Confidence Builder

02 Saturday Oct 2021

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Margot is starting to grow into her baby clothes, at least the legs, not so much the arms. Although I’m told she’s not happy being clothed. Like Matthew McConaughey playing bongos, she prefers her birthday suit. Who doesn’t?

I’m still committed to running a marathon next week. Given my condensed training schedule, rather than taper this weekend, I went for an 18 miler today. Nothing like a marathon on the calendar to scare yourself fit.

I wasn’t confident that ten weeks of training would prepare me to complete a twenty-six mile run, but I know I made progress toward improving my fitness and I feel so much more confident after completing 18 today. I could still drop out of the full marathon at the expo and sign up for the half marathon – a distance I could complete with much more certainty. But the deal isn’t about certainty. The deal is to try to run twenty-six miles.

That lack of certainty is partly why I enjoy running marathons. Even when I’ve been one hundred percent prepared to complete the distance, when the only question was how fast, marathons are never a sure thing. Although medically defined as obese, completing this marathon is as plausible as when I toed the starting line in competitive shape at my fourteen previous marathons. Anything can happen in a marathon over the course of three, four or five hours.

The two photos below are of me completing my first marathons at 16 and 18 years of age. I ran my first Dallas White Rock Marathon before watches had been invented, but I figure I might have run it in under four hours. Seriously, I think they didn’t post my time because in 1978 they didn’t have an age group for 16 year olds. I wasn’t supposed to be there.

Running my first marathon with high school buddy, Mike O’Neill

Running my second marathon with my college dorm mate, Johnny Martinez

It’s ridiculous for me to estimate what my pace will be without more running under my belt, but I did start wearing a watch a few weeks back and today’s 18 miler was good to set expectations – and I like to play this guessing game ahead of marathons. If I’m smart, I’ll start out behind the 5 hour pace sign and run a solid 11:30 pace the entire distance, speeding up slightly the final 10K if I feel strong.

If you know me, then you know I can be somewhat delusional about my prospects, so I’ll start out a bit too fast for myself. I suspect I’ll run the first 10K at a 10:30 pace, slow down to 11 minutes for the second 10K, and run the final half at around an 11:30 pace and finish at four hours and fifty minutes (4:50) – give or take fifteen minutes. I’m usually pretty good at these estimates, historically within about 15 minutes, with the exception of those four-hour-plus times listed above. Like I said, lots can go wrong in a marathon.

Two things generally lead me to catastrophic failure in a marathon. Heat and a calorie/electrolyte deficit, or you could say nutrition plan. The impact of either of those conditions might be mitigated if I went out slower. The result is generally the same, severe cramping in the final 10K that leads to walking a bit. Not overly concerned about the heat in October. Temperatures should range from 55° to 70° for my five hours under the sun. Might rain. Ideal running weather.

Maintaining form in that final 10K is so hard because of the nutritional math involved in running beyond three hours. It’s physically impossible to not fall into a calorie deficit after three hours. You’re burning calories faster than your stomach can digest new calories. You can drink sufficient electrolytes if you’re disciplined about it. Best you can do on calories is to get in enough very, very long runs (3 hours or so) as part of your training to teach your body to adapt to efficiently burn stored proteins and fats. Or run so fast that you finish under three hours. Before today, my longest training run was two hours and I’ve never run a marathon under three hours.

I’ve never had speed as a primary goal in a marathon. I got comfortable enough, and fit enough, that I was usually confident of finishing. My goals have always been around managing my calories and electrolytes so that I feel comfortable the entire distance. Running at a sustainable pace is part of that just as success in the nutrition plan leads to a faster time. This time around, simply completing the distance in under the six hour cutoff time is my only objective, but I still have to manage those other aspects of the race – pace, electrolytes and calories.

I’ll comment afterward on the viability of training for a marathon in only ten weeks in my post-race report. I lost zero weight the first four weeks, and dropped my attempt at dieting. I lost a few pounds after that, apparently it takes time for the metabolism to kick into gear. No where near my goal of twenty to twenty-five pounds, but I feel like I’m able to run this heavy after having sufficiently toned up. Planks and squats probably helped as much as running.

I don’t consider it a failure that I didn’t achieve my weight loss goal. I see it as I lost a few pounds. Likewise, I won’t be at all upset if I drop out before finishing. I know the odds are long. My goal was to try to run a marathon, so I’m going to try. You can track my progress at this site. My bib is 123. See you next week after twenty-six miles.

Runner’s Pandemic Etiquette

17 Sunday May 2020

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Covid-19, Running

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Boulder Marathon

Knock on wood, I’m starting to gain traction with my running routine. I’m back home for a few days and was worried the altitude would discourage me, but I’ve discovered that if you run slow enough, altitude doesn’t matter. Damned race director won’t cancel this October’s Boulder Marathon, so I’ve got some training to do.

I’ve been gleaning post-shutdown trail running etiquette that I don’t mind sharing with you. Seems like most people get why runners would run without a mask, but many are in fact wearing them. I would tell you this is because runners and bikers are all about the gear. A bandana is just one more thing they get to wear.

Regardless, the manner on the trail is this. Runners wear their bandana around their neck, and then raise it to cover their mouth and nose as they pass another runner on the trail. I’ve experienced this on both the LoBo Trail and East Boulder Trail. Anecdotal, I know, but that’s what you get from a runner’s blog.

I wasn’t wearing a mask or bandana myself, but will be for future trail runs. I’ve been conscientious about wearing one when I go out, it just didn’t seem needed or practical for running. But a light-weight scarf hanging around my neck, that I only raise over my nose as needed, doesn’t bother me at all. In fact, it might be helpful to protect my skin from UV rays. After looking for a Shoes & Brews bandana, I ordered a purpuse-built, all-white, runners neck gaiter. The new normal will include stylish neck-wear.

Good Form

23 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Boulder Marathon, Denver Marathon

I’m really happy with this race photo – taken by Renee Price at 13.1 miles into the Boulder Marathon. It’s not the old man, fleshy double chin that makes me happy, rather the position of my feet – toes pointed downward. That’s good running form. This demonstrates I’m not over striding and landing on my heels. For me to be maintaining such perfect form half way through a marathon leaves me pretty impressed with myself. The goal of my ultra distance training miles this summer was to promote optimal calorie consumption during a marathon; a bonus benefit was to my running form. It wasn’t always obvious while running long miles so slowly, but repetition is the key to learning.

I began working on my form three years ago in an attempt to remedy plantar fasciitis. I shortened my stride, easier said than done. I even trained sometimes in minimalist shoes to promote a shorter stride and frontal footfalls. Haven’t worn those in a long time – they come with their own set of issues. The benefit of good running form isn’t just that it leads to running faster. More importantly it helps mitigate risk of injury. And I’ve been injury free for a couple of years now.

The benefit of being injury free isn’t only continued enjoyment of a favorite hobby, it enables continuous improvement. My speed improvements are marginal, but I can’t begin to describe how satisfying it feels to progressively perform faster as I advance in age through my fifties. This photo captures me running along the irrigation ditch trail at 10 miles into the marathon – 3 miles before the previous pic. It displays my left foot landing a bit turned outward. I’m aware of this lapse in form (from race photos) but don’t seem to be able to correct it. My right foot lands fine.

My next training focus might be hills. The Denver Marathon in October is entirely uphill. What sort of nut job race director charts out a marathon course completely up hill? At altitude? Who does that? It looks like maybe miles 3 and 13 might be downhill. The course runs up an apparent 90 foot cliff at mile 9. I have a month to prepare.

I’m looking at some other events as well. This fall weather is just too perfect not to enjoy outdoors. There’s the Jamestown Juggernaut Trail Half Marathon, October 3rd. It includes a separate 2.5 mile, 1200 foot vertical hill climb – speaking of hill workouts. The next day is the Blue Sky Trail Marathon in Fort Collins. The options are never ending. Comment with some suggestions. What are you planning to run this fall?

Boulder Backroads Marathon 2015

19 Saturday Sep 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Boulder Marathon, Marathons, Running

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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!

Flaming Foliage Relay

13 Sunday Sep 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Boulder Marathon, Flaming Foliage Relay, Georgia Pass, silverthorne, Sunshine Cafe

A black Infinity is parked outside my front door Friday morning at 4am. This is my ride to Idaho Springs, where I’m expected to launch the first leg of our Here Kitty Kitty relay team’s 165 mile, 30 hour race across three Colorado mountain passes. I sit up front and comment to Keith we have to stop meeting like this for these sleep-deprived, weekend socials.

We’re entered in the masters division – meaning over 40 years old. To be competitive at this age, shoot to be half-assed athletic and running period, is a statement. That’s less obvious in Colorado where it seems everyone is so incredibly fit. But then my world might suffer from sample bias. I seem to attend events where everyone looks a lot like me. There’s no Xbox on the trails. The runners on my team though are exceptional. Elite amateurs. Semi-pro, masters-class runners. I’m not intimidated necessarily but feel special to be included, flattered to hang with them. Joining me on Here Kitty Kitty are Keith, Jen, Steve (all neighbors) and Kristin, Jill, Eve, Carolyn and Tom. We’re joined by a second ultra team, Flaming Oven Mitt, with Beth, Ken, Rafe, Brian and Joie.

My kickoff leg starts at 6:30am from a parking lot in downtown Idaho Springs. I have to wear a safety vest and lights as the sun has yet to fully rise. Only three other runners launch with me in my starting wave. It’s a fast start, likely due to excitement but I suspect also to stay warm. The September mountain air is crisp and ideal for running. I regret my fast start almost immediately as we climb a steep single track trail to a bike path that leaves me gasping for oxygen the rest of the 4.5 mile run. Our route follows I-70 toward Georgetown with long, rolling hills. My intent is to run an easy warmup pace but somehow I average 7 minute miles. I credit the cold air and initial race-start buzz. My plan was for a warmup and to save my legs for my second leg, but this strong run gives me confidence.

I hand off to Jen. Because our team is short a 10th runner, Jen runs two back-to-back legs, 7.1 miles into Georgetown. Jen was part of my Longs Peak climb two weekends earlier. She hasn’t been running much this summer. She’s a busy working mother of two, running her State Farm insurance agency in Longmont. After recent trips to Europe and Minneapolis, she’s back home and ready to run. She does regular bootcamp workouts that leave her core strong, and she’s simply a natural runner. She has no problem with this high-altitude, uphill run into Georgetown.

Jen hands off to Keith who begins the climb up the course’s first mountain, Guanella Pass. His 6.1 mile route is scary steep but Keith is a strong hill runner. He knows how to find his zone and maintain incessant forward motion. Keith is a poli-sci professor at Colorado State, teaching their honors program in Ft. Collins since 2002. His daughter recently graduated CU-Boulder and his son is now attending CSU, leaving Keith and his wife Susan empty nesters. Running nearly thirty miles without sleep for two days gives him something to do with his new-found free time.

Keith hands off to Kristin, still on Guanella Pass Road. Kristin is a school teacher, also with two kids. She jokes about leaving her husband Brad with the kids while she plays in the mountains. Truth is, she often gets her husband and kids up here. Skiing seems to be the one sport her entire family enjoys the most, but Kristin is a big-time mountain biker. Brad and Kristin even lived in Summit County for a few years early in their marriage. I didn’t know Kristin before this weekend and learn that she’s an incredible athlete. She soars up this mountain road as if it’s flat.

Kristin hands off to Jill. This completes the running by the team members in my van – officially Van #1. I don’t get a chance to speak much to the runners in Van #2 although Jill rides with us to Exchange 5 because there’s not enough parking for both team vans. Like Kristin, Jill is a school teacher. I discover what an extremely strong runner Jill is after she summits the seriously steep final stretch of Gaunella Pass for the team. I know I would have had to walk it. Glad I ran the first leg.

Jill hands off to Eve, pictured here, who begins the descent down Guanella Pass. The rest of our team in Van #2, Carolyn, Tom and Steve, run jeep roads, cattle trails, and finish up on the Colorado Trail at the Jefferson Creek Trailhead. Their trail runs are challenging and unfortunately poorly marked with signage. The official race course descriptions are poor at best and navigation is as difficult as the terrain. Eve is an accountant and is married to Brian, an engineer with Crocs who is running with the ultra team. I learn Carolyn owns Panorama Coordinated Services in Longmont. Tom is the founder and CEO of Threatwave and is a stud trail runner. Steve is in product marketing at Rally, a software development firm in Boulder.

Those of us in Van #1 feel certain we have the best legs. We run less on busy highway shoulders, enjoy more opportunities to dine at real sit-down restaurants, and we finish first. It goes without saying that we are better looking. Without question, both our vans sleep more than the ultra team in Van #3. And again, we are considerably better looking.

Our ultra team launched 90 minutes before us and remains ahead of us the entire event – some of Boulder County’s most bad-ass, masters-class runners. I see them for the first time at the Jefferson Creek exchange. Brian’s legs are bloodied from falling on the trail. Beth leads the charge up Georgia Pass, pictured here near the start of her run in the thick trees of the Colorado Trail. Beth is a social worker well known for her very real and hilarious running blog. Click to enlarge this pic and tell me those aren’t runner’s legs. Beth runs the 4th fastest time of all females in this relay over Georgia Pass. Other members of her ultra team are Joie and Rafe, Brian’s life-long friend from Albuquerque. I don’t get an opportunity to chat with Joie but hope to run with everyone again in future events where we can become more familiar.

Jen and Kristin, sitting together here at the Jefferson Creek Trailhead, meet for the first time on this relay and become instant friends. Our entire team, both vans, are able to meet at this exchange to wait for Steve to finish and me to start. They tease me later because I’m as antsy as a schoolboy waiting to begin the run over Georgia Pass.

It’s a long story, from my first snowshoe adventure over Georgia Pass to the relay two years ago that was cancelled due to the great flood, but I’ve been waiting for my chance to own this hill. And I don’t mind telling you that I absolutely kill it. The slope up the eastern edge of the pass is quite runable – if that’s a word. My type-ahead feature thinks not. The slope is graceful enough that I am never forced to walk. There are even short downhill dips where I’m able to surge. My slowest mile uphill is 13 minutes, which I consider pretty speedy for running up a mountain at 11,000 feet. Oddly enough, my slowest mile overall is near the bottom of the west side running downhill in 14 minutes. I scream down on my descent but by the bottom my legs are so fatigued that I have to slow down for safety. Falling might hurt. This run is everything I could have asked for, satisfying years of anticipation.

The relay runs through Breckenridge, Frisco, Leadville, and finally ends in Buena Vista shortly before noon Saturday. There are so many more stories to share. I won’t, mostly to protect the guilty but also so I can watch some football and prep for a travel week. We ate at some good restaurants, like the Sunshine Cafe for breakfast pictured here. We spent the night at a condo in Silverthorne to recover – and drink. I suggest clicking on my link to Beth’s blog for an entertaining recap of the ultra experience. Wonderful weekend overall. Next Saturday is the Boulder Marathon.

Course Prep

07 Monday Sep 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Boulder Backroads, Boulder Marathon

I don’t think I’ve ever trained as much for a marathon. The one sensible item left unchecked on my list was to run the course. I ran the half marathon loop on the Boulder Backroads Sunday morning. The full marathon is simply twice around the same loop. This is smart prep, although I’m a bit psyched out now at all the rolling hills and by how slow I ran. But I knew it would be a slow course, I’ve run it before.

The course exits the Boulder Rez onto 55th St. and heads north. The gravel isn’t exactly thick, but it’s heavier here than on the backroads further north. And much of the road contains those ripples so common to gravel roads. Less than ideal but I wouldn’t complain about it. Preferable to the mile or so of asphalt on the next section – Niwot Road. This road presents a slight rise west bound and of course a nice downward slope on the return. Except that the east bound section is half the distance as it comes out from a different road. Pavement won’t present much impact though given such a short stretch. Pavement won’t impact runners at all who are used to training on it, I never do. And of course, pavement is faster, so there’s that.

In fact, if I were considering racing hard, I’d probably accelerate on Niwot Road – in both directions – to capture the speed of the pavement. My favorite racing tactic is to take whatever the course gives me. I slow down up steep hills to maintain a steady heart rate and accelerate through the downhills. The dirt roads north of Niwot Road are super nice for running. Very little gravel. After running the course, I expect my two returns to be my fastest times. The course goes out uphill the first 10K, back downhill the second 10K, and then repeats. Certainly my second 10K will be faster than my first. Not only will my first 10K be uphill, but I’ll be warming up. It’ll be somewhat amazing really for my fourth and final 10K to be faster than my third. Twenty miles is when I typically begin to fold like a cheap card table. But the second loop contains some hills early that the final 10K won’t have. My Garmin stats will be interesting.

I’m considering going back out there this morning to run the loop again. That, or putty and paint some house damage from the puppies. Probably both. This photo is of Karen and her cousin Matt; we met for dinner last night at the Old Capitol Grill in Golden. Matt and his wife Debbie are visiting their son who is attending Seminary. If you think I run some crazy events, Matt runs ultras. His next event involves running around a one mile loop for 24 hours to see how far he can go. I think I’d get dizzy but Matt says the loop contains enough turns that you don’t notice. The really crazy thing is Matt only trains three days a week with 8 to 10 mile runs. And he runs marathons all the time. I understand that running only 30 or so miles per week is all one should run in terms of health, but what would I do with all my extra time? Enjoy your Labor Day.

100 Mile Echelon

15 Saturday Aug 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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100miles, Boulder Marathon, IntaJuice, Marathon Training Program, massivemileage

This was big. Running the Boulder Marathon in September will feel anticlimactic. I’m even willing to admit I scheduled that run simply as an excuse to run 100 miles in one week as training. I’ve always wanted to attempt a massive mileage training plan and now I’ve done it. The higher distance weeks – 90 and 100 miles – were easier than I expected. I started at 60 miles and climbed my training echelon with 10 mile steps until I reached 100. I lost confidence somewhat between 70 and 80 but suspect that was heat related. The standard advice is to increase your distance every week by 10%, which mirrors my plan. I won’t have a sense of how effective uber distance training is until I run the marathon. I’m not expecting to run faster, rather hoping to run more comfortably. Specifically over the final 10K. If you’ve ever run a marathon, then you know how unpleasant those last six miles can be.

The waiting period between ending my massive mileage training plan and determining the results feels miles long to me. I’ll have to find something else to blog about for the next four weeks. My taper plan isn’t nearly as well defined as my uber distance plan. The actual miles will be serendipitous, 35 to 50, and ideally faster. Likely 8 mile runs on weekdays rather than 12. I won’t bother making up lost miles when I miss a workout due to a long work day. I’m not concerned with losing my conditioning. As for the weekends, I’ll be hiking Longs Peak with my neighbors. And I have a trail relay coming up. There’s always something.

My feedback on having trained massive miles is the following. I suspect most of the fatigue I felt was due more to the summer heat than lack of recovery. I felt great on cloudy days. With that said, running Saturday mornings after a late Friday afternoon run was always my most difficult workout. So hard for an older man to sufficiently recover with less than 24 hours. My best guess is I averaged a 9 minute mile pace; a bit slow for me but fine for my objective of distance over pace.

I also have a sneaking suspicion I’ve become addicted to the endorphin effects from running. I certainly have not experienced euphoric highs. Running is not morphine. For me it’s more of a calming and analgesic effect. I hesitate to say addicted, but the thing is, despite some brutally painful runs in the heat, I totally look forward to my daily runs. People have commented to me they are so impressed with my motivation to keep going but honestly, it’s become a fast moving train that’s hard to jump off. I’ve subconsciously prioritized it above so many likely more important things. Ultra distance running is quite possibly a disease. I’ve also become addicted to fruit popsicles. There are no popsicle guidelines published online but I suspect four after dinner is too many. I have no plans to abate my consumption but I do recognize the problem.

I believe I’ll see the benefit from running two to three hours at a stretch in my form. The repetition leads to optimal form. I imagine the opposite could be true. If I had a serious defect in my form, the longer runs would have quickly led to injury. Question is, will I be faster or slower? My stride length is set in concrete now. My cadence varies based on the heat index. Sort of wish I would have worn my Garmin during this training program. I didn’t see the need since I knew my distance and wasn’t expecting fast times. Pace wasn’t and still isn’t a goal, but I’m a bit interested in terms of expectations. I’m certain I’ll be able to run the marathon under four hours. Hope I run under 3:45. I recall my last Boulder Marathon being around 3:55. It’s a slow course.

Finishing up my 100 mile week with a 20 mile run was less than glorious. Combination fatigue from Friday afternoon’s 12 miler and this mornings’ heat. I walked a bit. The cold water irrigation ditch where I typically dip my hat with 3.5 miles remaining was dry. Started vomiting at 19 miles. Scared Karen after I dropped to the kitchen floor with cramping thigh muscles and screaming. I diffused that situation by sending her on an IntaJuice smoothie run. This photo is me afterward recovering in bed with my banana-strawberry smoothie. Mostly better now.

Grand Lake

09 Sunday Aug 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Colorado Trail, Running

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Boulder Marathon, CDT, continental divide, IllegalTrailRunners, massivemileage, RMNP, training plan

The last thing I remember Friday night was looking up at the stars, undiluted from urban light sources, high in the Rocky Mountains outside Grand Lake. Sleeping cowboy style, I dodged fallin’ stars aimed straight at me. I finally tucked inside my tent after midnight once the temperature dropped. Rob and I camped out here to hike a 25 mile segment of the Continental Divide Trail. The accuracy of CDT maps are specious as my Garmin captured 29.5 miles. Fortunately the weather was cool, between 40° and 60° so that our water lasted through those final four unplanned miles.

Grand Lake sits at the western entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, and is also part of the headwaters to the Colorado River. A quaint mountain town with wooden boardwalks and expensive but good restaurants, it’s worth a stop if you’re near Rocky Mountain National Park, or the Winter Park ski resort. Grand Lake anchors the southern end of Trail Ridge Road. Rob and I ate surprisingly good Mexican food at El Pacifico. After two large margaritas, I was seeing stars.

The 25 (29.5) miles would complete my 90 mile running week, for a total 510 miles of my massive mileage Boulder Marathon training plan. I run 20 miles today to begin my 100 mile week – the final week before I begin my taper. I can still report no muscle strains or injuries. Keeping my fingers crossed. I’ll start some strength training and work on my pace once I cut my miles by half.

We got some decent running in Saturday on the trail. This section of the Continental Divide Trail is a loop that begins and ends at the North Inlet Trailhead outside Grand Lake. It’s contained within the southwest corner of Rocky Mountain National Park, so permits are needed for camping. We stealth camped, setting up our tents shortly after dusk to avoid the Park Rangers. We encountered a number of group backpackers who camped along the trail. One father was trekking his kids on a 3 day outing, targeting 8 mile days with their heavy packs. There is a Big Meadow trail that shortcuts the CDT, forming a slightly shorter 24 or 25 mile loop. Sporting light packs, we ran about two miles worth of the big loop. The coolest part was running across the alpine tundra among the rock cairns above 12,000 feet.

Another cool section of trail was this burn area on the northern part of the loop. Would have been hot without shade but we benefitted from partial clouds and 60° temperatures. I’m happy mixing up hiking with my running. I count the miles toward my training plan because hiking with Rob at high altitude is little different than running. We maintained a 3 mph pace for essentially a 50K ultra. Ascending above tree line had my cardio going. I imagine I burned well over 3000 calories over the ten hour hike. Once I finish my coffee this morning, I’ll set out on a 20 miler on the LoBo Trail to begin my 100 mile week.

Massive Mileage in Moderation

25 Saturday Jul 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Adam Goucher, Boulder Marathon, Inta Juice, Marathon Training Program, massivemileage

I was drinking beers with a couple of my running buddies Thursday at The Well – conveniently located two blocks down the street from my house. Our conversation turned to my Boulder Marathon training plan, AKA the massive mileage training plan. My friends think I’m nuts, although they are impressed my body is holding up to the stress. So am I. I completed my first 80 mile week today with an 18 miler on the LoBo Trail. I’m feeling the fatigue. Sometimes my knees buckle from weakness on my initial steps after standing up from a chair, but nothing feels on the verge of injury. More difficult than the physicality of running the extreme distance is making the time. I can squeeze in 60 miles easily enough but 80 miles is where time becomes a real factor. Thankfully Karen is cooking most of our dinners. I just show up hungry.

Steve asked me what my objective is with this massive mileage. I get the sense everyone thinks I’m still pushing myself as compensation for my cancer last year. I don’t think so. I did initially, consciously. I set my first race to be a marathon in order to have a meaningful challenge. And I had a little something to prove in the Bolder Boulder since my surgery caused me to miss the 2014 event. But I’m happy with my recovery and I’m over it. And I’m not trying to set some speed record. In fact, I suspect this distance is slowing me down. I do hope to run in the top of my range – 3:30 to 3:45 – but I’m not trying to PR.

I have two reasons for this plan. The first is that I recently read Running with the Buffaloes. That CU Cross Country team put in massive miles. Adam Goucher ran 100 mile weeks and went on to win at the NCAA Nationals. I wouldn’t call that book a great read, in fact it reads about like this blog. Chris Lear simply captures every workout of the season. But I have a tendency to get excited by sports stories. Shoot, I’m easily influenced by books. I do have some discipline. I read both Mein Kampf and The Communist Manifesto in College. Despite the liberal college setting, I thought they were both full of shit. Maybe it’s just sports stories that get me so excited. I made my plan immediately after reading about the CU Cross Country team.

My goal, my second reason, is that I hope this mileage will make me feel comfortable running the entire marathon distance. I begin to fade around 18 miles. Or 2.5 hours. Quick marathon math has you burning 3000 calories over the course. The typical marathon runner probably can’t store more than 2000 calories. Likely much less but this gives you around 1000 calorie deficit. And trust me, you can try eating ten 100 calorie gels during the race but your stomach can’t process that much in such a short time. So 18 miles, give or take, or 2.5 hours, is when many runners tend to bonk. I’ve bonked as early as 16 miles. My hope is that my body will adapt to the distance with this massive mileage to burn calories more efficiently during the run.

My previous training focus has been on nutrition and getting in at least one super long run (18 to 20 miles) on the weekend. I’ve had success with both. But running massive weekly mileage is something I’ve never done, not even back in college. I worked myself up to 70 mile weeks the summer before my final season and experienced decent success from that. I’ve always been smitten with the thought of running a 100 mile week. Problem is, I’m starting to doubt I can hold this plan. I just completed my first 80 mile week today with an 18 mile run and I’m exhausted. I’m not sure two weeks at 90 and then two weeks at 100 is viable. But I really want to try, I’m so close.

I’m thinking of modifying my plan. I’ll do 80 again next week per plan. Then only run a single week at 90 and a single week at 100 – rather than two weeks for each. After that, drop all the way back down to 60. This might keep me alive for race day. As much stink I raised in a previous blog challenging U-Curve studies, I actually believe in them. Drinking, running, everything in moderation. I saw my Chiropractor yesterday. I didn’t have any issues for him, and he didn’t find any, but this was a proactive, preventive maintenance component of my training plan.

Today’s run was brutal. 18 miles in blistering heat. I saw Jabe, Eve and Susan on the LoBo Trail around 3 miles. And Spot. Not sure how far they ran but Spot was feeling it. I drove directly to Inta Juice afterward and downed two 32 ounce smoothies with protein for an 800 calorie liquid lunch. I followed that up with a pedicure. Two absolutely brilliant post-run decisions. This photo above is of me last weekend on the CDT with Gray’s and Torreys in the background – which Brittany just summited yesterday. An active summer for all the Mahoneys.

190 Miles

11 Saturday Jul 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Colorado Trail, Running

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apple cider, Boulder Backroads, Boulder Marathon, Boulder Res, massivemileage

I completed week three of training for the Boulder Marathon with 70 miles, bringing my total up to 190 miles. Surprisingly, the wheels haven’t started to fall off yet. I have another six weeks before I reach 100 weekly miles though, so I can’t say I’m there. This week almost felt easy until today. I kept all my runs at 12 or less miles but ran 16 today in some tough heat. The most difficult part might be running in the morning after a previous late afternoon run. Not enough time to recover. So I maintained a slow pace today, which was likely smart in this heat.

I also got in a nice 6 mile hike on Audubon Trail, in the Brainard Lake area on Thursday. I took the day off to spend time with my niece Jessy who drove in from Iowa. She’s in Vail now for the weekend with her boyfriend Brian and Brittany. Always nice to have family visit. Nicer still to get in my first mountain trail hike of the season. I have some more aggressive hikes planned later this month and for August, including Longs Peak.

Finished the day on the front porch. Goddard came over and drank beers with me. Until we ran out and switched over to Brittany’s apple cider. Quite refreshing and 5% alcohol. Who knew?

120 Miles

03 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Boulder Marathon, Caballo Blanco, DAM, Denver Botanical Gardens, health benefits, massivemileage, Micah True, Wicked

This photo from the 2015 Bolder Boulder captures how I’ve been feeling during my 120 miles worth of running over the last two weeks in the summer heat. I completed another 60 mile week today – week two of my 13 week plan training for the Boulder Marathon. I had to squeeze in 60 miles in only four runs since Sunday. I had to commute to Denver for training Monday and Tuesday which didn’t leave time for working out. Then Karen and I are spending the weekend in Denver to see Wicked and the Denver Art Museum. And possibly the Botanical Gardens. Ran 21 Sunday, 10 Wednesday, 14 Thursday and 15 today. Hope I don’t have these sorts of time challenges going forward when my mileage increases. I like long runs, but not every time. This photo also captures how my left foot turns outward when I’m fatigued. Not very pretty form but I’m working on it.

I saw Dave and Amy biking on the LoBo Trail after two miles. Apparently they don’t spend the first hours of the morning drinking coffee and reading the paper like me as they were just finishing their ride. I also saw Steve on my return in nearly the same spot, maybe a mile further between Ogallala Road and 83rd. Steve was running with his dog. They have similar form.

My body is holding up fairly well after two 60 mile weeks. It’s fatigued but I can’t point to anything that feels like a pending injury. Haven’t lost any weight. I’m good at replenishing lost calories. Karen is worried about me wearing myself out. Along with my mom. Karen had her dad talk to me about the health benefits of ultra distance running. Basically, there aren’t any, but I know that. I don’t do this year long, only to prep for marathons. I’ve never put in this many miles though, assuming I complete my plan.

The medical studies, which my father-in-law pointed out to me, fall into two areas. The first are studies that suggest ultra endurance training, coupled with your genetic makeup, can lead to a higher incidence of heart disease, such as cardiomyopathy or enlarged heart. This is what killed Caballo Blanco (Micah True), the famed ultra distance runner from Boulder. I don’t tend to run over 35 miles a week, at least not for prolonged periods, so this is not something I worry about.

The second set of studies suggest a U-curve graph around the negative health benefit of running less than or more than 35 miles per week. Or in that range. I find the symmetrical nature of U-curves specious, suggesting inherent sample bias. The studies I’ve read in the paper or have been able to google don’t have control groups. They simply record results from volunteers. They have many less results from people running much longer than 35 miles because really, how many nut jobs do you know who run 100 miles per week? Sample bias is when smaller sample populations appear as outliers because the larger sample essentially establishes the average. I’m not a scientist and I failed college statistics, but I have friends who are scientists, so I’m like one degree of separation away from knowing what I’m talking about.

I’ll take this further. Correlation is not causation. You can show that people who run less than the average runner or more than the average runner live shorter lives, but you can’t say it is due to the miles. Figure people running less are possibly more obese. Anyone running 100 miles a week is clearly obsessive and likely displays many more characteristics that could just as easily be responsible for their shorter lifespan. They likely drink more, experience more dramatic weight loss and gain, get more speeding tickets and have more sex partners. They are doomed to a shorter but highly satisfying life.

Part of Karen’s concern for me is that I look so bad after finishing some of these long runs. Click on that picture to enlarge it and you’ll see the pain in my face from fatigue. Anyone who hikes or runs with me knows how I grunt loudly and am generally highly expressive when I hurt. It’s part of my pain management routine, but it doesn’t mean I’m dying. Just sounds and looks like it at times. I did well today staying hydrated during my 15 mile run and am doing everything possible to recover for our weekend stay in Denver. I drank a protein smoothie after my run. And just dropped 10,000 IUs of vitamin D and 20 mg of Cialis. I’m expecting fireworks this weekend.

Berthoud Pass

21 Sunday Sep 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Colorado Trail, Running

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Tags

Boulder Marathon, boulder marathon cancelled, CDT, continental divide, Denver Marathon, GoGo Squeez, New Balance Leadville 2010, Pearl Izumi

I receive the email Friday afternoon informing me that the October 5th Boulder Marathon is cancelled. I have made such a big deal out of this race that I’m stunned. But only momentarily. I quickly recover and register for the Denver Marathon October 19th before it’s full. I’m fast to move on.

A few hours later, I drive up via I-70 to Idaho Springs. I meet La Plata at the Tommyknocker brew pub at 6:30. We break bread and share grape. More specifically, we have jalapeno poppers and mac-n-cheese with red chili. This is similar to Cincinnati chili, but with mac rather than spaghetti. Very satisfying and highly recommended. After dinner, we shuffle my van to the massive parking lot on top of Berthoud Pass and camp down at the Herman Gulch Trailhead off I-70 at exit 218.

This site is less than ideal with incessant engine noise reverberating along the canyon walls throughout the night. I don’t sleep well, but at least it’s warm. We breakfast on oatmeal and trailhead coffee. At 6:30am, we hit the trail. We gain 3000 feet in elevation over the first six miles. By this time, we also shed our cold weather gear and are down to running shorts and a T. I wear my Pearl Izumi 2and1 ultra trail running shorts. The long seam brief works well to protect against chaffing. These shorts are great but could use additional pockets. I’d like to see what I call a “shark knife pocket” stitched on the brief alongside the outside thigh. It would be underneath the shorts so it would not be visible. I’m thinking of two or three times the size of the gel pockets along the back sides.

Despite the steep grade, we get in a little running each mile. I can’t begin to describe how perfect this supple trail is for running. You can see it well here if you click to enlarge this photo. The ground feels raw with fresh dirt. We’re quickly above treeline and mostly stay above 12,000 feet. Our highest point is 13,200. Not surprisingly for a trail following the Continental Divide, it runs mostly along the very top of the ridge with unbelievable views in every direction. At one point, we are running a thin ridge lined with craggy rocks. I feel like I’m running across Godzilla’s spine.

The sun is out strong and creates interesting light between glare and shade along the ridge. You can see how the trail undulates along the ridge in this photo with La Plata. You can even see some snow to the right. The cool air countered the full sun and kept us comfortable all day. We both forget to wear hats but apply liberal amounts of sunscreen continuously. Still, the backs of my legs are now sunburned.

The muscles in the backs of my legs are hurting too. The 6000 feet of total elevation gain is a tremendous workout for my calves, hamstrings and glutes. This twenty-plus mile run along the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) is perfect marathon training. Rather than the three hour, twenty mile workouts I’ve been running on the weekends, this run will take eight hours. We planned for eight and we finish with twelve minutes to spare. Clearly, it’s mostly hiking, but at an aggressive pace. Averaging over 12,000 feet, we are often winded as if we are running. It feels great to be up here with light packs. The weight in my pack is mostly from the 70 ounces of water in my camelback reservoir. I also carry warmer gear should the weather turn bad – which it never does. For nutrition, I carry Epic Bars and Hammer Gels. I have Skratch mixed in my water. The idea is to practice consuming what I will rely upon for my marathon to ensure my stomach can handle it and that it keeps my muscles from cramping. Everything works out great.

My new trails shoes also do well. These New Balance Leadville 1210s have a rock plate in the front of the sole. I don’t feel it in there, these shoes are so pliable, but I never feel any rocks either so it does the job. These would have been fine shoes to race the Boulder Marathon in, on that course’s dirt roads. Their tread proves capable on this extreme trail by gripping loose dirt with confidence during steep descents. My ankles are quite fatigued now, hiking boots would have provided better support. But I love being able to run a trail with light shoes and pack. I’m thinking though about buying new shoes for the Denver Marathon as that run is entirely on paved streets. I’ve been thinking about buying a pair of Hokas. I know they are a bit gimmicky, but everyone I’ve talked to, like Gadget Girl, absolutely loves them. I would need to train in them of course first, but I have time for that.

Another new item I intend to pick up for the Denver Marathon is a gel-like snack La Plata gave me – GoGo Squeez. It’s 30 calories less than my 90 calorie Hammer Gel, although 3 times the volume at 3.2 ounces. Still, the real fruit content is yummy. Not often you can say that about these sports foods. Plus the twist cap is convenient and overall the pack is less sticky than gels. There is nothing better than real food. Fruit performs well in terms of supplying quick energy. All these products do well on my stomach while running. And fortunately, I didn’t have issues with the poppers from the night before.

I expect to see more people out on this trail, being so close to Denver. I can’t imagine a better day to be out here. We do see a couple wearing Beaver Creek caps. Several other hikers and one trail runner. And a few bikers. They really impress me with the technical nature of this trail. Good for them though, riding on top of the world.

Saturday’s 20.6 mile trail run was so much better than I could have imagined. Perfect in every way. From the weather, to our pace, to my conditioning that made itself evident. Despite the altitude, my breathing felt strong. And the workout my legs received will help me in the Denver Marathon. We lunch at Jenny’s, a small cafe in Empire. We both eat the half pound buffalo burger. Very tasty. We will meet up again next weekend for a forty mile backpacking hike along the CDT that extends from near Breckenridge to the Grays and Torreys Peaks. We’ll be joined on this outing by La Plata’s college buddy, George Schools. George is an extremely fit athlete from Austin. This could turn out to be a three-day race under the load of 35 pound backpacks. Can’t wait.

Muddy Trails

13 Saturday Sep 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Boulder Marathon, Hammer Gel, Scratch

We’ve had some rain and snow the last couple of days. That doesn’t help the trail conditions but the cool weather is a decent trade off. This morning’s twenty mile run began in a crisp 43°. It finished less than three hours later still under 60°. The cool clime contributed to an 8:33 pace. Twenty seconds per mile faster than last Saturday.

This is my final tough workout before the Boulder Marathon on October 5th. Hoping for similar weather then. I only drank one liter of Scratch and consumed the same quantity of Hammer Gels as last week – three for a total of 240 calories. I plan to double that during the marathon. I burned about 3000 calories and lost five pounds in two hours and fifty-four minutes. An hour later, I feel great. I’m ready.

To let you know, the race starts from the Boulder Res at 7:15am. The course loops through the res again at the half. Chris Price should be coming through the res on his first half at 8:45am. I expect to pass through at about 9:00am. Come out to support us and take pics. Chris is pushing to break 3:20. I hope to finish in 3:45.

Shoes & Brews

06 Saturday Sep 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Boulder Marathon, Hammer Gel, New Balance Leadville 2010, Scratch

The day after last Saturday’s nightmarish trail run, I went to Shoes & Brews to buy this new pair of trail running shoes. The New Balance Leadville 1210s. This is how you recover from a bad run; you buy a new pair of shoes. Running’s not complicated.

This was my first visit since they opened. How brilliant is this? They sell running shoes and related gear. And they sell a unique selection of tap beer in an attached pub. I still wasn’t feeling up to par Sunday, so I can’t critique the brews. But I just like having the option. They organize group runs along the Longmont Greenbelt on Saturday mornings and supply Scratch sports drink along the route. Check them out.

I got some good runs in during the work week, although my legs felt heavy most days. Felt so much better this morning though. I went out early on the LoBo Trail for 21 miles. The temperature started out well below 60°. It was only 64° three hours later when I finished. Rain clouds hung low, nearly kissing the ground. I love Colorado clouds.

The cool weather supported a fast pace. My goal wasn’t speed of course, simply the miles. I suspect I started out fast to stay warm. I ran a consistent 8:30 pace the first 12 miles. I ran into Chris Price after 6 miles. He ran 15 miles at a 7:30 pace. Wow. By 15 miles, I slowed down to a 9 minute clip. My overall average came out at 8:50 per mile. Makes me think, with similar conditions, I can expect to run a 9 minute pace for the Boulder Marathon in October. Hope so. Chris will be running as well and I suspect I might hang with him for his first two miles. He starts out slow at around a 9 minute pace. He’ll speed up to a 7 or so minute pace. I imagine I’ll speed up to 8 minutes and then settle down to 8:30. Then 9 minutes.

I started to feel fatigue today at 12 miles. My arm started to hurt after 15 miles. That’s not unusual in a marathon, that muscles you would not normally associate with running begin to hurt. In addition to breaking in my new shoes, I experimented with two new nutritional supplies. I loaded up on 70 ounces of Skratch in my Camelbak. With the cool weather, I only drank about 30 ounces. Scratch is brewed in Boulder. It’s highly valued by runners and analysts for its even digestion on long runs and bike rides. I also ate three Hammer Gels, one at 6, then 10 and again at 12 miles. I was quite pleased with these gels because normally they make me want to puke. These were so flavor neutral that I didn’t even need to rinse out my mouth after eating them. I didn’t experience any gastrointestinal distress today so I think both these products will work out nicely for the marathon. I’m considering wearing my camelbak so I can drink something more nutritional than the free Gatorade at the aid stations.

Runner Down

30 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

Boulder Backroads, Boulder Marathon, Heil Valley Ranch, Picture Rock Trailhead

I initially planned to run an easy 20 miles today on the LoBo Trail. I say easy because that trail is so pedestrian and flat. I changed my plans last night though to instead run a real trail at Heil Valley Ranch. Running from the Wapiti Trailhead on the south end to the Picture Rock Trailhead on the north end, and back, is 18 miles and considerably more challenging. It will be nice to run a real trail again. I couldn’t wait to wake up and go Saturday morning.

I start a bit before 10am. I don’t expect it to get overly hot and I am fairly well acclimated. I carry two liters of HEED sports drink in my Camelbak. I feel heavy starting out, but then I haven’t been running hills. This begins with 3 miles of moderate elevation gain. Nearly 1000 feet in 2.74 miles. I note as I struggle uphill that my legs don’t feel recovered from Friday’s run. This is odd because I only ran an easy 4 miler yesterday afternoon. My legs were sore last night too and I thought it odd at the time because generally I can run up to 8 miles and still feel fresh afterward.

Still, it feels great to be running on this trail. I notice that while there are tons of mountain bikers, there are no runners. Everyone is likely training on the Boulder Backroads for the upcoming marathon. Whereas those roads are hilly, this is a mountain. They zig, I zag. I take it slow though, which is my plan considering my 18 mile target. I maintain a slow pace as the trail begins the six mile descent down to the Picture Rock Trailhead. Not slow enough apparently as I trip at mile 5.25 and crash into the ground. Runner down! Falling forward with 6 miles per hour of downhill momentum is a bad scenario. I’m drinking from my camelbak at the time, which is likely why I lost focus. I’m just barely able to thrust my hands forward into a large but flat surfaced rock to break my fall. The rock angles upward so my hands slide forward and I rest on my forearms – in sort of a pushup position with my torso never hitting the ground. Until I rest on the ground of course for five or ten seconds.

The sliding motion likely spared my wrists or arm from breaking, but my palms leave behind measurable DNA on the rock. And they really hurt. I continue running, but more slowly. Either my trail legs are out of practice, or I’m super fatigued. I recount the fall and consider how lucky I am I didn’t break my wrists. I can run the Boulder Marathon in five weeks with broken wrists. Broken ribs would have ended my running season. I reconsider the wisdom of training on the safer Boulder Backroads.

I’m wearing my Garmin but never look at it. I find out after uploading the results later that I’m running over a 10 minute pace – even downhill. That’s unusually slow for me, but perhaps understandable given my near death experience. Despite my deliberate pace, I continue to stumble fairly often. This hurts my toes and I shout out with screams that echo off the mountains. I finally encounter another runner, a girl perhaps in her 30s, running in the other direction within a mile of the trailhead. I wonder how far she is going and when we will cross paths again.

I reach Picture Rock Trailhead in a little over nine miles and turn around. This begins a six mile climb. I feel weak but pass several bikers on the ascent. I begin to wonder after only a mile into this climb if I can continue without walking. My strength is seriously fading. I begin walking after two miles. I figure I will start back up once I catch my breadth. I never catch my breadth. To be fair, I’m walking well under a 15 minute pace uphill, but this is strange. I figure worse case, I’ll walk the entire climb and run again on the nearly 3 miles of downhill into the trailhead on the other side.

I note that my head and face feel cold and clammy. I try to run occasionally but can never maintain it for more than 50 yards. I don’t believe it is overly hot and also think I’ve been disciplined in drinking my HEED. My rate of stumbling becomes worse and I even begin to feel dizzy. My shouts of pain that accompany each stumble are now joined by raging expletives. I’m in a foul mood. At 15 miles, nearly to the top of the hill, I begin vomiting. This makes me feel a bit better, although my legs and arms shake involuntarily for several minutes after I continue walking. My symptoms do resemble heat exhaustion and dehydration. I suspect I’m sick though. I feel sick.

I try running again on the downhill but can’t. In fact, my pace slows down even more, despite the easier grade. Fortunately there is a bathroom at the trailhead because diarrhea hits me at the end of my run/walk. I rest for about 15 minutes before driving home because my legs are cramping. Despite laying down on a picnic table, I never catch my breadth. Not until I vomit again does my breathing settle down.

I’m still in bed hours later. Karen thinks I over did it. I think I’m sick. Runner down!

Boulder Backroads

24 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Boulder Marathon, CU Cross Country

After running 18 miles Saturday, I almost skipped running 10 miles with my friends this morning in lieu of sleeping in. My legs were so heavy, dragging myself out of bed took real effort. So glad I joined everyone though. The Boulder backroads make for a gorgeous run. And the morning air is starting to cool down with the approaching fall.

Six of us started out running together this morning from the Left Hand Trailhead on Neva Road. Several cars and vans carrying the CU Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Teams pulled up just as we started. A couple of the women quickly passed us on Oxford Road. We estimated they were running at about a 7 minute per mile pace. I talked to them later back at the trailhead and they said they were running under a 7 minute clip. Imagine running that fast for even one mile. These girls can maintain that for ten. This picture shows some of their team smiling afterward.

We took a different route, turning onto Ouray Drive to run north up to Nelson Road. Otherwise more of the CU Team would have passed us. They kept to Oxford, which is also a pretty road. I think Ouray Drive might have a bigger set of hills. The girls in my group turned around after 4 miles for an 8 mile run. Nelson Road is about 5.25 miles so us guys got in over ten.

My legs were weak on the hills. Recovering from an 18 miler isn’t easy for a 52 year old. I did have a massage yesterday though which helped. I normally focus massages on my legs but I think my back benefited the most yesterday. The increased distance lately has left it somewhat compressed. I know visiting a physical therapist is all the rage nowadays but I’m a fan of massage. I’ll take the more relaxed atmosphere over clinical any day.

My marathon training remains on schedule. I’m confident already at this point I’ll be able to complete the Boulder Marathon in October. It’s just a matter of how fast – or how slow. I ran a 9 minute pace for my 18 miler yesterday. I think it’s a fair estimate to say I’ll be able to run that pace for a full marathon. I’d like to run an 8.5 minute pace but will totally be happy with 9 minutes. Six more weeks of training.

Momentum and Miles

16 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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alsicebucketchallenge, Boulder Marathon, LoBo Trail, LSD

Today’s run was a hot one. Hit 90° later in the afternoon. I suspect the temperature during the three hours I was out there was in the upper 80s. I drank 32 ounces of water. That’s a large amount for me. I might take some electrolytes along for tomorrow’s run. I had to stop after 15 miles today because my legs were ready to cramp. I was targeting 17 miles. Wasn’t the day for it. Great day though to take the ALS ice bucket challenge after the run. It almost felt self-serving to cool off. It doesn’t bother me that I had to walk in the final two miles. I learned young to set goals high. You might not reach them. It’s better though to come close, even if that brings disappointment, than to reach shallower goals. It was during my walk home I determined I would take the ALS ice bucket challenge.

I ran slow today too, the entire distance. I felt a bit sluggish starting off but figured a little LSD wouldn’t hurt for today. That’s running lingo for long, slow, distance. There are benefits to putting in the miles regardless of pace. Sometimes I’m even in the mood to run slow, and was today. I generally prefer a fast run though. I had a super fast eight miler on Thursday. I hit the LoBo Trail right after a hard rain shower. The cool air felt great. I didn’t wear a watch but I knew I was running fast. Felt awesome. I even ran a half mile fartlek at an accelerated pace. I did this after 4.5 miles when my legs were well warmed up. I’d like to be able to get in a fast run like this once or twice a week. Muscles have memory and mine remember running fast. My workouts are on pace for the Boulder Marathon in October. I’m gaining momentum as I log the miles.

Marathon Man

09 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

Boulder Marathon, Dallas White Rock Marathon

Lest you begin to think this is a hiking blog, I ran this weekend. Two massive 15 and 12 mile runs on the LoBo Trail, Saturday and Sunday respectively. I was confident on the distance because I ran this course a couple of months ago. I was a little less certain on my ability to recover for a repeat attempt Sunday, but I felt fine. No choice really. The Boulder Marathon launches from the Res in less than two months. Time to get into racing shape.

I’m pretty excited for this. It will be my first race in seven months. Missing the spring and summer racing season has been a disappointment. Fortunately I ran Austin and Moab this winter. I entered this year in great running shape. It will be interesting to see if I can pick up where I left off. I focused last weekend on strength training. I followed it up this weekend with distance. Hoping to maintain consistent eight mile runs from here on out with a bit of weights to avoid injury. Long runs on weekends.

I know that first running a half marathon or 10K is a sensible approach for a post-surgery recovery. That’s not how I think though. I know I can run a half marathon. I just did. I could run a 10K with that catheter still tethered to my bladder. A full marathon though is never certain. I want my return to racing to be a celebration of sorts. It needs to be a real challenge.

The photo up top is of my first marathon. I was 16 years old in my Junior year of high school. I ran alongside my buddy Mike O’Neill – whom I recently went on a week-long backpacking trip with across the Continental Divide. My first marathon is still one of the most difficult athletic feats I have ever accomplished. This last photo is of my most recent marathon in Austin this winter. My feet are off the ground in both pics! Otherwise, there’s a good thirty-five pounds difference between the two photos. I’ve run eight marathons in my lifetime. Two as a teenager and six since. Looking forward to number nine on October 5th.

On a sad note, our beloved German Shepard passed away Tuesday. Jack was a great dog, and a super companion to Brittany. He was ferociously loyal but also a sweetheart. Jack was never threatening to humans, although he looked the part sitting on the front porch. He absolutely loved other dogs. He wouldn’t fight them unless necessary. When little dogs would bite at him, Jack would either ignore them or slap their head with his big paw. Only twice did I see him attacked by large dogs and he defended himself well in those situations. We are comforted knowing he lived a happy life, and well past the normal 10 to 11 years for a Shepard. Jack, I know you are forever running in fields of mountain wildflowers at that big doggie ranch in the sky.

Plodding

18 Sunday May 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Boulder Marathon, Eagle Trail

I ran with my team for the first time since having surgery. Not that I ran much further or faster than I’ve been running on my own, but there’s a confirmation of sorts when you discover you can maintain pace with others. It felt good. Ironically, both Steve and Jen are coming back from injuries too and like me had to keep their distance under four miles. We ran 3.75 miles on the Eagle Trail. Keith, the 52 year old birthday boy, kept running after we finished.

I can feel that I haven’t lost much fitness from my surgery. I was concerned a bit because the affects of the anaesthesia impacted my lungs for a few weeks. I need to give my body a couple more weeks of light duty before returning to my standard regimen. Waiting is a bit tedious but I don’t feel any pressure to rush things. I’ve accepted that I have to remain patient. I cancelled the Boulder Half and committed to simply walk the Bolder Boulder. I opted instead to volunteer as a road marshal for the Boulder Half. And the Bolder Boulder is more of a festival really, a celebration of running. Walking it with my wife and daughter will be satisfying enough. Changing my goals by continuing to participate, although not racing, helps overcome the plodding pace of my recovery.

In fact, I don’t have another race scheduled until this fall. The Boulder Marathon. I’m comfortable that I’m starting from a strong enough base to be ready for that. I don’t generally challenge myself with very aggressive goals for a marathon. Finishing seems like a reasonable accomplishment for that distance. Given my circumstances though, the shortened racing season, I might push myself. Targeting a fast time might not be as smart for this course. I could for the Denver Marathon – that’s a fast course. I don’t know that I should consider two marathons this fall though. My thoughts right now are to try maintaining pace with my buddy Chris. He’s a sub 3:30 marathoner. I want to see how far I can run at that pace. That’s the goal.

Solo

06 Sunday Oct 2013

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Boulder Flood, Boulder Marathon, Chris Price

Chris starts off on his run Sunday morning at 8:00am. The air at the Boulder Res is 47° with 7mph winds from the northeast so he wears a sweatshirt. The 2013 Boulder Marathon was scheduled to run from here two weeks ago, but became another victim of the Great September Flood. Chris refuses to be a victim. Today he’s running the inaugural 2013 Chris Price Didn’t Do All This Freakin’ Training For Nothing Marathon. There are no waves or corrals at the starting line. Chris is running this one solo. I have other commitments at 8 but catch up to Chris here on Hwy 36 and Left Hand Road. Well into the second half of his run, Chris still looks fresh. He shouts out that he’s four minutes under his target time.

If there’s any doubt about how strong Chris is running, he jumps up like a rock star for this photo on Neva Road – twenty miles into the marathon. Typical antics at big events. Chris doesn’t need a crowd though. He makes his own party. The sun has warmed up significantly by this time, but the air still has some coolness in it. Chris dropped his sweatshirt somewhere in the first half. The Boulder back roads are so full of bikers and other runners, it almost feels like Chris is part of an official race. I take note of a couple trailheads off Neva Road I might check out for future trail runs.

From a photography perspective, I dare say Chris is fortunate the Boulder Marathon was cancelled. The trees are showing their colors much more this weekend than two weeks prior. I can’t recall the weather two weekends ago but today is just incredibly perfect to run. Chris lets me know here at 22 miles that he’s starting to feel fatigue. I think to myself that I hope so. If you’re not feeling tired after running 22 miles, something is wrong with you. I say this about someone running a solo marathon.

With two miles remaining, on 55th Street, Chris is still flying with both feet airborne. I’ve run 7 marathons myself. Two as a kid so maybe I shouldn’t count those, but five in the last 3 years. I had a little gas left in my tank in one of the Denver Marathons. And I wasn’t tired at all when I finished the Dallas White Rock Marathon at 18 years of age. Otherwise I’ve always been literally crawling at this point. That’s with crowds cheering me to finish strong. Talk about self motivation. Chris really is a one man race.

The finish at the Boulder Res presents a quarter mile long hill, but Chris doesn’t seem to notice. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ran a negative split. His family is waiting for him. His daughter runs the final 100 meters with him, but falls behind as he turns on his kick. I wish I’d have been clever enough to string up a finish line tape for Chris to break, but I didn’t know exactly where he planned to stop running.

This last photo is of his final strides. His finishing speed and strength are apparent. His time was a few minutes over 3:20. Good enough for 3rd place in his age division in the 2012 Boulder Marathon. Can you imagine running a marathon all by yourself? Steve Jobs said we all die alone. I’d like to know what thoughts went through Chris’ head to power him through this endeavor. I don’t think he played music. I’m simply amazed. Nicely done Chris.

Georgia Pass

22 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Colorado Trail, Running

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Boulder Flood, Boulder Marathon, continental divide, Mount Guyot

The email came in at 11:16 Friday night, just as I was going to bed, officially notifying me that the Boulder Marathon is cancelled until 2014. Disappointing of course but not surprising. This flood is a disaster. But you know what? Anyone can run a marathon. Try running 16 miles over Georgia Pass. I got in a 7 mile run Saturday with Steve and went out this morning at 5:30am, but not to run my planned marathon. Instead of running 26.2 miles on the Boulder backroads this morning, I ran along the Continental Divide with Keith and Chris in the mountains above Breckenridge. I’m not disappointed now. This pic is of us on the pass at 10am with Mount Guyot (pronounced gui-oat) in the background.

As of last night, the weather called for rain, turning into snow. Instead, the temperature was 41° and the rain didn’t begin to fall until around 12 or 13 miles. Ideal running weather. The three of us were comfortable wearing runner shorts and 2 or 3 layers of shirts. As you can imagine, there were very few others out on the trail. We encountered one hiker who started ahead of us, with his dog, and a couple more on the descent. Plus four mountain bikers crossing the trail on a jeep road.

We reached the trailhead via Tiger Road, which runs east from Hwy 9. After 5 or 6 miles, we took the left fork to the North Fork Swan River. The right fork leads to the trailhead on the Middle Fork Swan River, but it would have been a shorter run than we wanted. We were looking to run about 13 miles. The Middle Fork would have been 10 miles. The North Fork turned out to be 16 miles – out and back. The trail is segment 6 of the Colorado Trail. This entire CT segment is 31 miles from Kenosha Pass on Hwy 285 to Gold Hill on Hwy 9.

This section of trail isn’t as smooth as the other sections between here and Denver, but the 6% grade was manageable, considering we were running up to the Continental Divide. We started just under 10,000 feet and the Pass sits close to 12,000 feet. Trail shoes are advisable given some of the rocks, and the rain making it slick, but both Chris and Keith navigated fine in street running shoes.

I was pleased we were able to run up with very little walking. The first 3 miles between the North and Middle Fork trailheads served as a pleasant warmup. The grade steepened after that. Chris seemed unaffected, although he slowed down at times for Keith and me. The pass appeared as soon as we rose above treeline. I was more exhausted than I expected; I assume from not walking more on the ascent. We decided to all return at our own paces. Keith wanted to be cautious. I wanted to run fast but knew I was too exhausted to keep up with Chris – who wanted to sprint the 8 mile descent. He nearly did. This picture – which you might need to click on in order to see Chris – shows him 100 yards ahead of us after only 30 seconds. Chris reached the trailhead about 20 minutes ahead of me, giving him a 3 hour, 16 mile run. He out-ran me on the return by about 2.5 minutes per mile. I was hoping to keep up with him on the cancelled marathon. That might have been wishful thinking.

With Chris as our driver, Keith and I enjoyed a few ales at the Dam Brewery in Dillon. Their pub fare is really good. My cheese burger was outstanding – served to order. Could be I was just really hungry – my Garmin suggests I lost 1900 calories. I’m still working on overcoming that deficit, having eaten dinner and thinking of lemon meringue pie.

The rain followed us back to Boulder County. Hopefully nothing dramatic. My running is now largely on streets which I hate. The trails are slowly opening but not enough yet. I’m debating whether I should run the Denver Marathon in October. That’s on streets. Might be a good match for my current training.

Runner’s Purgatory

17 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Boulder Marathon, Ellie Mahoney, Georgia Pass, ironkids

I wrote a wistful blog a few weeks back lamenting the end of the running season. My pensive mood was brought on more I think by the end of an agenda, the dearth of training goals, than by the lack of events. Of course, in Colorado, I could easily schedule events throughout the year. If I want to run a marathon in January, I could afford to book a trip to Houston. But there are other activities to excite me. My buddy Rob has scheduled a couple of camping trips to hike the new 80 mile Collegiates Loop on the Colorado Trail. And he’s hell-bent on teaching me survival skills with some winter camping. Not sure about blogging from a snow cave, but I am so ready for October and some fall hiking. And let’s not forget snow shoeing.

These pictures capture my favorite event of this summer with Ellie’s participation in an IronKid’s Triathlon. It’s such a kick to see your kid competing in sport. Triathlons are over-the-top with their three distinct events. There’s no lack of drama. I don’t know what had me more nervous; Ellie finishing or her bike tire exploding because I failed to properly inflate the tube. Ellie is totally into triathlons and wants to train more seriously for next season. I can make that happen. I plan to get her on a swim team in the winter and spring. That’s the sport where a base level of form is required to compete comfortably and effectively. Next I would say she needs to learn how to bike faster. At her age, running comes down the most to natural ability. It’s fair to say though for any of the events, your muscles need to be trained to go fast. It’s more about enjoyment at her age, but training counts.

photo removed
It was hard for me to pick the best run pic. There’s a good one of Ellie out-running some boys, but this photo captures both her feet off the ground. I always go for airborne. With school started, Ellie is now on her first ever volleyball team. Really her first ever team sport. Middle school and team sports sort of go hand in hand. The social aspect is there with a mix of behavioral discipline. She’s into volleyball and should have the height to succeed – at least through 8th grade.

It’ll be interesting to see which sport, if any, Ellie takes to during her adolescence. Team sports are more difficult to keep active in as you age. And one can only go so far in baton twirling. Running has to be the most portable sport ever. I feel like I got lucky making the commitment to distance running in high school. It was a tough decision to quit football, because I really love that sport. Having a distance runner’s body type though made that the right decision. I can’t determine yet any affinities between Ellie’s body type and specific sports. Brit was clearly aligned with softball or swimming because she had broad shoulders and large hands. I still remember the softball game when Brit, playing 3rd base, threw out a girl running to 1st base. The coach made her a pitcher after that game. Brit didn’t stick with softball, but she liked it and had the physical abilities for that sport. Brit running Cross Country in High School is a big factor that got me running again.
Wistfulness isn’t the proper description for my current state at the end of my planned running season. The Boulder Flood resulted in my mountain relay being cancelled last weekend along with the delay of next weekend’s marathon. September has been a runner’s purgatory. Ever defiant, I am rounding up my relay team to run Georgia Pass this weekend. That would have been the highlight leg of my relay last weekend – a 12.5 mile trail run over a 12,000 foot pass. I fully expect the Boulder Marathon to be run in October. The fall colors will be that much more vivid. I just need to keep up my distance training a few more weeks.

Twin Lakes

24 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Boulder Marathon, LoBo Trail

I extended my distance on the LoBo Trail this morning. Twin Lakes lie 10 miles from my front door. I actually used to live very near these two ponds when I first moved to Boulder 24 years ago and never entered the park. I can’t believe that. It’s an incredible setting with two small lakes, I’d call them ponds, with trails entering from various streets. Trails circle each lake. You could easily get in several miles with a little figure eight route. I’d guess each one is a half to three quarters of a mile in circumference.

Tough run today. Not because it was 20 miles, but because my legs hadn’t recovered from the previous evening’s 8 mile run. I was hurting from my first step and wasn’t confident I’d go longer than 8 or 10 miles. The weather was cool this morning and that helped. I bonked on the return though and started walking some spots after 15 miles. I ran a minute per mile slower pace than last weekend’s 18 mile run. Mostly due to the walking, otherwise I was maybe 30 seconds slower overall.

I don’t think it matters given the goal. Part of the reason you get in really long runs before a marathon is to prepare mentally. I don’t need that because I have marathon experience. Shoot, I ran the Austin Marathon after mostly training with 3 and 4 mile runs. Not that I ran it well, but I don’t need the mental fortitude. Running for 3.5 hours though is excellent preparation. I don’t believe the training pace matters much. Hope not because I want to run faster in the actual event. It’s a great question, but I feel like running for a certain amount of time is more important than covering a specific distance. The distance would help mentally, but I don’t need that.

I’m a little disappointed I had to walk some after 15 miles, but my special powers of rationalization have even made that a positive. My legs were so fatigued this morning that the entire run felt like the final 6 miles of a marathon. Running this morning felt like it does after hitting the wall. So I definitely worked on my mental toughness. I was so tired afterward that stepping over the curb was a challenge. Climbing my front porch steps was like hiking up a 14er. I even collided with a biker. I don’t think she was looking but my synapses were firing too slow to get out of her way. We avoided injury – she was biking nearly as slow as I was running – but we both came to a dead stop with me nearly busting her bike basket. This was at 11 miles. I knew then I wasn’t going to make it home without a little walking.

I was able to practice eating and drinking today. I ate a bag of Honey Stinger Energy Chews, 9 Hammer Endurolytes and I emptied my Camelbak of its HEED sports drink. This was made easier by walking. I practiced this last weekend too on my 18 mile run. I struggle eating and drinking while running. It likely just takes practice. Based on my fatigue today I think I also need to focus more on overall nutrition throughout the day and week. Time to start storing some carbs. I’ll start Tuesday. I have to fast Monday for my colonoscopy.

The Last Run

21 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Boulder Marathon, Flaming Foliage Relay, Manitou Incline, training

Time is speeding up. Days are over before I know it. Years fly by. This year’s running season will be over so soon. Looking back, seven events seem like a full year. Four half marathons, one full, one 10K and one mile. Oh, and the Boulder Distance Classic – I forget exactly what odd number of miles that was. So eight running events. That’s a full year I guess but I can’t believe I have only two runs remaining and that the season will be over after September. It does help define my training requirements though.

Training was a challenge when my focus was to improve my 10K speed but I had to run a marathon the weekend immediately following the Bolder Boulder. Now, I have the Flaming Foliage Relay in three weeks followed a week later by the Boulder Marathon. The relay requires intense distance training so it pairs nicely with the marathon. The relay also will present me with a 12.5 mile trail run over a mountain pass, but the Boulder Marathon has rolling hills so some hill training will apply to both events.

I’m a bit pensive training for my last run. I’m channeling my gloom though into better preparation. The furthest distance I ran training for previous marathons was maybe 12 miles. I ran 18 last Saturday. I’m targeting 20 miles this coming Saturday. I thought I would be running the Manitou Incline but I got my weekends mixed up. That will be the following weekend. So maximum distance and one of Colorado’s most notorious hill climbs. Then I’ll have one remaining training weekend. I expect I’ll run Mesa Trail with my relay team. Keith and Steve ran that before the Epic Relay and they were prepared.

This pic is from my most recent run, the GTIS Half Marathon. I just can’t believe my final run of the year is in only four weeks. Not sure what I’ll blog about after that. I do have a Diana Krall concert a few days later. And two weeks later I’m going to watch the CU Buffs tackle Oregon. That’s right, college football is starting up. Who has time to run?

Cottontail Trail

17 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Boulder Marathon, Flaming Foliage Relay, LoBo Trail, Manitou Incline

It’s time to start training for the Boulder Marathon in September. I officially kicked off my marathon training today with an 18 mile run on the LoBo Trail which included a couple of miles on the Cottontail Trail in Gunbarrel. This is the furthest I have ever run out my door on the LoBo Trail. Maybe one day I’ll take it all the way into Boulder. Cottontail, which winds along the north end of Gunbarrel, is quite charming with Cottonwood lining the creek and trail. I used to live in Gunbarrel, which I guess technically is Boulder, and I miss all the nice trails they have. The White Rock Trail is one of my favorites.

September wraps up my scheduled events for the year. Seems a bit early, maybe I’ll find something in October. Rob and I still need to hike the new 80 mile Collegiate Peaks loop of the Colorado Trail. If I don’t transition to hiking then I might look for a 10K to begin winding down my distance. It’s hard staying in shape for these longer distances. I completed four half marathons this year. I wouldn’t mind maintaining that level of fitness but marathons are a stretch. Interesting point on my four half marathons this year is my pace was extremely consistent. My finish time in all of them was within a 6 minute range. In fact, I ran the exact same pace – a 7:31 mile – for both Moab and GTIS.

I don’t think I need to train any differently for the Flaming Foliage Relay, which is a week ahead of the Boulder Marathon. My second leg over Georgia Pass will present me with 1221 feet of elevation gain at altitude, so I’ll include some hills in my routine. Looking forward to meeting up with my buddy Ken Farmer in Manitou Springs to run the Incline next weekend. The Manitou Incline has been on my bucket list for awhile, and from what I understand it’s no longer illegal to climb. It’s only a mile climb, but can easily take people an entire hour to complete. I wonder what sort of shape Ken is in. He runs the Incline regularly for lunch.

I understand my team is looking for a 10th runner still for the Flaming Foliage Relay. Preferably a woman to add to the estrogen level in the van. Contact me if you’re interested. And really, how can you not be interested in running through the Colorado mountains in the fall?

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A Runner's Story

Tag Archives: Boulder Marathon

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The Last Run

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