Denver Rock n Roll Marathon Recap, Part 2

**Read about my race preparations or Part 1 of my race recap**

My first meetup with my parents was on an out & back stretch just south of Cheeseman Park.  I ran & waved at them near mile 12 and then stopped for a snack and to refill my fuel belt near mile 13.5 on 7th Ave.  That’s what I look like with half of a PB&J sandwich shoved in my mouth and one glove shoved down my shirt- thanks for taking pics mom!  This stretch was very scenic & quiet- beautiful tree lined neighborhood and a slight uphill after mile 12 eastbound.

Two more miles south through nice residential areas found us entering our 3rd park- Washington Park, where we would do a giant loop inside and then continue further south.   This park was very pretty, with 2 large lakes and lots of pretty flowers to distract us on miles 17-19.

Exiting the park, I met up with my parents for a 2nd time around mile 19.5 where I grabbed more food, even shoving it down my back pocket!  I wore my favorite shirt again this race & love having random fans cheer me on and all the words of encouragement from other runners who enjoy reading my shirt.

A little further south and then we finally turned and headed north.  We crossed over Cherry Creek twice and the majority of the route was scenic as we passed a variety of homes and mostly flat roadway- except this last hill around mile 25.5!

At the top of the hill, I was rewarded with a great shot of the Governor’s mansion & a final turn into downtown.  The end was back near the start- so close to the capitol and a gorgeous little park.

I ran all the way up that hill and managed to sprint across the finish line!   I was very worried about the altitude, as I came from sea level.  I am very glad I arrived in Denver several days early, drank tons of water and got myself as acclimated as sI could be.  I could still tell & slowed my pace quite a bit, but I am still very happy with a chip time of 4:50:58.

I love this photo!  John caught it with his cell phone as I was running down the last chute!  I was so happy I saw them & so stinkin’ happy to be finished!

I didn’t stick around for any of the post-race stuff or get any goodies.  Since my parents were right at the finish line, I just hopped over the fence and went with them.  I assume they had all the usual stuff like the other Rock n Roll races, but I do think the concert started pretty early for those wanting to finish the full marathon.  One big happy family- this is several marathons together now for us

Here is my finishers medal for Denver, as well as my heavy medal for completing my 5th Rock n Roll event this year.  I didn’t have to wait for it to be mailed to me this time

So back to my chip time & clock time…..urgh! This is a bad story, but there is a happy ending.  My Garmin was off about 01. to 0.2 tenths of a mile early on during the race, but held fairly steady afterwards.  My stomach was upset and I had to make 1 bathroom break, so that probably added 203 minutes to my time, but I couldn’t have survived without it.

This is my gear all packed and ready the night before.  The top bag is what I have my parents to meet me with- I  loved the cookies the most & I’ve got brownies ready for my next race.  So now notice my shoe, with the timing tag attached.  Except, that’s’ not the timing tag- it’s the instructions on how to attach the OTHER half of that strip.  Yes, I was careless and not paying attention, attached the wrong half and had no official time for my race.

I was sick to my stomach after looking at my photos and realizing this, so I emailed the corrections team and RnR, showed them my Garmin and all the pictures.  Thankfully, they were kind enough to give me an official time and credit so I can get my 6th and 7th heavy medals for my San Antonio and Vegas later this year.  All in all, one of my favorite RnR races- very scenic course, very flat, easy access to start & finish, good crowd support, easy access for fans/followers, good weather (although they are moving it 2 weeks earlier next year).

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY:  I’m thinking I need some new boots since I’m getting back into dancing- wonder where I can find these!