Now that was a fun race! The day started off with very mild temperatures which made for a pleasant warm up before the race. I felt fairly relaxed with not too many pre-race jitters. Looking up (way up) at the mountain while standing on the start line, it didn't seem as ominous as it did last year for my first Pikes Peak Marathon. My plan was to not go out too fast in order to have something in the tank for the last few miles above treeline. It seemed like as soon as the gun went off Mario Macias (the eventual winner of the day) was way off the front. Did he start before everyone else? This seems to be his style. It's impressive and it certainly works. I thought I might try to keep pace with a couple of other local Boulder runners but soon found out that my legs weren't going to have any of that. I felt heavy and my legs already felt the burn of the first steep climb up to Barr trail. I saw an "11 miles to the top" sign and heard a little voice say "uh-oh". I found myself in a group of four or five other guys and tried to find my rhythm. Once we settled onto the trail I found that I could speed up a touch and started to pass a couple people. I was shaken out of my groove as I heard someone yell that I was going the wrong way. Oops. Too much rhythm. The 2 guys I just passed went speeding by and it was quite a long way before I passed them again. In the mid-section of the course I was playing leap frog with another runner. It was helpful in keeping up a good pace. I was very diligent about drinking, eating, and taking on salt after my disastrous bonk at Leadville Marathon. This paid off in the end because I was able to push hard up top with no problems. About a mile from A-frame aid station the guy I was leap frogging just plain stopped. I hope he was all right, I never did find out who he was. I was glad to be free from others' breathing and footsteps however. Then the excitement really started. I went through A-frame about five minutes slower than what I was hoping. I resolved to really put some effort into the last 3 miles. Once out of the trees I could start to see the runners up ahead. I thought that they were long gone, but it turned out not to be the case. It's always exciting to see that I'm not going backwards but actually gaining on some. I passed 3 or 4 guys in the next two miles. But I also spotted someone gaining on me. As we snaked our way up the switchbacks it became clear that I probably wouldn't make the 2:30 time that I was hoping for (but it wouldn't be far off, so keep pushing), I might catch one more person, and that I would definitely be caught by the person behind me. She was absolutely flying up the mountain. The first women (Kim Dobson) passed me with about a mile to go to the finish. I tried to stay on her and quickly realized that it was not an option. I stayed fairly close to her and as we got toward the top the cheering section for her was deafening in one of the little rocky alcoves. Even though the cheers weren't for me it was very exciting to be enveloped in that much noise. The few thoughts that I could manage in between the thoughts of my searing legs was that the sound must be similar for the tour riders at the top of the epic climbs. I couldn't help but smile. I crossed the finish line in 2:34:40, 13th place overall, and with wobbly legs.

I was very pleased with how the race went and with my effort during the course of it. I was certainly thankful that I didn't have to turn around and run down. My legs enjoyed the car ride down so much more than the year before. I will certainly be back to race the ascent again and see if I can break the 2:30 barrier.

Below is a video of the top 20 finishers thanks to Charlie Woodcock!!

Short version: 1:58:30, 24th or so overall, and I think like 6 or 7th master.

Longer version …

…well, I have been trying not admit that my work life might be having an effect on my training and performance, but I am pretty sure that old yarn was shattered today. I clearly was not ready to perform on the up, the down, or with the altitude. Simply put, I felt the impact of not getting out to altitude, or doing climbs and descents at altitude.

I tried to put on a brave face through the Ws (22:46) – going steady, but not over the top hard, but paid for it with by slowing to a walk and providing a good double hurl just before he rock arch. No-Name was about 38, 39? I recovered a bit on the flatter sections through Bob’s Road but the damage was done. 7.8 was 55:42 I reached Barr Camp in close to 75 (74:35). Throughout the climb, I gave up more positions than I had gained.

I had hoped for a solid decent, but while the up was about 5 minutes slower than last year – so was the down (almost 44 minutes). I just did not have it (but I caught as many as I lost …3, but the third was a 40-44 position, so I was kept from taking home any hardware). I did decide to be a bit more careful turned the “screw it and go reckless switch” off a bit.

All that said, I am not surprised at the result (you can compare). I mean, given the schedule I have been running, it really is not like I am left wondering “how come that happened?” I get it. I will see what I can do about it in the next few weeks, but given I am spending two more weeks at sea level, there is a bit of a physics problem. I can see the fitness I have under it all though. I mean breaking 2 hours in light of all that I think reflects something (something being a sub 2 hour finish I guess). There were a few occasions where I thought, “well, at minimum this is a getting me some vertical and altitude, so that is good.” Folks complained that things were slow because of the heat, but I can’t saw that really slowed me down (it was more the other stuff).

So, it stings the “expected performance ego” a bit but I have too take it in the context of what it is. I guess the next thing to figure out is what I do over the next few weeks, including coming to terms as to what is practical at the big dance in a few weeks. I sort of feel that if I could get some solid time at altitude, and climbing it would all work out, but it might be too late really for that. That, and well, I guess the travel piece of it is another stress unto itself. I rather not admit any of that, because then it is sort of giving in. All good.

8th overall, 7th male, 1st master.  2:15:25 I think.  Was seriously windy.  On the upper switchbacks, you could fly on the east side running but then be brought to a near complete stop when heading west.

Got what I came for, good competitive run at elevation, good workout.   Landing the masters win was a nice umm … windfall. 

A screen shot for the elevation debate and to hopefully bring to rest as to how much downhill there is in this run (+3600, –150).

This next screen shot gives you a little idea how windy it was.  Specifically, take a peek at the pace variance from ten miles on where the switchbacks go from east (down wind) to west (up wind).  I am guessing it was 50 mph out there but I really have no clue. 

Other than that, the race report is simply this:  it was a good grind. 

I got out okay, maybe a touch quick but felt like I was able to quickly correct.  Adam Feerst went by me at about 2 miles and so I thought any sort of masters win went with that.  Right near five miles, he stopped though to correct a shoe issue he was having.   He seemed to be in the mix right behind me for a bit.  Near Summit Lake, the winning woman caught me.  We mixed back and forth for a bit in the climb out of the lake, but I was losing a lot of ground in the wind sections.  With about 2 miles to go I caught up to two guys, and noticed one certainly looked older.  I was definitely feeling the “I DON’T GIVE A CRAP AT THIS POINT WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE!  I WANT TO GO HOME!  THIS IS STUPID” attitude that seems to come on to me at 13k feet.  The older guy and the younger guy encouraged me to work with them in a pack, switching positions as to who would lead in the wind – but I would fall off when on the tail.  But then at about a mile to go, the older guy came back.  I was able to muster a bit of a push (or maybe it was more that he didn’t) on one of the headwind sections and get some more daylight between us.  That was enough to make the break, although all this happens in crazy slow motion at that altitude. 

As I finished, Lucho (4th, right at 2 hours) was there to congratulate me.  I had contemplated running down prior to the run and he asked if I was still interested in that.  “ABSOLUTELY NOT.”  But my lips and teeth felt frozen from the cold wind, so it came out “AFOLUPBE OT.”  Within 2 minutes we were in his car and heading down.  That was very very very sweet.

Post race I got to hang with Lucho and his family, Wyatt H, Adam F (by the way, that dude is bad ass being he is 50), Shad M and other kindred spirits – always a big bonus to these races is trading the war stories with everyone – along with the well intentioned jabs.  I had estimated that the wind took out about 35 minutes of my time, but the general consensus seemed to be that it slowed folks in the 2 hour ish range by 10 minutes or so.  Sooo … I ran what I predicted … I win the beer. 

Definitely need to get to altitude a bit if I intend to be able to run well later this summer.  There is still time to do that, and today helped.  I learned that while I am not deep into hill training, I ain’t too bad at this point.  Wind … well, that is a different story.

The Mount Evans race is surely a classic.  Darrin and his group do a good job, and this is an epic course.

I had a good race. Good, not great. What's the difference? I didn't accomplish the one goal I set out with: Go to race! or as my wife would quote Randy Jackson "He's in it to win it!"

Going into race week, I had high hopes of perhaps not crushing my PR, but pacing conservatively in order to set a reasonable PR. After all, the course drops 1k from start to finish. What I failed to pay heed to was the 3 mi climb basically from 7-10mi. The details of this would come out in my discussions with folks on Saturday and discovering first hand as I drove the course Saturday night. So any hopes of a good time went out the door and I focused on running hard and not being afraid to "be in it to win it".

I lined up dead center in front to make sure I got in some of the starting photos to give a shout out to Team Fleet Feet Boulder (photos to come) and at the gun, I quickly found myself easily at the helm of the line. The first mile rolled by smoothly at 5:58 and already myself and another runner were already pulling away. Mile 2 was a more pedestrian 6:14, but we rolled into 5:40 and 5:45s soon after and put more of a gap on the field. Even though the pace was a little faster than I hoped, I felt completely in control and usually was half stepping him while trying to control the pace to where I wanted it. By mile 5 he tried testing the waters at the aid station as I struggled to gulp some water, but I was right there again, on his shoulder.

Mile 6 was the defining moment. We cleared mile 5 with a 5:42 pace then he quickly put in a short hard effort and put a gap on me. I wasn't quite ready to roll yet as I was anticipating the upcoming climbs, and was a little taxed with the last mile but I wish that I had not thought about it and just went with him. I was afraid of completly bonking like in Moab. Instead I should have seized the opportunity to get in another good mile and hanging on.

Over the next 2 miles of climbing, I felt like he was not making as much progress, but by mile 9 he was using the downhills efficiently and slowly pulling away. By 10 I don't think I saw him again. I pushed as hard as I could up the hills and rolled as fast as I could down the other sides. In town crowds were gathering along the streets after the 10k event and I passed a few straglers from that race as I approached the finish. Billy had gained 3.5 minutes on me over those 7mi that people were a bit surprised as I rolled in including a friend and my kids who came out to watch the finish. It was so nice seeing their faces as I enjoyed the last block.

So 2nd overall and 1st in my age group with a 1:19:02 finish. Billy Edwards rolled out an impressive 1:15:30 for what may have been a course record ??  View all results »

Afterwards was just as amazing, folks from the race came up to me afterwards and were asking how it all turned out since they saw me take it out and I got lots of smiles from people as I walked back to greet the kids. I watched more of the finishers from the sidelines cheering and making noise with the free cowbells.

Really cool to meet Gabe Small who won the marathon and watch Amy Schneider come in for the win on the women's side.

A huge shoutout to the organizers of the Steamboat Marathon and all the volunteers. They did such a wonderful job, including the cold towels they hand you at the end of the race. Thanks to Honey Stinger for all the product they handed out along the course and to Smartwool for all the great stuff in the winner's bags. The half marathon didn't present finishers medals, but with my 2nd place I took home 2 pairs of Smartwool socks, training gloves and a lightweight embroidered longsleeve T.

This week I am going to try and stay away from running save my regular Wed #DenverLunchRun and racing the first of the Downtown Race Series: the Uni-hill 2k on Thursday (That's going to hurt!). Since I won't be running, I will try and fill my recovery time with lots of biking (climbing) yoga, and some pool time. Well thats the plan at least.