to leverage this descent and run miles 8 and 9 with some speed. I run mile 9 in 6:53. I’m not concerned about running too fast here because it’s part of my plan to bank some minutes under pace before the half.

I suspect I’ll be able to maintain this momentum through downtown. Well, on paper the night before in my planning. Partly because the streets should be flat and because the crowds should be thick and motivational. This turns out to be the case and I find myself catching back up to Chris. He stops at a port-a-potty before I can call out to him. This puts me ahead of him. My evil side considers speeding up to put some distance between us. I know though it’s too early for moves like that. I run mile 10 in 7:34.

While I know Chris will eventually catch me, I’m surprised he closes the gap so quickly. He calls out to me in the warehouse district north of Coors Field – just before mile 11. I record 7:24 and Chris pulls even with me heading into mile 12. Chris’ wife Renee and daughter are here and take some photos. We run mile 12 together, chatting along about how we feel. We are both starting to feel some fatigue at this point. At nearly halfway, that’s to be expected. We run mile 12 in 7:44. I want to hang with Chris until we reach 17th street, where I expect to slow down from the hill that begins past Broadway. Chris surges though to return to his race pace plans and I lose him again.

I’m a little bummed that I slow down on mile 13 to an 8:04, but it’s not unexpected. This is a real hill. And it’s still well under my 8:30 pace plan. In fact, I complete the first half with a 7:50 overall average pace at 1:41 for 13 miles. I’m happy with this. Mile 14 is similar in 8:02, also uphill. I’m starting to consider I might be able to maintain an 8 minute pace and begin to reset my pre-race goal of 8:30. For this, I want to drop back down under 8 minutes per mile and I do. The course flattens out through colorful City Park. I run mile 15 in 7:39, mile 16 in 7:45 and mile 17 in 7:58.

Again, my pre-race strategy included the hope I could pick up some momentum on the return downtown via 17th Street, because it’s a downhill mile. Instead, I post 8:08 for mile 18. My surge through City Park costs me. This is also a critical point in the marathon, where many runners hit the wall. Fatigue is to be expected here. I’m stoked that I’m still running around an 8 minute pace. I begin though taking it mile by mile. No more grand expectations. I set my objective each mile for 8 minutes. Mile 19 comes in at 7:55. This will be my last mile under 8 minutes. I pass Chris again here on Lincoln Street as he slows down for water at the aid station. He passes me back almost immediately, but slows again on Speer. Chris is hitting the wall.

I’m feeling it too. Speer might appear flat to drivers. I can tell you though, 20 miles into a marathon, Speer has a definite incline. The slightest inclines become monster hills this deep into a marathon. I slow down to 8:03 for mile 20 and 8:43 for mile 21. This worries me that the wheels are starting to fall off but the course flattens out as we head into Washington Park. This helps me to post an 8:29 for mile 22 and 8:24 for mile 23. My total time here is 3 hours and 2 minutes. It’s amazingly difficult to perform simple math when you’re this physically exhausted, but I begin to think I might have a chance at finishing in 3:30. That would qualify me for Boston.

This excites me and I try to speed up. I’m too tired by now though and despite some down slope, I slow down to an 8:39. Bummer, but this is what happens near the end of a marathon. The legs stop responding. Mile 25 is mostly along Speer again and has a good downward slope too. I run this in 8:18. I’m pushing for that 3:30 but my updated calculations suggest it’s out of reach. The hill up Lincoln on mile 26 doesn’t help. My final mile is in 8:34 and I cross the finish line in 3:31. 7th place in my age division.

I’m disappointed to be so close to qualifying for Boston, but elated overall that this run went so well. My overall pace is 7:59 because I actually run two tenths of a mile further than a marathon. That oddity is from weaving side-to-side along the course, elongating the official distance. I never cramp, even after the race. I feel great and that was my goal for today. My time is a PR by over 5 minutes. I meet up with Chris and his family later in the day at Shoes and Brews in Longmont for a couple of beers. From there, I get a pedicure at Main Street Nails. Their location isn’t on Main Street in case you try driving there. I’m currently ensconced on the couch watching Manning school the 49ers and set some passing records. Great day.

Austin Hills

16 Sunday Feb 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Marathons, Running

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Austin Marathon, Results

I wake up at 4:30 central standard time. I make the coffee and my mom is up shortly after. I prep my race food by peeling two oranges and cutting up two small bananas. My brother will follow me around the second half of the course to keep me fed. He wakes up at 5:30 and we drive downtown. Having a race crew is very nice. Steve drops me off on 15th St., a couple of blocks east of the race start. I teach him how to take pictures with my iPhone and he drives off into the darkness for breakfast somewhere.

I have 45 minutes to get my mind into race mode for 26.2 miles. Naturally, I’m anxious over this marathon. I’m also a little bummed though that I won’t be snowshoeing with Karen. We went snowshoeing the last five weekends in a row. Maybe not how most runners train for a marathon. Karen and I will hook back up in the spring to snowshoe some new trails. For this race, I feel like I usually do. I simply can’t believe the people who typically suck my time are granting me four hours to go run. The weather is pleasant for standing around in shorts and my short-sleeve jersey. It’s 57° and is only expected to warm up another ten degrees. The Mayor of Austin, who sounds very much like Kris Kristofferson, says some words. A lady sings the National Anthem. Next thing I know, I’m running through the streets of downtown Austin.

I’m in the top half of the 18,000 runners. The crowd doesn’t begin to thin until we’re on South Congress after two or three miles. I’m okay that my first mile is in 7:55 but suspect I’m running too fast as my second mile comes in at 7:17. I consciously slow down. My third mile clocks in at 7:40. Still a bit fast. The Congress Avenue hill helps to govern my speed by the fourth mile which is 7:58. I hoped to average an 8:30 pace the first six miles. Mile 5 is in 7:39 and mile 6 is in 7:45.

The mile 6 aid station begins a downhill segment heading north on South First St., back toward downtown. I planned to maybe stretch out my legs on this downhill for a couple of fast miles but change my game plan and stay conservative given my fast start. I stop monitoring my Garmin with the intent of not looking at it again until the half way point. My Garmin upload though reports I run miles 7, 8 and 9 in 7:21, 7:31 and 7:34 respectively. I’m seriously surprised by this given my dearth of winter training but suspect it’s due to the low altitude. The half marathoners split off toward downtown half way into mile ten on Exposition. This section is fairly hilly and the 3:25 pace sign passes me – which is probably good. I run mile 10 in 8:01, mile 11 in 8:11 and mile 12 in 8:30. Finally on pace. I’m thankful I’m not hurting yet. I try eating one of my FRS fuel candies but it’s hard and difficult to eat. I start thinking about how old they are. Five years maybe. I switch to my Honey Stinger gummy bears and eat up the 200 calorie bag by the half way point, which the official clock shows me reaching in 1:42. This pace would have me qualify for Boston, but I’m beginning to slow down.

I encounter Steve around mile 16 at Allandale, captured in the first picture above. I eat some oranges and banana. Miles 13, 14, 15 and 16 come in at 8:36, 8:26, 8:22 and 8:39. This is the pace I want to run but begin to slow down even more. I feel good in terms of energy and breathing but my legs tighten up on the 16th mile. Miles 17, 18 and 19 come in at 9:01, 8:42 and 8:48. The second photo is at 19 miles. Mile 20 marks the turn south back toward downtown. I run this in 9:09, mile 21 in 9:01 and mile 22 in 9:23. Mile 23 is a bummer as my right hamstring cramps with very little notice. I hit the pavement to recover and only lose about a minute, running mile 23 in 10:48. I’m careful after this and purposely keep my pace slow in order to successfully finish.

I pass one of my favorite Austin eateries at mile 24 – the Hyde Park Bar & Grill. Karen and I lived nearby before moving to Colorado in 1989. I recall running down this stretch of Duval back then. It’s a downhill slope toward the UT campus. I typically ran loops around the Hancock Golf Course one block east of Duval on 38th St. Both Steve and my sister Nancy are here. Nan gives me two PowerIces that contain the electrolytes I badly need. I hand her my sunglasses that I haven’t needed. Thankfully the sun never breaks through the clouds today. Still, the humidity is high. I’m not used to running drenched in sweat. We perspire in Colorado too but it’s a dry sweat. I run mile 24 in 9:49.

I know I’m going to finish my ninth marathon as I pass the Posse East, my old UT watering hole, and begin running across campus. Confidence is always a good feeling. Endorphins alter my consciousness. Emotionally charged thoughts of my sister and brother waiting for me at the finish race through my mind. My throat tightens and my eyes moisten. If you’ve ever run a marathon or ultra, or done something similarly stupid, then maybe you’ve experienced this too near the end. I find myself in awe that I’m still alive and doing this. I “find religion” as they say. I fully appreciate God letting me know He’s there, although happy to know He’s simply passing through. Running this marathon is my way of letting Him know that when He comes for me for reals, He better send all four horsemen riding white, red, black and pale. I’m going down swinging. I run mile 25 in 9:43.

I regain composure as I spy the hill after 15th Street. I need all my faculties as this incline challenges my cardio. It’s like the blood flow reverses direction in my arteries and veins. My heart is rewinding. What sort of twisted race director designs the course up such a steep hill right before the finish? I’m finding his email address. Two seconds ago I was near hallucinogenic believing I was a couple of minutes away from finishing. Part way into this hill, that result suddenly becomes much less certain.

I look up to the top of the hill. Form. I pump my arms. I begin popping up my knees before my feet can fully hit the pavement. I could run up a waterfall with this form. I look at my Garmin to see I’m only running a 10:50 pace. Hmm. If only effort equaled speed. I crest the hill and turn right onto 11th St. I pass the 26 mile sign and let my legs unwind downhill toward Congress Ave. I think again of my sister and brother meeting me at the finish. Here’s their picture eating brunch later at Hyde Park Bar & Grill. Just as powerful as the tearful emotion earlier, euphoria washes over me strong enough to make heroin jealous. I’ve felt this way before near the end of a big run. I got a little emotional near the end of my first ultra. Same with finishing the 500 mile Colorado Trail. There is something about successfully completing an objective with such high odds of failure. Like Sandra Bullock taking her first steps on the beach after riding that Chinese rocket down to Earth in Gravity. This is why I run marathons.

I run the 26th mile in 9:44 but my Garmin has that completed right before the hill. My Garmin mile 27 is nearly a half mile long, although it should only be about 200 yards. Garmin has me running the final half mile in 4:19 – which captures the hill. My Garmin does agree with the final result though with a 3:45:50. About 15 minutes faster than I thought I could run with my limited winter training. 551st place overall. At this point in time I am giving credit to good execution on my nutrition plan. I think this because I finish feeling good. No post race cramps or vomiting. Not to say walking to the car isn’t a bear as swelling consumes my legs. I counter this with a Bloody Mary at the Hyde Park Bar & Grill. I’m fine now.

Denver Marathon 2013

20 Sunday Oct 2013

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Marathons, Running

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Denver Marathon, Platinum Lounge, Results

I wake up at 4:30 this morning for the Denver Marathon. First, I shower and shave. Not something I would generally do before a run, but I didn’t do either of these things Saturday and I’m a bit ripe. I never made a decision on what socks to wear the night before. I go for the knee-high compression socks. I don’t wear them much because I don’t like dressing like a girl. I’ve had issues lately with my calves cramping though and they are supposed to help mitigate that risk. Plus, I suspect I might appreciate the warmth today. Pulling on compression socks is a chore. I check my toes first because they can be a bit sensitive. One of my toe nails falls off after touching it. Think of leprosy, I did. There’s a new toe nail growing about half way to where it needs to be. I wonder how long it will take to become a real toe nail. Good thing we’re headed into winter.

I have a doughnut on the drive to Denver, along with my coffee. Not sure why I bought those last night. Probably because they are decorated for Halloween. The road closures are already in place but it’s straightforward for me to park at the Denver Art Museum garage at 12th and Broadway. This close-up parking is included with my Platinum Lounge – where I head next. They have gas heaters setup. Nice. I hang here and put together my gear – pin my race bib on, load my fuel and I decide to wear my iPod.

I don’t catch her name but chat with the lady standing next to me in the corral. She’s from Indianapolis so we mostly discuss the Broncos game tonight which is fairly hyped up over Peyton’s return to play the Colts. This race will publish my splits to facebook, as well as text some friends who provided their mobile numbers. I start my Garmin as I cross the starting line but for some reason don’t look at it much. I read the race clocks and am a bit concerned I might be running too fast. I feel fine though. In terms of breathing. I’m a bit nauseous from the doughnut during the first 10K. Not the smartest food choice, but what better time to eat a doughnut than before a 3000 calorie marathon?

I know a 7:30 pace is too fast for the first 5k. I try to slow down a bit but otherwise feel comfortable with this speed. I’m not breathing hard. The 10K comes in at a 7:40 pace. A slight moderation. I begin to feel fatigue in the second half but don’t slow down much. I eat my first fuel – other than sipping Gatorade at the aid stations. I eat a chia seed bar. This takes me a full mile. I see Chris with his daughter and mine while eating my chia bar. Chris takes photos of me throughout the second half of the marathon. These pics of me in this blog are what he captured. Thanks buddy. Afterward he took the kids to Elitch Gardens.

After 16 miles my pace begins to slow down. I turn off my iPod at 18 miles. The 3:30 pace sign passes me at 19 miles. I try to hang with it but can’t. I’m still averaging 8:05 per mile at 20 miles but am now running closer to 9 minute miles. Then my right hamstring cramps at 20.4 miles. A couple of sweethearts come to my aid with a banana and water. I lose some time here but recover. Unfortunately I am forced to purposely run slower than I’m capable of from here on out to keep my hamstring from cramping again. I suspect I lose a minute per mile on my pace, so this likely added 5 to 6 minutes to my overall time. I’m OK with this actually. I had a good run. I cross the finish line in 3:47:16.

I don’t think the starting temperature ever warmed up. They hand out foil wraps at the finish and I take one. The wind was not an issue during this run but it did pick up a bit in the final miles and added a chill to my sweat-soaked shirt. It doesn’t take long before I begin to shiver. I head for the Platinum Lounge for a post-race recovery. I meet some guys near a gas heater – Jake and Charlie. They ran the half marathon so have been here awhile. Jake has already had 3 massages. The lounge is nearly empty and there’s little competition for resources. I wonder how many Michelob Ultras they drank.

I change into dry gear but it’s still cold and I continue to shiver. I know this is because my body is too depleted to defend itself against the cold. I’m also on the verge of cramping. Not just my legs but my stomach, torso sides and hips. I keep things in check but vomit all the food and drinks I ate since finishing. Sucks because I need those electrolytes. I feel better afterward though and it’s my turn for a massage. The massage lady freaks out a bit because of my shivering. Or maybe because I’m overly vocal about my pain. That’s my style. Some of us are screamers. She cuts the massage short because she thinks she might hurt me. Wimp. Then she calls over the medical staff because I refuse to go to their tent. This is silly. I’m delicate but am drinking my electrolytes and avoiding cramps. Did I mention the masseuse spilled my beer?

I commend the race on this level of care but I’m experienced and know I don’t need any help. I was in their medical tent last year and forced to drink a bottle of Gatorade spiked with salt. It was like drinking from the Gulf of Mexico. The doctor asks me some questions to ensure I am fine. She wants me to go to the tent but I provide the right answers to remain in the lounge. “Have this ever happened to you before?” “Yes, this is nothing really.” “Have you vomited?” “No.” Not only am I fine and just need a little time to refuel, but I can guarantee you the med tent doesn’t have gas heaters or beer. The doctor lets me stay.

I drive home when I can’t stand the cold anymore. The temperature continues to drop and the wind is picking up. I pick up my first ever Five Guys Burger. They are awesome. Karen has a roast slow cooking and serves it later with twice-baked potatoes. Watching Denver in a close game now with the Colts. Another epic run and a great day.

Long and Winding Road

02 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Marathons, Running

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Powerice, Steamboat Springs Marathon Results

Safe to say I didn’t run this marathon to plan. And I paid the price. Weekend itself went well though. Karen, Ellie and I drove up Friday evening through Poudre Canyon on Hwy 14. Really cool drive. Slow, but something you need to do at least once vs taking I-70 and Hwy 40 to Steamboat. Hwy 14 connects with Hwy 40 on Rabbit Ears Pass – at the Continental Divide. We ate at some good restaurants – Sweet Pea, Sweetwater Grill, Winona’s and the Ore House. And the Steamboat Grande is a nice hotel. Awesome pool.

I closed out Saturday night talking to Kelly poolside while our kids swam. Kelly was up supporting Jen who planned to run the Half Marathon. Which she did of course with a super strong showing in 2:07. I rode up to the start of the marathon on a different bus than Jen. I sat next to Liliane, a Pediatrician from Denver. We talked about our kids and running. The bus ride up helped us to gain knowledge of the course. Most hills did not appear too steep, although several were quite long. You can’t get a decent sense of this from elevation charts. This worked to put me at ease.

Mostly though I was simply in awe of the stunning scenery. Calling this post card perfect doesn’t describe it. The course follows rivers that cut through lush valleys dotted with picturesque farms. We passed through a couple of villages, best described as mountain hamlets. How many one room school houses does a road need to be labelled idyllic? This course was surreal. The picture here is of Hahn Village where the bus dropped us off for the start of the marathon. That’s Hahn Peak in the background.

Hahn Village was 35° at the start of the run. I selected to stand in the sun once it crested the mountain. My Garmin results show 46° but I don’t know how it averages that over a 4 hour run. It did warm up to probably 70° or so by the end of the run. I wore a long-sleeve tech running shirt with a cotton short-sleeve top underneath to protect my nipples from chaffing. And for the added warmth in the early hours. I also wore Nike Dri-Fit shorts. Gloves weren’t needed, I kept my hands warm at the start by holding onto hot coffee and doing some windmills.

I warmed up immediately as we began running. The cool weather might have contributed with the downhill grade to my fast pace. I ran 7:32, 7:24 and 7:20 for my first 3 miles. So much for my 9:00 minute pace plan. This included a sizable rise in the first mile but not enough. The problem with running downhill is that even at altitude – this began at over 8100 feet – your heart rate isn’t challenged. And I wasn’t breathing as hard as I expected at that elevation. I almost looked forward to the hill in the 4th mile which slowed my pace down to 8:10. I needed help like that to moderate my pace. This would prove short-lived. The 5th mile was a second off my Bolder Boulder 5th mile in 6:47, and mile 6 came in at 6:57 for about a 46 minute 10K. This is my 2nd fastest 10K in 20 years, after last week’s 44:23.

This should have been a red flag to slow down. I wasn’t even trying to run fast today, but I did tell myself I would run fast if I felt good. I continued times like this for the next 10K, not slowing down until mile 13 with an 8:25. My first half came in at 1:40. One of my fastest ever half marathons. I knew I was in trouble when my hamstring began to feel like it might cramp at this point – which it did at 19 miles. From that point on, my pace was never under 10 minutes. In fact, I walked most of the final 3 miles as my calves replaced my hamstring as the problem area. I felt fine otherwise and could walk really fast, but running for more than a minute would cramp my calves. Can’t tell you how frustrating this was.

Seems obvious the cramping was due to running the first half way too fast, but I’m not entirely certain. I drank at every aid station. Typically I took both a water and sports drink. Problem though is I can’t stand sports drinks. I think they all taste like shit so all I can do while on the run is take a sip. My throat won’t open for more. I can down the entire cup of water, and while that hydrates, it doesn’t do much to supply the electrolytes needed to avoid muscle cramps. I can tell you what I ate that was incredible though – Powerice. This is a frozen stick of electrolytes. Unfortunately they were only served at one aid station near the end. You have to try these.

I believe the culmination of steep downhills and pavement contributed equally with my fast pace to my muscle cramps. I never run on pavement and do very little downhill running. This may be the prettiest road run in the country, but it’s a bruiser. A few downhills were so steep it hurt to run down them. This is somewhat ironic as few of the uphills were very difficult. Walking in didn’t help my time much but it wasn’t too far off my goal. I wanted to break 4 hours and finished at 4:13 – 9th place in my division.

Unfortunately I was slow to recover from the cramping afterward. It took me nearly 2 hours before I could sit in a car to drive back to the hotel. In addition to cramps, my knees and back both hurt. They don’t hurt normally because I never run on pavement. Even in road races on pavement, they don’t hurt afterward. I don’t recommend running downhill marathons on pavement. Jen and Kelly drove me back to the hotel where I showered, stewed in a hot tub for awhile, and received a great massage from Tara at the Steamboat Grande Spa. I’m fully recovered now. I think. We’ll see tomorrow.

Boulder Marathon

21 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Marathons, Running

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Boulder Marathon, RaceRite

It doesn’t get any better than this. I ran the Boulder Marathon this morning in unbelievably beautiful weather. I can’t say yet how I did but will likely have the results before I publish this. I would guess close to 4 hours. Definitely a little slower than the Denver Marathon 4 weeks ago. But probably not too far off. I ran fairly aggressive the first half, but feel like I slowed down in the second half more so than at Denver. We’ll see soon enough.

It was still dark as I parked around 6:15am. I walked around the place and took a wiz in one of the zero-wait port-a-potties. The gear bag truck wasn’t setup yet so I walked back to the car and waited inside until 6:45. I walked back out ready to go. I didn’t need gloves and discovered that before leaving so wore a pair of shorts without pockets. Actually, it has a rear pocket which I used for my car key. I usually insist on pockets for all my running shorts but I didn’t really need them. I didn’t need gloves and I could keep my wallet in the car since it was so close to everything. I clipped a shuffle to my waist band and listened to my playlist for much of the middle 20 kilometers.

I started off a bit slow but felt like I picked it up to have run a decent 10K. I’m not seeing any splits at this RaceRite results site. I didn’t wear a watch and there were absolutely no splits displayed throughout the run. I couldn’t even find the clock at the end. I don’t need to know my time, if it were critical to me I’d wear a watch. But I did expect splits to be timed for me. The results site seems hosed. I don’t trust it. They show split 1 without saying where it is. You’d guess 10K but it seems like maybe 7 miles. And this shows I took 2nd in my age group but I’m fairly certain I didn’t. So far I’m not very happy with Boulder-based RaceRite for timing. I do trust my final chip time – 3:58. Feels like what I ran.

The first 10K is uphill. No heartbreak hills but consistently a slope up to Nelson Road by the Antennae towers. It follows Nelson for about 2 miles – from 8 to 10. I found my stride here and feel like I ran that second 10K at an 8 minute per mile pace. That’s stupid of course because it’s too fast for me. My legs began to feel heavy right after 13 miles for the second half. I had it in my mind that I would qualify for Boston if I could hold an 8 minute pace. I can’t. Not at altitude. I did however give it a shot.

The race info made a big deal out of this course being fast and relatively flat. I would say that’s true for the half marathon course, but I discovered runners walking the hill at 10 miles. Seems to me you have to make note of any hills that make a number of runners walk. There were other significant hills in the second half – all the way to the end. I found myself walking part of a couple of them in the last 10K. This run has hills.

I did enjoy running too fast for myself the second 10K. My core felt strong but my legs ultimately fatigued. I didn’t really feel my core begin to give until around 20 miles. My stomach might have felt strong until 22 miles, but my upper legs were hurting. The pain made me think I stressed them with weights and leg raises this week. More likely the pain was from running too fast, too early. After the turn-around at 17 miles on Oxford Road, I went from trying to maintain my speed to trying to maintain forward momentum. I walked a couple of times to let my heart rest going up some hills. And also because I noticed my running pace wasn’t catching runners ahead of me whom were walking. Something to always consider when running up a hill.

I can tell you that Oxford Road is hands down one of the prettiest dirt-packed roads ever. I kept expecting to see a covered wooden bridge around every corner. Every road north of the Boulder Res was glorious in its display of vivid colors from the fall foliage. And the little farms and ranches tucked away north of Boulder are idyllic. I had to weed my way through some goats on the road at one point on Oxford. While hillier than I expected, I thoroughly enjoyed this course.

My legs really slowed down the last 3 miles, but seeing the water at the Boulder Res was great inspiration for continuing my forward motion. The hill at 26 miles, while long, is not as tough as I expected. Possibly because I was running so slow. The little hill right in front of the finish line felt tougher. I didn’t run today quite like I had imagined I would but I’m happy with my overall time. I did a great job of drinking electrolytes at the aid stations. This event has outstanding aid stations stocked with both water and Gatorade. And many served GU gels and fruit. Still perplexed as to why they didn’t have pace clocks.

I gorged on oranges and bananas immediately after crossing the finish line. Not the smartest thing as I vomited a couple minutes later. But that actually made my stomach feel much better so I proceeded to the beer line. I sat with a couple of nice women who ran the 5 mile event – Linda and Kathy. I took their pic and then Kathy took some pics of me. I only had the energy for one beer so I went home soon after that beverage.

I scheduled myself a massage earlier in the week for 2:30pm. Brilliant call. Shannon Dunlap at Massage Envy took care of me by working out the lactic acid. I could actually walk almost normal upon leaving. No injuries from this run. Apparently my right nipple chaffed a bit from the blood I see in the pic, but it didn’t hurt in the shower. Feet and knees feel good. This marks the end of my running season. I finished big with the IPR, Denver Marathon, and now this. My focus will turn to winter maintenance.

Denver Marathon 2012

22 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Marathons, Running

≈ 2 Comments

Running a marathon is no different than my favorite fall game – watching CU in a great game right now with Washington State. It’s played in 4 quarters. 10K meters per quarter. Technically 40K meters lands on the 25th mile, but I think of the final mile as a game’s worth of bad calls that have gone against me. I measure my progress at 10K, 20K, 30K and 40K – with the real battle in the fourth quarter.

I ran my second Denver Marathon this morning. I ran the first in 2010. I was a bit gun shy to run another marathon after getting beat up by the Austin Marathon in 2011, but signed up this year for a couple of reasons. I told my buddy Keith I’d sign up for whatever he did when he was considering running his first marathon this year as part of celebrating his 50th. And because I knew running the IPR would have me in shape for a marathon.

When I saw the weather last night on my weather channel app, I made the call to pin my bib to a short sleeve shirt. I went with the hi tech T that came from registration. Sort of a wimpy baby blue to be honest, but my eyes are blue so it couldn’t help but look good. I need more blue shirts. I paired this with black North Face running shorts that have good pockets and a nice overall feel. No gloves. No hat. Just sunscreen, my ID, $20, candy and an iPod in my pockets. I listened to a playlist from mile 6 to mile 13 but grew weary of it. I did wear some fleece warmups waiting for the start but stored those in my gear bag with my iPhone. The weather was awesome. Starting at 7 in Downtown Denver means the sun is too low to clear the buildings and most trees in the parks until half way through the run. And even then, the air kept some coolness in it.

I looked for Keith but couldn’t find him. I didn’t have too much time. My starting corral was 2 and his was 10. It’s a fairly big run with I think 16K runners. No doubt most run the half marathon. I started out slow the first mile and many runners were passing me, but I loosened up and picked up my pace. Toward the second half of the first 10K, I felt like I was running too fast but I kept it up because I was feeling pretty good. I found myself pacing with a few others who would occasionally pass me and I’d pass them back. Some of them didn’t look like they could run a marathon, at least not at that pace. But then that made them seem even more impressive to run a half marathon so fast. There are some guys that just look too big to run long distance so fast. Maybe it’s supplements – I don’t know.

I completed the first 10K at a nice clip, under 50 minutes, which made me happy I was under an hour but concerned I was running too fast. I didn’t know I would be able to keep this pace but my next goal was to try to keep my half marathon (20K meters) time under two hours. This meant that technically I could run the second 10K in 70 minutes. My projected time today was between 4:00 and 4:15. My #2 corral was for a 3:50.

At about 10 miles, a little boy barely taller than my waist passed me at a strong pace. A few of us adults gave each other incredulous looks. He was maybe 9 years old, had straggly blonde hair down past his shoulders and was clearly raised by wolves. I looked over my shoulder for the rest of his pack but didn’t see any. He was a lone wolf. I would find myself passing him back several times over the next mile or so. Hopefully, he was the one with the inconsistent pace. He split off for the half marathon around 11.5 miles, along with what seemed like 80% of the other runners. I was now running alongside pure marathoners. My peeps.

I crossed the the half marathon point about 15 minutes under 2 hours – so I only lost about 5 minutes on this second quarter. Again, I was super happy with my time but even more certain I was headed for a crash and burn. I haven’t run this well in about 2 years – since my last Denver Marathon. I did begin to feel my core weaken somewhat after 13 miles. I shortened my stride a little but didn’t slow down too much. Next goal would be to keep my 3rd quarter under 3 hours.

I kept a good pace for the next 5K meters but I could feel my core melting after 16 miles. By 18 miles, I had slowed down considerably, although I think I still had good form. I wasn’t winded and never hit the wall. I’d been drinking at nearly every aid station and felt extremely confident of finishing. But my core – from my lower stomach to my upper legs – was shutting down and shortening my stride with it. 20 miles also marked the 30K meter point and the start of the 4th quarter and I was still nearly 15 minutes under par. This meant, baring catastrophic meltdown, I could slow down considerably and come in under 4 hours. This was now my goal – to run the low end of my pre-run estimate.

And I was clearly running slower now, but content until 22 miles when my right hamstring cramped. This was a true momentum killer and I went down to the curb. It took me about 3 minutes to recover. I didn’t know if I’d be able to finish now but eventually my stride returned, albeit noticeably slower. I still didn’t care though because as long as I didn’t start walking, I was going to make 4 hours. At 24 miles, the 3:45 pace sign passed me with a large cohort. I asked them if they were on pace and they responded in the affirmative. I tried to stay up with them and did for a couple of minutes. Then the cramp in my hamstring reminded me of why I had slowed down. This was my new governor. Between this cramped muscle and my depleted core, my pace was beginning to approach a shuffle.

While nervous that my hamstring could take me out at any moment, I was still quite confident of both finishing and doing so under 4 hours. This confidence was reinforced when I hit 25 miles – the end of the 4th quarter at 40K meters – and I was still running with no signs of needing to walk. The 26th mile began uphill for the first half and then coming back down through the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Stronger runners were passing me now but I didn’t care. I was locked into a single gear. Try to speed up and I knew my hamstring would cramp up. I wanted to be able to speed up a bit for the finish because last time they took video, and I was able to marginally. But as I rounded the final corner I ran into an idiot spectator crossing the street without paying attention. I avoided hitting her too hard and held her to keep her from falling. This nearly cramped my leg again but I was able to recover without stopping. Momentum killer for sure though. Then, just yards away from the finish line a woman I was passing began to lean forward. Just as I passed her, she did a face plant after passing out. It was super gruesome and I stopped for a fraction of a second but continued as I saw the medics on her immediately. After all this distraction, crossing the finish line was almost anti-climatic. The clock read 3:49 though which left me stunned. Not dramatically faster than my expectations, but I just didn’t think I could run quite this fast. My official chip time was 3:48 even.

Keith came in a little over 4 hours, pretty impressive for a 50 year old running his first marathon. From talking to him after, I think he found it a struggle. Honestly, had he not felt enough pain, I might have been a bit upset. I know he was in shape for this based on his training regimen, but still – the 4th quarter is supposed to hurt. Even without hitting the wall, running over 20 miles is hard. My experience is my core melts down. I’m going to try harder to strengthen that before the Boulder Marathon next month. Although Keith had a tough go at it, he wasn’t exactly incapacitated afterward. I didn’t talk to him too much but I don’t think he suffered any injuries. He did in fact injure his foot earlier in the week – possibly a fatigue-induced injury from his massive training. He could barely walk the next day. That he followed through by running this today demonstrates his toughness.

As I walked through the finish shoot, my body began shutting down. It’s a long gauntlet though photographers and marketers handing out food and drinks. I posed for some pics and then began collecting a few things – water, Gatorade, a fruit cup, banana and a smoothie. Then, as I neared the exit, my legs struggled to maintain forward motion. I wasn’t dizzy but was simply losing all semblance of forward momentum. I looked around and it occurred to me that sitting inside the security area was ideal as this place has all the freebies. I lowered myself to the curb and began eating and drinking my load of supplies.

Ten minutes later I tried standing and found I couldn’t. My calves began cramping whenever I tried to stand. Then they began cramping just sitting there. Soon, both lower legs were cramping non-stop. I don’t know what the thin muscle is called that runs along the top of the shin, but it would cramp as soon my calf would recover. These two muscles alternated cramping non-stop. And this was occurring in both legs at the same time. Not sure I’ve experienced this level of pain in decades. And I was hardly quiet about it. A couple of medics soon came over with a wheel chair. They were simply volunteers and didn’t really know how to help me, let alone get me in a chair. Then a paramedic arrived who was also a collegiate sports trainer. He massaged my legs hard – quite literally crushing my muscles. This worked. He was also able to help me to my feet. I had to go to the medical tent where they made me drink a 20 ounce Gatorade spiked with salt. This was like drinking from the Gulf of Mexico but I drank it down. I walked out before they formally released me because you can’t drink beer in the medical tent and from where I was standing I could see the beer tent. This was a slow, awkward shuffle, but I was able to manage.

Austin Marathon 2011

20 Sunday Feb 2011

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Marathons, Running

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Austin Marathon, Chuys, Cross Country, Kerbey Lane, Nancy Wilson, phallic signs, RRHS, Steve Mahoney, Toby Thurman

I can tell you now about the wisdom of training on only 4 miles a day for a marathon. More specifically, I can tell you what has more impact, gaining ten pounds or dropping in altitude from 5280 feet to 550. Gaining 10 pounds. I’ll expand on that topic a bit later. This pic was taken by my brother Steve in the final 100 meters on Congress Avenue. Fortunately he can’t figure out the video on his camera so you can’t see that the other runners in this pic were all passing me. I’m back at my mom’s house, showered and blogging with a Miller Lite by my side. I’ve got about an hour before I meet up with some high school friends at Chuys.

This run started at 7am on Congress Avenue a block north of the Texas Capitol and proceeded north a few blocks toward the UT campus. The darkness of night may have faded, but it was hard to tell with the thick overcast. The weather was awesome. Drizzle was projected but never materialized. It wasn’t cold though and I wore Nike Dri-FIT® runners shorts and my Denver Marathon short-sleeve shirt with hi-tech fabric. I also wore my black Barr Camp runners hat but carried it the second half of the race as the sun never came out. I launched a 17 hour playlist from my iPhone in shuffle mode. I love the random nature of my 17 hour universe when just the right song comes on as I need it. Dream On by Aerosmith led today’s charge. I was huddled in a scrum with the 3:30 pace runners. I actually hung with them for 10 miles or so. That might have been too fast. The street was crowded and didn’t start to yield room until crossing the Congress Avenue bridge after a couple of miles. Lance Armstrong was larger than life on an electronic billboard at the end of the bridge looking down approvingly at us all like some brew pub deity commanding us to drink Michelob Ultra.

The race blogs I read to understand the course weren’t downplaying the hills. This little run didn’t shy away from elevated terrain. We climbed up South Congress Avenue for 5 miles non-stop. My crowd of runners got a kick out of the Austin Motel sign after 3 miles. This phallic signage stood erect as if to point the way “up” South Congress. Other signs were notable. My favorite was around 18 miles where some young woman held a large white poster board in front of her body. Above the sign were bare shoulders and below the sign were her bare thighs and feet. The sign read, “I’m naked behind this sign”. There were lots of runners looking over their shoulder as they strode past. Speaking of women, I absolutely love that sporty look of braided pig tails and ponies with fitted running outfits. Austin has some real beauties.

I also read a number of references to the great Austin crowds in some blogs. Wow, I can’t say enough. I was truly impressed by the number of supporters out on the streets. Reminded me of my early days running the Capitol 10,000. They would read the names on the race bibs and call them out for a personal touch. It might have been the difference between me finishing and still lying out there somewhere in a gutter. This run was hard for me. At 12 miles or so the course split for the half marathoners to head back toward downtown. If they allowed last minute decisions, I’d have turned for the shorter run then and there. I was feeling beat and knew then that I wasn’t in shape for the full marathon. It’s a fair argument to state I wasn’t in shape for the half. My legs didn’t have the strength for this distance. They totally melted. I felt fine otherwise. The hills didn’t bother me until after 11 miles. My feet hurt like hell. Talk about inexperience. While my shoes were not new, I hadn’t been running in them much because they needed inserts to protect my left foot from over-pronating. I was busy with travel for work this week and didn’t have a chance to run in them after buying inserts. My feet felt like they were in a vise, but loosening them didn’t help. I didn’t get any blisters on my hills or arches, but did get one on a toe. But they just hurt.

Running through the old Austin neighborhoods was special. Each neighborhood reminded me of some old girlfriend or date. But the ravages of age kept me from remembering any of their names. Running through the last neighborhood I lived in before moving to Boulder was pretty cool. And the bonus was that Hyde Park was nearing the finish. I knew at this point I’d make it. The Hyde Park Bar & Grill was around the 24 mile point. I’d been walking at each aid station to drink water since mile 16. I’d let the 3:30 mile pace group go long ago and had since been passed by the 4 hour pace group. I wasn’t too disappointed even though I’d expected to finish in 4 hours. I was just focused on finishing. I’d accomplished my goal of using this to keep myself motivated through the winter and this was good for that.

This run has also been good for meeting up with old friends. Nancy Wilson Basey met my brother and me for lunch at Kerbey Lane off 38th Street. She looked as good as ever and made me feel pretty good that she went out of her way to see me. We hadn’t seen each other in 30 years. And I’m meeting up with some other friends from my RRHS Cross Country team in 30 minutes at Chuys. Toby Thurman and Bill Hay. That’ll be a trip. I come down to Austin every Christmas but don’t generally meet up with old friends because I focus on family. Time to publish this and head over for a frozen rita.

Denver Marathon 2010

17 Sunday Oct 2010

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Marathons, Running

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

26, Denver, Denver Marathon, Ed Mahoney, marathon, run, Running

I ran the Denver marathon this morning. My first marathon in 30 years. I’ve slowed down from when I was 18, but I’m still kickin’. Ran it in 3:36, about an 8.5 minute pace. Have yet to get my formal time, but I’ll update this link once it’s posted. I’ll admit I wasn’t too excited about this run. I signed up for it after the IPR to continue pushing myself after that run in September. I certainly wasn’t nervous like I was for the IPR. I knew after completing that run that a marathon was doable. So no butterflies at the starting line. But a really nice sense of accomplishment at the finish line.

The weather was incredible. It started out cool enough that I wore warm-ups before the start. It felt like around 50^o, but there wasn’t any wind. I wore a pair of Nike dri-fit running shorts that had pockets the perfect size to hold my iPhone without it bouncing around. And I went with the hi-tech, long-sleeve race jersey I bought as part of the race gear. Hi-tech race jerseys are made of a fabric that keeps the sweat off your skin. It was much lighter than what a cotton shirt would have been. I was looking to wear something that was a single layer so that I wouldn’t have to discard anything. I rolled up my sleeves at the 5K mark and was comfortable throughout the run. I also wore my Nike running hat but didn’t need it for warmth. I wear it to keep the sun off my head. But this course winded through tree-lined streets in stunning Denver parks and neighborhoods. I wasn’t exposed to direct sunlight until the last 3 miles. And I doubt it warmed up beyond 70^o. Fairly ideal running temperatures.

The course was flat enough. There’s a small hill after 3 miles when you cross Broadway going up 17th St. After that are what I would describe as slopes, but nothing to noticeably affect my pace. Well, until after 15 miles when slight slopes suddenly felt steep. I did begin to slow down on uphill segments at that point – a clear sign of fatigue. I signed up for a service that text me and my friends with pace and times at certain splits; 5K, 10K, 11 miles, 13 miles, 20 miles and the finish. The records indicate I ran well under an 8 minute pace for the first 10K, then slowed down to an 8.5 mile pace (my overall average) up until somewhere between 12 and 15 miles. By the 20 mile mark I had slowed down to a 9.5 mile pace and ran a 10.5 mile pace for the final 6 miles. Although I can tell you that it was the last 3 miles where I began to really wind down. I noticed my stride shorten a bit at 20 miles but extremely at mile 24 and even more during the final mile. My hamstrings were tightening and I fully expected my right hamstring to cramp up during the final half mile. I’m surprised it didn’t but slowing down must have kept it in check.

I felt quite comfortable the entire race until the final few miles where I began to chafe from the salt buildup and, while I never hit the wall from energy depletion, my legs became weighed down from exhaustion. I was never in danger of walking and with only a couple of miles remaining it was easy to stay positive. I did experience a stitch around 17 miles that worried me for a spell. Forgive the graphic description, but a knot started in my right nut and shot up under my rib cage. It only lasted a quarter mile or so. I suspect it stemmed from a combination of drinking at an aid station and running up a hill. Never had a stitch in my balls before. Speaking of that, my groin became pretty sore near the end as my legs grew heavy and my hamstrings threatened to cramp. I’m happy all the pain was so close to the end of the run. Would have been work otherwise.

I think I’m done with road races for the season. Work is getting so busy I can’t find time for long runs during the week and can only do 8 and 10 milers on the weekend. My New Year’s resolution was to start up road racing again, after foregoing them for two decades. I ran four; the Bolder Boulder 10K, the Garden of the Gods 10 Miler, the 17 mile Imogene Pass Run and now the Denver Marathon. Mission accomplished.