....& Boomers Dominate the closing field!!.....with a father & daughter pr (okay, so she's not a boomer..) @ 6:31:29 I wish I were as eloquent o' pen (keyboard) as many of you folks in here... or marginally as talented on the race course...alas, I am neither but, I participated & finished my 1st 26.2 miles amid a crowd of over 8,000 participants from 13 countries & 46 states .... ahead of the Grim Sweepers & more importantly, while there was still beer left at the beer tent!! Short Version: Started towards the back of the runners - just ahead of the "fast walkers." set an easy pace w/minimal walk breaks - mostly water stations. 2:34 ish @ the half...rt ankle locked up..increasing pain w/running, manageable fast walking....downhill badly from there Overall Rank/1707 of 1719: Class Rank/42 of 44 Pace/ 13:52 Sex Rank/678 Age/46 Gun Final/06:08:06.9 Final/06:03:38 FR: purple TNT singlet (of course) covered w/48 cancer Hero names, white TNT hat, ong ING sunglasses, blk UA heat gear tights, blu/sil Saucony Jazz w/ong ING laces, a lovely bright green TNT shoe tag, pink Komen bead bracelet, Garmen 305 (gotta have red) & blue single shot waist pack w/purple & white TNT water bottle! If you're a glutton for punishment: Been having some persistent training "issues" since mid-summer & had questioned whether I should still attempt this or not...the latest being a persistent tight/gimpy rt hip that would loosen up somewhat during easy runs but not more than 80% I believe this may be partially compensatory to dealing w/my 'crunchy', bruised left foot after running a tough downhill HM in lightweight trainers the end of June ( idiot! ) vs. knowing that 2 out of 3 of my long runs had gone fairly well - but that was just about a month ago! And that I was "committed" (I felt) by all the people supporting me through the TNT efforts...ya know, when you tell alot of people you're going to do something, it makes it pretty uncomfortable to consider quitting!.. And sometimes putting your best foot forward, is doing the "best you can for that day" not necessarily, the best you may, in other circumstances, be capable of! With that in mind, my goals became: to line up, participate, finish w/in the time window, which per website was 6hrs for the full marathon. There were a couple of cutoff points to make by a certain time - those who didn't make the cutoff would be pulled & given a half marathon finish time. In the days leading up to the race, the weather report kept raising the expected temperatures, which made me a bit nervous (like I have nothing else to be nervous about!) ...I do NOT do well in the heat! (blessedly low blood pressure) For me, IRC are about 47* partly/mostly cloudy...which is what they were predicting a week - 10 days ago...Saturday afternoon hit near 80 degrees & clear! several people @ the Expo were talking about the heat of the previous wknd in Chicago...& about last year's DM - cold & raining the whole time...glad that it was better than last year - concerned about the potential 80* day for Sunday....! Not that I'm terribly experienced, but I think the Denver Marathon puts on a pretty decent Expo. I had to go in on Friday to upgrade DH to the full mary...& had been advised to do that early as there was no guarantee of spaces (over 8,000 registered so far).(I saw three six-foot Kenyan lookin' dudes standing together in the registration area)...made it easy for me to meander & spend some cash on "essential" running gear.. ..now, one vender expressed concern that I was allowed to pick up someone else's race packet...concern (in a potential field of 10,000) that that being allowed protocol would reduce the number of folks coming into the expo...I assured him that my DH would be interested in popping into the expo as well...being a newbie, he's still collecting doo-dads, maybe not as much as me, but still....We had a TNT booth @ the Expo, which is where the team participants gathered on Saturday early afternoon to collectively walk the few blocks to Maggiano's Little Italy for our Pasta Party...where we pigged out on salads, cheese stuffed ravioli drowning in Alfredo sauce, spaghetti w/monster meatballs, bread, tiramisu & crispy apple crunch w/ice cream whilst the coaches & such handed out fundraising awards & gave us a few more tips for the following days...they told us that there were 10 official charities represented @ the DM, who have raised a collective $200,000 - $160,000 of which coming in from the Rocky Mountain Team in Training! Wow!..73 of us raising an avg of $2192 each....RD Dave McGillivray spoke during desert - inspirational & funny stuff!! We took a big group picture & disbanded for the day..Some of us went back to the expo to "fart around" for a bit more...then back home to finish setting out the morning's essential gear, finish writing names on my singlet, another light meal later, answer phone calls from well-wishers, take two benadryl & head to bed by 8:30-ish...alarm set for 4am...website says street closures @ 5:30am...free parking fairly close if we make it by then...I actually went to sleep this time!! Woke up feeling pretty well rested around 3am...plenty of time to get dressed & have breakfast & recheck gear...hip & foot are feeling pretty good so far.. ..Uh-Oh, temp is already 50* & clear! Shoot! not that worried yet...that'll come later! Off by 4:30 enrt to pick up Maren & join the rest of the TNT'ers in the Sheraton Lobby for the group walk over to the race start...Nice! The hotel people had an a-la-cart breakfast available & plenty of cushy seating & clean restrooms available! We walked en mass, several of us carrying purple glow sticks to identify the group should anybody get separated...A light breeze is stirring, making the 50 degrees feel a little cooler...still it's not altogether too uncomfortably cool to be standing around in shorts/singlet..for a little bit...Thousands of people and expo tents in Civic Center Park in the pre-dawn dark is a little surreal! It was hard to see in the park that the porta potty lines are incredibly long! Still, we got in line for one more "provisional" - Lucky for us that we're "back of the packers" because the wheelies were starting as we're moving into the approximate starting area..seeing lots of purple shirts/singlets scattered throughout the crown - Met some TNT'ers from other states..(busy talking w/people - I forgot to re lace my shoes! had left them loose-ish)...Once people started moving towards the start/finish gate, it went pretty quick..considering!....lots of people started out pretty fast...I let 'em! Maren & I settled into an easy pace. I kept a random eye on my Garmin for HR/PC...she would flag me if I was speeding up too much, which I do when I'm relaxed & distracted.... my DH (4:25) & the other menfolk in our group drifted fwd faster...they would be scattered btwn a 3:31 and a 5:52....Maren was doing the HM, so she & I would stay together 'till the course split...she had a pretty easy morning of it, moseying along w/me! Her only goals were to have a good time, run w/me & better her previous HM time of 2:52 (2 mos into running). As the course wound through downtown - we chatted & enjoyed looking at the old majestic buildings & new modern architecture (supposed to be 22 Landmarks on the course), reading peoples' signage... not so many costumes, but some funky clothing! a few pink tutu's & such..It really is amazing the eclectic group of people who come out to run a marathon! waving at the people in upper floor window cheering the runners on... heckling the people holding silent cowbells! "need more cowbell!" Mile 4, I finally pulled over to adjust my shoe laces..starting to get a little hot spot on the left...& hug a TNT coach...he thinks I'm sweaty now! ..As we entered City Park at mile 6, still feeling good, nice steady 11:20 pc - the course does a loop around so that we met the faster runners coming towards us on the other side of the pylons...of course, I yelled out, "slow down! wait for me!" & such....DH was in this group & yelled back... that tells me that he's nearly two miles ahead of me & looking strong! We came out of the park right past this incredibly LOUD set of speakers!!! Daamme! we put our hands over our ears for half a block!! A few more blocks of "old town" & around Cheeseman Park...pretty steady incline (some flatlanders would call this a hill!) of about 217' (if I trust Garmin) ...back into the residential neighborhoods for a few more blocks...somewhere in here my right ankle starting feeling weird...no pain at this point, just weird - like "stuck joint"..didn't slow me down, just an 'awareness'...now, I'm thinking that if I hold steady at this pace, I should be around a 5:15pc...we're almost to Mile 11 & Maren is doing really well! So, I kicked her loose to jet it in...just a short bit (1.2 mile) up from where we were, the course split anyway...Even though I felt that I'd held her back, she said she was very pleased with her 2:37 HM time ....over the next few miles of rolling neighborhood streets, my ankle got slowly, but progressively worse...taking more fast walking breaks ..Mile 17, stop & re lace my shoes (dang! it's a long ways down there!)...around the corner & into Washington park...trying to focus on keeping pace behind a woman in a purple singlet & red shorts...she's shuffle jogging a 12:50 pc...we pass a couple really tall Boomer guys- one w/a knee brace- they're also shuffle jogging, just a bit slower...just as I got a sharp jab through my ankle! and apparently said out loud, "Oh! "F"-word!!" to which the one terribly considerate gentleman asked if he might cuss for me! Okay. - he's very good at it, btw! I fast walked w/them for a bit, spyed some porta potties & was advised by those two that I had a 30 second limit! Done! Ok...& I easily caught back up to them, where a comment was made via the Clif Shot stand (Mile 20) that we weren't looking too good for time!! Sweepers were entering the Park!! Collectively, we picked it up a notch! I'm still keeping red shorts girl in sight - but she's about a block up now......Logan St - badly cambered (trying to stay in the middle as much as possible) getting harder & harder to manage....mile 23, temp has got to be around 75, shuffling/fast walking, HR staying close to 161...only a 5k left...just one loop around my "home neighborhood" w/o the hills! it's almost numb, as long as I don't break into a full run! I keep looking behind me. I can still see several people, but some are missing! watch says I'm going to be cutting it real close! Damn! I can't quit - not w/only 2 miles to go...but will I make it w/o getting pulled? My thoughts are, as long as there are people behind me, they'll let me come in (I hope!)& I'm going to have to run some of it! My two guys are apparently thinking the same thing...w/o chatting, we're staying fairly close together....two TNT people catch up w/me...one coach & one other runner...apparently she's been behind me the whole way...gaining small amts as I've been slowing...Rick asks if we can run in together while he goes back to look for two others (they were removed by the sweepers!)...Okay...my two guys pass us....two more blocks and another coach joins us...they all run when I do, walk when I do...keep telling me I'm doing fine..(I'm almost crying) mentally allowing my two guys to keep cussing for me! Just a few more blocks...Maren pops out & joins us..I'm shuffling now (cannot.walk.across.the.finish.line!!) ..100 yds, more TNT people join us! I pick up the pace..(no clue!) ankle is pi$$ed, nose is running! the announcer makes a BIG DEAL out of us coming in!! My husband, son, granddaughter (w/her cheerleader pom-poms) & good friend are standing at the finish cheering....50 feet past the mat is the water tank & people holding bottles of water...I stop just shy of that & give up the last water/Gatorade stop! Apologize, take my bottle of water, wait for my family, collect my very nice finishers medal - hugs all around (the coaches have gone back to run someone else in). & look to see how far away is the TNT tent - ICE I need ICE & a few beers!! and a little vitamin "I" ...just a little further, but the clock is stopped now.....I will be doing this again...but not for awhile! Slideshow

Oh wow, Cindy, that is one detailed story of your experience. You sure hung in there to the very end. How's your ankle now? Sounds like something went pretty bad there so I hope you can take care of it now. I like the way you describe keeping ahead of the sweepers... Congratulations on finishing this one and your group sure raised some respectable funds! Thanks so much for doing that.

Hey Cindy! You're a marathoner now! Way to beat the sweepers - you did it! It's great how much money your group raised for a really good cause, too. Rest up now, and hope you figure out what's going on with your ankle. Hope to see you at a local race soon - maybe one of the Chatfield trail races.

You are a Shero, first class, first in any AG. That took guts and determination and Moxie! Thanks for your efforts for Team in Training. I'm totally impressed. I agree--I think it's a very well organized race and hope to see you there in the future! Hats off and a deep bow, w/ grins, or course, A

What an inspiration you are to us Cindy. I read every word in that report. You are so tough girl. I know this was not an easy first marathon, but you did it and I am PROUD of you. Way to go MARATHONER!!!!!!!!!!! I did not know this was your first victory lap also. Sorry for not sending you off with a style. Next time

wooooooooohoooooooooooo YOU ARE A MARATHONER!!!! nice job Cindy -- you showed true gut and determination to stick it out with that ankle pain and stay ahead of the sweepers -- i like the Grim Reaper term!! kudooos to you!! now, take care of that ankle and bask in the pride of your accomplishment -- you did it!! you ran a marathon and raised money for an important cause!!

Thank you all SO VERY MUCH!!! Believe it when I say - I couldn't have done it without YOU!! I kept "reviewing" things (so much mental time on the back half!) that I'd read in here...!! I can't even specifically tell you what, but there are several things that have become more of my regular thought processes... thank you! I'm resting (will be trying to read more of the other rpts now!) icing several X's day + Vit "I" & ginger....it's doing very well! still a bit swollen,ROM is a bit off...not as sharp....one "good" thing...apparently I didn't beat up the rest of my body as much as I would've running a bit harder...the rest of me isn't nearly as achey as I'd expected to be...still, going for a massage later

Yowza, Cindy! I was on the edge of my seat for that one! Way to HTFU! And I can't believe you're not very sore, that shows you how solid your training really was after all. Take care of the ankle. Arla