Colorado Marathon

[Coyote Mas Loco]

This was my first road marathon since 2008 (discounting injury DNF at NYC in 2009), with three intervening trail marathons. So I don't do these very often.

Goal was sub 3, particularly under 2:59 which would be an age group record. Training went well over the spring, with just under 70 miles a week in March and April. No setbacks, glitches, or niggling injury issues. That's half the battle.

Race starts in the Poudre Canyon, west of Fort Collins, CO and finishes at an all day block party in Old Town Square. Weather was good at the 6:30 AM start (low 50s) but sun came out by 8 AM when we left the shade of the canyon and ran through farmland and suburban bike paths, and by the finish it was getting warmer by the minute.

Everything clicked pretty well and I had 5 mile splits of 33:37, 33:45, 33:11, 33:45, and 34:09 through 25. I dropped off the pace a the last 2 miles but not hugely (~7:05-7:10) and finished in 2:58:11 (age grade 84.2%), 21st OA, 1st Grand Master, and got that record.

No complaints, other than indeed the marathon is a tough distance.

[the kenyan]

How many pacers did you have??  Did they improve their flying V? 

[Richard21142]

  Nice run!

[Handsome Jack]

Awesome job. Nice work on that pace - sweet!

[Coyote Mas Loco]

How many pacers did you have??  Did they improve their flying V? 

Ha, I wonder what Kipchoge would run on that course.

I did follow what I termed the "bro pack" (7 or 8 mostly 20-something guys) for 17 miles, but they were a minute ahead through most of that. Came back at 17-19 miles.

[Chasing Amy]

The Bro Pack. I enjoyed reading your report, awesome racing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rochey]

I didn't even know you were training for it! Great job!

[Coyote Mas Loco]

The Bro Pack. I enjoyed reading your report, awesome racing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Bro Pack was real and it had a lot of character. It coalesced at about 2 miles. Included a guy with long Rasta hair, mountain shorts, and running in sandals, two chattering bros who ran behind me for about a half mile but they were non stop bro talk (one said he had a half marathon PR that sucked--what was it the other bro asked: oh, "1:09 in Idaho"), so I slowed a bit to let them by; a stocky guy who was no more than 20-21 wearing basketball shorts and t-shirt looking like he was a at a pick up game. Mr. Rasta was running on the side of the road on the thin sand/gravel strip that drops 10-15 feet precipitously to the river but he was the first to go because he got sand/rock in his sandals. Dude! What are you thinking?

[Coyote Mas Loco]

I didn't even know you were training for it! Great job!

Stealth marathon training. I lie to myself, saying that the key races were the 10K and half in March and April.

[JBM]

Wow! Contracts!

[Plugging Along]

 

[Fast Eddie]

Good work and congrats Coyote.   

[Ice Cream]

very nice!

[chqm8]

That is friggin flying!  Awesome job.