I would like to think that I learn a little with each marathon I run and that each marathon trip brings new experiences. This was definitely true with this marathon. The first of my new experiences came on my flight from Orlando to Atlanta. I was pleasantly surprised to be sitting next to a young lady that I use to run with while she was running for the Astronaut High School Cross Country team several years ago. Rachael Northcutt was the top female runner in the county and I believe ranked in the top four in the state for 3A schools. And thanks to Jackie Caprera making dinner reservations for us (Jackie and Jim Caprera and myself), I learned to appreciate opera a little. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that the husband and wife owners of the restaurant were also opera singers and they routinely perform in the evenings. Also, driving (sorry Matt, I took the easy way) to the top of Pikes Peak (14,000 feet plus) was a whole other story.

Based on the altitude, the warm temperature and the course itself, Jim was told we should expect to run about 30 minutes slower then we would normally expect to run. This turned out to be fairly accurate. Marathon morning, 7:00 AM, Jim and I joined another 419 other runners at Palmer Lake. Palmer Lake is 7,300 feet above sea level and 26.2 miles north of the finish line at the College of Colorado campus, 6,100 feet above sea level. The morning air was warm, temperatures in the high 60’s and low humidity, may be 20%. By the time Jim and I finished the temperature warmed up to the high 70’s to low 80’s. Neither Jim nor I have run a marathon at this altitude. For that matter, the highest altitude marathon I ran was in Tucson and that started at about 5,000 feet and came down to about 4,100 feet. Due to the altitude I was expecting to be short of breath and especially so later in the marathon. This is not what happened. I had no problem breathing.

Although the marathon is primarily down hill and loses 1,200 feet from start to finish, it is far from all down hill. There are a lot of short (100 to 400 yards) and not to steep hills from mile 3 to 24. 75% of the course is run on hard packed dirt over the American Discovery trail. The trail actually runs from the east coast (I think Virginia or Maryland) to California. The other 25% is paved but still part of the American Discovery trail. The course is scenic with the Rockies to the west and with Pikes Peak in view for several miles. The course runs several miles through the Air Force Academy. The only indication that you are running through the Air Force Academy are the signs posted and the Air Force security on horses as you enter and exit the grounds and the football stadium several miles to the west.

During the run I felt very comfortable and was running well within myself. I never pushed over the first 20 miles. I never got short of breath and figured maybe I had more red blood cells then the average person and I was a natural high altitude runner. Not quite the case. Mile splits were 8:16, 8:02, 8:08, 8:00, 8:17, 7:53, 8:07 for the first 7 miles. Short of the 8-mile mark I stopped to dehydrate behind a tree and then walked while taking some water and Gu. My eight-mile split was 9:23 but still felt good. Mile 9 through 13 was 8:09, 8:20, 8:11, 8:09, 8:1&. At the half marathon point I was on pace to run a 3:36:40 marathon. The next few miles were the hilliest but I still felt good and my split times slowed a little to 8:29, 9:08, 8:29, 9:05, 8:31, 9:13, 9:33. Now starting to feel the effects of running at altitude. Check out my mile split trend over the last 10K: 10:17, 11:08, 12:05, 12:22, 12:43, 13:12, 2:54. 10K in 1:14:41. Official finishing time, 4:04:34. Not a pretty picture, but still good enough to win my age group. Jim finished in 4:30.

Lessons learned: What may be obvious to some but it was not obvious to me, you do not feel the affects of running at altitude early in the run. You do not feel like you are not getting enough air to breath. You are getting enough air, just not enough oxygen. What occurs is the cumulative affect of not getting enough oxygen into your red blood cells to nourish and cleanse the muscles that finally gets to you. In my case it took 20 miles. This is the same thing we experience in any marathon or long distance event when we hit the wall but at altitude it happens a lot sooner. This is why we are told to run easier/slower at altitude. However, since I was feeling good I thought I was all right. I will stick to my game plan the next time I run at altitude and will not be fooled into thinking I can run at altitude with no ill affects regardless how I feel early in the race. If I stay on schedule my next altitude marathon will be in Wyoming next Memorial Day weekend.

46 marathons completed in 36 states. Next, Ocean State Marathon, Rhode Island on October 13.

Rest if you must, just don’t quit,
Marty