So I'd known about the ColderBolder for years ... probably for as long as I've run its sister race, the BolderBOULDER. However, I usually just haven't cared about the CB for ... whatever reason.
This year, I decided, what the hell, let's run it.
(race entry came with a fun toque/beanie/whatever, so that made it worth it right there.)
The race will seed you off your BolderBOULDER time ... but unfortunately, they don't go off past years' times. So, since I didn't run the 2015 BB10K, I had to go into the open race. Whatever. Brandon didn't sign up for the race because he wasn't sure if he'd be able to run it ... and unfortunately, by the time he found out he was off, the race had sold out.
Regardless, he still came up to Boulder with me. As it was a progressive wave start, with waves starting anywhere from 7ish (first waves) to damn near 10am (me), we got up later than we normally would on a race morning. We parked in one of the available lots, got me a new timing tag (left mine at home. Oops.), and hung out in the field house, trying to stay warm until it was time for me to run. Brandon ran while I was running, but made sure to keep his run short enough to try and catch me at the finish.
When it was near time for me to start lining up, we said our goodbyes and he went off running and I went off to wait, as apparently my start was going to be later than I thought as they divided us open wave runners into different groups based on time ... each one going off 2:30 behind each other. At this rate, Brandon was definitely going to beat me back to the field house.
In any case, we eventually got to run.
First bit of the run was downhill ... and I ended up flying way faster than I probably should have. Garmin stats post-race said I hit a new 1K PR in this race (I think in this early section, too) - 4:52.2. Ha. Oops. We went downhill and then curved a bit uphill and I still managed to run up the hill even though it hurt and I told myself I wouldn't walk until after at least a mile (which I managed) but I saw my first mile split and went "Shit. That was unsustainable."
Mile 1: 8:17
I still managed to keep running a bit, though my pace slowed down. I finally had to walk at some point during this mile and I kind of felt like I was dying.
Mile 2: 9:12
The run started getting tricky. I was wearing my new TriSports technical trucker and I think I had it too loose for running (comfortable for normal wear, but not so much for running) so I kept having to adjust it a bit. Temperature wise, I was maybe overheating a little (it was in the low-40s), but it wasn't bad.
Quite possibly one of the best pictures of me running within the past few years.
I was walking more and more, but I apparently was bombing it when I was running (paces in the 7s???? according to the Garmin), so my overall speed wasn't too shabby.
The best part was, at some point during mile 3, I looked at my time/Garmin, and knew unless I had an epic meltdown, it would be one of my fastest 5Ks in years.
Sure enough, it was.
Mile 3: 9:14 (plus 1:02.9 for the extra .13)
Final Stats:
Time: 27:43
Rank: 329/1641 (open race)
(They didn't separate by age/gender/whatever and I am way too lazy to figure that out here.)
Somehow, on not a lot of training and carrying around a bit of extra weight, I pulled off my third fastest 5K ever and fastest in a good six years. It tells me that there IS HOPE when it comes to FINALLY killing my ancient old 5K PR. Hooray.
Free mini Evol burritos afterward made for a happy T ... as did the doughnuts and coffee we stopped for on the way home.
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