I’ve always wanted to run the Bolder Boulder 10k, and this was the year it worked out. I was looking for a fun weekend trip. The plan was never to come for a goal race but to enjoy my time in Colorado and do things that interested me (which we did).
The day before the Bolder Boulder 10k, I told my husband I figured I would run around 45 minutes. There wasn’t any real rhyme or reason for that time, minus after the Navy’s Bay Bridge Run 10k, I figured adding 2.5 minutes to compensate for altitude made sense.
We got to Boulder the Friday morning before the race. It was a quick racecation. Why travel that far for a 10k? Really, why not? I think traveling to races is fun no matter the distance, and unlike coming for a half or marathon, we could do things the few days before (and we did). I was definitely not tapered, but hey, I had a good time.
Before the Bolder Boulder 10k:
The 4 a.m. wake-up call came early, and I did not feel good. I felt groggy, tired, and like racing anything was going to be painful. Then I quickly realized my period came. I have really good runs/workouts the 2+ day of my period, but the first I usually feel like garbage. And that was the case here. I also didn’t eat anything crazy, but I had the worst stomach issues. Which is ironic because last week at the Navy’s Bay Bridge Run 10k, I had a buffalo chicken burger the night before and was fine. Bodies are weird. So between stomach issues, acid reflux, and being a woman, it was a very slow-moving morning for me. I thought: if I run under 7:30 pace, I think it will be a good day. I heard the course was tough with hills, but to be honest, I didn’t look it up.
Anyway, I met up with Brad and we did about 1.8 miles of warm-up, but I realized I put my watch in workout mode, not run mode, so really I have no clue. Then I spent another 0.77 looking for a bathroom, which, with 40,000 people running, is hard to find. Ultimately, I went behind a bush somewhere. Then I got to the Bolder Boulder 10k with about 5 minutes to spare.
Bolder Boulder 10k Race:
If you’ve ever wanted to feel slow, I suggest you do the Bolder Boulder 10k. I was in the AA corral (which, 50/50 if I deserved to be there, considering the time submitted was from a sea-level race). But from the moment we were off, people were just whizzing by me. I hit the first mile in 7:05, and I was actually shocked I was going that fast. I didn’t think I would be able to hold it, although my breathing didn’t feel as bad as I anticipated with the altitude.
I hit the second mile of the Bolder Boulder 10k in 7:10, and there were several runners from the corral behind me that started passing me. The Bolder Boulder 10k is jam-packed no matter where you are. My music was cutting in and out from the rain, so ultimately I just took my earbuds out. I thought if I do 7:05, 7:10, 7:15, 7:20…etc., I would actually be pretty happy with that.
But mile 3 I started to feel defeated when I hit a 7:24. I didn’t quite realize we were going uphill for most of it. When I hit the halfway around 22:45, I thought well under 45 might be out the window. But then I seemed to get a second wind (or a first wind, maybe, because I never had any wind), and I could feel myself running faster. I hit mile 4 of the Bolder Boulder 10k in 7:07, and I was shook to run that fast again. I thought maybe I do feel good.
From there I just focused on the Bolder Boulder 10k finish. I knew there was a hill getting into the stadium, so I tried to stay prepared for that. I ran a 6:49 and 6:51 for miles 5 and 6 and was really surprised because it didn’t feel too bad. From there I just powered up to the finish.
When we got into the stadium, I saw the road was covered with thin, very slippery plastic so it didn’t ruin the grass. I just kept repeating don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t fall, and it was pretty close, but thankfully I didn’t.
I crossed the Bolder Boulder 10k in 44:36.
Bolder Boulder 10k Thoughts:
While I know I could have gone faster if I didn’t have so many issues, I also don’t think I ran a “bad” Bolder Boulder 10k. I gave it my best for the day, and two years ago, I would have been ecstatic with a 7:06 10k (let alone at 5,200 feet), so I can’t really complain there. I had a fun time at the Bolder Boulder 10k, and it’s definitely a fun one.
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Questions for you:
Have you run in the Bolder Boulder 10k?
What is your favorite race?