Looking around my starting wave, I saw people of all ages, young and old, which was reassuring. There was even a "Bolder Boldist" in my wave, which I have since learned is someone who has run every single race since it started (all 29 of them so far) and - gets to do it for free! (???)
The starting gun... and we were off! I was pumped!
Ahh, gettin my groove on... And already-- the 1 km sign looming in the distance. (1K! That's it? I rock!) And again the 2K sign looming up ahead. (2K. Wait, what? I've barely left the starting line!) And then 3K. (Um, what was I thinking? Seriously, what was I thinking?! Can I really do this??) As I felt myself slowing to a moderate jog, I really wondered if I could finish it.
In the past I've run several 5K's somewhat successfully, but it had been quite a while since I'd doubled that distance. Actually, according to the 'results' history we looked up in the previous blog, it was back in 2001! Did I really have other plans every single Memorial Day for the past 6 years??
True, last year I was goin back to Cali about this time, but I can't really remember anything before that. Memories. All.. Hazy....
Anyway, back to the race. I have to admit, I was able to keep my mind off the monotonous pounding of my feet on the asphalt for most of it, thanks to all the sideline attractions along the way. There were bands playing every few hundred feet or so, people dressed in costume (some running, some not), the infamous belly dancers, and people handing out beers and bacon!
29th Bolder Boulder Race Tops 50,000/
Oh yeah, did I mention there were 50 thousand people??
Excerpt:
Along the way, there were the requisite bands,
bellydancers and bacon.A group of about 15 gave the bacon away on Walnut Street
and about 21st Street, just before the last of four official Gatorade-and-water
aid stations. There were choruses of "If your legs are achin', eat some bacon!"
"Last nitrites!" and "Pork: the other PowerBar!"Runners had eaten 24 pounds last
year, said Sarah Chesnutt, who came up with the idea of giving away bacon on a
lark a few years ago. This year, Chesnutt introduced vegan bacon, which had
found a dozen or so takers by about 8 a.m. They were on pound nine of real
bacon, with heavier consumption expected from later waves and, particularly,
walkers.
I seriously considered grabbing a slice off the tong as I passed, but thought my tummy might rebel....
So, back to the looming km signs, ever taunting me of how far I still had to go, I was reminded of a funny story my mom likes to tell... When she was in Paris a million years ago when she was in college, she wanted to see the Eiffel Tower. And since she could see it from her hotel window, she decided, how hard could it be? And began walking. Towards the Eiffel Tower. The teeny-tiny Eiffel Tower. At some point it became the medium-sized Eiffel Tower. And eventually, the larger-than-life Eiffel Tower! Only then did she realize she didn't know how to get back to her hotel.... Classic!
That story helped sustain me a bit as I laughed, somewhere on the inside, about the tiny increments of kilometers slowing ticking away. I wondered if perhaps I was actually running in place?! That would explain a lot.
Yet I trudged on, trying to my best to plant a "slow jog" song in my head (the Lemonheads "Drug Buddy" is my current fave), convinced I could do this without stopping.
She's comin over
We'll go out walking
Make a call on the way.......
This seemed to work for a while, although somewhere around mile 4 or 5, things got reallllly hot.
And then, in the midst of my Drug-Buddy-running haze, suddenly, like an oasis, there it was: the 8.5km sign. 8.5! A wave of warm fuzzies washed over me: 8.5! That's almost 10! Now I knew I could really do it. I pictured myself running, slow-motion like, across the finish line. With confidence in my step and a smile on my face. I did it!
Oh wait, except I was still only at 8.5..............
And by the time I crossed the finish line, well, let's just say it wasn't exactly how I envisioned it would be. It was more like an overwhelming nausea and need to puke!!
But, finish I did. My final time was around 68 minutes -- check it out -- slow jog in effect!
But, I completed my goal and ran without stopping - WooHooooooo!
On the other end of the spectrum, my rockstar teammates weren't quite in the slow-jog realm. Their times were all under an hour!
Matt, checking his time as he passed the taunting Goofy hat (see behind him)
Regina, the Bolder Boulder posted child
Mike, practicing his La-Mas breathing technique
Randy, beating his time from 10 yrs ago
Oh and we can't forget my supportive husband, always giving it his all!!!
More about the race:
http://www.coloradodaily.com/articles/2007/05/28/news/c_u_and_boulder/news1.txt
http://www.bolderboulder.com/
