It is no secret I am displeased with not finishing Leadville. Even worse, I got sick this week and barely ran. I wanted to come to the American Discovery Trail Marathon and squeeze a Boston Qualifying time out of the race. But something is going on that I cannot control and I need to figure it out.
Getting dropped off 26.2 miles from where you started in always a little overwhelming. ADT does it, so does Boston, Steamboat, Deseret Morning News in Salt Lake, the Colorado Marathon, and a host of others. There is something about sitting pre-race watching the landscape fly by at 60mph and trying to fathom that you have to run all of this back to your car. It really is disheartening. What makes it worse is when you are dropped off and the bus leaves. It was about 50 degrees and crisp. Why the bus couldn’t stay 30 more minutes and let us stay warm, I don’t know. It wasn’t like it could pick up more runners and return in that time. Plus, it was Labor Day so no kids were waiting.
Anyway, the race is predominately downhill, which means only one thing for marathoners: the race will go out too fast. I felt reserved while people pounded past, and in retrospect I was probably too fast to start. Not significantly so, but the smart start the better. I do have nice things to say about the New Santa Fe Trail as it is well maintained and very beautiful. We rolled out of Palmer Lake and down the front range, before entering the Air Force Academy. As much downhill running as the course requires, it is not easy, and many hills change the pace frequently. I won’t bore your with the details, but soon after the 15th mile, I started to get into a world of hurt.
With nearly two minutes and 30 seconds “in hand” to qualify for Boston, I should have been fine. But something was wrong and my stomach didn’t hold up. As each mile came and went, I slowed and suffered more. At 22 miles, there was no hope of making my time. I had been calculating how much I could slow and still make it. I watched as those milestones came and went. No matter how hard I pushed, I still couldn’t get my time. Done with the suffering, I backed off and literally jogged in. I somehow still pulled an age-group award out of the deal but I was beyond devastated with my body. Why I couldn’t run well anymore was beyond me.
I took the week off and went to the doctor. Boston would have to wait.
Getting dropped off 26.2 miles from where you started in always a little overwhelming. ADT does it, so does Boston, Steamboat, Deseret Morning News in Salt Lake, the Colorado Marathon, and a host of others. There is something about sitting pre-race watching the landscape fly by at 60mph and trying to fathom that you have to run all of this back to your car. It really is disheartening. What makes it worse is when you are dropped off and the bus leaves. It was about 50 degrees and crisp. Why the bus couldn’t stay 30 more minutes and let us stay warm, I don’t know. It wasn’t like it could pick up more runners and return in that time. Plus, it was Labor Day so no kids were waiting.
Anyway, the race is predominately downhill, which means only one thing for marathoners: the race will go out too fast. I felt reserved while people pounded past, and in retrospect I was probably too fast to start. Not significantly so, but the smart start the better. I do have nice things to say about the New Santa Fe Trail as it is well maintained and very beautiful. We rolled out of Palmer Lake and down the front range, before entering the Air Force Academy. As much downhill running as the course requires, it is not easy, and many hills change the pace frequently. I won’t bore your with the details, but soon after the 15th mile, I started to get into a world of hurt.
With nearly two minutes and 30 seconds “in hand” to qualify for Boston, I should have been fine. But something was wrong and my stomach didn’t hold up. As each mile came and went, I slowed and suffered more. At 22 miles, there was no hope of making my time. I had been calculating how much I could slow and still make it. I watched as those milestones came and went. No matter how hard I pushed, I still couldn’t get my time. Done with the suffering, I backed off and literally jogged in. I somehow still pulled an age-group award out of the deal but I was beyond devastated with my body. Why I couldn’t run well anymore was beyond me.
I took the week off and went to the doctor. Boston would have to wait.
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