2011 Boston Marathon Recap -- Countdown to Marathon Monday: T-1

Marathon Monday.  That's what they call race day for the Boston Marathon.  In contrast to other marathons that are usually held on Sundays (and in a few cases, Saturdays), the Boston Marathon is held on a Monday, and is always on Patriots' Day.  It's a holiday for the city of Boston, and the Red Sox have a game that day, too.  Marathon Monday is extremely well-supported by the citizens of Boston and the towns along the race course!

We've now reached T-1 day, Sunday, the day before race day.  Our three goals for the day are:

1)  Stay off our feet as much as possible,

2)  Tour the course, and

3)  Talk out our race strategy.

I won't go into detail about each one--just the highlights...

1)  Stay off our feet as much as possible.

     The last thing we want to be doing is spending lots of time on our feet the day before our marathon.  For the last few weeks of the taper, and now especially this close to the race, our objective has been to avoid doing things that would sabotage the training we've put in and hurt our race. 

2)  Tour the course.

     Thanks to a friend in my running group, I'd made reservations for us to take a tour of the course through Marathon Tours.  We were sure to get to the coach buses early in order to get a seat in the front--where we could actually see the course as it unfolded in front of us.  With half an hour to spare before the stated departure time of 10 am, I quickly went to the shirt exchange area in the expo so that I could exchange the technical shirt that came in our packet for a better fitting one.  As I came out to the bus area again, with 13 minutes to spare, Marguerite stepped off the bus and motioned for me to "come on!!"  After I ran to the bus and took my seat, she told me that the tour director had come on the bus at 9:45 wanting to leave, but she proceeded to keep that from happening.  It was an uncomfortable scene for her, and I'm extremely glad that she's a strong woman and friend who'd do that for me.  (Note to Marathon Tours:  If your stated departure time is 10am, then you shouldn't plan on leaving early without telling your paying guests prior to the day of the tour!)  Despite this incident, I highly recommend taking this course tour.

Our tour narrator proved to be very knowledgeable not only about the course, but also about the history of the Boston Marathon, as he'd run it twenty-something times.  His experience on the course dated back to the 1960's, and he had quite a few interesting stories to tell about now-famous runners, such as Alberto Salazar, with whom he'd actually run! 

We arrived in Hopkinton, a small town where the race begins, and they alloted about twenty minutes for us to walk around and take pictures.  If you're a runner, you may have seen some of these pictures before. 



This well-known sign is almost at the Starting Line for the marathon.

The folks in Hopkinton must be very patient...just about every runner out there, including us, had to get their picture at the Start Line.









 

The Start Line for the 115th Boston Marathon!

While on the course tour, we paid close attention and tried to remember as many aspects of the course as possible. The mile markers are actually painted onto the road, and every so often there is an 'elite' marker as well.  These people are committed to the longevity of this marathon.

We made it a point to note were there was a rolling hill and where it flattened out, as well as how steep we thought the initial descent really was.  One important thing we came away with: the course is more of a rolling course in those first miles than it's been described, and we'd need to plan for that accordingly.

Of course, the primary things that everyone wants to see on the Boston Marathon course are the hills.  How steep are they?  How long are they?  I'd read various descriptions of the course, but until I actually saw the hills, I didn't know how they compared to the hills that we'd run in training.  Let me just say that the hills that we run in training are enormous energy-suckers that drain even the best hill warrior.  The hills in Boston are notorious not just because they're hills, but because of where they are in the race--starting at mile 16.5 and lasting until you crest Heartbreak Hill at the end of mile 21.  They aren't to be taken lightly, but because of the hill training we do, we should be ready for them.  I believe it's the running strategy employed up to this point that also helps you navigate them. 

Here is a video of the infamous Heartbreak Hill:

   

 Interestingly, at the end of the course tour, the bus stopped short of the finish line on Boylston Street.  We'd heard that it was bad luck to walk across the finish line prior the the race, so we opted to skip the walk down Boylston and returned to our hotel instead.  It was time to rest and talk strategy.

3)  Talk out our race strategy.

     Up to this point, we'd talked casually about running the race together, but hadn't made a firm decision yet.  We also hadn't talked pacing or pacing strategy. 

     After a few minutes of discussion, we decided that we did want to run the race and cross that finish line together.  Unusual, yes, but we might not ever get a chance to run Boston together again. We agreed on one 'ground rule':  that if either of us had to stop, the other would automatically go on.  As for pacing, we reviewed the different times and settled on the most conservative time as well as the most conservative pacing strategy.  Our plan was to run conservatively through the top of Heartbreak Hill (mile 21), check in with each other, and slam it in from there to the finish on Boylston Street.  We both believed that we could run faster than the pace we'd chosen, but one of our goals was to run a smart race, strategically speaking.

Finally, we caught a cab to the pre-race pasta dinner at City Hall, where we were treated to some pretty decent pasta and a pary-like atmosphere.  It wasn't Little Italy, but we also didn't want to linger at a late dinner the night before we ran the Boston Marathon.  Get in, get out, and get back to our final preparations for the next morning's ride to the race start in Hopkinton.  

In line at the pre-race pasta dinner.



 Ready for Marathon Monday for the 2011 Boston Marathon!

Relentless Forward Motion, Ya'll!







2011 Boston Marathon Recap -- The Countdown to Race Day Begins

Well, it's been quite a whirlwind in my world for the last few weeks.  With a two-week taper for Boston nearing an end, my friend who recently moved to South Africa came back into town prior to us flying to Boston for the race.  I made it through the taper without going stir-crazy, and actually learned that I like a two-week taper much better than the typical three-week taper. (I probably don't have to tell you, then, that I don't ever want to have a four-week taper!) After staging everything I thought I might need--most of which was running gear--and then actually getting it into a suitcase (except for the critical running gear I'd need on race day, of course!), I headed to Beantown with my friend, both of us hardly believing that we were actually going to run the Boston Marathon!  I have to add that there were several other runners who were obviously going to run Boston on our flight out of DIA that morning.  It was interesting to share the camaraderie of knowing that we were all going to the same place for the same purpose--even if we didn't speak or exchange more than a "good luck" to each other. Southwest 2907, take us to Boston! Marguerite & I are ready to go! "Running is not, as it so often seems, only about what you did in your last race or about how many miles you ran last week.  It is, in a much more important way, about community, about appreciating all the miles run by other runners, too."  (Richard O'Brien) Once we reached Boston, checked into our hotel, and had a good dinner at a nearby restaurant, we tried to get a good night's sleep. The next morning, Saturday, we decided to do our final, "shake-out" run, an easy 3-miler, along the Charles River, which was just a few blocks from our hotel.  As we ran, talked, and just enjoyed the scenery and each other's company (after all, there's nothing quite like running with a close friend), we passed other pairs of runners, solo runners, and even a large group of runners, all out doing their final pre-race runs as well.  In those moments, I couldn't help but sense a kindred spirit between all of us running the pathway along the river, for despite the fact that we each had followed our own individual training plan, we shared enough in common to understand what it took just to get here...the long weekend runs, 18, 20, 22, 24 miles...the typically-solo-early-morning / evening / lunchtime runs squeezed into an already packed schedule...the freezing, pre-dawn sessions with your speedwork group where you're demanding difficult things of your body before non-running friends and co-workers have even thought about that first cup of coffee...the nutrition...the cross-training...the aches and pains of daily training...the frustrations of a training stretch not going so well, and the joys of training going better than planned...and the races.  Each of us had to run a qualifying time in an earlier marathon to even be considered for entry into the 2011 Boston Marathon.  I thought about my friend, who'd consistently kept up her distance and speedwork training and racing through an international move and all the frustrations that come with it, often logging her long runs in the pouring rain, usually solo, and driving an hour each way just to reach an area where she could run safely in a new country.  Yes, whether I knew you very well or not at all, I could appreciate what you've been through just to make it to the starting line of the Boston Marathon. Following our shake-out run, we got ready and walked over to the race expo at the Haynes Convention Center.  For my non-running friends out there, the race expo for your marathon is where you pick up your race packet, which has, among other things, your official bib and timing chip, as well as your official race shirt.  So, every runner is inherently required to go the the expo to (at the very least) pick up these critical items.  (In this case, the timing device was built into our bib, so we didn't have to worry about attaching a chip or d-loop to our shoes.  I like that new trend in races, because it's one less thing you have to fiddle with.)  The tricky thing about marathon expos is that there are tons of other things to see, do, and try there, as well as purchase, but those who are racing need to limit the amount of time on their feet before race day.  As a result, many runners often try to attend the expo two days before the race, if possible.  If you're not running, however, you can also attend the race expo, since it's usually open to the public as well as to the runner. Mindful of wanting to save our energy, we walked the expo with a time in mind to call it quits for the day.  Of course, we had to do a bit of shopping, and particularly had to be sure to go to the official Adidas area where we could get any and all things that were officially licensed 2011 Boston Marathon apparel...especially The Jacket!  I think it's safe to say that whether a runner buys anything else or not, he or she will buy The Jacket. By that, I mean The Official 2011 Boston Marathon Jacket.  This year's model is a sleek black with green stripes on the shoulders and down the arms, and had the official Boston Marathon logo on the front and back.  It's been quite controversial, as the logo wasn't embroidered this year, as is typical, but rather screen-printed, and the BAA and Adidas have probably heard a lot of "input", shall we say, about it.  Nonetheless, both Marguerite and I wanted to get The Jacket.  Once secured (yes, along with other purchases--what else did you expect?), we neatly folded them and put them into our bags.  It's bad luck to wear The Jacket before you finish The Race. One tip, here, for anyone who might be reading this who has yet to run your first marathon:  enjoy the expo, but be aware of and careful about what food/drink samples you might try there.  This is because 1) there are usually lots of them and 2) the last thing you want to do in the day or two before your race is to eat or drink lots of things your system isn't used to.  As our coach put it, "now's not the time to try anything new"! We did take the time at the KT Tape booth to both get any pieces-parts that had been bothering us during training taped, and I have to give a shout out to Dr. Billy Kuykendall of the Airrosti Rehab Centers in Dallas (www.airrosti.com) for the expert tape job on my left calf.  He not only did a great job, but also took the time to explain how to duplicate it if I needed to do so.  And so, taped up, packets in hand, and a few bucks poorer, we finished at the expo, ate a fantastic seafood dinner at the Atlantic Fish Company, and walked the few blocks back to our hotel in Back Bay.  It was time to call it a night. Another tip: Tonight's sleep--two nights prior to race day--would be the most important in the days immediately prior to the race.  Why?  Because you're usually so keyed up the night before your marathon that you don't rest well anyway!

Relentless Forward Motion, ya'll!

Boston Marathon Athlete Tracking

Ever wish that you could actually be there when someone you know runs these crazy things called marathons, but something keeps you from it (such as the cash outlay to fly/drive, stay in a hotel, etc, etc)?  Well, you're in luck.  For the major marathons, there is usually a way to track an athlete who you know is running, which may be the next best thing to being there.  While most of the biggies are broadcast on tv, that time-space continuum is reserved for the elites...those extremely fleet-footed folks who are capable of sustaining 5-minute (or less!) miles over the course of 26.2 miles.  The rest of us won't get that tv time (unless they happen to leave the finish-line camera running after the elites are done, as they did in this year's Chicago Marathon, and if you happen to be streaming it online, as I was).

If you have friends or family running the 115th annual Boston Marathon, click on the link below to find out what you need to know and do if you want to follow their progress.  And if, for some strange reason, it's me you want to follow, just please DON'T tell me until AFTER the race!

Finally, don't announce an athlete's time if they haven't done it themselves.  Not cool.

For information on race day media coverage, or other spectator information:

http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/event-information/spectator-information.aspx

For individual Athlete Tracking:

http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/participant-information/att-athlete-alert.aspx 

  

Relentless Forward Motion, Ya'll...

7 Days

The final countdown has begun.  With 7 days until race day, our training is in the bank and our taper is in full swing.  That doesn't mean that we don't run or train, just that there's nothing more that we can do now that will help us on race day--if we haven't done it by now, it's too late!  In fact, we have to be careful that we don't do things that will hurt us on race day from here on out. 

...Try to avoid being around anyone who-might-possibly-remotely-slightly-could-be-or-could-have-been-sick-or-feeling-the-least-bit-"iffy"-lately (sorry, no, I don't want to shake your hand at church or have you up in my "space" at work)...Stop eating anything that we know might give us issues before or on race day...Get as much rest as is humanly possible and still hold down a job...and so on.  You get the idea.  We may get a little "paranoid", but who wouldn't if you'd put in as much time and effort over the past 12 weeks--not to mention the previous time and effort it took us to qualify for Boston in the first place! (Although, anytime I get close to race day, this is my mind-set...It's just magnified for Boston.)

So, for the next 7 days, in addition to my regular "day" job (because I can't yet make a living at this running thing, and won't ever, because, well, I'm a little older than is ideal and--perhaps more obvious--I'm not nearly fast enough!), my life will look like this:  I will...
1)  do my scheduled runs (for a grand total of 16 whopping miles this week), including an abbreviated regular speedwork session with my Runners Edge of the Rockies speedwork group,
2)  make lists of what to pack...what to pack for race day, including the clothing and other items that I'll need for the wait in Hopkinton, what I'll need to keep with me (or on) until just a few minutes before the start (which means I'll be discarding some stuff that will be collected and donated to charities), entire sets of weather-specific clothing options for the actual race, the electronics (Garmin), nutrition (gels), geetah straw (although I think we decided to call it a Wise straw on our last long run...) and anything else needed for the duration of the race, clothes for changing into immediately post-race if necessary (again, weather specific), what to pack for post-race recovery, and what to pack for the days I actually might need to be presentable in public.  And running shoes.  Perhaps the most important. Remember the running shoes!
3) Then I'll stage and pack all of that stuff, being deliberate to either wear the items I can't run without or put them into my carry-on bag that I won't let go from my hot little hands.  (Another RER Boston-bound peep advised wearing the running shoes I'd wear for the race, since he'd had his carry-on taken from him one year and it never made it! Yikes!)
4)  Get a massage.  A deep-tissue "tune up" massage.  This, of course, is to be done by the one and only person I trust for it nowadays: the amazing Karen Kalbach.  (Hint:  You really should go see Karen if you regularly train for long-distance running.  Caveat: You and I will be fine just as long as I can get in to see her! :-)  )
5)  Obsess over the weather in Boston, knowing full well that all predictions could go completely out the window on race day morning when we're headed out to Hopkinton!
6)  Rest...'nuf said.
7)  Get the proper nutrition (no, you can't eat like crap and then expect to "carb-up" the night before the marathon.  It doesn't work like that. Thanks to Nancy Pudwill for her guidance in the nutrition arena!)
8) Make reservations for wherever we think we might want to eat while in Beantown.  (I'll have a kitchenette, so will have some control over my food, but we can't possibly go to Boston and not patronize some of their eating establishments!)
9)  Visit the expo, pick up my official bib, hopefully meet some of the elites who will be racing (see http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/event-information/2011-elite-field.aspx for more details) including CU graduate Kara Goucher.

And, finally (well, there are probably more things to list, but I'll cap it at ten)...

10) Buy that bottle of champagne for post-race celebration.  (Hey, it's either post-race celebration or post-race condolences, and I'm going to think positive here!)


Boston...here we come!


Relentless Forward Motion, Ya'll...

Bostontirikulitis! (Bah-stahn-tee-rick-yoo-li-tuhs)

I've come down with something in the last several days, and I don't think there's anything anyone can do about it. I've got a fever, and this time I don't think that more cowbell is the answer.  I take some comfort, though, in knowing that I'm not alone in my illness.  No, there are at least 20 other people in my running group, and probably thousands more (whether they'll admit it or not is another story) who have the same disease.

It's BOSTONTIRIKULITIS.  < Cue dramatic violin. >

What is Bostontirikulitis, you ask?

Bostontirikulitis, according to the encyclopedia Jodavisannica, is "a brain disorder that causes one to only be able to think about running and nutrition in the weeks leading up to the Boston Marathon.  Symptoms include forgetting people's names, forgetting things you were just told, blank stares when trying to discuss anything other than Boston, and finding not funny things very funny.  The only known cure is to set a PR." 

Bostontirikulitis, thus far, has manifested itself in numerous different ways, but we are continually observing new symptoms each and every day.  The symptoms range from the subtle (blank stares of glassy-eyed runners who only respond to words such as "speedwork", "long run", "taper", "pacing strategy", "bib number", or "corral") to the perplexing (“president of my corral”), to the obviously overt ("oh-my-god-I-dropped-the-pliers-and-have-to-get-them-out-because-I-CAN'T-miss-the-last-speedwork-tomorrow-before-Boston-so-I'll-call-the-locksmith-and-give-him-a-chunk-of-change-to-get-them-out-because-it's-midnight!!"), and everything in-between.  Chances are, if you're running this race, or if you ever have, or if you know someone who is, you've seen the symptoms but might not have recognized them.  I urge you to be aware of them and watch for signs of this disease in runners you know, and to exercise patience (and possibly restraint) as they work through Bostontirikulitis.  In most cases, it will run its course in about two weeks, but you should also be prepared for the onslaught of a related illness known as Post-Bostontirikulitisdepressionilicisim. This is a specific derivation of a more widely known malaise (Greek name: Post-longassdistanceracecompleteddepressionilicisim) that sets in following the completion of any long-distance race (very commonly the marathon), when the runner, for recovery purposes, is not allowed to run, but is resigned to walking, then running only very short distances for a certain period of time.  Each runner may manifest different symptoms, however it is generally marked in all runners by a sense of purposelessness and loss of direction.  It is, fortunately, temporary, as most of these fleet-footed types resume training within 3 to 6 weeks for yet another chance to toe the line.

Please consider this your public service announcement concerning Bostontirikulitis. While it is somewhat contagious (I was diagnosed just this past weekend), those of us with the disease are doing our best to control the symptoms and anticipate a "speedy" recovery.  We thank you for your understanding.


 Relentless Forward Motion, Ya'll...


(Thank you to JD and Kathy for providing the inspiration for this entry.)

Hills for Breakfast

"Today we have an awesome route through Parker,"
<Cue evil laugh> ... "Bwaah-haaa-haaa-haaaaaaaaa!!!!"

That's how today's long run was introduced the first time I ever ran it, as a marathon-wannabe-newbie (just two summers ago, by the way), and it's stuck ever since. The official name of our route is, simply, "The Parker Run", but it's come to be known as "The Infamous Parker Run", followed by the evil laugh, of course.

Now, we run a variety of courses on our weekend long runs.  I think our coach has over 150 different courses throughout the Denver and Boulder metro areas, so we don't ever run the same course twice within a training session.  We have several other hilly courses (which you'll no doubt hear about in this blog at some point), but this one trumps them all.  Why? Well, take a look at the elevation profile, but pay particular attention to the total climb and total elevation change:

     Total Climb: 1012 ft
      Total Elevation Change:1864 ft


    







As you can see, this is one hilly course!  And I have to tell you, too, that these aren't hills of the "rolling hill" variety (not that those are necessarily any easier within the context of a long run), but these puppies are long. And steep.  They're unrelenting, and will do a number on you not only physically but also mentally if you're not prepared for them--and sometimes even when you are.

The Parker Run course is always set out for a maximum of 24 miles--12 out and back--but not everyone goes the same distance. (It depends on where you are in your training plan.)  Until this session, this was always one of my 24-mile long runs that I had in my training schedule, so I usually ended up running solo from the 22-mile turnaround (which is the 11-mile mark) out and back to the finish/start.  It was a great mental boost to me when I'd finished, knowing that I'd accomplished a 24-mile, very hilly route (and often in some fairly intense Colorado heat).   Today, however, I "only" had 22 miles of The Parker Run to do, since my coach took out the 24 milers and added more goal pace runs to my level training plan.

We started off very conservatively, as we always do on our long runs, so that we can get warmed up properly and not burn too much glycogen--our primary fuel--too fast.  On this course, that's also when we're giving our bodies an introduction to the shock of what we're about to ask them to do! After we've picked up the pace ever so slightly during those first two miles, we start to get into the "middle miles" of our run--for me today those were the middle 19 miles-- and we run those in thirds, with each third targeting an average pace.  Of course, that average pace gradually gets faster, but since this isn't a goal pace run, it's still slower than what we'll try to target on our race day. The purpose of our long run today was to build endurance, stamina, and strength (hence the hills). The final mile is done again at a slower pace in order to start the recovery process and flush the lactic acid and other "garbage" out of our legs.  Actually doing that last mile at a slower pace but yet continuing to run is tough, though, because your body wants to either keep running at your current pace or stop and walk altogether. 

Out of my pace group, there are four of us preparing for the Boston Marathon, so we all had 22 on our schedule today, and also a few others who are doing later races who also had 22.  This is a key workout for everyone, but especially for the Boston bound folks, because it's two weeks before race day and gives us not only the training effect of the hills, but also the mental edge we need to fortify us for that day.  We ran and we talked and we took notice of the gorgeous view of the mountains, and as each hill approached we employed our best uphill technique and before we knew it (well, maybe not that fast) we'd crested the hill...time to practice that downhill running technique.  For several hours we did this, and spurred each other on if the hill suddenly seemed even larger and our legs even heavier.  At one point, as we were nearing the final push of the long (or should I say Long, with a capital "L"), arduous hill near the school, one of my friends and Boston-bound teammates who was running beside me said "C'mon, Donna! To the top!" and we both gave it an extra kick and increased our turnover to take the rest of that hill as if we weren't tired at all.  I couldn't help but wonder if she also had the same mental picture as I did:  running up that final hill in Boston, crowds screaming...?

It's amazing what the power of running with a group can do...Although we often get somewhat separated naturally as we run--especially on a long run like this one--we still know that our teammates--friends, now--are there close by, running the same tough, hilly course in the same heat as we are, and encouraging us on no matter how they feel. As an aside,  I have to tell you:  runners (at least the ones in my group, but I'd like to think the majority of runners out there) are some of the most encouraging people around. 
And so it is that as we reached miles 15...16...17, we all remarked that we "couldn't believe" that we'd reached that mile "already". 

By the time we reached mile 22, the recovery mile, our final one for today, we'd gotten spread out again, but it no longer mattered.  As we ran to the finish in the beautiful, warm Colorado sunshine, we'd done it again...we'd finished yet another Infamous Parker Run. 

For me, today, it was a good run, one that I needed not just physically, but mentally as well. 

Wham! Parker hills DONE! We came, we saw, we ran!


Relentless Forward Motion, ya'll!

What is a Highgrade run?

The race is 5 weeks away.  I mean, THE Race is 5 weeks away.  As runners, we have our "my race" in our sights--the race for which we're currently training and on which something hinges for us--but for me, I consider my next race to be my "THE Race" because, well, it's Boston.  Need I say more about why this is so special to me?


Most people--many runners included--hear only about the infamous hills of Boston...the Newton Hills, Heartbreak Hill, and so on.  Those hills seem to have a life all their own.  But many people don't realize that there is a good portion of the first miles of the Boston Marathon that is downhill.  Here is the Boston Marathon course profile:

"Oh", you say, "Well, that's not too bad!  I mean, how hard can running downhill be??" 


Welllllll.....


Running downhill does a number on your quads--it'll trash them if you're not careful, and even if you are!  If that's not enough, notice in the course profile above that after some miles of net downhill running (with a few rolling hills thrown in there), runners are then faced with a series of hills--those infamous Hills, with a capital "H"--culminating with Heartbreak Hill, then another descent to the Finish Line.  So, just when your quads have probably had all they can take, and at a point in the marathon where it's considered that the real race begins, you have to assault those final hills!

In preparation for some of this downhill running, and the subsequent feeling we might experience in our quads, our Coach suggested that we do several practice long runs on a downhill course in our area.  Out of several good options, we picked one that's relatively close and offers some great downhill training: Highgrade Road.  It's also a good downhill training run for the Colorado Marathon (in Fort Collins) and for the St. George Marathon (in St. George, Utah). This was actually my second training run down Highgrade. 

When I posted on my Facebook status "Highgrade run # 2 done!", one of my FB buddies posted, "What is a highgrade run?"  What a good question, I thought.  So, for the uninitiated, curious, or those of you who just plain think we're crazy (and admit it, there ARE those of you reading this who do!), I'll fill you in now...

Highgrade Road is in Deer Creek Canyon, on the southwest side of Denver.  It's a long, hairpin-turn-filled, steep road that's used frequently by both cyclists and runners as a form of training--either up or down. On any given weekend, you're likely to find numerous groups of either sport training on Highgrade.  If you're a runner training strictly downhill that day, you need two vehicles, or at least someone to drop you at the top, so that you can run down. 

On the day of our second run, we opted for two, driving one to the top to park it at the Pleasant Park Grange building--an area that is a cyclist rest stop--and leaving one at the bottom of our route.  In this case, we had a shorter "long" run to do, since it was a recovery week, so we left the other car at a pullout 8 miles down from the top. 

Once we had decided what gear to shed and what to keep, and when all of us had our Garmins receiving satellite signals (sometimes they take a long time!), we were off.  This run was purposefully to be a goal pace run, where we warm up (slowly) for a few miles, then run (faster) at our intended marathon target pace for several miles, and then "shut it down" for the final mile of slower running that's intended to help in recovery.  Part of what we needed to practice, in addition to getting the feel for running downhill for an extended period of time, was the ability to hold back on the pace. We'd been warned that we have to hold back at the beginning of Boston because--as in so many other marathons (or races in general, for that matter)--runners tend to go out too fast, and this is especially true in Boston not only because of the energy but also because of the downhill from the start! Starting too fast can be especially treacherous for a marathoner, as it causes the runner to use up too much of his or her primary energy stores, glycogen, too fast. 

And so, after a few miles of warm up, during which we also met up with another runner from our group who didn't know we were running Highgrade that day, we each worked into hitting our goal marathon pace for the next several miles.  It was a beautiful day, and as we ran, we settled into our pace as we watched for cars and cyclists around each bend in the road.  We ran paying attention not just to the pace as shown by our Garmins, but also by our perceived effort level, but also holding back and not pushing the pace too much.  As is typically the case on any long run involving more than two or three people, the group naturally splintered into two different paces with a little bit of distance between us.


The conversation flowed fairly easily, despite our pace, within my smaller "pace" group--two other friends and I--as we exchanged thoughts about pacing strategies and listened intently as one friend, who'd run Boston multiple times, shared tips, her strategies, and other valuable information about running Boston with us.  Before we knew it, we'd completed the goal pace miles of our run and it was time to shut it down.  As we backed off the pace for the final mile, we each commented on how quickly the time and the miles had passed.  Around the final hairpin turn in the road, we reached the car that we'd left at the bottom in order to get back to the Pleasant Valley Grange building at the top where our other transportation was parked.  As our other friends also finished their run and we all stretched in the warm Colorado sunshine, we reveled in what we'd just accomplished--and anticipated what our quads would feel like the next day!


And that, my friends, is a Highgrade Run!

Highgrade Run # 2 Group:                                                 

Julie, Amy, Kathy, Carolyn, me

Highgrade Run # 1: Angela & me