Five Reasons I’m Excited to Run the Fortitude 10k For The First Time

August 18, 2018August 17, 2018 / racingthestates / 2 Comments

The Fortitude 10k is produced by the same people that bring you the Bolder Boulder and is held on Labor Day. 2018 makes this a second-year event. After my Bolder Boulder post from this year’s race, a marketing person from the race saw my blog post on twitter and emailed me, asking me if I’d like to be part of the Fortitude 10k Blogger program, aka be a FORT Ambassador! I get to run the race and promote it and I couldn’t be more stoked! I was already thinking about doing the race and this just sealed the deal! I’m actually really excited to run the Fortitude 10k up in Fort Collins and can’t wait!

This year’s Bolder Boulder

Here are a few reasons why I’m shaking with excitement:

1. I get to visit Fort Collins!
While the Bolder Boulder is in Boulder, CO and finishes in Colorado University’s stadium, the Fortitude 10k is in Fort Collins, CO and finishes in the Colorado State University stadium. It’s no secret that the Buffs (CU) and the Rams (CSU) are rivals and I am a proud RAM FAN through and through! I went to school at CSU and am excited to run through Fort Collins and see the new stadium they built. I miss Fort Collins a lot; it was a great city to live in!

The ironic part of this picture is that I’m with CSU’s mascot at CU’s stadium!

2. It’s another big 10k with the same production quality as the Bolder Boulder.
The Bolder Boulder is produced, managed and organized exceptionally well. From the pre-race experience (registration, packet pickups, and bus system) to race day experience (plenty of port-o-johns, the wave system, and the expo area, etc), they really have developed a great system to accommodate thousands of runners. The Fortitude 10k is brought to you by the same team and I can only expect good things.

3. A new lunchbox!
Part of the swag of the Fortitude 10k is a lunch box full of snacks and goodies! I have a fair few from my Bolder Boulder races, but again, one from Fort Collins will be AWESOME!

4. The fact that I get to race a 10k!
Cross Country season is in full swing and as a coach, I’ve been running with the team. I’m excited to see where my current fitness is. My goal is to just run as fast as I can; no watch to guide me! I want to push myself, feeling like I gave it all on the course, and see what I can do. The course looks fun and pretty fast!

5. I get CO socks!
In addition to the lunch box, the shirt, and the free beer at the finish line, you get a pair of Swiftwick socks! I think that’s a pretty fun addition for registering! If the images are true, it looks like they’ll be Colorado socks, too!

Join me at the race!

HURRY! Prices go up on MONDAY, August 20th, by $10!

Post Bolder Boulder Thoughts & A Look Back On The Years

June 6, 2018June 5, 2018 / racingthestates / 10 Comments

Now that it’s been a little over a week since the Bolder Boulder, I’ve finally had time to compile my thoughts…

I just love running the Bolder Boulder. As I’ve written before, this event is fantastic! The swag is great, the organization is impressive, and there’s a party around every corner. It’s well worth the low registration fee! As a way to celebrate those that have fought for our country and remember those that have lost their lives, the Bolder Boulder is always on Memorial Day and the race is followed by a show and celebration including paragliders landing in the stadium.

This year was my 8th year running and every year has brought new and unique experiences.

2010
This was my first year running the Bolder Boulder. I had just graduated college and was just breaking into the running events scene. I had done my first half marathon a month prior, so my friend Joanna invited me to join her and her family at the Bolder Boulder. They introduced me to the whole event, including the bus system, the wave system, and everything; things that I still follow to this day! I remember something about her Grandpa having had done this race almost every year prior – or something equally as awesome. I had so much fun! They had cotton t-shirts still (because that’s what races did back then and I wore it ON race day – tisk, tisk!) and Joanna and I ran and walked together the whole event, I think.
Finish Time: 1:10:35

2011
After the previous year, I knew I wanted to run the race again. Looking at Athlinks, and my race document, this is the only race I ran in 2011. I brought up the idea to the boy I was dating at the time who was not a runner – ever, but he decided it sounded fun and wanted to do it with me. I still remember our random training runs, running around the hills of Arvada, the city we both grew up in, with our Camelbak for water on the run, cotton training shirts and shorts, and then stopping by the gas station to get a power bar afterward because we knew we needed the protein. Looking back, it makes we realized how much I have changed as a person and as a runner, in addition to the advancements in running gear, clothing, and technology. I still wore the race shirt on race day – how terrible – but at least it was tech fabric! 😉 Since then, I have also become a personal trainer and RRCA run coach and have learned so much more about training and nutrition.
Finish Time: 1:01:19

2012
Ah! The year I started this blog! I was super gung-ho about training and doing as many races as possible having just started my “racing the states” goal. I was getting faster overall, figuring out training and reading a lot of running books, magazines and articles. I had finally been taught that wearing that race’s shirt on race day was bad luck. I traveled a lot this year and ran a lot of races out of state (including Alaska). Of course, I was going to do the Bolder Boulder again; I had to blog about it! I don’t remember much about that year’s race except that I wanted to get under one hour. I do remember my friend Teresa ran it too (we did a few races together that year) but I can’t remember if we traveled together and met at the end or what!
Finish time: 53:03 (I believe this was a new 10k PR at the time)

2013
This is the year I skipped and when I first started this post, I couldn’t remember why! I was racking my brain trying to figure out why in the world would I not do the Bolder Boulder!?! I was looking through pictures, thinking through where I was in life at the time….But thanks to Athlinks, I figured it out! The week before Bolder Boulder 2013, I was out of town for my best friend’s wedding AND, more related to running, I had just run my first marathon, the Vermont City Marathon, which is Memorial Day weekend!
Finish time: DNS

Holding up one finger for my 1st marathon!

2014
This year, I knew I wanted to come back to the Bolder Boulder. I was a new 3W Ambassador and they had a few free entries they had gotten. After a raffle, I won one! I was still in training mode and working as a personal trainer here and there. I wanted to run fast but I don’t remember what my specific goals may have been.
Finish time: 55:11

2015
I had become a 3W employee and earned a free race entry again. I don’t remember my specific goals, again, but that I wanted to try and do pretty well. I had also run the Colfax Marathon relay the week before and had just finish coaching track so I was pretty tired. However, it ended up being the fastest time I ever got on this course/race. 3W had a booth in the expo, and I’m not quite sure how I got out of working it that year. 2015 was the strongest year for me in terms of running. I was running A LOT and had a ton of running friends. I was working as a personal trainer, a coach and for 3W Races, so I was really fit. Even though I had a couple of jobs, they were very low-key, and I still had a lot of time to train. This was a good running year and when I last felt really strong.
Finish time: 51:53 (Course Best for me, but not a PR. I had PR’d the 10k at the Heart and Sole 10k a few months prior.)

2016
This was a really fun year. My Mom told me she really wanted to do a 10k and do the Bolder Boulder – so we did! We walked/ran and I had a lot of fun taking in the sights and enjoying some of the fun things along the side. I do remember really wanting to do one of the slip and slides, but the lines were always way too long!
Finish time: 1:34:28

2017
Last year! It was the end of 2015 and into 2016 and 2017 when I really start slowing down on running and having a hard finding motivation to train. I did way fewer races than I had the previous 5 years. I think I was finally feeling the effects of working three jobs. Springtime is when track season is and I was starting to become a race director with 3W Races …. all while starting a business with my boyfriend! Since this time, I have still been on and off with training and running, but last year, I wanted to do the Bolder Boulder again. I got another entry through 3W and tried to get a good time, always shooting for a course PR. I didn’t have that in me that year, not by a long shot, and I do remember feeling very tired on the course. I still finished with a respectable time in general but I remember feeling very down about running in general.
Finish time: 55:16

2018
This year, I’m mixed with thoughts. For my lack of training prior, I did pretty well actually, but overall, I know I can do better and I want to. I really, really, really want to be fast again. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m pretty speedy compared to the general running population, but compared to ME, to my past times, I know I have more in me. What it really comes down to is…well, I’m not quite sure and I could probably write a whole post on this topic. To put it in simple terms, I’ve still been dealing with on and off again love and motivation for running. Having only run literally about 13 times during the months of March and April (truth), I still wanted to do the Bolder Boulder this year. I know it will just sound like excuses, but simply, I’ve been tired. Like, really, really, really, tired. It is probably due to my many jobs, but I just haven’t quite found that happy medium and right motivation to make running a priority again. Anyway, I digress. This year, I wanted to run because I love the event as a whole, but I went in with an open mind that I was going to just treat it like a long run (yes, 6 miles is a long run for me right now) and run how I feel. After finishing, I had to immediately make my way to the expo to work the 3W booth.
Finish time: 56:35

Looking back at all the years I’ve run the Bolder Boulder, it is really cool to see the advances in running gear, the racing industry and myself. From race shirts going from cotton to moisture-wicking tech fabric and my running knowledge of training, form and race practices evolving. It’s cool to see trends in the racing industry too, from pictures moving from having to pay for a print to getting sponsors for them so they can be free for racers and so much more!

I will probably try to keep running this race every year. There are few races I do this with; I’m typically a “one and done” type of racer. I do have a few goals in mind associated with this race specifically:

-I want to introduce a new people to this event; whether they are new to running or just new to the event itself.
-Run for complete fun, drink beer, eat all the food, do the slip and slides and the trampoline…all of it… one year!
-Break 50 minutes at this specific event/race because the course is pretty challenging.

Finish photos from every year! They usually get a good one of me except for this year!

Find out for yourself, come run next year! BolderBoulder.com

They used to only have the one event but now have the Colder Boulder in the winter and the Fortitude 10k at my alma mater, CSU in September.

Patriot Day 5k – Post Race Recap and Unexpected PR

September 12, 2016September 11, 2016 / racingthestates / 2 Comments

Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve done a “post-race recap.” I’ve been running a few races this year but haven’t really taken the time to review them. Since this blog is partly about running, it’s about time that I recap a race of mine.

This past weekend was a “holiday” of sorts to remember and honor those that served our country on that awful day 15 years ago. I was a freshman in high school sitting at my desk in earth science watching the news as the two towers fell down.

I will never forget that day and our country will always remember those that had fallen with the towers. The company I work for, 3W Races, holds a race every year to honor those first responders and military that were there that day and that continue to serve our country. The Patriot Day race started out as a 10k and 5k but this year we only did the 5k. Not being responsible for the production of this race, I decided to run it! Talk about perks of the job!

This race is in Denver and around a beautiful park in the city, Sloans Lake. Being a super flat course (the most flat of any of 3W’s courses), I wanted to see what my current fitness level is by racing as hard as I could. I didn’t want to wear a watch, I just wanted to go off of feel. After getting this time, I plan on picking some running goals and deciding what I actually want to do with the sport.

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I showed up to the park pretty early, getting plenty of time to talk with friends and get a warm up in. One friend in particular told me he wanted to PR which would be a sub 25 minute 5k for him. He told me he wanted run with me, or at least keep me in his sights. I figured we could run together since my time would be somewhere around 25 minutes anyway. That’s what I’ve been running in recent races.

The whistle was blown and off we went. My friend and I ran pretty hard from the start line. I have a bad habit of starting off too fast, and even though I tried not to this time, I knew we were running pretty quickly! I don’t know even remember what the time was, but we were both shocked when his watch beeped at the first mile marker. I told my friend that it’s okay, we can still get that PR as long as we hold where we’re at.

By mile two, he was still on my shoulder; I knew he was set up for a PR. I waved my hand up, holding a “one” on my fingers telling him we only had one more mile left. I pushed it a little harder, still feeling great.

Then, with three-quarters of a mile left, I looked down and saw my shoe untied! I swear I doubled knotted that thing and ironically, I was even thinking about shoes untying while running. UUURRRGGG. Not stopping, I just became very aware of where I was putting my feet down at.

I passed a group and they reminded me of the mishap but I still kept going. I passed my friend’s wife on the course and told her he was right behind me. Looking up, the finish line was in sight and I pushed even harder.

Noticing that I was finishing around 23 minutes, my friend was definitely in for PR. I looked back and there he was, flying in for a minute and a half PR! So excited, we high-fived and he thanked “Coach Vestal.”

Feeling pretty good, I started thinking about my PR. I honestly couldn’t remember it, but had my phone with me. Checking my blog, where I record such things, I found that I had beaten my PR as well. I couldn’t believe it. I had not goal of a PR, just a fast race. I have been feeling super slow lately, and not as fit as I used to be, but I had indeed ran my fastest ever 5k! The best part, is I still feel room for improvement!

A PR kind of day, about half a dozen of us gotten PRs! It was awesome! We all got to take turns re-setting the time clock to our times, and took some celebratory pictures then headed to a local brewery for celebratory beers.

I was also 1st in my Age Group!

Colfax Marathon Relay – Pre Race Prep

May 14, 2016 / racingthestates / 1 Comment

Picking up my packet for the 2016 Colfax Relay

At 4:00am, tomorrow morning, my alarm will be going off.

At 4:45am tomorrow morning I will just be parking my car.

At 5:00am tomorrow, I will have finished my coffee and start walking over to City Park in Denver.

2016, running!

At 5:15am, I’ll be starting my warm up for a 6.4 mile run.

When it gets to 5:45am, I’ll have taken off all my warm clothes and be waiting in Coral A with a bunch of other eager runners.

And at 6:00am, tomorrow morning, I will starting the first leg of the Colfax Marathon relay for the third year in a row!

2014 Relay team, and all City of Golden employees running colfax!

As always, I am running with four other lovely ladies that all work for the City of Golden in some way. Consisting of HR, police officers and rec center employees, our ladies relay team, the Golden Foxes, are racing in the Colfax Marathon Relay – The Government Cup to try to raise money for the Foothills Animal shelter.

A couple of years ago, we placed 4th and raised $1,000 for a different Golden charity. I hope we can do it again!

2014 Packet Pick Up

Chances are, when you finally read this, I’ll have finished the first leg of the relay, approximately 7:00am, and be patiently waiting around the expo for the rest of the Golden Foxes to finish so we can celebrate!