As I mentioned earlier, we’ve been offline due to some technical issues … the last time I posted, Mark had just been bitten by a dog and I had completed a 15 mile training run. Since then, I’ve had many more long runs – a few 15 milers, 17, 18, 21 and even a 22 miler. Overall, I felt much more prepared for this marathon than I did four years ago for the same race. I also was feeling pretty fantastic that I managed to train for a full 26.2 without getting injured again… memories of 2011 kept me paranoid and I often swapped shorter runs for a spin class or session on an elliptical if I felt an ache or pain. I also conquered the gastrointestinal challenges that I had in 2009. So all in all, I went into the Fort Collins marathon already feeling pretty successful.
Race day was beautiful – perfect weather with 30s at the start and temperatures never getting much above 40. Full marathoners got on the busses at 4:15 a.m for the trip up Poudre Canyon for a 6:30 a.m. start time. The morning for me was good. I slept a bit the night before, turning in early for the 3:15 a.m. wake up call. I had all my stuff ready to go and packed my breakfast to eat on the bus. By the time we got to the start, I had just enough time to get in the long porta -potty line, check my sweats (it was cold up there in the morning) and head over to the starting line.
ready to run. love the lululemon pace setter skirt!
The race started well for me. I found myself falling in with the 4:30 pace group and it felt easy, my heart rate was well managed and I formulated a plan to stay at this pace until the second half or even last quarter of the race when maybe I could pick it up a bit and come in just under 4:30. It seemed do-able.
just the beginning. real smile
An hour to an hour and a half later, I started to feel some unprecedented hip pain. Both my hips, hip flexors started to feel achy. I hadn’t had this pain during any of my longer training runs, so it was disappointing (to say the least ) that it was starting now. At the half marathon start point, I stopped for a bathroom break and refilled my handheld. I have been using one Nuun tablet and 2 scoops of CarboPro with 20 oz. of water every 10-12 miles for fueling – the combination has been pretty good for me throughout training and was perfect on marathon day.
Shortly after my break, around mile 15, the pain in my hips was becoming more intense. I couldn’t quite get the “mind over matter” attitude…the pain just kept getting worse and I kept getting slower. I saw Mark (who came home from Seattle just to see me run) at a point in between mile 16-17 and all I could say was.. “my hips hurt.” I never saw the 4:30 pace group again after my break at the half -way point.
not real smiles anymore
To make a really long story (and run) short, by the time I passed the 20-mile mark, I was having hip pain and starting to cramp up. The last few miles, I had to stop and stretch at least every mile just to be able to keep moving. As I was stretching at one point, a fellow runner stopped and told me she was having bad hip pain as well.
I think that having trained mostly on the trail, with some road/trail combination, my body just wasn’t used to the downhill, uneven pavement and it took its toll. I ended up finishing around 4:48… a good 20 minutes slower than I hoped and at least 8 minutes slower than I thought would be my worst-case scenario.
I know I am not fast, but I also know my training and what I was capable of – if things had gone perfectly. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t (and still am to an extent) disappointed. The one thing that I am reminding myself is that when my friends were talking about the Colorado Marathon for 2013, I didn’t even initially consider it because I was still nursing a tibia stress injury from summer PPA training (a race that I didn’t get to start). As I eased back into running, it was a slow walk/run process… from which I made it to running 26.2 miles. I have to be happy with that, and I am.
forgoing smiles all together – finish!
In December, I said:
My only goal is to have fun training for the race with my running friends this winter/spring. It’s really about the journey, which I would like to complete without injury and finish this beautiful race one more time… without any time expectation. I am looking forward to this one last Colorado running adventure before we move on to new races and experiences!
And I did enjoy this journey with the best running friends a girl could ever ask for. The moments out on the trail or road with these ladies kept me sane while I dealt with the process of trying to manage kids, life and selling a house. For my last Colorado race, my wonderful friends gave me the Colorado Strong shirt I wore at the beginning of the marathon, on the back:
love all my sole sisters
Indeed.
I can’t wait for my sole sisters to visit me in Seattle!
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