Kate Runs Colorado

Monday, July 3, 2017

Mt. Evans Ascent

I have wanted to do the Mt. Evans Ascent for several years now. My big plan back in 2014 was to do it as training for Pikes Peak Marathon. Unfortunately, it conflicted with the Leadville Trail Marathon that year and I had to choose between the two. Since Leadville and Pikes Peak are both on trail and this one is on road, that made my decision for me. The following two years the race seemed to conflict with more things I had going on...

So back in April when I got an email about this years event, I decided to take a long hard look at it again. It was finally on a weekend I was available...but it was only 1 week after my goal marathon of the season, Revel Rockies. What's a girl to do? Well, I ended up deciding to just go ahead and do it! Would I be able to race my hardest? Probably not given that my legs would still be dead from Revel... but I also knew it was an UPHILL race with close to 4000' of gain and it topped out at OVER 14,000'. The chances of me being able to run this fast anyways were pretty slim. I might as well go ahead and do it... Plus, I could set the bar nice and low so if I ever do it again, I'll have a better shot at a PR!

All that being said, I was still somewhat hopeful on race morning that I pull off a sub-3:00 hour finishing time. The cut off for the race is 4 hours and 30 minutes, but women who finish under 3 hours and men who finish under 2:40 get an extra finishers award (a cool rock with a plaque on it). Oh how naive I was in my thinking that I could run sub-3:00... My reasoning had been that I ran Black Canyon Ascent at a 10:45 average pace. To run this in under 3 hours, I needed to average an 12:24 pace. I could totally do that.... (kind of forgot about that little thing called "altitude").

Beginning at an elevation of 10,600', the race started out pretty good with my first few miles in the low-12:00's. Around Mile 3 I slipped to 12:31, then 12:43 for Mile 4. This was going to be harder than I thought... It was around this point that I had to make a decision: really push myself to try and go sub-3:00? Or, take it a little easier and just enjoy the views? My post-marathon, still recovering body really liked the idea of just taking it easy...so that's what I did (only, I'll be honest in that it was still most definitely NOT "easy"). Plus, the views were STUNNING, so I was really glad I decided on this route and could then stop for pictures like this:

The race had aid stations approximately every 3 miles, so I used these to break it up mentally into 5 sections: 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 9-11.5, and 11.15-14.5. Starting about Mile 5, I started alternating between running and walking. There were several other people doing this and they appeared to be making just as good of time as the people running it, so it seemed like a pretty good idea. The trick was to not let yourself walk for too long. Just enough time to recover and bit, and then start running again.

As the miles continued to (SO) slowly creep by, my walking picked up a little more. I tried to use the snow poles along the side of the road as a guide - run 2 pole lengths, walk 1 pole length, and repeat. It actually worked pretty well.

Seriously, these views!?!

Finally around Mile 9 is the only part of the course where you get a break from going "up" - you instead get about 1/2 mile of gradual downhill to Summit Lake and the Summit Lake Aid Station. I had a love/hate relationship with this downhill... on one hand, it was really nice to not be going uphill for a bit. On the other hand, I'd been counting down the elevation gain on my watch... I had just gotten to 13,000 feet, and now we had to go back down to about 12,800'. That was all elevation gain I was going to have to do AGAIN in a minute.

I stopped at the Summit Lake Aid Station pretty briefly and then braced myself for the remaining 6 miles of the race... It was only going to get harder from here on out, not to mention steeper. And sure enough it did. The next mile was so, so steep. Nevertheless, I just kept at it. Walk, run, walk, run, take some pictures, run, walk etc.

Just before mile 11 is when the switchbacks start. Steep, winding switchbacks for the remainder of the race. Along the first switchback was the final aid station. I took some m&m's and continued on. The higher the altitude got, the slower my running got (and the more I started walking). After about 13,000' I really started to struggle. I felt like running for longer than a minute or two and I couldn't breathe (I've hiked at this altitude a lot, and even done races - Pikes Peak, Imogene, Leadville, but those were all on steep trail, so I'm just walking by that point anyways...this road wasn't that steep - but trying to run it, even for a short while was just SO hard). Just keep moving I told myself. Keep moving and you will finish (eventually)!

These last couple miles to the summit were SO, so slow. I definitely saw the 3 hour mark slip by. Nevertheless, I just kept going. I kept looking up and it felt like the top of the mountain was not getting any closer... until all of sudden I saw the finish! It came as a surprise, since the finish is below the actual summit (I was aware that the parking lot / road ended before the actual summit, but it was still sooner than I expected). I did my best to pick it up, but being above 14,000' by this point made it pretty difficult. Nevertheless, I finished in 3 hours, 15 minutes and 27 seconds!

RACE STATS:
Race: Mt. Evans Ascent
Distance: 14.5 Miles (my Garmin came in at 14.42)
Weather: 30's at the start... maybe 40's at the end but it was WINDY and cold. I was in a t-shirt the entire race but only because it was uphill and I was working hard. As soon as I got done, I bundled up with pants, a long sleeve, heavy jacket and gloves.
Starting Elevation: 10,600'
Ending Elevation: 14,130
Elevation Gain: The website claims "almost 4000'". My garmin says 3546'...that being said, I am leaning towards the website, because 14,130-10,600" = 3530', BUT, we also lost several hundred feet during the downhill before Summit Lake at Mile 9 which we then had to re-gain.
Bib Number: 21
Gun Time: 3:15:40
Chip Time: 3:15:27
Average Pace: 13:28 per mile
Overall Rank: 140 of 295
Gender Rank: 41 of 106
Age Rank (F25-29): 7 of 17
Splits: 11:58, 12:12, 12:31, 12:43, 13:10, 13:43, 12:31, 13:09, 11:17, 14:32, 13:12, 16:10, 15:34, 16:46, 15:33 (last .4)

Course Map and Elevation Profile

Grand Junction Runners Represent!

After the race, I of course had to hike from the parking lot to the top of the peak, which was about 1/3 of a mile:

Also, a quick recap of the rest of the weekend... I actually spent it with some friends in the Frisco/Dillon/Breckenridge area. On Friday, I drove up to Hoosier Pass and explored a bit, then on Saturday we did a hike to the top of Mt. Royal (10,502'), and checked out some breweries!

Views from Hoosier Pass

At the top of Mt. Royal!

View from the top of Mt. Royal.

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Revel Rockies Marathon 2017 {Race Recap}

Ever since my terrible, not-so-good, very bad time running Revel Rockies back in 2015, I've wanted to come back and do it again for redemption. I couldn't do it last year due to a scheduling conflict, but thankfully, it actually worked out perfectly to do it this year! Not only was it a Team Beef race, but my friend Rochelle was also doing it as well so I had someone to train with!

We spent the last couple of months before the race getting in some great training runs, including some from the top of the Monument into town and out at Land's End Road. I did some really good uphill and downhill workouts, and some long runs with fast finishes. I felt really ready for this race, and hopefully a shot at a PR. I have not PR'd the marathon distance since February 2015 when I ran a 3:41:35 at the Phoenix Marathon (which was a HUGE, 21 minute PR at the time), and so I was ready to give it a go!

Rochelle was also going for a PR, as well as a BQ, so it was a pretty exciting and big weekend for the both of us! We kicked it off on Thursday night with a little bon voyage / pre-marathon celebration at the Thursday night run club complete with a 26.2 watermelon! Then, on Friday we made our way over to Denver, and Saturday we did a 5K shake-out race at Invesco Field in support of the American Heart Association. The race started at 9am and it was already scorching hot out which got us both pretty worried about how the heat might effect us the next day! After the 5K, we headed to the race expo for packet pick-up then relaxed for the rest of the day at the hotel before attempting to get some sleep before our 3:08am wake-up call.

Team Beef at the Heart Walk 5K

I got to sleep fairly quickly, but then woke up around midnight and off-and-on for the rest of the night leaving me almost glad when the alarm went off shortly after 3. We quickly got ready and headed down to catch the shuttle at 4am. One of the benefits of staying at the Sheraton Race Hotel was that we got our own personal shuttle that took us to the start... what I didn't realize until that morning was that it wasn't your typical shuttle...it was a party bus! Pretty sweet!

Party Bus!

Having too much fun for 3am!

After waiting around at the starting line for about an hour, it was time to start! We had to walk about 1/4 mile from the drop off area over to the start line. Right at 6am we were off! I had throw-away gloves on, but aside from that was just in a tank top and it was pretty warm already... this had me a little concerned...it should not be this warm at 6am at 10,000' in elevation!

Sunrise from the starting line!

Despite my concerns about the weather, I just eased into a comfortable, sustainable pace. Since I had ran this back in 2015, I knew the course, and knew that mentally I would focus on breaking the race up into 4 segments: Miles 1-11 are the fastest of the course with a nice downhill grade. Miles 12-16 are the hardest of the course with some big rolling hills. 17-22 are very gentle downhill with some rollers, until finally the last 4 are a fairly significant downhill grade again.

Around Mile 10 or so

As expected Miles 1-11 were the fastest, averaging in the low to mid 8:00's. I had some Clif Shot Blocks around Mile 6 before accidentally dropping the remaining around Mile 8 (I was so bummed about this!). Nevertheless, I still had my mini tortilla PB&J bites and my mango's - some "real" food I had been experimenting with on my training runs. I had a PB&J bite around 8, and then started on my Mango's around Mile 10 thru 20.

Shortly after Mile 11, the course turns off of Squaw Pass Road and heads onto Evergreen Parkway. This is where it gets pretty hilly so I braced for the hills and told myself not to take them too hard. It was still early in the race and I knew these hills couldn't make my race, but they could brake it...so I took them nice and easy just focusing on one hill at a time.

I felt pretty good when I crested what I knew was the last major hill of the of the hilly section (there were still some hills later on, but I knew they were *mostly* done), but I also still kept it comfortable because Miles 18-19 were where I got into trouble when I ran this the last time. It was right around that section where I started getting side stiches and major stomach pain resulting in a lot of walking. I got a little worried as I headed through this section hoping that it wouldn't happen again this time around. Thankfully it didn't, and while I did still slow a bit (due to just getting tired), I still felt okay and kept moving as quickly as I could.

While I had been worried about the heat early on, I ended up pleasantly surprised that it stayed pretty overcast and didn't get too hot for the first 20 miles. However, a little after 20, the sun peeked out of the clouds and it started getting much hotter. It was a little after this that I did have my slowest mile of the day and my only mile over 9 minutes - coming in at 9:19, as I walked through an aid station pouring water over my head. Seeing that mile time kind of prompted me to get moving, and I was able to pick up my pace as much as I could for the remaining miles.

These last 6 miles were very, very hard mentally and physically as my quads were REALLY starting to feel the downhill. Nevertheless I kept at it as best as I could. With less than 2 miles to go I tried to do the math on if I still had a shot at a PR. From what my 24-and-a-half-miles-into-a-marathon brain could figure out, I could *maybe* do it, but I knew it would be very close. So I tried my hardest to pick up the pace. Finally I could see the town of Morrison and hear the finish line! I was almost there! I tried to speed up, but I don't think I actually did, finishing in 3:42:22...and missing a PR by just 40 seconds.

Coming into the Finisher's Chute

DONE!

So... I missed my PR by 40 seconds...How was I feeling? Of course in one sense I automatically think back and ask myself, "did I have 40 seconds in there somewhere?" Honestly, probably...at least 30 during the mile I walked and poured water of my head... but aside from that mile I felt really good about the rest of the race. I felt strong the entire time and pushed through some of the harder sections. So while, yes, of course I'm slightly bummed to have missed it by such a small margin...but at the same time, I'm very happy I ran as fast as I did. I have not ran a sub-3:50 marathon in close to 2 years. I had not ran anywhere NEAR a PR time in over 2 years. I had also beat my 2015 race on the same course by about 17 1/2 minutes. So in that sense, I am very happy with this race!

After I crossed the finish line, I took a few minutes to catch my breath then looked for my family. They had signed up to get tracking for both myself and Rochelle and I wanted an update on Rochelle. According to them she had passed the "1-mile-to-go" marker a few minutes prior, which meant she would be finishing any minute now! This also meant that she was going to blow her BQ out of the water. She need sub-4:00 (but really a 3:55 to actually have enough of a cushion to get into Boston)...and she finished in 3:51:17!!! A huge PR, a BQ, and 3rd in her age group! Amazing - and so much fun to get to celebrate with her!

RACE STATS:
Race: Revel Rockies Marathon
Distance: 26.2 Miles (my Garmin came in at 26.45 - but that's pretty common for most marathons)
Date: June 11th, 2017
Bib: 1036
Weather: 41 and sunny at the start. Mid-60's by the end.
Gun Time: 3:42:51
Chip Time: 3:42:22
Average Pace: 8:29 per mile
Overall Rank: 184 of 655
Gender Rank: 45 of 310
Age Rank (F25-29): 9 of 53
Splits: 8:27, 7:57, 8:14, 7:52, 8:11, 8:19, 8:15, 7:54, 8:10, 8:06, 8:08, 8:24, 8:24, 8:48, 8:47, 8:32, 8:16, 8:29, 8:27, 8:34, 8:41, 9:19, 8:40, 8:45, 8:34, 8:18, 8:14 (last .45).

After the race, we relaxed for a bit at the finish line with our friend Liz (who lives locally and came to watch us finish! So cool) and my family for a few before they left.

Thanks to my parents and aunt for coming to watch me finish!

They also made me a sign!

Rochelle and I at the finish! I'm so glad she got her BQ and will be going to Boston next April!

Free and easy Ice Bath!

"I need a run, a medal, and cold beer"!

Race Swag!

The other cool thing about this weekend was that an online friend of mine from Texas (one of the people I met up with to run the Houston Marathon back in January) was racing Ironman Boulder this very same day! If you don't know the details of an ironman, it's a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 (marathon) run. Easy peasy right?! Ha! Because of the crazy length of the event, my friend wouldn't be starting the marathon portion until around 2:00 or so that afternoon...so I had to go watch! I've also always thought it would be fun to watch an Ironman, so this was the perfect opportunity! It was very inspiring to watch, and I'm so glad I got to see her finish. She also PR'd - which was especially amazing given that she came from sea level to race in Boulder (5400'). Clearly this was a weekend for kicking all the a$$!

Meeting up with online friends at the Ironman!

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Skirt Sports 13er & Ambassador Retreat 2017

After the amazing time I had at last year's Skirt Sports Ambassador Retreat, I knew I had to make it again this year! In fact, I am so thankful I live within driving distance of Boulder so that I can easily make this happen most years! It's such a fun event, and a whirlwind of a weekend catching up with friends I've met throughout the past three years during my time as an ambassador for this great company. Not only is it a blast, but it is always so inspiring to see how positive and uplifting the women's running community can be!

Skirt Sports once again did a great job organizing such a wonderful weekend of events, complete with some incredibly inspirational speakers! I'm not the best at words (I've said it before and I'll say it again - I started this blog mostly to share pictures - you just got stuck with listening to me blabber along the way!), so I encourage you to check out a fellow ambassador's blog for a more detailed account of some of the awesome speakers we heard at: Rural Running Redhead (I mean, her post's title alone does a much better job describing the awesomeness of this weekend)!

Essentially the weekend consists of three day's worth of activities: a cocktail reception on Friday night, a very full morning of hiking, breakout sessions, and speakers on Saturday, culminating in a 5K/10K/Half Marathon race on Sunday. It's busy, exhausting, but totally worth it!

FRIDAY: Cocktail Reception

Friday actually ended up being much more than just a cocktail reception this year, as I ended up meeting up with Mary, a fellow ambassador and friend that morning for some exploring around the mountains before we made our way to Boulder. It actually worked out perfectly, as she had come out early to stay in Vail for a few days and knew I would be heading right by there on my way to to Boulder! I ended up picking her up in the late morning, and we went and checked out Breckenridge for a bit. She had wanted to see "Vertical Runner" - America's Highest Running Store, and a sister store to her Vertical Runner in Ohio. We also got lunch and then stopped off at a few scenic area's along the way, including Vail Pass and Loveland Pass!

It's definitely still winter at 12,000'!

Of course we had to get a running selfie along the way!

After all of our fun detours, we eventually made it to Boulder around 4:30. This left the perfect amount of time to get a little (or a lot of) shopping in before spending the rest of the evening catching up with everyone, enjoying (and participating in) a fashion show of some of next season's products, and hearing some great speeches by the incredible Nicole (founder of Skirt Sports) and wonderful Noelle (Community Outreach Director...aka the person who helps with all things ambassador related!).

That's a lot of Skirt Love!

Practicing my modeling skills! ;)

SATURDAY: Ambassador Hike & Breakout Sessions

On Saturday I carpooled into downtown Boulder with some friends staying in the Louisville area. We set out first for a hike around Settler's Park / Red Rocks Trail before meeting back up for some breakout sessions which included 4 wonderful speakers, a yoga session, and lunch by Mad Greens. Our speakers for the day were Maria Uspenski from The Tea Spot, the famous Mirna Valerio (her blog FatGirlRunning is very well known - and she's coming out with a book this fall!), Mary Sutter (who I spent Friday with and had excellent Social Media tips), and Dr. James Rouse the founder of Skoop. They were all such great speakers, this day left me feeling so inspired and upbeat!

My hiking group (they had 4 groups of at least this size to tell you how many of us there were!)

Getting a selfie with the famous Mirna!

SUNDAY: Race Day!

Sunday was Race Day... I was one week out from my goal marathon of the year, so I had a set way I wanted to run this. Easy for the first 10 miles, and then pick it up for the last 3. It worked out very well, especially since there is a giant hill from Miles 6-8 (wouldn't want to be going for time up that!). It's also just a beautiful course so I enjoyed taking pictures, chatting with people and just having a good time with it.

I loved this sign that Rural Running Redhead had!

These views though...

Attempting to get a jumping picture...didn't work out that great!

Surprise: I ended up 2nd in my Age Group!

RACE STATS:

Race: Skirt Sports 13er

Distance: Half Marathon (13.1 Miles)

Weather: 60's at the start, into the 70's and sunny
Elevation Gain: 562 Feet

Gun Time: 2:03:46
Chip Time: 2:03:39

Average Pace: 9:26

Overall Rank: 30 of 183

Gender Rank: 30 of 183 (women's only race)

Division Rank (F20-29): 2 of 14

Splits: 10:20, 9:42, 9:12, 9:47, 9:31, 9:03, 9:20, 10:15, 10:59, 9:16, 8:17, 8:36, 7:43

After the race I stuck around for about an hour cheering friends on before deciding to run back to my parents and shower before the post-race brunch! The brunch was new this year and what a perfect way to end the weekend!