Rocky Marathon (WW # 149)

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REVEL Rockies Marathon
June 3, 2018

I always say, "You never know what you'll get on race day!". 

Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

We've been on a few trips to Colorado and skied at 12,000 feet of altitude.  I've also run a couple of half marathons and hiked at high elevations.  Although not on all occasions, I have experienced mild altitude sickness and knew I was gambling somewhat by choosing this marathon.  If you want the short story...I felt sick.  I hope you'll stick around and read the details. 

After a long stressful Friday of flight delays due to a lengthy shutdown of the Atlanta airport, Teresa and I arrived at the host hotel in Lakewood at 2 a.m. Saturday morning.  We laughed about going to bed at the same time we would be waking up the next day for the race.  Actually, that thought was sobering.

Ready to do this thing!

After a few hours of sleep and a delicious french toast breakfast at Le Peep, we headed to the expo.  It was the perfect size; not too big to be overwhelming.  We received a tank top (which I wore because I liked the color with my skirt), a nice cap, the usual expo fare, plus a space blanket and throwaway gloves for the cold morning start.

There were so many pretty trails in the area and we were tempted to do some hiking, but we decided to save our legs and rode the train into Denver that afternoon instead.  It was nice to take in the city sights by rail and we ate pizza al fresco while downtown. We hydrated like bosses all day but we both could feel the extra strain from the altitude.  It felt hard to climb stairs or walk up a hill.

... Rocky Mountain High, Colorado! ...

REVEL provided shuttle service directly from our hotel to the top of the mountain.  We boarded at 4:00 a.m. and watched the sky slowly lighten on the long ride.  [It takes a bus a long time to go 26 miles up a steep mountain while trying not to hit the guardrail on sharp curves.  Just saying.].   The sunrise was beautiful at 10,507 feet.

We were dropped off at a wide spot on the side of the road near a ski resort.  After a slow porta potty line and a few pictures, we had little wait time.  A female runner sang an amazing rendition of the national anthem while standing on the back of the bag check truck.  We walked as a group down the road to the official start line.  Then, we were off.

Garmin recorded 43 degrees from the nearest station.

The First Half:

I could definitely feel the thinness of the air, but could also tell by my heart rate that I was running easy enough not to over exert myself.  I settled in at a 9:20-9:30 pace and felt good; my heart rate in the upper 150's. I ran with a throwaway bottle of Tailwind to make sure I hydrated during those early high miles.  The scenery was too beautiful to describe.  The cold mountain air felt fantastic and the winding course losing 3,000 feet just in the first half... relatively easy.

Coming up a small incline early in the race.  Tailwind and gloves still present.

I quickly shed my throwaway after a mile but kept my gloves on until I needed to open my first GU. There were occasional small hills until we reached miles 12-13.  Here, I intentionally slowed and walked on the big hills so I wouldn't tire myself out as we ran through the uphilly town of Evergreen. The sun was out and it felt warm.  I hit the half marathon mark at 2:05 with a 9:34 pace.  I was very pleased as that included those walk breaks.  My body was holding up very well with the downhill grade and I was stoked!  Maybe I could negative split?!?!

Peace!   And what happened to the shady course?

The Second Half:

And then suddenly everything went wrong.  I started feeling nauseous.  My first thought was to drink and eat but that made it worse.  I couldn't shake it.  I knew if I threw up it would be all over for me and I desperately wanted to finish this race.  My goal simply turned into:  Do Whatever It Takes Not To Puke. My watch died at 17.6 miles.  My overall pace at Garmin death had slowed to 10:05   But now, I was running blind.

Smiling for the camera...but struggling.

I tried to run.  I would get nauseated after a few minutes but found it would ease up every time I walked.  I felt so much better when I walked.  Then I'd try to run again.  Same result.  I played this game for 13 miles; the walk breaks becoming longer and longer.  I could not eat my GU or the Honey Stinger gels they offered.  I forced Powerade and water down trying not to gag.  I would have given my right arm for a Coke.  The people at the aid stations looked at me like I had snakes in my hair when I asked.  A small grape popsicle was my only fuel in the last 10 miles.  For the first time ever, I dug out my phone and stopped to take pictures.  The course...still beautiful.

One of my picture stops.

I no longer cared about my finish time.  I felt too crappy to care.  I felt too crappy to run.  My pace for the back half was 12:26; a big difference from the front half.  I was very grateful the nausea subsided when I walked.  It was the one thing that would allow me to finish.  So that's what I did.  Official time: 4:48:37; 11:00 per mile pace.  No cramping, no blisters, no chafing, no aches or pains (...until later...).

While waiting on Teresa, I hydrated and walked around the finish area.  I was disappointed to see the bakery sponsor had left.  I saw pizza being served, but by the time I felt good enough for a slice they had run out.  Even though the thought of it was awful, there was a vendor making fresh mini donuts and I ate a few cinnamon minis. I needed to put something in my stomach.  They tasted delicious!  My one negative comment about this race would be the lack of food for late arrivals.  It was if the "party" was over.

Thanks Teresa for going on this journey with me!

I was disappointed that I didn't set a PR.  It wasn't my worst finish time and I know there are other opportunities if I so choose.  It does not negate the fact I crossed another marathon finish line.  More importantly, I didn't fracture anything during training or during the race itself [can I get an Amen?].  My training also produced an unexpected shiny new PR at a recent half marathon.  I certainly can't be sad about that.  Besides, I was able to spend a wonderful weekend with a dear friend in a gorgeous location.

I could write another post on this travel nightmare of a weekend.  I joked with Teresa that my post title should be "Shuttle-Cation".  It seemed we were always riding one...or waiting for one.  But, I've gone on long enough already.  Suffice it to say...

I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. 

And that's a wrap!

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