Ah, the BolderBOULDER, where to begin? Let’s start with a
little background…
I got to Colorado on Tuesday the 25th, almost a week before
the race, so that I could acclimatize to the high altitude. It was a very
relaxed week. Thankfully the family I was staying with was a family of runners
and former runners, all of whom had done the race many times before so they
were very helpful. They made sure I got in a good run every day and that there
was plenty of healthy food too! The whole week, whenever we went anywhere my
friend would introduce me by saying, “This is my friend Dave; he’s here to run
the BolderBOULDER.”
On Thursday I did my test run of the course. This race is a
pretty big deal (it has nearly 55,000 participants and brings in $10 million to
Boulder each year!) so I wanted to do the test run before the weekend crowds
descended on the scenic foothill town. They have directional signs for the
course up year-round so it was easy to find my way. On Sunday, for my shakeout,
I ran the middle two miles again since that’s where the race’s highest point
is. That night, my friend had to go to a wedding so her parents ordered
homemade pasta from an Italian place (it’s so great staying with experienced
runners who understand carbs!) and by 8:30 I was in bed (though I kept the
light on until I had finished the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).
At 4:45 my alarm went off. Because this race is so big, the
first wave (my wave) starts at 7 am, with the last wave going around 9:20.
There are 88 waves!!! I had my usual bagel with peanut butter, sat around
nervously, and then jogged (yes, I’m using the verb jog) to the start with my
friend’s dad who was also running, though he was a few waves behind me. The
start was crazy! It was extremely well organized (you have to be with so many
people) but it seemed to stretch on forever. I made my way to the front and
passed people who looked like they were in amazing shape—I decided to start at
the back of my corral. A few minutes before the gun security people swept
through to make sure our bibs actually said “A.” The bugle sounded, letting us
know there were 30 seconds to go, and then suddenly the gun went off and the
flood gates opened.
The first mile is almost entirely downhill (about -1%) so
things started fast. I wanted to be conservative at the beginning. I’d been
told that this was not a PR course and that most people did about 2 minutes
slower than their PR so I wanted to save my energy and my breath (literally—the
air is thinner). I heard a guy with a Garmin say we were going 5:40 pace so I
slowed down a little and did the first mile in 6:06 (definitely too fast since
my PR average had been 6:11).
As we turned shortly after Mile 1, we entered a more
residential neighorhood. There were some bands playing along the street and
some spectators, but it was clear that most people were either in the race or still
in bed. Mile 2 is a bit more uphill so I slowed to 6:20. My goal pace was
around 6:25, so this was fine by me. I
could feel myself breathing harder than usual though my legs still felt great.
Mile 3 was probably the most residential of all and it has
some serious turns and backtracks clearly thrown in just to make the proper
distance. As such, it was the slowest mile at 6:38. When we passed the mile
marker, people were shouting “You’re halfway there!!!” I guess they didn’t
realize that the .2 miles can actually make or break you. As the course turned
at the real halfway point, it brought me within a few blocks of my friends
house. I could certainly see why her mom used to joke about pulling off the
course there!
Mile 4 ended just before the Casey Hill, the highest point
of the course. It had taken 6:29.
As I crested the hill, I found myself wishing there was a
flat stretch of road. I needed a moment to recoup my energy and hated wasting
the downhill when I was feeling so sluggish. As the course moved downhill, it
entered “downtown” Boulder. I passed the office of my friend’s parents, but
missed here mom who was trying to cheer me on. As we turned onto Pearl, the
main commercial drag, we passed a large stage with a band that was still tuning
up. No love for the early runners! My friend was out there, however, to cheer
me on! The course began snaking towards the finish as I passed Mile 5 (6:23).
With the second to last turn, the race continued on a
normally busy commercial strip leading to CU. Here there were some spectators
cheering and you could feel the fact that you were in the home stretch. We
passed km 9 and I knew with just 1k to go, I would meet my goal but that didn’t
make the final hill any easier. The race ends in Folsom field, home of the CU
Buffs, but to get there you have to climb a steep hill. I passed mile 6 (6:33)
and wondered if I had any breath left to give. Finally we turned into the
stadium and all the sudden, the adrenalin seriously kicked in. I hauled some
butt as I saw the finish approaching and crossed in 39:53.
Definitely not a PR, but it felt like one.
After I picked up my water, snack bag, and free beer, I met
my friend in the stands. The way they had it set up, you could watch runners
crossing on the field and on the Jumbotron so we waited and watched for her
dad. This had to be one of the coolest set-ups. You could see just how many
people had come out to race. Once her dad found us, we set off back to their
house walking along the course. There were still thousands of runners on the
streets of Boulder so we cheered along the way. This is another cool part about
the wave start—we even saw a mom who had clearly run in an earlier wave and was
now running with her kids.
After watching the elites (their race starts at 11:20) and
having a big breakfast, my friend and I went to Avery Brewing for a tour and some
serious samples—the perfect way to follow a race.
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