Kathrine Switzer, The Boston Marathon, and Being Fearless!

Fearless: a word I've been trying to incorporate into my life a lot lately. Also a word used to describe Kathrine Switzer - the first women to run the Boston Marathon and a word used to spawn the #261Fearless campaign - a new movement conjured by Kathrine and Skirt Sports. This awesome movement is all about empowering women to be fearless and pursue dreams in their everyday life (I just LOVE all of the positive messages that Skirt Sports promotes as a company - it's so cool!).

So back to Miss Switzer. I'm sure many of you have all seen these pictures - possibly some of the most famous pictures associated with women's running:

This is Kathrine Switzer running her first Boston Marathon in 1967. After proving to her friend Arnie (who had ran Boston multiple times) that she was capable of running 26 miles, She signed up a few weeks before the marathon under her initials, "K.V. Switzer". She had no intentions of deceiving anyone by doing this - in fact she signed her name this way for most things, but it was because of this, that the race assumed she was a man and her registration was accepted (although the race rules actually said nothing to indicate that women weren't allowed at the time). Kathrine arrived with Arnie and a few of her college track teammates, and all was going well - most of the fellow racers (all men, of course) were actually pleased to have a woman in their presence. Until about mile 4 when the race director noticed her and tried to physically pull her off the course (when the photos above were taken). Luckily, with the help of her friends, she was able to keep going and finished in around 4 hours 20 minutes (just a little faster than my first marathon of 4:26!), proving to the world that women were, in fact, capable of running 26.2 miles.

Kathrine went on to do many more amazing things including running Boston seven more times (and taking her first marathon finish time of 4:20 down to 2:51!!!), winning the NYC Marathon, and playing a big role in getting the women's marathon distance accepted into the Olympic Games in 1984.

So let's give Kathrine a serious round of applause here! She is one awesome lady, who definitely encompasses the definition of fearless. She broke barriers and inspired (and continues to inspire) women everywhere. I really hope to be able to meet her someday (rumor has it she is at the Boston Marathon expo every year - so when I get there, hopefully this will happen!). Head over to Skirt Sports for some of the clothing inspired by Kathrine and the #261FearlessMovement and check out Kathrine's book, "Marathon Women" for a more detailed story.

http://www.skirtsports.com/shop/261/

Now onto ordinary me:

As much as I love Kathrine's story - let's be honest - I'm just an average runner that's probably never going to do anything as big as Kathrine Switzer. But that's okay. Fearlessness doesn't have to be something as big as starting an entire women's running movement. Being Fearless just means stepping out of your comfort zone, trying something new, maybe pushing your own boundaries. I was Fearless when I ran my first 5K. I was fearless when I conquered my first 14er. I was fearless when I hit the "register" button for my first marathon. We can all be fearless (and no it doesn't even need to be related to running - you are fearless when you start a new job, pursue a new hobby, or for those of you who have had children, when you became a mother - talk about the ultimate fearlessness)!

I started running a few years ago and have loved it, almost from Day 1. I'm not a naturally fast runner, which is why I immediately got drawn to trying and exploring longer distances and trail races. Last year, only in my second full year of running, I ran 7 marathons and 3 ultra marathons.

However, despite all of that, this year I am doing something way more scary to me: trying to Qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Now - considering all that I've accomplished in the past few years - it may not seem that much scarier than the things I've already done to most people. I mean, I've ran 50 miles before - why is trying to Boston Qualify so much scarier? Well, because it pushes me out of my comfort zone. By a lot. Running fast is uncomfortable. It's hard. The mentality to push through the pain to run fast is something that I really struggle with. But running Boston is also a dream I want to pursue. I can already visualize the excitement of running one of the most iconic races in history. Which is why I intend to be fearless with this goal. I can do anything I set my mind to! I will get to Boston someday! No matter how many fearless mornings it takes waking up at the crack of dawn to get my run in before work. No matter how many times I have to struggle with the voice inside me that tells me I don't want to head to the track, the same voice that constantly asks myself, "why am I even doing this?" But I have decided that no matter how much time it takes, or how many races it takes, I will get there. I will be fearless.

As part of the #261Fearless Movement, Skirt Sports is hosting an awesome virtual race this weekend, and I can't wait to participate! Since speed is something I'm really working on to be "Fearless" about, my goal for this race is to run 26.1K at Goal Marathon Pace (16.2 miles at 8:00-8:10 pace - YES this is going to be insanely hard for me).  I might not be running Boston this Monday, but every run I do is pushing me closer to getting there - including this one!

To finish up my post, I just wanted to give a quick recap on Skirt Sports: I know I briefly mentioned a few posts ago that I was accepted to be one of their ambassadors for 2015! I am so excited about this because not only are their clothes awesome, but the company is even more awesome (if that's even possible)! The founder of Skirt Sports, Nicole DeBoom is a former pro-triathlete who simply wanted to wear clothing actually made to fit women's bodies rather than men's, and (what a concept) look pretty while doing it. She started dreaming up Skirt Sports and wore her first running skirt prototype at the 2004 Ironman Wisconsin - which she WON (I know, bad a$$, right?)!!!

Last Friday, I had the awesome privilege to meet Nicole and some of the lovely Skirt Sports staff at their headquarters in Boulder - and they are all just as awesome and friendly as they seemed from my online/social media correspondence! I had way too much fun meeting everyone and building up my wardrobe:

Clockwise from the top left: My mom and I trying on Skirt Sports clothes; Me sitting in the Skirt Sports directors chair; Nicole and I; Nicole, Noelle (head of the ambassador program), and I. Center: a signed copy of Kathrine Switzer's 261 Bib!

Skirt Sports will be having two other races this year - their 13er (because it's "not half of anything" - this has both a virtual and local option in Louisville, CO), and a virtual Boobie Run in the fall (to celebrate the ta-ta's and try out one of their awesome bras). I highly encourage you to sign up - these are going to be awesome events! Feel free to use my ambassador code SSMAA for 20% off any of their virtual races or on any regular purchases!

Happy Running!

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SO... EDIT TO ADD a little update to my #261Fearless virtual race... I realized that sometimes being Fearless means realizing you're human and just can't do it all. The weekend I had planned to do my big, fast 16 mile virtual weekend...was also the weekend I had family in town and was trying to move into a new house. So it didn't happen :(.  Sometimes things happen and you can't do it all. But the important thing is that I still got out there and did something! I ran 10 miles as the sun came up on Saturday morning and then spent the remaining day moving and spending time with family! :)

Hike Recap: Devils Garden Trail (Arches National Park)

I managed to get over to Moab for the second weekend in a row, for some hiking in Arches National Park. My friend Taryn had been talking about wanting to explore some of the National Parks, and it was supposed to be a gorgeous weekend, so we decided to go to Arches. I picked the Devil's Garden trail, as it's one of the most popular trails in the park, and yet I had not been on it yet!

We left Grand Junction around 7:30 on Sunday morning and got into Moab a little after 9. By the time we drove through Arches National Park and got to the trailhead it was probably after 9:30 (this trail is at the very end of the park). It was already pretty warm out, so I knew it was going to be a hot day! We lathered on the sun screen and headed out.

The first mile of the trail is the most defined, as it is the most popular and most used portion of the trail. It takes you to Landscape Arch - which is believed to be the longest natural arch in the world. We snapped some pictures of Landscape Arch and then continued on. This is where the trail becomes "primitive." The very first section is a little hard to find and required walking up and over a steep section of slick rock.

Shortly after this you get to a junction to go check out 2 more arches - Partition and Navajo Arches. Partition Arch was a really neat one - I highly recommend going to see that one if you're on the trail. It is about an extra mile to go to both of them.
 

Partition Arch

After seeing those arches we got back onto the main trail and headed towards Double O Arches. This section encompassed the high point of the hike - walking on a narrow, but long piece of slick rock - almost acting as a bridge. The views were pretty phenomenal.

Then we came to Double O Arches - the second most popular area of the hike after Landscape Arch. These were two arches stacked on top of each other - it was pretty cool! We took some photos and headed towards our next (and last, for today) arch - Private Arch.

Double O Arches

Private Arch was another spur off the trail and was tucked away by itself, which was neat. What was even more neat though, was continuing on a little ways past the arch (despite a sign telling you it was the "end of trail" and getting these views:

Private Arch

Private Arch is the last arch until you connect back to the main trail, so after this it was just straight up hiking for about 2 1/2 miles. We had a couple of moments where we got off trail (good thing for cairns), and came across one part of the trail that proved to be pretty tricky. There was about a foot of murky standing water covering the trail, so we had to go up over some very angled slick rock. It took us awhile to navigate that... and then these two ladies came up behind us and did it in about 2 seconds:

With about a mile and a half to go, we had been walking on a very sandy section for awhile, so I decided to take my shoes off for a bit (because I'm cool like that - what can I say, I love feeling sand between my toes), until we met back up with the main trail. The views in the section was pretty incredible with the snow capped La Sal Mountains overlooking the red rocks.

So much sand!

We finished the hike in about 3 hours and 45 minutes - not super fast, but it was fairly technical in sections. Afterwards we headed into town for a quick Quesadilla from the Quesadilla Mobilla (which was delicious, despite having some unusual ingredients) and then headed back home.

STATS:
Trail: Devils Garden Primitive Loop
Date: Sunday, March 29, 2015
Location: Arches National Park (Moab, UT)
Round Trip Distance: The trail guides say 7.2, my Garmin ended up with about 7.5 and we didn't go to two of the arches (although I don't think it would've added too much more - maybe take it to 8)
Elevation Gain: 1152'
Minimum/Maximum Elevation: 4974 ft / 5482 ft

Race Recap: Canyonlands Half Marathon 2015

I think this race will always have a special place in my heart. It was my first ever Half Marathon in 2013 and as such, it was also my first race that left me feeling like a "real runner". Plus you cannot beat the beauty of Moab!

I wanted to run it again in 2014 - but was also on a quest to run my first Ultra, so I ended up running the 24 Hours of Utah 50K the weekend after Canyonlands instead. This still allowed me to get some awesome Moab scenery in (and I've officially decided Moab in March will now be an annual thing), but I was still generally bummed to have missed this specific race, so I had my sights set on doing it again in 2015. It also helped that I now live in Grand Junction so getting to Moab is only a short hour and a half drive away (one of my absolute favorite things about living here!!). This makes logistics a little easier, and with the cost of hotel rooms in Moab this time of year - also helps keep my wallet in check.

About 2 weeks before the race my friend Kellee (who did Phoenix with me!) decided to run it too - so I was even more excited to have a friend join me! Hotels by that time had sky rocketed, so she agreed to stay at my house and we would just get up early and drive to Moab on race day. Overall - it wasn't too bad. We were out of the house a little after 5:30am and made it into Moab around 7:15 - just in time for race day packet pick-up which went until 7:30. After we got our packets, we headed over to Swanny Park, found a pretty good parking spot and then got in line for the bus that would shuttle us up the canyon to the start line.

As I remembered from two years ago, there's a lot of waiting around before the start. I think this is the only down side of this race - you literally have to sit around for about 2 hours before you finally get to start running. I understand why - they have to shuttle thousands of people up a narrow canyon and get the bus's off the course prior to the 5 mile race start (which is at 9:30) - but it's still a little inconvenient - as it's pretty chilly since the sun isn't up enough to reach over the canyon walls. But, different from two years ago, was that I actually had some company this year! I rode up with Kellee and then we met up with her friend (and now my friend too!) Stuart, whom she met at this very race 2 years ago (the same year I first ran it - wish I had stumbled upon them, then!). We hung out on their infamous "rock" - a very nice, flat-ish rock to sit on while waiting - that's another thing about this race: everyone claims rocks to hang out on (things runners do, lol).

People waiting around on rocks!

So after waiting a lot and starting to freeze, it was finally time to walk up to the start line (the bus drop-off is about 1/4 mile from the actual start line). This also meant shedding my warm layers to put them in my drop bag. It was still SO cold at this point. I knew it was going to be seriously hot once we started and the sun came out, so I didn't want to bring any of my layers with me - but it was really hard to shed them! After getting rid of our drop bags, we made our way into the masses (which was welcomed to help keep warm) and I was happy to run into several local runners I know: Tom, Jan, Chrystal, and Ammon!

Walking to the start line. If you look closely, you can see WAY off in the distance.

Looking back towards the race course.

Finally - the gun went off! It was a little startling because they didn't announce it - it just went off, like that (despite having done this race before - since it was my first "big" race - it's all kind of a blur - so there's some things I remember well, but some things I do not). Anyways, I headed off. There's a huge down hill for the first 1/4 mile which makes "not going out too fast" a little difficult. Shortly after the start I saw another friend, Dan - so I exchanged hello's and and then I continued on.

Stole this picture from MoabHalfMarathon.com - it just shows the course SO well!

Not even a mile in we rounded a corner and out came the MOST intense sunshine ever! I went from comfortable (having warmed-up by now) to SO SO hot. Uh oh...this was going to be interesting. I'm not much for running in the heat in the summer, let alone when it's early spring and I have not acclimated to it AT ALL (despite the awesome wild winter we had this year!). Thankfully because of the tall canyon walls, the first 10 miles ended up being in-and-out of shade depending on which way the road curved (this I didn't know - as it was overcast in 2013 when I ran it - so sun wasn't a problem) so that provided SOME relief.

Despite the heat, the first few miles went by really quickly - and also probably a lot faster than they should have been: 7:38, 7:39, 7:36, 7:47.

Around mile 5, I knew I wasn't going to be able to sustain the pace I started out at. That combined with the heat had me seriously doubting whether I could PR today. I honestly wasn't sure going in whether I could or not - but I was trying to remain positive. As you may recall I had a HUGE PR (1:44:17) back in January when I ran the Prairie Dog Half Marathon in Louisville. When I first signed up for Canyonlands, I was sure I could PR - because the course is much easier than the Prairie Dog Half. However, I decided to take a lot more rest and recovery than originally planned after the Phoenix Marathon. I didn't want to risk injury, so I literally had not done any fast running since Phoenix which was 3 weeks prior. Because of that, going in I was kind of at a toss up. But I figured I would go for it and just see. And seeing I did - at about the 5 mile mark I knew a PR was going to be tough. It was still in sight at the time, but with the heat (that was only getting hotter, and would be unbearable when I got out of the canyon and lost all shade) I knew I was going to have to really work for it.

Stole this one from Capstone Photography (who did the race photo's - for some reason it wasn't water marked like the rest of the photo's - but again just another awesome shot showing the course)

I tried my best to keep my pace up as much as possible and ran the next 6 miles at around an 8:00 minute pace: 8:02, 7:53, 7:56, 8:00, 8:07, 8:16.

Taken somewhere on the course. I did pay for this one - it might be my best race picture ever, so I figured it was worth it!

Somewhere around mile 11 is when you exit the gorgeous canyon (the reason you run this race) and get onto the worst part of the course - about a mile stretch where you're on the main road that leads into Moab - only separated from cars and trucks by a few cones. It's only 1 mile out of 13, but after running on the gorgeous, traffic free road for 11 miles earlier, it's a hard change. This is also the part where the runners who did a great job pacing themselves start passing you.

Finally at mile 12 the course turns onto some residential streets until the finish line. This section is nice because there are a lot of spectators and you know you're only about a mile to the finish! Mentally I wanted to pick my speed up for this, but it really was so hot and exposed, I just couldn't. The last three miles were my slowest at: 8:21, 8:33, 8:34. I didn't even feel like I could sprint to the finish line once I got in into the shoot like I normally do - however - I will say that the fact that I can manage to squeeze out 8:30's when I'm completely exhausted and over heated is a nice relief - that used to be an insanely fast pace for me even in ideal conditions.

Almost Finished!

I ended up crossing the finish line in 1:45:43 - missing a PR by about a minute and a half. I do think I went out a little faster than I should have - however with it getting hotter as the day got later, and not being used to the heat at all, I'm not sure going out slower would have helped anyways. So, overall, I am happy with this time. I pushed myself to sustain a decent pace, and without much official training over the past several weeks. However, I also think I need to start running in the heat of the day more often as it gets warmer to get used to it. My next two marathons have the potential to be very hot - especially towards the end - and I want to be prepared (or at least more prepared) for it.

After I crossed the finish line, I got some water and then circled around to watch for Stuart and Kellee to come in. I missed Stuart while I was getting water, but I saw Kellee (along with several other locals I knew) come in. We went and got our drop bags afterwards and cooled off for a bit before heading to Zak's, a local restaurant, for lunch. I did miss the beer garden again this year - we were going to go in for a bit, but the line was outrageous so I had one at the restaurant instead!

Post-race festivities! (Photo by Stuart)

Kellee, Stuart, and I after the race!

RACE STATS:
Race: Canyonlands Half Marathon
Location: Moab, Utah
Distance: Half Marathon (13.1 Miles)
Date: March 21, 2015
Elevation: 424' Loss / 347' Gain (relatively flat with gentle rolling hills - just be prepared for 1 major hill at mile 9)
Bib Number: 160
Weather: Freezing before we started, SO SO Hot during the race! (Probably only 50's-60's, but the sun was SO intensely hot)
Gun Time: 1:46:06
Chip Time: 1:45:43
Average Pace: 8:04
Overall Rank: 262 of 2120
Gender Rank: 65 of 1267
Division Rank (F25-29): 12 of 161
Garmin Splits: 7:38, 7:39, 7:36, 7:47, 8:02, 7:53, 7:56, 8:00, 8:07, 8:16, 8:21, 8:33, 8:34

Course Map

Elevation Profile (from the race website - my Garmin data seemed to be off on this)

Likes and What Worked:

• The Scenery is top notch: This is essentially why you run this race, so it has to be #1 on the list, but I still want to emphasize it. The canyon is gorgeous with the high red rock walls and the Colorado River running through it. You just can't beat it (and if you still don't believe me, watch this video).
• Race Organization is excellent: Moab Half Marathon does know how to put on a great race. The shuttle buses are smooth, the starting line is well organized with plenty of porta potties, the gear bags are easy to drop off and pick up. I have complained in the past about the cost of this race (this was actually one of the reason's I didn't do it last year), but when I truly think about everything they have to do - from shuttling runners to closing off the entire highway, it makes sense and I do think it is worth it.
• Great SWAG: Despite the shirts not being excellent (see below), everything else was great. I love the reusable shopping bags for gear bags, we got a special "40th Year" sticker, and the medals were awesome this year!

Dislikes and What Didn't Work:

• SO HOT. Nothing the race organizers can do about this and I know it can vary from year to year, but just a comment. This year it was held about a week later than normal and I wonder if that also contributed.
• Beer Garden: they really need a larger beer garden - the line was so long my group did not want to wait. It was full, and so race officials were not letting new people in until existing people left. And apparently the race gives out up to 3 free beers...which I think was the problem: people were sitting around in the beer garden, drinking three beers and not leaving while other people couldn't even get in and so got none. It was sad and probably my only main complaint.
• Shirts once again were not great: this was the second time I've done this race and once again the shirt fit is weird. It is better than in 2013 (those shirts were wide and short), but this year's definitely run very large. I ordered a small and I'm practically swimming in it. Shirts aren't generally a deal breaker for me, so I wasn't that concerned, but it's always a nice bonus if they do fit!
• Long, cold wait for the start: again - not much can be done about this - just something to keep in mind if you plan to run this race. It is definitely one that you want to use your drop bag for (or bring throwaway clothes).

And the million dollar question: Would I run this again?
I honestly don't run that many repeat races just because there are SO many races out there to try - so I've decided to add this question to the end of every race report. Today's answer is: YES! In fact they're offering early bird pricing through the end of the month, so I went ahead and jumped the gun to sign up for 2016's race. It's just such a fun race and a great way to kick start the racing season.

So I've got a few more pictures and one exciting announcement to end the post:

Stuart and I!

Me and Kellee!

Finally got my Beer - thanks Stuart!

Showing off the bling! (I do love the medals this year!)

Views from the drive home!

Love Moab.

Last... I am SO excited to announce that I was selected to be a Skirt Sports Ambassador for 2015! I truly love this company and am so honored to be selected for this role! Not only are their clothes awesome, but they are local (based out of Boulder) and have such an awesome message: empowering and inspiring women of all ages, shapes, and abilities to live a healthy and active lifestyle. I just think this is SO important. Before I started running, I was so intimidated by athletic people (in fact, I would have been extremely intimidated by myself if I had met me just 5 years ago!), but I've learned so much since I started running. Being active and finding a passion for something you love to do can be so good for you both physically and mentally! I've said it before and I'll say it again - running has truly changed my life for the better! I hope I can help inspire and encourage people in this role!

Take 20% off your Skirt Sports order with code "SSMAA20"

Race Recap: The Phoenix Marathon

I signed up for the Phoenix Marathon back in July after I had officially decided I wanted to go for a Boston Qualifying Time (AKA "BQ") this year. I had just ran Aspen Valley Marathon in 4:03:10 - a HUGE PR at the time, despite not training much for it (now don't get me wrong - I had been running long distances - but I just hadn't been doing any specific road training with speed work), so I figured the gentle downhill course had a lot to do with it. So I decided that was what I would look for in the race courses I chose for #Operation BQ.

I still had a lot of races on my schedule for the remainder of 2014 and I knew I needed a full 18 weeks to really train and do consistent, dedicated Speedwork before I came anywhere near attempting to run a Boston Qualifying marathon - so I picked Phoenix. The late February race date was perfect, it was semi-close - so traveling was easier, and the course was downhill with a net elevation loss of about 1000 feet.

A few months later my friend Kellee decided to do it too - which made it more exciting! (There's something kind of anti-climatic about traveling to races by your lonesome self). Her parents also live in the Phoenix area so we had a place to stay (added bonus!).

I started the Hansons Marathon Method training plan around the beginning of November and immediately started seeing significant improvement in my speed. I obtained HUGE PR's in the 5K (22:41), 10K (46:29), and Half-Marathon (1:44:17) distances so I knew I was on track to a BQ. However, I also knew running a full TWENTY SIX point two miles was a LONG distance and I had my work cut out for me. So I signed up for 2 additional back-up marathons (Colorado Marathon on May 3rd and Revel Rockies Marathon on July 19th) to ease the stress - I knew it was going to take time to get to a sub-3:35 marathon. I figured if all conditions were absolutely perfect (weather, course, fueling) I could MAYBE do a 3:35 at Phoenix - but even if that did happen I knew I wouldn't have enough cushion to actually get into Boston (because so many people apply to get into Boston, you actually need to run a few minutes faster than the standard qualifying time). So I decided to go into this race with my main goal being to run sub-3:45 and to just see how I did. I figured no matter what, I had put in the work and unless something went terribly wrong, I should PR for sure - seeing as this was the most intense training I had ever done.

Before I knew it, race week was here. I flew in on Thursday night, then on Friday, Kellee and I went to the race expo for packet pick-up, where I also had the opportunity to meet a few friends from MyFitnessPal in real life - Amanda and Shirley. It was really fun to meet them and we chatted it up just like we had known each other forever - I just love the running community in that sense (after all I also met Kellee on Instagram - and now here we were traveling to a race together!).

Kellee and I with the BMO Mascot? We guessed? Or just some random Lion?  :)

My name is on there! (x2 - it was so weird - there was also a Katie Avery from Aurora, Colorado who ran the 10K)

Meeting my My Fitness Pals!

Kellee and I with our bibs!

After filling our race packets with tons of swag, we headed back to Kellee's parents house and rested up for the next day. I attempted to get sleep (without a ton of luck) before getting up at the lovely hour of 2:30am. We were out the door around 3:30 and I got dropped off at my bus pick-up around 4:30 - I had now been up for 2 hours and still had 2 hours before the race start (you had to be on the bus no later than 5:00 AM!).

Despite the bus ride being fairly long, I still had about an hour and a half until the race start by the time I got to the starting line. So I circled through the bathroom line once where I saw Andrea Barber (the actress who played Kimmy Gibbler on Full House) and embarrassingly asked for a picture with her (I knew she was running it, so when I saw her I had to get a picture - after all I always regretted not getting a picture with Anton Krupicka at Red Hot last year).

Running a marathon with Kimmy Gibler! :) 

After that debacle, I found Amanda and we chatted for the remaining hour we still had left. She was planning to run a similar pace than me so we talked strategy a bit. My problem was that I wanted to go out conservatively and save energy for the second half - but at the same time I knew that the downhill grade was much more significant in the first half - and I wanted to take advantage of that. In the end I settled on just going off of feel - I would let myself run a little faster than my planned pace at the beginning, but only if it felt easy.

After what felt like an eternity, it was finally time to line up at the starting line. This was a smaller race (just under 2000 finishers) so there weren't any starting corrals - just the pace teams with their signs so you could line up somewhat near the finish time you were going after. We squeezed in between the 3:40 and 3:45, wished each other luck and then got ready to go!

Giant cactus!

Starting Line!

Before I knew it, we were off! As I had decided earlier I just settled in at a comfortable pace and was happy to look at my watch and see I was running about an 8:10 pace. I kept right around this pace for the first 4 miles. The sun was coming up, but because it was so overcast out it wasn't much of a sunrise (bummer!). I also chatted with a couple of Colorado runners about Imogene Pass Run (there was a guy wearing last years race shirt) for a bit.

Miles 4.5-6 brought the only significant uphill of the course. It wasn't too bad in that it wasn't very steep, however it was pretty consistent for the entire duration. I slowed a bit - mostly just making sure I maintained the same effort, and ran a few miles in the 8:30 range. Right after the uphill ended came some pretty significant downhill - so I decided to use it to my advantage and really picked up my pace, working to make up for my two slower miles. I passed Amanda somewhere in here (she had been ahead of me for the first 6 miles) and even passed the 3:35 pacer. Part of me worried I was going too fast, but I felt so good. I wasn't breathing hard at all - so I just kept at it - running a 7:30 and then some low-8:00's.

Around mile 10 we changed direction slightly and all of sudden, oh my WIND. It was bad. Luckily I knew we changed directions several times so I would hopefully have a break from it soon. I slowed my pace a bit for these miles and just kept at it. We switched directions a mile or so later and I just kept on going.

Then all of a sudden we were in sight of the half-way point. With the wind showing me down, I had been leap frogging a bit with the 3:35 pace group, but did cross the half marathon timing mat right on track for a 3:35 finish. I was still feeling pretty good at this point but I also knew the second half was going to be harder than the first half - not only was the downhill significantly less noticeable, but the wind really felt like it was picking up.

Somewhere around mile 17 was where I started to feel myself fading. I was running 8:30 miles with the same effort that I had been running 8:10's earlier with. I made sure to keep fueling and continued on. Shortly after, Amanda caught up to me. We ran a couple of miles together and then she was long gone ahead of me. Miles 22-25 were the toughest - my quads were really aching at this point but I knew I had to just keep going.

Somewhere around mile 21?

Finally, I hit mile 25 - only one more mile to go! The crowds got bigger and bigger as I got closer to the finish line - which motivated me to pick up my pace. I also had several spectators notice my Marathon Maniacs shirt and ask me what marathon I was on (Marathon #8, or 11 if you count ultra's). Then FINALLY I turned a corner and there it was - the finish line! I sprinted as much as I could (even passed one guy!) and finished in 3:41:35 - a 21 minute PR!

Shirley took this picture of me heading towards the finish line! Probably my favorite from the race!

Kellee's mom took this one!

My face looks terrible in this, but if you look through the text, my left leg looks pretty beastly!

Amanda and I at the finish! She finished in 3:41:00 (a BQ for her!)

Finisher!

Kellee and I all finished!

Elevation Profile - you can really see the change in steepness from the first half to the second half.

Course Map

RACE STATS:
Race: The Phoenix Marathon
Location: Mesa, Arizona
Distance: Marathon (26.2 miles)
Date: February 28, 2014
Elevation: 234' gain / 1098' loss
Bib Number: 8733
Weather: 60's, overcast, WINDY
Gun Time: 3:42:24
Chip Time: 3:41:35
Average Pace: 8:28
Overall Rank: 441 of 1881
Gender Rank: 128 of 851
Division Rank (F25-29): 20 of 99
Timing Mat Splits:
First Half: 1:47:31 (average pace: 8:12)
Second Half: 1:54:15 (average pace: 8:44)
20 Mile: 2:47:58 (average pace: 8:24)
Last 10K: 53:38 (average pace: 8:39)
Garmin Splits: 8:27, 8:11, 8:14, 8:08, 8:35, 8:26, 7:33, 8:08, 8:07, 8:08, 8:20, 8:15, 8:21, 8:19, 8:28, 8:31, 8:26, 8:31, 8:32, 8:33, 8:43, 9:01, 9:11, 8:59, 9:29, 8:56

The rest of the weekend we relaxed, checked out Glendale on Saturday night and went on a short hike on Sunday morning in the Estrella mountains:

Glendale

Celebratory post-race food!

Checking out the Estrella Mountains

More giant cacti!

Poking the cactus!

The awesome sign that Kellee made for me!

Post-Race Summary:

Overall, this was a good race. I've been training my butt off and I was SO happy for it to pay off! A lot of people expected me to go into this trying to BQ - but honestly my goal wasn't to BQ (YET) - I've got several more races for that!! - but rather to run a good race, have fun, and do the best I could. And that's exactly what I did. Had the wind not been so intense, I think I could've maybe ran sub-3:40 - but I don't think I was quite ready for a 3:35. I hope with more experience and training I will get there!

What Worked / Likes:

• Great size - this race had just under 2000 marathon finishers which was perfect - large enough for big crowds and good course support, but small enough that waves weren't needed and you could run from the get-go.
• Well Organized - the half marathon and 10K started at the same time. While I did not like this about Rock-n-Roll Denver, this race did an excellent job at it - because they all started at different points (Rock-n-Roll was a huge cluster with everyone starting at the same place).
• Nice swag - the shirts were cute and the arm warmers were awesome! I picked up a couple of last years arm warmers at the expo for only $1 - perfect for tossing at some of my next few races. I loved the finisher's medal as well!
• Course Profile - the downhill course was great for pursuing a PR. There was one uphill from miles 4-6, but it's early enough in the race that it's not a big issue (plus you've got enough downhill to make up for it). I only wish the gradient would stay as steep during the second half!
• Starting Line - not a huge fan of having to be there so early (see "dislikes" for that), BUT at least they had a ton of heaters for everyone!
• Aid Stations - I wore my hydration vest so I didn't necessarily need aid stations, but it was nice to know they had a ton of them, and a lot of stations with Clif gels (finally!! the last few marathon's I've done have had barely any aid stations with fuel).
• My outfit - everything about my outfit worked excellent this time around - I didn't have any chafing issues and only one small blister! My hydration vest felt a tiny bit loose at the beginning (I was used to running my training runs with a long sleeve in the backpack portion which makes it feel tighter, but didn't have that this time) but I got used to it quickly and it didn't bother me.
• Chairs at the finish line - surprisingly there are very few races that have chairs right after you cross the finish line - most of the races make you walk through the finishers chute for what feels like FOREVER before you can sit down...but not this race! They had a nice little row of chairs, and when I crossed the finish line and immediately came to a walk - it must've looked like my legs were going to give out because the volunteer there ushered me into a seat right away. It was nice (although very hard to get up afterwards)!

What Didn't Work / Dislikes:

• Early Start - I had to get up so early for this. The race started at 6:30 - which is a great time, but you had to be on the shuttle bus no later than 5:00am - that left a ton of time sitting around at the start line and meant getting up extra early.
• Weather - I'll be honest - the weather wasn't terrible, but it definitely wasn't ideal. It was SO windy during certain sections and I was just not used to that. It slowed me down pretty significantly for some miles (although it did keep the temperature down which was nice).
• No Food at the Finish Line - now, I'm not positive on this one - we didn't stick around long enough for me to really look (plus I could barely walk - so I would've needed it much closer, had that had some anyways, lol) - but it didn't seem like there was really any food at the finish line. They did have water bottles (right away!!) though which was nice.

So would I do this again?

Probably - dependent upon travel costs. If I lived in Phoenix, definitely. Since I don't - maybe, maybe not.