Friday night, my Uncle and Aunt went up to Idaho Springs to get my bib. So, I went to bed knowing I didn't have to fight through traffic (human) to get to the race and find my bib and stand around. I was able to completely prepare myself from eating a piece of bread, a little fruit, drinking my chia and consuming liquids in water and Powerade FORM. When I got to their house, I was primed to visit one of my favorite rooms of any house or building I visit, the bathroom. I won't go into details for those queasy of stomach regarding that but I was glad that was taken care of. Or was it...
I drove up to Idaho Springs to park my car while my Uncle and Aunt followed me. On a side note, my Aunt's knee was in pain and she did not seem too excited but I knew she was too tough of a person to quit, so I expected her to make it whether she was running, walking or whatever means were necessary. So we found a spot and it was within a couple blocks of the finishing area. Kind of funny everyone parked near town while we got probably one of the best spots later in the morning aroun 7:00. We then headed up to Georgetown. My Aunt needed to find her pit stop like anyone that has ran more than 3 miles knows is necessary. Well, so did I. I felt relieved I had a second opportunity and it was a poreclain throan with no one waiting and doing the potty dance instead of a plastic one with dozens waiting. I Vasolined up the possible chaffige areas though since I've lost all my weight the only concern is my nipples or my running belt. I had the nipples taken care of with my waterproof NexCare 3M band-aids. I cursed them the first time I tried to use them in the pitch black and they wouldn't stick to anything. Well after a couple test runs I found they are awesome and will be stocking up on these for long runs. We were then off to park. We parked a little way away from the start. About 3/4 of a mile, but it was good to allow us to warm up our legs walking. I don't understand the people running sprints or jogging a mile or two or 3 before a run. The first couple miles of this run and the amount of people were perfect to set up for warm-up for the whole event. The temperature was awesome. Not too cold you needed an extra shirt or trash bag (except the 0% body fat old people I saw wearing them) but enough it would take a few miles of running to warm up. Georgetown to Idaho Springs is beautiful. You only realize this when you aren't cursing the stop and go traffic or speeding through I-70. A run down this road was a great way to see what you miss out on. Anyway, before the start I fought the port-a-potty line. Yes, I have a weak bladder and I needed to only pee this time. If I hadn't I would have run poorly, plus I knew it was a chip timed run so why worry if I started a minute late. I felt relieved (that's why they say "go relieve yourself" after all) and ready to start. The best part was they were still blabbing about things and I was able to be that asshole that butts in line with 1000s of others waiting to cross the little guardrail. The event was a record crowd of over 3100 participants. A beautiful morning and view and a way to start the weekend. And...
I was off and I saw my goal in site, the 1:55 pace group about 15 seconds or so ahead. I told myself, keep them in sight and that's all you have to do this whole time. Well, I knew I had to make some moves with the walkers and slower paced people so I hugged the pothole/road missing part of the shoulder until we headed into town and the little neighborhood. There were many others that were "jockeying" for position as well, so I didn't worry if a walker got nudged out of the way a little with a slight forearm tap. LOL. The dirt road through the neighborhood reminded me of a fishing communities neighborhood with the way the houses were set up and the lake near by. Of course this isn't an ocean, but a nice quiet mountain town. I saw very few locals out and about cheering people on. They either must have been running or hate Clear Creek High School and the people that supported this. Or maybe they were along the bridge area with all the other people cheering everyone on. Either way, the first two miles were fast and were welcomed because it meant there was no more log jam. People had pretty much started spreading out enough to move around. Don't get me wrong, I spent part of the next 11 miles being stopped by diagonal running people like I was at the Bolder Boulder but it thinned out dramatically as you got further along. One thing I could tell early on is this wasn't my typical long run, my legs would be burning like a 5k or 10k the entire time if I wanted to push the pace. I also think my legs were a little sore from playing stair bobsledding with Sophie the night before and not wanting to wuss out and going a dozen times instead of the 2 or 3 I said I should. That and I ran my ass off all week with high intensity runs Tuesday and Wednesday. But I knew my legs would be fine so I kept at my pace. At about the 5k mark, I passed the 1:55 pace group. Now all I had to do was stay ahead of them. One thing I did not do is look back the whole run. I didn't want to have to race the pace group until it was neccessary. I spent the next mile enjoying a downhill and passing a lot of people. They were probably laughing at me knowing I was that idiot rookie runner. They were only part right, I am only half idiot. Clear Creek being next to you for so much of the run made it nice but looking up 1000s of feet to the mountains made the run go by fast. Looking around was minimal because people still were around in large amounts. Aid station at Mile 8 was not easy for me. I had managed to barely choke down a honey stinger waffle half bar thinking the water station was around the corner when it was still a 1/2 mile away. The helpers here were not as plentiful and were jumping in front of runners. A taller guy put his arm into my back twice while I was getting the same water and gatorade he was. Oh well, I am still stocky and built like a wrestler and could have taken him but all I was thinking was, I'm running and keep it up. Also at this time I was like, 5 miles is not that far since you've done this before. Well, every aid station seemed to be more than 2 miles apart though I knew it was Head Games!!!
I got to 10 and was like everyone else. Only a 5k ahead and I do these for breakfast. The run from 10-12 was actually less of a pain mentally than from 9-10 and once I saw 12 my goal was to pass a couple people. Goal accomplished but unfortunately the last 1/2 mile seemed like it was a lot longer than what it actually was. I was like, damn they put the 12 marker at 11 because this is one long mile. I think I felt that expression all around me. Finally when I saw people veering right, I knew the finish wasn't far off. I could not see the clock due to people standing in front of it, but I saw seconds ticking up so I just gave what I could without pulling a muscle. The clock said 1:52:30 before I looked forward to cross the line and run through the imaginary tape.
I was stoked and was looking for my Uncle and running coach/guide after I crossed excited to share the news. He had a smile on his face when I finally spotted him and you could tell he had a good run and that he was even more happy for myself and doing so well. I was a little taken aback. There were times I had been running and had questioned if I had missed my 1:55 pace group passing me at a water station or when I was just zoned out. I was glad to see that clock at the finish and realize I had met my goal. My Aunt trooped along and you could tell she was fighting pain but she crossed the finish line in under 2:30 with a bum knee and not feeling the best. So a few items I'd like to note I missed on in the rambling above.
- It is a great sight seing so many people running together and enjoying a day off being active and running a distance most people would never even consider attempting.
- I saw a family of about 10-12 that looked like all of them had ran it but a couple that hung out with the great-grand kids. How cool would it be running that long with your grandparents, parents, brothers/etc?
- The course is a great course. They stay stick to the right lane, but runners had their freedom for most of the course. There was maybe half a dozen cars that didn't know there was a race or didn't care and worked around us all up or down the road. The one thing that frightened me was the sand pit through the trail portion at Mile like 7+. I hit that after being on only hard surfaces and was like, not a good idea! I am glad I didn't hurt myself there.
- The HS and school district uses this as a fundraiser. Awesome. I just wish the water stations were a little more spread out. I found it hard not to stop at many of them rather than keep jogging. You could tell who had prepared and which groups were "just there".
- Beau Jos and Tommyknocker! Come on. Some coupons for pizza and some 2 oz beer samples would put this event over the top. You guys can spare a few bucks considering I am sure business was humming already for you guys because of everyone there!
- For the price and the views and a more challenging course than you'd expect from 1000 feet drop in elevation, I am doing this race again next year no doubt. I may carry some of my own water to make up a couple minutes at a few of the crazy water stations and to store some fuel but I can't complain much. Had a great run and it was nice being able to share it with two really great family members. They also treated me to a delicious chicken sandwich at SmashBurger after, so that was another perk.
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