Running the Rainbow

I saw the registration for this marathon and knew I had to do it. It starts at the Stanley Hotel and ends in Loveland. It is mostly downhill and takes place in one of my favorite cities in Colorado, Estes Park. It runs down the Big Thompson river and is gorgeous! Both Loveland and Estes Park were victims to the 2013 flood, so this marathon also raised money for the restoration of their cities.At first, I didn't think this marathon would get me into the 2015 Boston Marathon because registration for Boston takes place in early September. But, when I found out that I could register for Boston on September 15th, I got really excited. This was my last chance to qualify. I have been trying to qualify for Boston, ever since my first marathon in September of 2012. The marathon has been full of disappointments for me. All the calculators said I should be able to finish in 3:35, based on all my other race times. My first road marathon finish was 3:43:31, second was 3:45:11, third was 3:...

I got an email from Pikes Peak Road Runners on August 5th asking for pacers for the American Discovery Trail Marathon on Labor Day. This was something that I had never done before, but had always wanted to do. I have been involved in this race since 2012. I worked an aid station in 2012 and ran the marathon in 2013. They were in need of a 2:15 & a 1:45 pacer for the half marathon. My PR for the half is 1:41 so 2:15 would have been way to slow and 1:45 was way too fast. I instantly sent out an email saying I could pace the 1:45 group. Then, I, of course, started freaking out. This race was 3 weeks after Pikes Peak Marathon. Could I do this? After Pikes Peak I took 6 days off from running completely. Then, I ran a 20 miler and it went great. Then, a week later, on August 24th, I ran a 5k and had a huge PR, so I was starting to gain some confidence. I finished the 5k in 20:42 and that was after my dog stopped me for a poop stop. My PR in the 5k was 21:11. On Thursday, August 28th, ...