2009 Bolder Boulder Race Report

The 2009 Bolder Boulder is in the books. It was an absolutely beautiful day for a race, not to hot, not to cold or rainy (Yes, I'm talking to you 2008 Bolder Boulder). Overall I'm pleased with the result, but I feel that I've got a lot of work to do and could done better this year.


I trained a lot (relative) more than last year, so I was interested to see how I'd do this year. Last year, I essentially willed myself to keep up with Kim and Rebecca, finishing about 1 minute (1:02+) behind with about 11 miles of training (yes, total). This year I did a couple of 5k's and I've been running 5k's a couple/few times a week for training. This year I ran the race solo, Kim was afraid that I'd make good on my promise to beat her I suppose, so I wondered how I'd stay motivated. If you've been reading this blog, you know if given the choice between walking and running I'd rather walk.

So, my wave was scheduled for 7:45 am. I figured since I was running by myself I could pretty much show up whenever I wanted after that and go for it. I didn't take into account that future waves might be walking waves or the associated challenges of running through walkers. More on that in a minute. I arrived at the local mall to ride the bus at about 7:15, figuring 30 minutes would be plenty of time to ride the bus to Boulder and make my scheduled time. Last year we parked and immediately got on the bus. This year, I waited an HOUR to get on the bus. By the time I got to the start line it was after 9:00 am, which was smack in the middle of the walking waves. Before I got started, as I usually do I have an urge to use the porta potty. I had every intention of #2, but not a single porta potty had any toilet paper => a new item going to the race bag is a roll of toilet paper.

Back to the race. Since I was running alone this year I decided to purchase an ipod shuffle. I'd never seen the need for this device, but it's really cool. It snaps on the back of my hat and I can't even feel it. So sweet. I loaded it up with a bunch of songs that would keep me moving. Great idea, I'll be using this on future training runs and races. I don't think I'll use it on the bike, as that's a different animal, but for closed course running races, I have no problem using an ipod.

The first mile was about 9:45 and feeling good. The walking traffic wasn't a problem as I was at the start of my wave, so not much traffic to contend with. Just after passing the mile mark it was sea of walkers packing the course left to right. It was immediately difficult to find room to run. I bounced in and out of traffic, up on the sidewalk, down, left to right, where ever it looked like there was a clearing, I went for it. Consequently my splits suffered, which partnered with aching heel pain and general fatigue resulted in a total time of 1:06. Not exactly what I was looking for, but considering a number of factors, I can't complain to much. The bottom line is that I need to improve my run fitness. Running doesn't come naturally to me, therefore if I'm ever going to get beyond 10-11 minute miles I'm really going to have to work for it.

Things that went well:
* Aside from walking through the water station at mile 4 and 5, I ran the entire race.
* Listening to music really had me focused on the task of running the race. The downside is that I didn't take in what was going on around me or the bands as I did the previous year.
* I think I could have run faster, I think there was more in the tank, need to figure out how to tap it, push myself to run faster.

Things to improve on:
* Get to the race on time and run with a running wave. I probably ran a 10.5K with all the dodging and weaving I did.
* Improve running fitness and cadence, which will probably require more than 5K's for training a couple times a week. I may have to change up the routine a bit.
* More stretching, particular related to tight calfs and subsequent pain in my heel and bottom of my foot. Getting older, I need to be more disciplined about stretching, particularly when my everything feels fine.

So the first big race on my schedule this season. As I said, overall feeling good with room for improvement.

Next up: Longmont Triathlon





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2009 Mud Hen 5k

For the third year in a row, I ran the 2009 Mud Hen 5k at McIntosh Lake in Longmont, CO. It's hard to believe it's been 2+ years since I decided to get off the couch and get healthier. You can read my 2008 Mud Hen Race Report here.



This years weather was a bit better than last year, the biggest difference being the absence of white caps on McIntosh Lake (i.e. no wind!) It was in the 40's, overcast and intermittent sprinkles. Unlike last year, I didn't go to softball practice or ride my bike to the race, but I did do a touch lower body workout at Boot Camp Friday night, which I was feeling on Saturday morning.

My goals for this race:
* Beat last weeks time: 32+ minutes
* No walking

Pretty simple and straight forward. The race was pretty uneventful. I had plenty of time to warm up and get ready. Connor and Griffin were there with their Daddy's #1 Fan t-shirt and Mommy's #1 Fan t-shirt, which was great. The designs came out really nice and the after race picture of me and Connor is one of my favorites. Long story short, I felt good, I didn't walk and I finished in just over 31 minutes. I met my goals, walking only to get some water half-way and I beat last week's time by 1 minute.

Felt good and progress was made, however I've got a long way to go before the 2009 Bolder Boulder on May 26th. I've got a lot of running to do to get ready, not to mention the Longmont Triathlon the following weekend.

Here are some pictures from the race:













Wear Your Support! Visit our website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and t-shirt personalization options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

Let's get ready to rumble!

Off-season is officially over, time to start ramping up the training for the 2009 season.

Here's what my race schedule looks like for 2009:

• April 25th - Mud Hen 5k (2008 Race Report)
  
• May 25th - Bolder Boulder 10k (2008 Race Report)
• May 31st - Longmont Sprint Triathlon
• June 21th - 5430 Sprint Triathlon (2008 Race Report)
• July 12th - Boulder Peak Olympic Triathlon (2008 Blog Post)
• September 20th - Octoberfest Sprint Triathlon (Relay - Swim) (2008 Blog Post)
  
  Maybes:
  
  
• September 12th - Harvest Moon Long Course Triathlon
  
• October 18th - Denver Half Marathon
  

Another busy season. I'll be back later this week to let you know what we've got in store for Family Fan Club this year.


Wear Your Support! Visit our website for Triathlon, Running, Cycling, Swimming and personalization options supporting family and friends on race day. All designs are available on t-shirts, stickers, magnets, buttons, signs and travel mugs.

Race Report: 2008 Greeley Triathlon

The first triathlon of 2008 is in the books and I finished within 1 minute of my overall time goal, so I consider my goals met and the race a success. The day started early at my house, up at 5 am for a shower and breakfast to leave the house by 5:30 am for the 40 minute drive to Greeley. This year we all left at the same time, rather than drive separately, just put the kids into the van in their pajamas and we were off. The weather today was chilly, overcast and sprinkling. I'm 3 for 3 on miserable race conditions this year, hopefully this will be the last crummy race day of 2008! We arrived around 6:20, plenty of time to get the Family Fan Club stuff setup and get my transition area prepared. While I was taking care of pre-race activities, I thought of another t-shirt design, which I'll reveal in the next couple of weeks.










I jumped in the pool for a quick 100 meters, felt good and fast. The negative to that approach was that it was cold, so I just stayed in the pool for the next 25 minutes until it was my turn. The thing I like about the Greeley Triathlon is that it's a pool swim, where everyone submits their expected times, everyone is ranked based their submissions and we snake across the pool. As long as everyone submits reasonable estimates, it works really well. This year I passed two people and got passed by one, so the people in my number range did a good job of estimating their times. The swim started strong for me, but around 250 meters I started to get really tired. I've been battling allergies the last two weeks, which I think attributed to the lack of endurance, but I still finished better than last year in the pool. The nice thing this year was that Kim, Connor and Griffin were on the pool deck cheering me on, so I could see them cheering when I was swimming south in the pool. (I've been working on bi-lateral breathing, but when push comes to shove, I only breath on the right)

After the swim, I quickly transitioned to my bike and I was off. It was a bit cold on the bike, but not to bad to start. I was feeling good, loving the aero bars position, but cautious with the slick roads. I got passed by the top 5 or 6 competitors, but otherwise held my position. By the end of the bike my feet and thighs were pretty cold.

After the bike, I transitioned to the run with heavy cold legs, but I felt good. I kept a consistent pace with no walking, running mile to mile. Having done the race last year, I was surprised that the run course had changed slightly, a good reminder to check the course before the race! Compared with last year, the change made the run a bit harder, over rolling hills, which makes my 5k PR time all the more satisfying. I'm looking forward to the next 5k to see what I can do when I only have to run!

Overall, I finished in 1:21 with a 9 minute swim, 39 minute bike and 29 minute run, all PRs collectively and individually. I didn't make the top 3 in the Clydesdale category, 3rd place was 1:18, which will be very reachable NEXT year. Back to this year, I cut 16 minutes off my 2007 time, which is pretty significant for a Sprint race (500 meter swim, 12 mile bike, 5k run).

The organizers do a great job, it's run by triathletes, so they know what needs to be done on race day. I'll definitely be back next year as long as it doesn't conflict with the Steamboat Springs Half-Marathon. The organizers also invited Family Fan Club to return, which we're definitely excited about.













Next race: 5430 Sprint @ Boulder Resevoir on June 15th.

Bolder Boulder

Today was the 30th annual Bolder Boulder and my first. As you know from reading this blog, I'm not much of a runner, but I figured if I was going to be doing a 10k after swimming and biking as part of the Boulder Peak, I better have at least one 10k under my belt first. It was also the rare occasion that Kim and I both got to compete in the same race. We partnered with our friends Steven and Rebecca to get a baby sitter for the morning and tackle it together. Kim and Rebecca have also been training for the Steamboat Half Marathon.

My goals for the race included:
* Running the whole race
* Finishing in 1 hour or less
* Keeping up with Kim and Rebecca
* Have fun!

We left the house at 6:30 this morning and took the shuttle from Twin Peaks Mall. It was a short 25 minute ride or so, where we got dropped off right at the start line. Of course we were running late, but it was no big deal as your time starts when each individual crosses the start line. It was a nice day for running, overcast about 60 degrees, but a bit muggy. The course winds in and out of Boulder neighborhoods finishing at Folsom Field on the campus of the University of Colorado. We ran the first mile in 10 min and for the most part kept that pace the entire run. I stayed with Kim and Rebecca the first 5k or so, but started to fall off the pace shortly there after. While I was falling behind, I kept them in my sights and caught a second wind around mile 5 that allowed me to catch up and briefly pass. I was feeling good, but ultimately ran out of gas down the stretch. Kim and Rebecca came in at 1 hour 1 min, with me right behind at 1 hour 2 mins.

Overall it was a fun time, I met my goals (for the most part, I'm happy with 2 mins over my goal!) and I'll definitely be interested in doing it again next year. We didn't stick around for the pro race or memorial day activities due to the weather, but something to look forward to next year. It also reminded me that if I'm going to be happy with the Boulder Peak results, I'm going to need to run more. I've been doing a lot of Boot Camp, Kick Boxing and Biking, but not much running. Leading up to this race, I think I ran a total of 11 miles, not exactly a rigorous training regime. I need to start running!

Mud Hen 5K Race Report

Saturday April 26th marked the start of the 2008 race season for me. I was excited to see how a winter of base training (Boot Camp, Spinning, Kick Boxing and occasional swimming) would impact the first race of the season. I ran this race (Mud Hen 5K in Longmont, CO) last year with next to zero training, about one month of 1x a week Boot Camp training in 38:12. (Yes, I walked a lot.)


My goals this year were:
* To beat last year's time, where 30 minutes would be amazing and 33 minutes was the slowest I could go and still be happy.
* Run the whole way, no matter how slowly. No walking!

As I did last year I warmed up for the race with an hour of softball practice. Unlike last year, I didn't take a line drive off my shin. Also unlike last year, I rode my bike to softball practice and then to the race, which is about 6 miles from my house. While there were no line drives off the shin this year, last year's sunny and 70 weather was replaced by what I'd have to say was 30 mph winds, overcast and about 50 degrees. These are not ideal conditions. Needless to say, it was cold (really cold on my bike), windy and just overall not a very nice day. It would have been easy to turn around and go home. But I didn't.

I arrived at the park for a 10 am start at about 9:50, at which point I quickly stripped off my winter warm clothes for shorts and t-shirt. Oh so chilly. I locked up my bike and calmly walked toward the starting line, which was about .5 miles away. I arrived at the tent at about 9:57 to pick up my number and t-shirt only to find that there was no record of my registration. The support team was very kind and got me signed up quickly, a number and a new t-shirt by 10 am. I quickly pinned my number to my shirt, put my new shirt on and was tying my shoes as the race director counted down to the start. At this point I'm thinking, everything is aligned and telling me to sit this one out. But no, I'm a runner (ha), the show must go on.

I started about 15 seconds late, so I just kept time on my triax C8. About this time, I remembered that I didn't have my heart rate monitor on, bummer. The Mud Hen is around Lake McCintosh, which is a very small lake in Longmont. I don't think I recall ever seeing a wave on this lake, until today. I'd say the waves were rolling at 2 to 3 feet with white caps, it was windy! I came out strong despite the elements, feeling good, breathing easy. By the time I reached the west side of the lake, the wind was full on blow you off the trail strong. Again, an opportunity to quit or walk. No, I must go on. To my surprise, I reached that half way point in just over 16 minutes.

I rallied around the lake until I reached the northeast corner, where the wind was primarily blocked by houses, which was a nice relief. Encouraged by my time thus far, it kept me going. I could start to see the finish line and that was motivating. I kept looking at my watch and the finish. I've got 11 minutes to get to the finish. I've got 5 minutes to get to the finish.

Again to my surprise, as I approached the finish chute, 31 minutes and ticking... I stopped my watch and it read 31:20! I was thrilled, PR! I was tired and my hamstrings were aching, but I meet my goals and considering the weather, I think I would have been under 30 minutes for sure.

The first race of 2008 is in the books and I'm very happy with the result. The base training, although not running specifically, definitely helped me beat last year's time by almost 7 minutes. I'm encouraged, that with some running training, continued base, cycling and swimming training that 27 minutes might be possible? Oh, that would be great. I've got 1 month until the next race.

Next race: Bolder Boulder 10K