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!

The Blisters

A few days ago, I went running with my new, pink Nikes that I was so excited to have found on the clearance rack when buying shoes for my son. Well, the backs of the shoes go up a little higher than my other shoes. Now, I get to walk around with these. They were sore the best day and periodically sting here and there, but they are getting better. Honestly, the worst part about them is that it takes several bandaids to protect them while I run. I hope they heal faster than other sores I have had in the past. (I have notoriously healed poorly in the past.)
 

Goals for 2024

As we get closer to the start of 2024, I have been considering the goals I want to pursue. Do I want to make a goal that will take the whole year to complete or should I concentrate on weekly and monthly goals? Maybe I could do a combination. 

My main goal of the year is to graduate. I have been working on this degree for a long time. All I have to complete is the internship and the one very hard, yet required, class. I can finish. I just need to concentrate on one thing at a time. If I do that, I will be done in July. 

The other big goal is to train for and complete a marathon. Chad and I made a goal to run a marathon the year he turned 50 in 2018. At the time it seemed so far away, but he will be 50 in February next year. Now, we have to do this thing. We have chosen to run the Saint George Marathon in October. It is supposed to be a good one for first timers, and he can visit his mom while we are there. 

For now, these will be my main goals. I don’t want to overwhelm myself with too much all at once. 

Progress Not Perfection

 I still have a long way to go before Chad and I run a marathon, but I’m getting better. I have changed my intervals to 35 seconds running and 40 seconds walking. It is still a bit of a challenge but not so much that I am hating it. I really want to get back to walking the intros to songs and running during the feast of them. I loved running when I was doing it that way. I’m sure I will get there soon. Until then, I’m just going to enjoy getting into shape while remembering the goal of running a marathon the year Chad turns 50 (it’s coming up way too fast).

Changes

I have another 5K coming up on August 12, and I am getting excited and loving how my increased activity has been affecting my body. It’s not just the obvious benefits. I have noticed that even the small things are getting easier. I am so glad that I have been signing up for eaves again to motivate me to keep going. 

Last summer, I was in pain almost every time I tried to exercise. It made the idea of exercising make me want to curl up in a ball. I kept trying. Each time felt a bit better, and I had the desire to workout. It just wasn’t enough to keep me going on a regular basis. 

This past spring I started taking walks with a friend once a week. It was a great start to increasing my activity level. Having someone to meet up with gave me a reason to get out and some accountability. I’m sure this friend doesn’t know how much I like our walks that give me some human interaction outside my house on a regular basis as well as a reason to move. 

As I find more ways to keep moving, I am reminded of how I felt in 2019 and 2020 when I was running regularly. I can’t wait until I get back to the level I was then. 

Pirate 5K

 Yesterday, Chad, Noel, and I ran a Pirate 5k in Thornton. (It may not have been the best planning since Noel and I had just come home from camping for 3 days.) My main goal was to do better than I did during the relay on July 4 and not end up in last place. Thankfully, I accomplished both goals. Noel accomplished even more: a 3rd place finish for her age group. 

Today, I looked at the finish line pictures they took at the race. Mine is awful. I wore some shorts that were an unfortunate color. (Don’t worry I cropped out my bottom half for the blog.) Chad’s wasn’t bad. It is obvious he put his all into it. Noel on the other had looks great. She is actually smiling crossing the finish line. 

It is races like these that make me want to keep going. I’m going to be doing another one through this company in 2 weeks that I won in a drawing at this one. I really like the way this company organizes it’s races. I’m am more than happy to continue finding them as I work on this journey. 

Running with Her

There is nothing like running with my daughter to show me how much work I still have ahead of me. Noel went running with me today. She was nervous that she wouldn’t be able to keep up, but she had to slow down more than once for me to catch up. I know I am getting better, but I have worked hard to get where I am. She naturally is better than me without even trying. I’m sure it is mostly because she is so much younger and slimmer than me. It actually makes me proud. I hope she loves it and keeps it up for a long time. I like sharing stuff I like with her. 

Relay Run

Yesterday, Chad and I got up bright and early to run a relay race a friend organized. There were three teams of four, and we each ran 4.1 to 4.9 miles (in theory) along a bike trail going from Boulder to Thornton. Chad and I are not sting runners, but that was known before we started. The goal was for all of us to end up at the house where they were serving breakfast around the same time. This would have worked great if some of us hadn’t gotten lost. 

The runners in the first wave had the easiest path to follow. From my understanding, there weren’t really any confusing intersections. The problem they had was that it was basically all uphill with a bit of a downhill at the end. Wavetwo apparently got confusing when going through Louisville. One runner somehow ended up on a parade route. Chad was able to stay on the planned path, but he said there was a lot of uphill as well even though the map said it was “basically flat.” I was in the third wave which was supposed to be an easy one to follow. It mostly went along the highway then across a bridge over the highway to a park behind a hotel. I got lost just after the hotel exhausted, dehydrated, and knowing it was taking too long. I called Chad for help, explained where I was, and stayed put until they could pick me up (our last runner already took off to try to avoid the heat). Apparently, the other runners in my wave had each come from different directions, so no one was surprised one of us got completely lost. It turned out I was only about a quarter mile away from the end point. The last wave had a detour that made two runner get lost and someone had to go find them. 

Overall, I had a lot of fun. If they do this again next year, I hope they invite us again. I know they put a lot of work into it, and they didn’t even charge a fee. I would have totally been willing to at least pay for the food. I also wouldn’t have blamed them if they wanted something for all of the work they put into planning the route even though it got confusing. I wouldn’t even mind running the same route again now that I know a bit more about where I would be going. 

“Running” Tradition

For the past five years, Chad and I have done our best to run the BOLDERBoulder. We even did the virtual one in 2020. This year was, I believe, the hottest and least trained one we have done, and I really felt it. I still had fun though. Where else would I be able to take a picture with Elvis while he sang?

The most impressive sight was the firefighter running in full gear carrying the American flag. I love going to events with so much patriotism especially on days set aside to honor those who fought for our freedom!

Forgot the Feeling

I have been trying to force myself to run and liking it a bit, but I just haven't been able to get that feeling that I loved when I ran in 2019 and 2020. I just kept telling myself that if I got to a certain point, I would get back to that "runner's high" type feeling that I have been craving. I finally got that feeling today! 

I have been walking instead of running a lot lately because I have had a hard time motivating myself to run. Sophie has been enjoying the walks, but I wanted more. I am thankful for all of the walks I have gone on lately, though. I think they have helped me built up to running again. It felt SO much better to run today than it did last time I ran. (I ran for the same length of time with the same intervals.)

I am excited for my next run. I need to make sure I don't let my schedule get in the way. 

Hurt…In a Good Way

Chad and I signed up for this year’s BOLDERBoulder a few days ago. That means it is time to be serious about training. Since my running has been sporadic at best, that means k have to get back on a regular running schedule. I know I keep saying I’m going to do this. 

Today, I started my training plan using my Jeff Galloway’s app. I like using this app because it helps me time my run/walk intervals. I did a 30 minute run for the first time in a long time. Now, my hips and legs hurt, but it is a good kind of hurt. 

I am proud of myself for getting out in the cold and making a plan to move forward. It is not always easy to make the time to workout, but I need to make myself a priority.