The Big Race

Well, it's only been about two weeks but we finished moving in and getting organized in our new apartment so now I can settle down some and write about our experience running the Bolder Boulder.
We got there a few days early and had some time to relax. Since this is the only vacation I'll really get, it was nice to sit around doing nothing. I hear it's good for getting used to the higher altitude too. Just relaxing a day or so to get acclimated it always nice.
Okay, enough of the boring stuff. Saturday morning, we went and did lunch packing so our entry fee would be free. We signed up the first day it opened so we got to pack lunches which we heard was the most desirable. Well, we got there and found out that there were going to be about 53,000 lunches made so we got to work. It was actually a lot of fun packing lunches. We were supposed to be there about four hours but finished after about two and a half.
We were going to go running for a mile or two one day to see how running in the mountains was. I wasn't too fond of the idea because it would show how much the altitude would affect me but it didn't matter, I got too lazy and we ended up not running before the race.
The morning of the race was exciting. We went out and watched the wheelchair racers start first. They were really fast and it was very impressive. It was an impressive sight. I thought I had it bad running 10 km but they had to go the 10 km using only their arms. I felt like a wimp after watching them.
Then the first runners came through. We watched just outside of Kendall's sister's apartment since the race went right by. We were in a later group of runners so we had plenty of time to watch others.
After a bit, I found out that we had to bike to the starting line. I wasn't too happy about that since I wanted to conserve my energy for the actual run because that's what we went out to do but it ended up not being that bad and I wasn't really that tired once we got there.
They had us line up in our respective heats and blocked us off. We all were walking towards the starting line waiting for our turn to run. It came faster than I expected but I was glad to get started. We have video of it all down below for those interested in watching a 10 minute video of our run. I held the camera the whole way getting clips of various things.
The actual run was pretty fun. There were lots of little things on the side of the road to keep our minds off of the actual run. There were quite a few bands playing music. There were some belly dancers which I guess are a highlight of the race (I didn't really care at all). Then there were the spectators watching just outside their houses cheering us all on. It was really cool being able to see all the different things people did to watch the race. Now that I think about it, there was a slip and slide that some people had that runners would go down. It was pretty funny to see it.
The running was pretty good. I wasn't sure how the altitude would affect us but it didnt' bother us actually. More than anything, the steady climbs are what killed me. I had hoped to run the whole race without stopping but I had to just before the 4 km mark because I had pushed too hard trying to keep our 10 minute mile pace that we had while we ran in Oklahoma...in a gym...with no wind...with no incline whatsoever...with no people to have to run around. So, I ended up having to walk for almost a minute but then I got going again and finished the rest of the race without stopping. Kendall was worried that we would have to stop again several times because I had stopped so early but she didn't have to worry about it. I will say that I started to get tired around the 9 km mark but then it was almost over and I knew it so I found the energy to be able to keep going. It was mostly uphill but then it leveled off when we got to the stadium.
At the end, you go into the stadium where people who have finished are in the stands cheering you on. We went half way around the track and then finished. They had the camera on the finish line so we were able to see ourselves on the JumboTron. It was pretty cool.
We then went and got our lunches, headed to Stephanie's to get the costumes Kendall's mom made for Kendall and Mom and Dad, and then we went to go find them so the three could dress up. They went as Little Red Running Hood, the Big Bad Wolf, and Grandma. It was pretty good. I didn't want to run with a costume on the first race I've ever done so I was myself. We eventually found them and then walked the last 1.5 km or so. The camera was focused on the three of them as they crossed the finish line so they were on the JumboTron as well. As we walked, there were quite a few people that would look and point out little red riding hood. It was fun listening to all of them.
After we all finished, we sat in the stadium watching for the celebration to happen. It was about 50 degrees outside so it felt cold while we sat there. It was perfect for the run but a little too cold for just sitting. Then it rained a little too so that wasn't all that fun. Eventually they started with an introduction for a Medal of Honor recipient and then did some patriotic things. They even had a fly over with four F-16s which was really cool. I really enjoyed it. It was a good way of honoring those who have served our country on Memorial Day.
It was a good run, especially for my first one and we both had a lot of fun. It might be something we do again in the future. We'll see...


Bolder Boulder from Kenta Hood on Vimeo.