Bolder Boulder

    I need to start by adding that I can't believe that I have never run the Bolder Boulder before this year!  I now see what all the fuss and hype is about.  My brother ran it for the first time last year and went on and on about what a neat race it was.  I decided that I was definitely going to do it this year.  Since it is out of town, it makes it a little harder because you have to book a hotel room, figure out babysitting, etc.  Joey wanted to come along to experience it as a spectator and I welcomed the support.  We decided not to take the kids this year because we didn't know what to expect at all. 
     We got to the Boulder area early Sunday night.  We checked into our hotel and we were very happy with it.  The hotel was newer and the rooms were nice.  After checking in, we wanted to head down Boulder to check things out.  My brother and his friends were already down there.  We made our way to Pearl Street.  I haven't really been to Boulder since my friend was going to college there years ago.  I forgot what a neat place it really is.  Pearl Street was pretty crowded, but it was a good crowded.  We were able to walk right into a restaurant for dinner.  I was very surprised by this.  I figured with 50,000 plus people running the race the next morning, everywhere would be packed.  Dinner was good and we did a little walking around afterwards.  The wind was blowing pretty hard so we decided to head back to the hotel. 
    All day my throat was feeling scratchy.  I tried not to freak out and told myself I wasn't getting sick.  (I had just spent all day Thursday with the worst case of stomach flu of my ENTIRE life.) But, as the day progressed I just started to feel worse and worse.  I was pretty upset by this.  My throat was on fire and my chest hurt so bad by the time I went to bed.  A nasty chest cold is definitely not what you want to have before running a 10k.  I had a really hard time falling asleep and did not sleep well at all Sunday night. 
    We had to be up at 5:00 a.m. to get ready to leave for the race.  I woke up feeling even worse.  It really started to psyche me out .  I already really deal with self-doubt before races.  The fact that I was feeling sick made it even worse.  I kept thinking that I was going to have a horrible race. 
     My brother knew the best place to park.  I thought we were going to have to park miles away.  Nope, we parked about a block from the start line.  We got there, warmed up a bit and got ready to go. The weather was just perfect.  The wind stopped blowing. 
      At the Bolder Boulder, you have to qualify for a wave.  You have to submit an official time from a past race to prove what time you can do.  I was able to qualify for the B wave, which is the fourth fastest wave.  My brother was two waves in front of me.  I have never ran a race before were I didn't have someone I knew with me at the start line. Before the race started, I was getting very nervous.  I was trying to think positive thoughts and tell myself I felt good.
     Each wave starts about a minute apart.  Before I knew it was time for my wave to go.  I took of quick and my goal was to run a fast pace the entire time.  Once I started running, I started to feel amazing.  I really enjoyed the course.  I have heard that the spectators are amazing at the Bolder Boulder.  I was a little disappointed in the lack of spectators when I ran.  My friend who ran a wave an hour later, said that there seemed to be more spectators.  It was a neat course that wasn't too hilly.  I knew I was doing okay because I was with some of the people I started with.  The neatest part of the race is that you end up in Folsom Field.  I had pushed myself so hard for 6.2 miles, I thought I was going to collapse by the end.  I crossed the finish line and looked for my brother.  We immediately got in line for free massages which felt amazing! We then got our food bags and looked for Joey and my brother's friends.  We sat in the stadium for a while and watched the finishers.  It is crazy because it is just a constant stream of people running in.  I got an unexpected text message with my finishing time. I was so happy to see my time of 47:13!!!! I cut off almost 6 minutes from my 10k time!!! I honestly couldn't have been more pleased with my time.  I didn't think I would do that well. 
      We waited around a bit, and then watched the elite runners.  It was pretty neat to see such fast runners.  They are incredible to watch.  We went to breakfast at a pretty good breakfast place.  We headed home after that.  What a great day! I learned that I can do great in races even if I am not feeling well.  Here are some pictures from the day:

Here I am near the starting line

Walking around before the race

As shown in this picture, I was very nervous

My brother and I warming up



Here is my brother running during the race.  My brother did amazing like usual! He ran it in in 40:42 with an average pace of 6:30!.  He came in 14th place in his age division which means he gets a medal.  I am so proud of him.  He has been a wonderful mentor and coach to me and I love seeing him do so well!



Here I am in the pink.  (I really, really hate pictures of myself while running!)

The finish line

My brother and I after the race

The runners.  My best friend Kari ran it too.  It was her first 10k and she did awesome!

Had to pose in front of the fire truck.

Here is my time and places.  I am most proud of the fact I was the 457th out of 25,075 women!!! And 2610th place out of 50,000 isn't too shabby either.  I kept a very even pace which is a really good thing too.

Here is one of the elite runners.  The runner in first place runs behind this truck with a big clock showing their time.  Pretty cool.

   I thoroughly enjoyed my first Bolder Boulder.  I was so impressed by how well run the race was.  For that many people, it was so organized and didn't feel like 50,000 people were running it.  I would have thought it was only 2,000 people.  The only negative I thought was the lack of spectators in the beginning.  I can't wait to do it again next year!