Another Bolder Boulder! Another Road Trip!

Made it through this year's Bolder Boulder 10k in 55:11.  One minute 48 seconds faster than last year.  Sixth in my age group (60-year-old women) just like last year.  However, if I had run last year's time this year, I would have only placed tenth in my age.  Four of the five ahead of me this year were also ahead of me last year but those breathing down my heels were new to the list.  I'd best keep training hard if I want to keep placing high, eh?!

Now that the racing festivities are over, it's road trip time!  Tomorrow morning the VaughanMiller family (including the pup) climb in the van and head for Michigan.  Weehaww!  Given all the bodies, luggage, backpacks, and distractions I feel rather like the Beverly Hillbillies.  I wonder what we'll all be humming as we head out of town!

[Note: We are driving, not running, to Michigan this year.  Methinks, however, a lot of running will be involved to help Mister Taz burn off his cattle dog puppy energy.  A lot of running.  Often.]

First state crossing on the road to Michigan from Colorado.

Bolder Boulder Eve

Just how fast will I be able to run the 34th annual Bolder Boulder 10k after 3 months of huge base building followed by 2 months of 10k-specific training?  By 8:30 a.m. tomorrow, the answer should be revealed!  And by noon tomorrow, roughly 50,000 people will know how quickly they can cover 10 kilometers through run-crazy Boulder.

Twenty-seven years ago, the Bolder Boulder was not yet the behemoth event that it is today with just 16,826 finishers (only 5,570 women) in 1985.  I was one of those runners, pushing four-month old Devon in his first Bolder Boulder (rules were looser in those days).  We covered the course in 55:49 by my watch - a time I would be quite pleased with tomorrow ...after months of hard training vs. 9 months of pregnancy followed by recovery from c-section...  Ah the joys of aging!




Photo: Paula with pigtails flying, Devon in stroller,
brother-in-law Andy running on my shoulder.

Cownundrum!

 photo from funwithgravity.blogspot.com

The plan for today was mile repeats at our favorite speed-work running venue: the South Boulder Creek Trail - almost flat, soft even surface, pastoral...  It is also open space grazing land - and today "grazing" was in full swing.  Cows, bulls, calves.  Many protective mama cows, very frisky and somewhat cranky bulls, and lots and lots of frolicking calves.  Cows and calves blocking the gate.  Bulls snorting and looking for their next ...uh... partner.  Packs of calves trotting like preschoolers following their cow leader.  Mile repeats at 10k pace just weren't going to happen today out on South Boulder Creek.

We ended up easing our way through the bovines, then ran west to the CU cross-country property and did 10-minute surges there.  Workout done, but potential mile pace remains a mystery.  It's getting pretty close to Bolder Boulder day so I am increasingly curious about what pace I might reasonably expect to run.  Quantifiable clues so far:

• April 4th: 2x5k, 1x2k workout with 5k's at 28:54 and 28:41 and 2k at 11:32 (avg 9:17 pace)
• April 11: .5, 1.5, .5, 1.5, .5 mile interval workout (avg. 9:03 pace)
• April 14: 5k race, 26:07 (avg. 8:23 pace, possibly short course)
• April 18: 5x1k workout (avg. 8:29 pace)
• April 28: 15k race (on trails and dirt roads), 85:38 (avg 9:12 pace, 2:04 faster than my 2011 time - in fact the fastest I've ever run it, having run it in 2007, '10 and '11)
• May 2: 1x2k, 2x1k, 4x500 workout (avg. 8:39 pace)

So.... what pace might I expect to run for this Memorial Day's Bolder Boulder????  Last year I ran 56:59, the year before 57:02 (roughly 9:11 pace).  I think I can beat that.  But by how much?  No doubt about it, I need to fit in a mile repeat session!