From car accident to PR at Bolder Boulder 10k

The pages of the calendar are flying off and the biggest weekend of the year in Boulder is upon us. Memorial weekend draws a big crowd to Boulder for the Boulder Creek festival BolderBoulder 10K Expo and Memorial Day race. Its the biggest 10k in the country and if you get the chance for the experience you really shouldn't miss it. Seriously, this race is so big its the a common question asked...oh you live in Boulder? Have you done or are you doing the BB?


This year offered a course change where the first 2k was a slight uphill instead of a speedy downhill and added about 4 more turns to the race. Using my awesome time from the Cherry Creek Sneak 5m I was seeded in the AB wave (3rd wave...of about 50), and my goal was 42:50 or better. Last year I was in the GL unseeded wave since I hadn't done a road race in 3 years (sadly triathlons and pole vaulting does not count). My running has really been progressing since the Platte River Half Mary that I did in April. I'm not sure if I'm faster or more fit then I was last year and I've certainly lost some muscle mass (my guns are more like pistols now). However, Ive gained experience, confidence, the ability to pace evenly and I'm more acclimated to the altitude.

I woke up at 5:25 to get in my pre race bagle early enough for it to settle before the race. The weather was @50*, overcast with a slight wind. My warm up was a run of about 1m down to the starting line. Don't you just love when you re able to do that? Not having to fight traffic and finding a parking space before a race is one of the best ways to toe the line stress free and in complete focus. I threw on my RR Vizipro uniform and Pearl Izumi Streaks (first time racing in these) and I was out the door.

When you have a race that's expected to draw over 50k (actually a record 54,554 entrants) people the starting area can be a bit of a mad house but this being my 2nd time in this race I knew the drill by now and found a great spot in the front of my wave. Most of my Boulder running friends were in the first wave because they are rock stars and can run under 40 mins. In my wave with me was my RR teammate John, and it looked as though we were going to have another showdown like at the Cherry Creek Sneak 5m.

By bugle the 30 second warning was announced and the gun went off. The 4 lane street provided ample room for the crowd so we spread out pretty quickly and this year instead of going out with a reckless 6:13 pace, I settled in with a conservative 6:22 pace and felt pretty good with it, despite the incline. I ran the first 2 miles with some of my friends who are members of the Boulder Express racing team. By the 3rd mile I was sick of the climbing, I was constantly assessing how much I had left in my legs and reserving enough for the hardest parts of the course. So instead of pushing the pace at the first chance of an extended downhill, I used that section to recover, knowing that Id have to do a bit more climbing over the next mile before gaining back all my efforts through potential energy.

Along the course there were many distractions of fun including belly dancers with actual bellies (not sexy!), slip and slides, min pools, garage bands and a dancing/singing Elvis.



Mile 4 brought with it the highest elevation of the course, I charged the hill and gradually increased my speed as we approached downtown Boulder. This section I had trouble with last year due to my wave assignment. Its a tough course, its a popular race and its 10k... people get tired by this point and either slow down or start walking making them tougher to pass and ultimately slowing you down. This year there were less people in front of me to cause too much of a road block but I did start to pass a considerable number of other A wave runners. Generally these people are good runners at sea level and try to run the same at altitude. You know what I say to that? "Sea Level is for Sissy's!" (I have the T-shirt).

Mile 5 I was brought back to reality and reminded myself of how this was another showdown between my teammate John and I. I didn't know how close he was, and didn't look back to find out. With less then a mile to go I tried to speed things up but it didn't really seem like I was successful. We turned on to Folsom Rd and began a short climb to the stadium finish and there he was. Initially he carried some momentum past me and the hill hit him. We exchanged words of encouragement and I thought he was going to go with me. I started my finishing kick with about 500m to go about mid hill and he didn't respond like he did at the Cherry Creek race.



I entered the stadium in full flight for the only flat part of the whole course .1 miles to go. The plastic runway protecting the field felt springy and fast compared to 6 miles of hard asphalt. I finished ahead of John by 2 seconds and with a PR of over a min over last year's time. Its such a hard race, but the most fun you will ever have. I reunited with my teammates and wallowed in the post race high, while waiting for the pro race to kick off.












overall place:878
division place:22 out of 454
gender place:773 out of 22348
mile 1: :06:22.60
mile 2: :06:43.31
mile 3: :07:02.50
mile 4: :07:02.73
mile 5: :06:47.14
mile 6: :07:02.07
net time:00:42:15.44
pace:06:48 (based on net time)

Bolder Boulder 10k

Well when I originally heard about this race and how many people it draws I thought it was going to be a shit show. I mean it cant be easy to organize such an event. However the more and more I heard people talking about it, it turned into a must attend event, and im so glad that I did it.

On Sunday the night before the race I volunteered and helped set up the start line and sound system. It was a little labor intensive moving huge speakers and taking a ride on one of the sketchiest scissor lifts ever in order to get those speakers up on top of the towering scaffolding. All this to earn free entry into the race.

Since I dont have a huge history of road racing, I didnt have a qualifying time to get me into a qualifying wave. To be honest, I did the 2000 Fathers Day 5k in Rochester, the 2008 Montclair 5k and a few sprint triathlons and thats about it! The rest are track meets where I pole vaulted. Yea that is how new I am to racing. That aside I was extremely excited to make my 10k debut and get a time on the board to work off of.

Race Day morning:

I got out to the start line, which is conveniently located less then a block from my house, @6:30 to watch the starting waves and to try to get pictures of Emma and Kylee. It was a mad house, I didnt see anyone I knew. They announced that @56,000 runners had signed up for the race, a record year.

There were a few logistical issues that needed to be worked out. First off, I wanted my camera with me at the finish, and Kylee needed her keys in order to grab her car and hit up the post race parties. So, I waited in the mobile locker line for about 30 mins to check the gear that would be transported for me to her at the finish line. Little did I know that they wouldnt even allow her to pick it up even though it was in her name and bib number.

After about an hour of waves going off every 5 mins, It was my turn. I had a short 10 min warm up and stretch and then waited in the mass of bodies for about 20, so that was somewhat useless. I was a little nervous but had rehearsed the race and felt rested and ready.

Joining me in my wave was the Denver Nuggets Mascot and 2 CU grads in their cap and gowns. There were a lot of people dressed up and for the most part it was more of a party then an actual race.

The start was announced by bugle and gun and we were off! The first mile was basically down hill and it didnt take me more then 800m to catch up with the slower runners from the sequential wave. I started weaving and cutting in wherever I could, aided by a group of polished shirtless runners who lead the way.

At @2 miles was the first water station, I didnt drink but I lost my pack of guys and I was going to have to break through on my own from there. The side lines were strune with fans offering everything from Bacon and Doughnuts to Beer and tots. There was Elvis and other live bands belting out fantastic classic tunes. You couldnt help but feed off all that energy and march on. The Colfax Marathon Relay was sort of like this but not at this magnitude. I mean they had slip and slides, sprinklers, and kiddy pools for those who needed to cool off.

My goal for half the race was actually to try to catch up to Chris who was in the first of the G waves (about 15 mins ahead). Mile three down 19th street was my favorite but then getting into all the following turns, the crowd started to bottle neck and I got slowed down considerably. I then heard this pick up line from a hs cheerleader..."how long have you been modeling?" Mile 4 concluded at the course's highest elevation and my plan was to take off at that point. I didnt really reach that point with as much energy as I thought I would have left and I was about 1 min off pace already. I did pick it up coming down the hill but once again with the turns near Pearl St., the crowd began to bottle neck. On top of that we were nearing the later parts of the race an more and more people began walking and not keeping to the sides, nor single file. Yea its safe to say that I worked for that 43min finish.

Folsom street was inspirational, I started passing out high fives and it really did increase my energy. With the stadium in sight I tried to open up my stride as much as possible, but all the weaving didnt really help. When I got into the stadium there was a huge roar but also a familiar voice from the stands. Kylee and Scott were there and I threw up a quick gang sign before turning on the after burners and beating as many 11 yr olds to the finish as possible. They are going to need to get used to disappointment.

Post finish I was happy with my effort, not so much the time but I know I could have at least matched my goal and will definitely get it next time out. By far that was the most fun race I've ever experienced! We were corralled up the hill to tag drop off and snack pack pick up. I downed about 4 cups of water and then walked around for 20 mins looking for any familiar faces, it was a mad house at CU's Folsom Stadium. It reminded me of Penn Relays.

I have a little more then 6 weeks of training before I run my Oly Distance Tri here in Boulder and have another shot at Mr. 10k. Here are the results:

overall place:
1280
location:
Boulder, CO
division:
M29
division place:
38 out of 481
gender place:
1131 out of 22554
mile 1:
0:06:15.42
mile 2:
0:06:50.83 (hill)
mile 3:
0:07:19.61
mile 4:
0:07:06.63 (hill)
mile 5:
0:07:00.39
mile 6:
0:07:16.88 (hill)
net time:
0:43:15.82
pace:
6:58 (based on net time)

The post race party included a BBQ picnic at Emma's where we had a reunion of the Colfax Marathon Relay team D.I.R.T. that lasted into the night.

Hot Blooded

There was some major wind up at the Boulder Res today 35-40mph. 67* and sunny.

I watched video of the BB course and at mile 2 there is a huge hill so at the Boulder Res I went a way so that I would encounter a hill at roughly the same distance (with the wind).

Probably went out too fast because it wasnt long before my throat was so dry that I couldnt breath. Coming back the wind just about stopped me dead in my tracks.

5.3miles in 38:26 Pace= 7:17

Ill have to shave off roughly a min of time each mile if im going to break my goal of 40 mins in the Boulder BOULDER 10k, maybe the new shoes will help a bit. I know I have a 6 min mile kick in me no matter what so all I really have to shot for is 5 in 34 and ive already done 5.3 in 36min.

After the short ride back into the wind, I had a quick lunch and headed to the gym for some cross training, trying to work the lungs as much as possible today!!