First 10k is in the bag

Well, BolderBoulder was a success. I had a blast, finished strong, and finished in under an hour. It was really an amazing run. The week was pretty amazing as well. Got to meet an astronaut, ran an amazing race and learned a lot about myself. What more can you ask for.

Buzz Aldrin signing his book for me

So the race (the "real reason" I was out here). The morning of the race, I got up at 5 and planned to head out at about 6. The staging area was only a couple of blocks from the hotel. Had a very nutritious breakfast of Shakeology mixed with almond milk and a great protein powder from a company that has been following my Twitter, Silver Star Nutrition. Great energy! Headed out a little after 6, and walked a couple of blocks. People were getting ready. Running down the closed street, wheelchair racers doing their thing, stretching, pictures. Great times. It was really an amazing sight. So many runners, and everything was so organized. No sooner did 7:00 hit, than the lines started moving. My start time was 7:18:40. Yes, seven-eighteen and forty seconds. My watch recorded me starting it at 7:18:47. I'd say they were about right on. Simply amazing.

Final preparations for the start

Things started off great! First band was right off the start line (there were bands all over the place, it's one giant party) was a Blues Brothers band. I wanted to stop and sing and dance with them. But I had a goal. I was going to finish this race in under an hour. The day couldn't have been more perfect. Sun and low 50s at my start time. It was a beautiful day. As we went along the streets turned, great views of the flatirons in the morning sun. Some where around my mile and a half mark, was one of the first hills. My mom and dad had said where they would be to watch me, and I figured it to be around there. As I started up the hill, I saw them. I cut to the other side of the street, flailing my arms. What a cool thing to see, your parents that have never seen you in a race like this, standing on the sidewalk watching everyone else and waiting to see you come along. It was really amazing, and a great energy boost on a hill.

As the race went along, there were bands, yard parties, a slip and slide, a Dorito stop (I'm sure for those who might have had the munchies by then), belly dancers, kids with lemon-aid stands. It was really fun. I really tried to take in the whole experience while still trying to remain focused. It was a blast. It's really hard how to put the whole experience into words. So then we kept going, a couple of hills here and there. I felt really good. People were at times struggling on the hills, but I just muscled my way up. Then somewhere around 4.5 miles, I heard this "Rob!", from somewhere behind me. I turned back to look, and there was my cousin and her boyfriend chasing after me. That was awesome! Things were pretty clear around there so we ran together talking for about a block. What an energy boost when I was so close. After I left them, I had one or two more turns before the final climb up to the stadium.

Coming up to the stadium, I could start to hear the people cheering inside. A couple of little curves and we entered the stadium. What an experience! I've had a stadium finish before with Crazyleggs, but this was almost a full lap around the field to get to the finish. I can see why this is one of the top 10k races in the country. It's well organized, the scenery is amazing, and the people are great!

A little screen cap of the final stretch cam in the stadium provided by the local ABC station.

Just finished! One of the rules of the race, smile. And smile I did!!

So overall...finished 9840 out of somewhere around 50,000 with an official time of 57:34.99 (would have been under 57 minutes had I not stopped for a potty break at mile 3). 201 out of 434 men age 35. 6761 of 20946 total men. I'm really happy with my results for my first 10k. I had a goal of finishing in under an hour. I did that. I was ultimately going for under 50 minutes, maybe next year. This is one, that if I can find a way to get back next year, I will do again. Between the expo on Pearl Street, the people, the course and everything else, this is by far the best race I have been in.

If you'd like to the the route, how I tracked it, here's my MapMyRun page.

Thank you all for your support in what ever way you chose to support me. Oh, and stay tuned. More pictures coming once I order them!

24 hours to go!

Well, here we are. In a little less than 24 hours I'll have finished my first 10k. There's a lot going through my mind. Things really started to sink in the other day when I went into Boulder to meet up with my cousin and her boyfriend for breakfast. The cafe we ate at was maybe a block from where the start is. On the way in, there were all sorts of highway sings about traffic detours due to the race (printed in the BolderBoulder font). One of the news programs this morning was going over the weather for the race. More rain for today, but it should be nice by tomorrow morning. Looks like it's going to be cool at the start, maybe low 50s. That's perfect for me.

Went on a run the other day. Maybe not the best idea to run an hour after lunch, but I just couldn't wait any longer. Just a little over 4 miles. It felt really good, but my pace was slowed by not really knowing where I was going, and having to stop for street crossings. I will say, it was a confidence booster when I passed someone on a hill after the first mile, and they were huffing and puffing, and I was just getting into things. I feel ready for this one. Heading out of Denver and over to Boulder in just a couple of hours. Not a lot to do today, other than just rest up and get set to get up early in the morning.

I have had one excelent highlight this weekend so far. I got to meet an astronaut! Last night I went to a talk by Buzz Aldrin at the air and space museum in Denver. Afterwords I was able to get my book signed by him. It was really cool listening to him talk about where the space program has been, and where he hopes and sees it going in the future. To be only a few feet from one of the first people to walk on the moon was amazing.

It begins today

Well, I head out to Colorado today. Hoping today goes smooth. They had some really severe weather out there yesterday with tornado's and hail. Hopefully any weather that pops up today won't affect my flight. Mostly packed except for a few small things. Another two bag trip. If all goes on schedule, I'll be in Denver this evening. What ever happens, I'm going to look at it as a new adventure, and part of the joy of traveling for sport. I'm hoping to make a digital scrapbook of my trip. This is just such a great opertunity I have. I mean, sure, anyone can enter the race. But to have worked so hard and set this goal so early last year, and now the day is just about here, it's really amazing.

So stay tuned. Hopefully going to run tomorrow or Saturday, and then race day on Monday. Hoping to Tweet from the race (@TeamMunky), just have to figure out how I'm going to carry my phone now that I don't use it for my running app. No matte what, it should be great. So about 6 hours or so until I really need to get moving and heading to the airport. Thanks again for all the love and support!

just about a week

Well, I'm about a week away from BolderBoulder now. Touched that 10k mark in one shot today. I have to say, it wasn't as hard as I thought, but still brutal. The route I took follows a run that I know is billed as a 10k race. Well, either I missed something and didn't read the rout map right, or they can't measure, because I came out of it with 6.61 miles. Finished in about 57 minutes. I'm really pleased with how I did. Considering that this was an afternoon run, and I had already completed an hour of cardio earlier in the morning.

I'm at that point right now, where I'm too tired to sleep. I went to bed around 8:30, but here I am at 11:30 back up. Too tired, and kind of too sore to sleep. It really was a great run today. Very focused. It does seem that running without music isn't as hard as I thought. Music may have been a distraction for me. The the beep every 1/2 mile from my watch, the birds, my feet on the ground, and the occasional airplane was all I really heard. It was great.

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/573273929

I can't wait to get out to Colorado in a few days. It's pretty exciting. Sure, I've been there before. I've run out there before. But I haven't run on such a big stage before. And to kind of make it a little more special, my parents are coming out as well. It's really cool to have that kind of support. There's been the chances to see me run in my 5k's around here, but they're driving all the way to Boulder to see me. That's so cool. They're staying at a place just a couple of blocks off the route, so maybe they'll get to see me as I pass by.

I'm really hoping that this is going to be a tremendously positive experience. I know I'm still new at all of this. I know that I may never become a world class athlete, but, I shouldn't say never. Stranger things have happened. It just feels like something big is on the horizon. I don't know what, but things feel good. And of course, just a friendly reminder that I'm still in need of your support to meet my goal for StandUp2Cancer. There should be a link to the side (TeamMunky on StandUp2Cancer). Just keep in mind, that the site may be down for a couple more days while they do upgrades, but I will be working towards my goal until the end of the month.

And thank you everyone for all the support you give me.

another runday Sunday

2 weeks to go. 6.5 miles yesterday, so what do I do today? Another 3. Hills, heat, and training mask. Good times!

Kind of looking a little Winter Soldierish

Crunch time!

Well, the clock isn't stopping, and neither am I. Not too much longer until the big day. I've really been getting focused lately. I did a couple of workouts this week and a few runs.

Today I actually did two runs, back to back. Covered about 6.5 miles in all. Beautiful morning for a run. Lots of sun and mid 60s. Same route both times (even though they measured a little different). First one came in at 3.22 miles in 25:26, averaging 7:53/mi. That's under 8 minutes a mile!!! Every mile was under 8. I was so amazed. It felt right. The second run came out at 3.24 miles in 29:14. Much slower, with an average pace of 9:01. But, regardless of time, I did it. I also tried some calf compression sleeves. I have to say, they seemed to make a bit of a difference. If I had taped my ankle, I might have felt a little better, but after 2 miles, the endorphins took over.

Pretty amazing day. I'm just so ready to get out there. I'd like to get a solid 10k run or two in before I leave and then maybe a 4 or 5 mile run once I'm out there. Still not sure where I'm going to run when I get to Colorado. The park in Stapleton was nice. Could find a route in Boulder, or possible head south to Colorado Springs and run Garden of the Gods. Just have to wait and see.

I think I've posted this before, but because of a system upgrade StandUp2Cancer is doing, I've extended my deadline until the end of the month. Their donation pages will be down from the 13th to the 21st, I believe. So plenty of time to help me out and reach my goal. As always, thank you for all the support you give me. It means so much.

Just a few weeks left!

Starting to get into the final count down (queue music). I'm really getting excited. Ran yesterday and today, 6.5 miles total. Looks like the weather might start warming up and drying out which is great. If Crazylegs last weekend was great, BolderBoulder is going to be amazing! Can't wait to get out there. From what I was able to look up, there's 60-some other Wisconsinites running. Pretty cool stuff!

What a great run last weekend!