I Didn't End Up In The Emergency Room This Time! Success!

Well, that was a hard one. Really really really hard.

I felt pretty ridiculously awesome going into this race but not so much while I was racing. I KNOW I started too fast, but even at mile 8 or so I felt like I was working too hard - none of that magic effortless first 20 miles. I think what got to me was the fact that I was checking my Garmin constantly and really stressing over what to do if I went too slow up a hill - I overcorrected for every fraction of a second I was off pace and wore myself out mentally and physically by mile 17. The temperature was not quite in my favor - I know a lot of people prefer cooler but my muscles never warmed up so my legs were a hurtin'! The other little problem was that I thought I was gonna pass out several times during the last 10k. It was definitely because I wasn't getting enough electrolytes but for whatever reason my stomach can NOT handle anything during a race. Even the three or four tiny sips of diluted Gatorade I had were threatening to come right back up. This happens at every race and I have no idea what to do about it.

But. I won!

I don't look so hot there but... nobody really looks pretty when they run.

So, I had two goals for this: to win, and to qualify for the trials. I wanted them both equally. But I only got one. My finishing time was a kind of miserable 2:50:35. All of my runs had gone so well that I wasn't really mentally prepared for how hard this was going to be. I just thought I was gonna go out and do it (I guess kind of the same way I thought I was just gonna go out and do the Pike's Peak Ascent... yikes). I was really disappointed in my time but as the day went on I realized that I just got my 3rd marathon win at race that was really important to me and that's  fairly rad.

It was literally INSANE how much support I had. I can't believe what amazing friends I have. There were so many people out there today and I've gotten so many kind notes - it really made all the hard work worth it! There were some really funny things I saw too, like two little kids flipping out when I passed by them and screaming and clapping like they had rabies or something and a lady that kept running up to me going "GO JOANN!" which is not my name. But seriously, all the support meant the world to me! I had to cry a few times reading all the notes! I've been getting super emotional about this race... like when I got my fancy bib:

I felt pretty rad wearing that thing!

So, anyway. I didn't make the time I wanted but I also didn't end up the emergency room like last time AND I won! That's good stuff. I was thinking during the last part of the race that I could never do this again. But you can guess how long that lasted... like an hour. RNR Vegas, here I come!

Ready for some media on this? Here's a story from News 4 (I think I did an interview with them but my brain was a little fried at the finish) http://denver.cbslocal.com/2011/10/09/thousands-run-rock-marathon-in-cool-temps/ (and just fyi, it was like 17,000 runners, not 1,700). And there's some video from 9 News http://www.9news.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1209870033001&odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|featured I'm right after the dude with the two new lungs. And an article from Colorado Runner http://www.coloradorunnermag.com/2011/10/09/siemers-utrata-win-sports-authority-rock-n-roll-denver-marathon/  And one from the rad Kim Bogin http://www.examiner.com/running-in-denver/rock-n-roll-denver-marathon-2011-results-chris-siemers-heather-utrata-win

My teammate, Nicole, who just f'ing WON the Maui Marathon like yesterday crushed the course today for 3rd place!! Our team has dealt with the motherload of injuries this year but we still have had some amazing performances!

Woooooo! Omg I need to go to sleep immediately.