And what a beautiful and awesome marathon it was at REVEL Rockies! It was a super quick two-day trip from Atlanta to Denver, with less than 24 hours to acclimate to the altitude, but with it being an almost all downhill marathon, I didn't even notice! I was also distracted by the amazing views of the Rockies along the way.
I arrived in Denver on Saturday morning, and made my way to Golden, CO (close to the expo and marathon finish area), from the airport. I went to the expo then had a nice big lunch, and then I think the early morning flight and altitude change caught up with me so I took a nice long nap in my hotel, and then felt ready for the marathon on Sunday. Here is a photo from the expo:
Sunday morning, I got up super early (2:30am) so that I could catch a 3:45 bus to the start in Morrison, CO. They bussed us up to the start, which was in interesting adventure on its own along the windy narrow mountain roads. We made it to the start with about 30 minutes to spare before heading to the starting line. Because of the higher elevation, it was pretty chilly waiting there, and so REVEL provided us with blankets and gloves (which were actually really pretty) to keep us warm while we waited. I tried to snap a few pictures of the incredible view through the trees, and this one came out the best:
Soon it was time to start! I really had not known how to train for this marathon because in Atlanta, it's difficult to find only downhill places to run (although there are lots of hills here!). But as we started it felt great to be running downhill, and I was excited for the views I would see along the way. Here is another incredible view that was just a few miles into the marathon:
As I looked out at the amazing nature that surrounded me, I kept my stroke and heart heroes in mind. I always think of memories of my Gram and Pop, and think about my Dad and my family that have experienced so much with heart disease and stroke. And of course I always think of Tedy's Team and all of those supporting me, which gives me so much motivation.
Being all downhill, this marathon went pretty quickly and I didn't hit much of a tough spot. At around mile 12, I lost a bit of time for more picture taking. A few deer wandered out in front of us and I was amazed at how comfortable they were with us humans. I pulled out my phone/camera as I came closer, and by the time I reached them they had crossed and were hanging out in the field. So I took the opportunity to take a few more photos.
We came into a small town just after this, where we hit our first uphill climb, but it wasn't that bad, especially knowing that soon we would be running downhill again. We reached the half marathon start, and then could see the mile markers for both the full and half marathon, which I actually really liked. For some reason seeing the half mile markers made me feel like I was closer to the finish! We passed out of the town and were back onto quiet roads for most of the rest of the race. I met a fellow Marathon Maniac in the last few miles, and we had a nice conversation. It's always so great to meet fellow runners as I travel.
I wasn't feeling too badly as I neared the finish, except for that my toes were getting sore and blistered due to them constantly hitting the front of my shoes with all of the downhill running (something I hadn't thought of until I was feeling it). But that didn't really slow me down and soon I was reaching my 18th finish line for my 50 States Challenge for Tedy's Team!
I came into the finish feeling great. It had warmed up along the way and was about 80 degrees and sunny as I crossed, but that is nothing compared to what I had been training in in Atlanta. I felt great and the support at the end was great. I crossed and immediately was offered a hand to shake and a congratulations from the male winner, which I've never experienced before. I was then handed my medal, which is one of the biggest marathon medals I've received!
I made it back to Atlanta on Sunday night, and have been recovering well since then. I did unfortunately strain a muscle, which I actually didn't realize until the next day (I didn't even feel it during the marathon), and so I'm taking care of this as I prepare for State #19 in Alaska in August!!
Race Highlights:
Almost all downhill
Amazing views
REVEL provides blankets and gloves at the start
Great support from start to finish (and at the expo)
Great marathon shirt with different sleeve options (I got the tank top)
Huge medal
FREE race photos!
#1 Song that got me through a tough spot:
Girl on Fire - Alicia Keys
