BolderBoulder 10K

Boulder, CO
May 31 2010
6.27 miles
52:21
8:21 min/mile
7:14am


Okay, I love running with my guys and I really like it when a lot of us do a race; however, a 3:30am wake up to get to a 4:30am meet time ... what is wrong with me?!!


Mike has offered to give Jeff and I a ride to Boulder since we want to hang out a bit more than the rest and we quickly accept the offer. The meet up point is the commuter lot at Monument and all of us arrive within 10 minutes of each other. We divvy up riders with drivers and head north!


Once in Boulder, we all park in the Safeway lot and gather for a pre race photo (above) and then make our way to the start. The BolderBoulder is one of the largest races - this year over 53,000 runners - however, it is also one of the most organized I have ever raced in at the start. There are numerous waves that go off every 30 seconds to a minute and it really does minimize the bottle neck at the beginning of the race.


We have enough time left to spare for all of us to make one last pit stop before stepping into our wave (DC) and shaking hands and wishing each other luck before we begin our movement toward the start. Chris and Bob each want to run faster than their age - a feat I don't think I can do for another few years!


When the gun goes off, so do Mike, Dano, Jeff, Bob, and Chris ahead of me and F. F and I take our time at the start. I don't have enough speed at the beginning to stay with them and it usually takes me three miles to warm up so I let them go and hope to see them somewhere down the way.


The crowds are great, the aid stations fully manned and the music continues almost all the way through the course. You get reggae, alternative and even Elvis crooning to you as you run by. Seriously, this is a fun race for all - belly dancers wave to you as they gyrate their hips, college kids offer you beer and donuts along with slip and slides and kiddie pools. And the best part of the race is the finish in the CU Boulder football stadium complete with Jumbotron of racers entering the stadium. But I digress and now back to the race.


I can see Bob's and Chris' shirts for a little while after we start - both are wearing yellow - however, soon they are out of sight of me and I settle into running my own race. I know F is behind me somewhere, just not sure where and I continue to think he'll pull up beside me anytime.


My first mile I am at an 8:06 pace which is pretty darn fast for me and I know I went out a little too fast for my liking. However, my second mile I am down to an 8:28 pace and know I've settled into my normal routine. So the thought process begins - do I want to just run comfortable or do I want to push it? I finally resolve to push it if I ever want to see any of the guys again!


My third mile is just a little better, 8:26. I forgot how many little hills are on this course; but, I am also happy to note that they aren't really bothering me and I do a pretty good job of tackling them. After this third mile, I spy a familiar yellow shirt way up in front of me and realize it's Chris! Now I have something to run to and that motivates me during my fourth mile.


The vision of Chris ahead of me has worked wonders and my fourth mile comes in at 8:07 as I pull alongside of him. He told me later he could feel my presence behind him for awhile and was just waiting for me to come up. It took me a whole mile to do that! Chris looks over at me and flat out states, "I'm hurtin." I look at my garmin and know he wants to run under 53 minutes. We have 2.2 miles left and we've run 33+ minutes thus far. I know it's within his grasp and decide to stay with Chris and make sure he does it. This is the guy who invited me to run with his group three years ago. He is also my main pacer for Leadville - he can get anyone over Hope Pass and into the finish - and I want and need that. There is no way I'm leaving him!


So my cheerful "slave driving" begins and Chris and I crank out mile five in 8:19 and I give him the distance left (1.2) miles and tell him I'll let him know again when he has half a mile left. Chris is notorious in our runs for sandbagging it and then at the last quarter to half, sprinting past you like you are standing still! I'm am running in fear of that right now.


Mile six clicks by in 8:33 and I know that Chris was telling the truth. Instead of speeding up like he usually does, he's slowed a bit; however, I'm still waiting for the final 2 tenths and the stadium lap and what he'll do to me then. We've got three minutes to finish the final .2 miles - easy!


Up and around the bend into the stadium, Chris drops behind me and I slow for him to catch up - once again, he's surprised me by not powering up this incline and I glance at my garmin and notice the pace has slowed again to 8:53 and now I need him to give it all he's got 'cause he's gonna get in under 53 minutes if I have to be the drill sergeant this time!


Once in the stadium, life returns to Chris' legs and we power around the track all the way to the finish line in 52:21! What a great race! Bob is there at the finish waiting for us. We all three wait for F to come in and once he does, we head to section 215 to meet up with everyone else.


Once there, Dano gives the low down on his race. He's run faster than all of us and bested his age pretty darn well. Mike and Jeff are no where to be found; however, we know they finished between Dano and Bob. Later, I'll meet up with them in the expo outside the stadium.


Post-race comments flow back and forth as we five rehash the race. I tell the guys one of these days, I'm going to stop and do all the fun stuff that's available during the race. We all laugh because we all know we are Type A personalities and it doesn't matter if we are running for first place or 551st place, a race is a race is a race and there's no stopping for silliness in a race!


The afterglow of a run is still with us when he decide to wander through the expo and eat free stuff! Diane took my race bag with her and now I am glad I have it - more room to carry free stuff! Burritos, ice cream, bagels, nuts and coffee are all consumed as we wander around.


Chris and Diane along with F and Kelly take off first with Bob and Dano heading back. Mike and Jeff meet up with me and we go through the rest of the booths. Good thing too -- I meet Ryan Hall and have my picture taken with him! What a great kid and as the US marathon record holder, what a great runner as well! Mike, Jeff and I stand in line to get his autograph. I elect to get my bib signed while Mike quickly pulls off his race shirt and has Ryan sign it. "Great." says Mike later, "Now I'll never be able to wear it and I really like it."


After a while, we head to the stadium to watch the elite racers run the same course we finished three hours earlier. The walkers on the course cause the start of their race to delay, delay, delay and we finally decide to head toward our car and catch the runners on the course. This is an excellent decision since we are right next to them as the run by! The Ethopian runners make one stand in awe - it looked like they weren't even running, just out for a training run together!


After all elites go by, we head back to the car to Colorado Springs and a wonderful mexican lunch along the way in which Jeff and I treat Mike for driving us up to Boulder. It is during this lunch that we realize Jeff has shaved over a minute per mile between last year and this year! He has improved so much and I've told him a couple of times that he has so much more potential than he realizes. He tells me it's running behind me that does it - he can't let me get too far ahead of him! All the rest of us credit Mike with Jeff's improved speed; that and their "secret training!"



Once home, I shower, change and hang out until the movie Patton comes on and I settle in to watch it. Somewhere around 8:15pm I fall asleep... in the middle of Patton! Now I know I am tired and toddle off to bed to end this wonderful day!