BOLDERBoulder 2024

 Yesterday, Chad and I did the BOLDERBoulder (an 10K race), again. We have been doing it since 2018 with only 2020 and 2021 looking a bit different. Last year, we were both under trained. This year, I was far worse off than him but better than last year. I am using this race as the kick off to the marathon we are doing in October. 

This was the first time we have ran completely separate, and I think I actually liked it that way. I love doing these kind of events with Chad, but I think I pushed myself harder than I would have otherwise knowing he would be waiting for me at the finish line. I was also able to take progress pictures along the way without worrying about how it would affect his times. 

We started off excited and ready to go:

He left me behind right away as we had discussed in advance. When I got to the first mile, I was still feeling pretty good:

Then, it started getting hot, and there was no cloud coverage. I was feeling the heat by mile 2:

By the third mile, I had drank some water and Gatorade and was feeling a bit better. I was also excited to have basically be at the halfway point:

Getting to mile 4 was a bit of a struggle. There was a lot of uphill running and the Gatorade was not doing well in my stomach. I was happy to pass another mile, though:

The next mile was the hardest. I didn’t eat enough before the race, and it was starting to affect me. I had also had Gatorade twice by this point. This meant my stomach was upset and I was getting light headed. For the first time in the course, I felt like giving up. I was sure Chad was done and almost called him to help thinking I was going to pass out. Then, a nice, cool breeze hit me and I saw the 5 mile marker:

That gave me enough umph to finish. I still had to walk most of the remaining course, but I knew I could finish. All I had left was 1.2 miles. At the 6 mile mark, I could almost see the stadium and knew Chad would be there waiting for me:

Finally, I got to the stadium and was ready to do the run around the track. To my surprise and delight, Chad was in the stands in front hanging over the wall looking for me as I entered. He cheered me on as I gave him a high five and finished:

Was this my best time? No. Was it a good finishing time? Also, no. I had fun, though. I will continue to do this race until I can’t anymore. I love it that much. Next up is a 5k at the end of June. Then, the marathon in October. Wish me luck!