Monday, 05/31/10 Bolder Boulder/Green Mountain

Bolder Boulder 10k/Green Mountain
05/31/10
38:59 BB 10k (avg HR 171/max 182)
39:39 Up Green via Amphi/Saddle/Greenman (avg HR 160/max 178)
26:52 down Green (avg HR 137/max 152)

My work put together several corporate teams to compete in the Bolder Boulder as they had in years past and while heating my lunch in the microwave one day, a co-worker who I had never met suggested that I sign up to run. Though running on flat pavement is just not my thing (I generally REALLY hate it), I looked at this as a perfect opportunity for a little speed training, a free race and a to have a fun time.

After a ~1/4 mile warm-up from where I locked up my bike, I arrived at the start line 25 minutes or so before the start and immediately ran into Brandon who was also looking for me. Great timing in a sea of similar looking runners.

We wormed our way up through the waves to the AA sign and chatted while waiting for the gun. Some ESPN dude who I never heard of fired the gun at 7:01 and we were off. It took a minute or two to get into a groove and sort my way through the crowd. The pace seemed quick, but my HR was in the low 160’s and I was feeling pretty comfortable. I hit the first mile in 5:53 which I was happy with and was sure I could stay in that range for 5.2 more miles. The next mile had a small hill, but was barely a blip and I hit mile 2 at 12:10. I still felt good, but was a little concerned that I ran the second mile 17 seconds slower than the last. After that, much of it blends together, but there were a lot of turns in the course and I started to get a bit of a cramp in my abdomen. I soon forgot about that cramp though, as I started to notice my quads getting sore and cramped.

I still felt like I was going a decent pace, but my splits along the way were showing otherwise. My breathing felt controlled and even felt as though I could converse if I wanted to, but my legs were just not able to react as I had hoped. I pushed a bit over the last mile or so, trying to get to the finish with my watch reading 38 something and felt it awkward running on the surface of the stadium. My watch was ticking fast and I sprinted for the line, but was slowed by a runner or two in front of me who stopped on the finish line, forcing me to slow and dance around them. Not sure why anybody would stop ON the finish line, but it seemed to be not entirely uncommon I noticed as I got out of the way and waited for Brandon, who was only seconds’ back. I was sure that I got a bit of a gap on him in the first mile or so, but knew that he would be running smart and consistent splits and just had a feeling that he would be closing in toward the end and I dared not look back. I half expected/wanted him to catch me, so we could run together, but at the same time I wanted to finish ahead of him.

Brandon and I took our time walking out of the stadium, chatting with John T, Ricky G and then bumped into Kerrie and her husband Glenn and chatted with them for a few minutes. I was full of energy and wanted to go run Green, but unfortunately I could not talk Brandon into it (he had a big month). I walked/shuffled back to my car at BHS and then drove up to the Gregory TH. When I stepped out of the car, my legs were now ceasing up a bit, feeling the 1st run of the morning and I questioned whether or not it was the best thing to do, but it was such an AWESOME morning, clear, cool, calm and uncrowded.  How could I resist?

Amphitheater trail hurt a bit, but I soon got into a bit of a groove, until I started to bonk a few minutes later. I was thankful I took a gel with me which I took at the Saddle/Greenman junction. I struggled a bit until the gel finally kicked in about five minutes from the top. I spent a few minutes enjoying the morning and could faintly hear/see the Bolder Boulder going on far below. The trip down was slow and messy, as my quads were now completely shot and it is the downhill that hurts the worst.

All in all I am happy with my time all things considered. Although I like to imagine myself going faster, I am not at all surprised, as my specific training for this was limited to 2 miles of quick running (on the treadmill as my qualifier) and never once felt the inclination to train specifically for this type of running.

I also think I was feeling residual pain from running Mt. Evans on Thursday, as that paved downhill beat my quads to the point where I was hobbling all weekend. In a nutshell, I am full of excuses, but ultimately, paved running is just not my thing. I did however have an awesome time, as the Bolder Boulder is such a spectacle and feel that this experience will benefit me in the long run as the summer progresses.

Below are my splits and at first glance, it appears as though I went out too fast (as I have a habit of doing).  Oddly though, I still don't feel that is the case.  The first mile felt very controlled and I think I probably would have run the same splits in the following miles, even if I had run a more conservative first mile (I say this due to the state of my legs going into this race).  Maybe this just reflects my inexperience and naivete in regards to running a road 10k.  I'm certainly open to critique though.

Bib Number: AA089
Overall Place: 407/50,421
M38 Division Place:10 out of 447
Gender Place: 386 out of 22554
Mile 1: 0: 05:53.28
Mile 2: 0: 06:17:02
Mile 3:0: 06:27.56
Mile 4:0: 06:19.24
Mile 5:0: 06:16.72
Mile 6:0: 06:25.52
Net Time: 0:38:59.73
Pace: 6:17 (based on net time)