For years I did not run the Bolder Boulder, basically because I was avoiding an unnecessary commute into a traffic-clogged city. Yet for years I only heard positive feedback about the event and was encouraged by many people to give it a try. I finally ran it this past Monday.
Prior to the Bolder Boulder, I had placed in my age group or better in eighteen straight races. I knew the streak would end on Monday, barring a significant time leap by me and some other faster runners dropping out. In that way it was an odd approach to the race because I went into it solely focused on my time. Not only were my chances of placing slim, there were so many people running that unless you were in the front pack, you had no idea where you stood in the whole race, much less within your age group.
The race was a good reminder of a few things. Pacing is everything. Though my overall time was slower than what I hoped for, each mile, with the exception of the first one, was 12-15 seconds behind the splits I had penciled in, meaning my pacing matched what I expected on the course and I was able to run the miles, especially the latter ones, the way I had planned. (And how did I end up being that far off per mile? Being overly ambitious on a tough course and going out a little too fast contributed to it.) This relates to the second reminder, which is that the value of studying the course ahead of time cannot be overemphasized. At one point well before the end, a sign announces that you’re at the highest elevation point of the course. This is true, yet you have enough downhill remaining on the course that the final kilometer is a steady climb to the finish. In other words, you don’t just get to cruise. Knowing this, I didn’t rejoice at being at the highest point, I focused on pushing the pace so as to benefit from the downhill coming up, and bracing myself for the final climb.
I finished in the top 1.5% overall and top 4% in my age group (in a race with over 54,000 people, that equates to 777th overall and 13th in the age group) so given the size of the race, I was pleased. And, running a big race does have a lot of perks, including a closed course (ie not having to dodge other pedestrians on a public path/trail) and lots of spectators. In the meantime, summer running appears to be finally be here, in spite of our snow last week, so it’s time to put away the yak trax and heavy running coat and bring out the sunscreen.
Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Gu Chews Strawberry: I used these one morning after having run the night before. I had to be careful because I was on race taper and needed to avoid moving too quickly, but I also wanted to feel energetic. These worked well for all three of my criteria. I wouldn’t use them during a race as they are very sticky and chewy, but as a pre-run food, they’re good.
Source used:
https://bb10k.bolderboulder.com/
Running anecdotes, running food reviews, some race coverage, and more