Father’s Day Classic 10k – Post Race Recap

August 1, 2014February 6, 2016 / racingthestates / 6 Comments

Welcome to another way-past-date race recap! The week following the Trail Ragnar in Snowmass, CO, I did another race with 3W Races. This race actually took place on June 15th and benefited the Arvada Community Food Bank.

The Father’s Day Classic held in Arvada, CO was my first 10k race in a looooong time. Or at least the first one in a long time that I was actually trying hard. I really wanted to race this one, you know what I mean, runners?

I wasn’t entirely sure how well I would do. I had already had a pretty rough/fun/busy weekend before Sunday hanging out with some friends. And to top that off, I had re-started a lifting routine a few weeks before. The Wednesday before the race I did a bunch of straight leg dead lifts, knowing I would be sore, but thinking that it would be gone by Sunday.

I was wrong. Sunday rolled around and I was still very sore and very drained. I did make sure to foam roll the night before and warm up before the race.

I had stayed out pretty late the night before, so I barely rolled out of bed before making it to Arvada. I definitely did not do my normal pre-race routine. I don’t even remember if I had my coffee!

I got to the race and being an ambassador, I saw that they needed some help with registration, so I just jumped in a for a few before race time started.

Finally it was race time. I lined up with the rest of the racers, plugged in my iPod and started running!

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At the start of the race. I’m on the far right, white shirt and white visor

All the 5K and 10K people started at the same time, so it was really hard to judge my pace since the 5K people were going a bit faster. I’m also a “competition counter”, as I call it. As I’ve been getting faster I pay attention to how many people, mostly women, are in front of me. It’s especially easy for out and back courses or courses with a lot of turn arounds.

This course had a lot of turn arounds and I was watching how many people were in front of me. With the 5K and 10K being mixed, I wasn’t sure of my competition, so I just kept trudging along, my muscles screaming at me!

At about mile 2

Finally, we got to the point where the 5K people went right and the 10K people went left. We ended up on a local trail called the Ralston Creek Trail that was surrounded by shady trees and nice houses. We ran up to a point, turned around and ran back to where we separated from the 5K people. That last mile back to the meet up point was torture! It felt way longer than a mile! I also was thinking that even after the meet up spot, we would have another half mile or so left.

Fortunately, after that was only a quarter-mile or less. Phew! I rounded the last corner and brought it in!

Little did I know, a lot of the competition I was counting had turned right with the 5K people and I was 3rd overall female! My time wasn’t my PR, but it was pretty competitive compared to my PR. I was extremely happy with my results.

3rd Overall Female!!

After I was done running, I grabbed some food (barely eating it because I didn’t feel too well after running that hard) and waiting for the rest of my 3W Ambassador friends to cross the finish line. I chatted with a gentleman that had been right behind me for the entire race, right up until the last mile. He jokingly said, “I didn’t think you were ever going to let me pass you!” He was a new 3W Runner and we chatted about how he had just done an ultra ragnar team in Chicago. I love meeting new people at races and now he’s a regular at our events!

hanging out with fellow ambassadors

The event finished up with a fun mile run. Being father’s Day, there was also a car show at the same location, Apex (a local recreation center that I used to work at as a teenager).

Delorean! Let’s go back to the future!

After it was all said and done, I helped take down everything and clean up and headed to a local brewery with a few fellow ambassadors!

All in all, great day! I highly recommend this race in the future (the link is at the top of the page), although it is a 3W Race, so I’m a little biased! But, what can ya’ say! It’s a great company run by great people!

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See how much fun we have! Only a portion of the 3W Ambassadors, this is a collection of the ones at the Father’s Day Classic

The Bolder Boulder – 2014 Post Race Recap

June 9, 2014February 6, 2016 / racingthestates / 5 Comments

Bolder Boulder 2014! What a day that was! What’s it been? Two weeks and some change? I haven’t had a day off to do nothing in…I don’t even know, so it feels like it was a really long time ago. But, I’m going to try to recap it like it was yesterday…

Like I said in the pre race review, the Bolder Boulder is quite the race. I do actually really like it. I love the atmosphere, the course, and the after party stuff. The only thing that I absolutely don’t like is the people, er the AMOUNT of people.

I’m a strange person in general, my friends will probably attest to that. Sometimes I can’t keep still and I’m super social. Actually 90% of the time, that’s the case. Lately, however, I’ve been so tired, stressed and busy, I want to just keep to myself. But those wants get conflicted with my love of other things, i.e. races.

I received a free race entry to the Bolder Boulder from 3W races, so obviously I’m not going to turn that down! But there was definitely a tiny voice in the back of my head that didn’t want to deal with the traffic and the throngs of people.

Remember, 50,000+ people come to run this race. If you have a qualifying time, you can start your run sooner and thus not have to deal with AS many people. I didn’t provide a qualifying time, mostly because I forgot to send it in, but I’m also wondering if I even had one (it had to be within one year of the race date) and I think my previous 10K time is two years old.

Anyway, I was scheduled to run at 8:11 am. Meaning, there was TON of people in front of me. The wave I was in is called the “non-qualifying runners/joggers.” I do really wish people would be honest when registering for times, because I was already dodging walkers within a half mile. Seriously.

a sea of people

I had already decided that I wasn’t going to race for time, that I was just going to enjoy the experience, but after sitting in traffic for a bit longer than I wanted to, I was already in a “I don’t want to deal with crowds of people mood,” Like I said, they happen sometimes. (Little bit of race info: the Bolder Boulder has a deal with the local transportation system, even from Denver, and has plenty of “park and ride” bus stations to get you to and from the race. I had to work at the Boulder Spring Creek Festival right after the race, so I had to drive that morning so that I could get home after working. Otherwise, I’m all for carpooling it there, which is how I’ve done it the other times I’ve run this race!)

My random photographer from the crowd wasn’t very good! oh well!

I parked my car near where I had to work, which is also near the END of the race. Unfortunately, that put me about a mile and a quarter from the START of the race. So what’s one to do? Run, of course. I jogged the mile over to the race started and called it my warm up. Actually, I’m pretty sure I should make my warm up this long all the time, because I had a pretty good run.

Pre run

I lined up, popped my music in my ears, and just zoned out. That helped the “not wanting to deal with people” mood. Then, my wave was off with the start of a trumpet. I set into a nice comfortable pace, and enjoyed my surroundings. There is a band or performer on just about every block. Even in the neighborhoods people are blasting their stereos out the windows and cheering us on from their front lawn. It’s quiet an awesome experience.

For bands, I’ll pop my music out of my ears and cheer and throw my hands in the air. There’s one turn in the course that has a HUGE stage, but this year unfortunately, the band was on break, so I have no idea who was playing. I don’t blame them. If they were to perform straight through, they would be playing for 4+ hours.

I took to a nice comfortably pace that still made me feel like I was working hard. I would stop to take a few pictures where I thought you guys might enjoy seeing something (like the slip and slide!) but otherwise, I was enjoying the run.

Eventually, with about two miles left, I ran into a fellow 3W Ambassador with her bootcamp ladies (she owns a bootcamp company called Mountain Girl Fitness). I stopped to say hi and walk with them a bit, then decided to go on my way making sure to hit every sprinkler and family spraying super soakers as I could – It was turning out to be a HOT morning!

Eventually the CU stadium came in sight and I knew the end was near, not that I was wishing for it, in fact I was feeling great!

I charged up the last hill (for being such a huge, popular race, the course is actually pretty challenging if you’re running for time – there’s a lot of hills). Around the last corner, you enter the stadium, and the feeling of satisfaction hits you! It’s quite thrilling to run into the stadium. There’s already a ton of people waiting in the stands, either for their families or people who have already finished. The noise is loud and incredible and if feel likes they are cheering just for you. You can’t help but throw your hands up as you cross under the finish line!

Breathing hard, I exited the finish line coral, let the volunteer cut off my timing chip and grabbed my lunch pail (Bolder Boulder always gives the post-race goodies to you in a sweet, iconic lunch pail. If you’re a runner in Colorado, you bring your lunch to work in this sack).

The was a dozen or so 3W ambassadors running the race, so I set out to find some before I had to walk over to work. We took a picture with the few of us there at the time (we have our fingers up on both hands for 3W, get it? 3 – W??) And that was that! I went to work and stood on my feet for 8 more hours! Yes, my feet were very sore for the following week!

I wish I could have stayed, after all the waves have run, the elites get their chance at the course. Once they’ve charged through in a time that laughs at all the other runner’s time, there’s a great Memorial Day Celebration afterwards with a fly over and paragliders! It’s worth seeing and super touching, even for someone like me who doesn’t like feelings. Then you can explore the fitness expo after wards that has a ton of schwag to pick up at a bunch of booths.

The Bolder Boulder is definitely worth doing, for anyone. Coloradans and out of towners – this is a must-do race!

Bolder Boulder – Pre Race Preview

May 24, 2014February 6, 2016 / racingthestates / 7 Comments

It’s been less than a week since my last race. And I’m still on cloud nine about it. Mostly for the mere fact that I seem to have reclaimed my running motivation.

I have kept my training runs this week pretty minimal just to recover from last weekend and to stay fresh for Monday because I will be running another race!

The Bolder Boulder! Easily Colorado’s most popular race, but they claim to be America’s most popular 10K. Anybody who is anybody runs this race. Ok, just kidding. That’s not the case, but it has been quite the social gathering versus a race.

You ready for a small history lesson? The Bolder Boulder was first run in 1979. The inaugural race started with 2,200 participants! The following year, participation doubled, and since then it has continued to grow and grow until nowadays there are about 50,000 runners (That’s a lot of people! To put this in perspective, the Boston Marathon attracts between 35,000 and 38,000 and the NYC Marathon attracts about the same, around 50,000)! A lot of big races these days of the “wave” system. The Bolder Boulder is no different; it takes a lot of time to get that many people through the starting arches! The “wave” system was started in 1983 to give all runners equally competitive chances. With start times from 7am all the way until after 9:30am.

I will give the Bolder Boulder this: It definitely combines ALL types of runners. There is the competitive runners, like me, that aren’t elite, but still care about their time. There’s the social runners that only show up to say they did the event and spend most of the time jogging/walking/drinking the free beer along the side. And, after all of those people finish the race, they release the Elites. While everyone is sitting in the CU Football Stadium, on the big screen they show the Elites racing down the same course we all just trotted along. They finish the 10k is a time shorter than my 5k. It’s ridiculous.

I actually love the Bolder Boulder. 90% of it anyway. I love the course and I love how you finish in the stadium and just because everyone is chattering, it creates an echo that sounds like they’re cheering for you as you come in! I love that neighborhoods get involved having the same things every year (slip and slide house, Doritos house, marshmallow house…and the beer houses). What I don’t like is the crowd. Now, they have a bazillion different waves. The faster you can run a 10k (with proof) the sooner you get to run, thus, less crowds. I have yet to get a non-crowded run time. This year, I would have been able to register for an earlier wave, but I didn’t send in my 10k time in a timely manner. No pun intended.

I’ve done the Bolder Boulder three different times. The first year was in 2010 with a good friend of mine, Joanna. I joined her and her family and we ran together for the 6.2 miles. This was right after my first half marathon and the racing bug hadn’t quite bitten yet. Nevertheless, it was a great time.

The second time I ran it, it was with a guy I was dating at the time. This was before I started my blog, before I really go into racing. But, I was regularly running, and that guy started running with me. We would “train” after both of us got off of work, and run the streets that we grew up on (he and I had gone to the same high school, way before we even dated). That neighborhood is pretty hilly and definitely prepared us for the challenge of the Bolder Boulder. I remember my goal that year was under 60 minutes, but I think we ended up running in 60:02; so close, yet so far!

The third time I ran it was a year after that. It was after I started my blog, after I really started racing, and after I knew how to push myself and train better. I ran it in under 55 min (not my PR. My 10K PR was achieved after that at a race in New Mexico). I ran it “with” my friend Theresa, but I was really concentrating on my time and met her before and after.

Last year, I did not run the Bolder Boulder. It was the day after my first marathon. I was kinda sad, because I was getting in the tradition of running the race, but I knew that it wasn’t a good idea after running a marathon (my FIRST marathon) and then sitting on a place for a cross-country flight.

This year, I wasn’t going to run it due to finances. That really bummed me out, BUT you’ll see from this post that I have regained my motivation and thanks to the lovely people at 3W Races, they somehow got a handful of Bolder Boulder entries for us and now I’m registered! Super excited!

I’ve been debating on if I have any goals. That sounds silly. Basically, I’ve been debating between trying to have a really good time and get close to or beat my PR, OR having a really good time running just for fun, stopping to take pictures and participating in the festivities.

There’s a few things to consider. 1. I just ran a really good race last weekend, and I really want to see what I can do with a slightly smaller race, an actual 10k. 2. But my start time is 8:05am, and that would put a lot of people in front of me, possibly making my attempt harder as I have to dodge people. 3. If I were to go the fun route, I would love to have company, and I’m not sure who of all my 3W friends have registered is going the fun route. 4. I have to work at 10:30am, after the race. I’ll already be in Boulder, where I’m working, but if I go the fun route, will I have time to change/clean up after the race??? That is the dilemma!

What would you guys do??

Bolder Boulder Website

Bolder Boulder – Post Review (2012)

Bolder Boulder – Post Race Recap!

June 2, 2012February 6, 2016 / racingthestates / 5 Comments

The Bolder Boulder was a great success!! I’m really proud of how the race went and how well I did.

The race itself went just as smoothly as the previous years that I have seen. My friend Theresa that ran with me in New Mexico and at the Color Run met me at the park and ride bright and early in the morning and we made our way to Boulder. We arrived at the starting line amongst the thousands of people and found each of our waves. I chose to run in my own wave because it was a little earlier than hers and I had a personal vendetta with this race and wanted to run with the least amount of people possible. Technically, you are allowed to run in other waves, however, if you run in a wave BEFORE yours, your timing chip will not be recorded; but you can run in waves afters yours. It didn’t necessarily matter that I ran with my assigned wave because after the first 5 waves, it’s already super crowded.

Warming up in the cool morning air!

We warmed up on a side street and separated into our respective spots. The weather for the day was perfect, not too cold, definitely not too hot – perfect for when you started running. I nervously bounced around listening to my music and chatting a little with the people around me. The crowd moved closer and my nervousness grew. Finally, it was our turn! A man on the side played the “charge” song on his bugle horn and we were off!! Instantly I’m dodging people left and right. Within the first kilometer there’s already walkers blocking my path and people staggered all over the road. I feel like I run twice as far with all the cutting in and out I do.

Waiting in my wave

Maybe next year I’ll take it easy and just take in the sights, capture pictures, and even do the slip and slide, but this year I was super competitive with this race for multiple reasons. I talk about them in my pre-race review but I am happy to inform you that I accomplished all my goals!

Goal 1: To finish in under an hour! CHECK!

Goal 2: Finish close to 51 minutes because that’s what I ran in New Mexico. CHECK. I finished in 53:03 official time!! I very happy with this time! About 8 minutes fasters than last year, and to top it off…Last year felt, well, DIFFICULT to me! This year, not only did I crush my time, I felt GREAT!

(Secret Goal 3: Beat a few girls from high school that beat my time last year: CHECK. Oh yeah! Well, only one ran it this year that I know of, and I beat her time by a good 5 or 6 minutes! Shhh…don’t tell them I was racing their times!!)

I feel very accomplished with myself after this race, I also placed 58/638 in my age/gender group! This is amazing to me! That’s the 9 percentile! I have a strong desire to train really hard now and keep working on my PRs to get faster! Shout out to Theresa when she reads this: I believe she ran faster than in Albuquerque with a new PR – 1hr8min! So awesome!

Finishers!

So next year, I can register for even earlier times and maybe break 50 minutes..maybe! I know 2 minutes slower than my PR seems like a lot, however, those two minutes are easily accountable – and I hope that doesn’t sound like I’m making excuses… with 55,000+ people running, as you can imagine, I had to dodge people constantly! I only stopped at one water station and after quite literally running into a runner that decided to stop dead in her tracks, I avoided the rest like the plague. Also at the end, when there was 0.4 miles left of the 10K, when you’re SUPPOSED to start really picking up your pace, the crowd bottle necked into the stadium entrance and slow people tended to get in the way. As I entered the stadium, I was about to launch in to my full sprint mode because the finish line is just a lap around the football field, when a girl cut right in front of me in such an extreme way that I literally ran into her and had to hold up my hands to brace myself and accidentally pushed her in the process…which caused the man behind me to accidentally push me. This is the only thing that irritated me. Also, this course is considerable more hilly than my PR course in New Mexico.

The course itself was as fun as always…the dorritos people were there, as will as a couple slip and slides, the mile 2.2 marshmallows, LOTS of bands, belly dancers, an Elvis impersonator, and plenty of people cheering on the sides!

Chick-fil-A Cows finishing!

After I met up with my friend, we walked around the sports expo. I found a couple new products I want to look into! Check this out: A flip belt!!! I REALLY want one! We got a free popsicle and other free food samples. After wandering around, walking off our running legs, we headed back into the stadium to watch the pro runners and the memorial day tribute. First was the pro women followed by the pro men. They are AMAZING to watch run it! 5 min miles, finishing the 10K in about 33 minutes!!! Crazy to me!! The usual paragliders for the memorial day tribute had to be cancelled due to wind, so we decided to head back home for nap time. After my nap, I joined my friend Amanda for a Memorial Day Rockies Game with Fireworks show (I got the day off!!!!!!!!!) Great end to a great day!

Fireworks from the field

UPDATES:

I registered for another race and will be doing the Buffalo County Stampede next weekend in Nebraska. And I write this write up from Montana…two days till the Missoula Mile!!!!