2008 Steamboat Springs Marathon

6. Steamboat Marathon – Steamboat Springs, Colo. – June 1, 2008

“Be careful in the first few miles. You’re going to want to start too fast.” A few people gave me that warning leading up to the race. But, of course, I didn’t listen.

The Steamboat Marathon starts with a major downhill section. I felt like I was in great shape and ready to dominate the marathon. I didn’t just go out fast. I went out flying. I ran the first two miles at sub-seven minute pace. I felt strong through the first 10 miles, winding through the beauty of North Central Colorado. But around that point, I started realizing that perhaps I should pull back just a little bit.

When I hit the halfway point, I looked at my watch and realized that I had just hit a half marathon for the PR. That’s not advisable. Just trust me on that. At the 14-mile mark, the leading women’s runner past me. I knew I was hosed. There is absolutely no way I should ever be ahead of the best woman at any point in any race. I'm not ashamed to admit that. There are some really, really, really fast women out there, especially in Colorado.

My race was pretty much over with 10 miles to go. I had already used up most of my energy, and I knew I might not make the finish line if I didn’t mix some walking in with the running. When I tried to start running again, my body refused to cooperate. This is something I was learning for the first time, but certainly not the last. I walked at least nine of the last 10 miles. A member of the Marathon Maniacs walked with me for half of those. He tried to keep me going, and I appreciated his company. But I was already beaten down with cramps and utter fatigue. It wasn't pretty.

It was my first marathon over four hours at 4:19. I wasn’t pleased, but I wasn’t too down about it either. I went into the race wondering what I could do, and I’d gone for it. Clearly I wasn’t where I thought I was, but learning lessons like that ultimately make any race a success. Every race teaches us about strategy, preparation and, most importantly, ourselves. You’ve got to respect the marathon. The distance is too much to fake anything. It’s a balancing act, figuring out how much energy to conserve for the end of the race. The goal is to leave it all on the course, expending everything you’ve got right as you cross the finish line. Unfortunately, I left it all on the Steamboat course when I still had 10 miles to go.