RR - Run The Rockies

Race Report
Run The Rockies
13.1 Miles
Frisco, CO
June 10/06
1:49:44 – 1AG

UGLY! PAINFUL! PATHETIC! DISGUSTING!

Those 4 words sum up the race! In hindsight I should have listened to a good friend who advised me to skip the race because of the problems I was suffering with my neck and legs! But NO – OH NO! Maddog would never skip a race he has signed up for unless he had a broken – or missing - leg!

So at 8:30 am on Sat morning I found myself on the starting line of “Run The Rockies’ Half Marathon at Copper Mtn (elev: 9600 ft). At least the weather was nice – sunny and a temp of 52 F. There were about 500 runners in a 10K and Half. The 10K is downhill and fast – the course drops 500 vertical ft to finish in Frisco, CO at 9100 ft. Everyone takes off too fast because the decline is gentle and it is possible to haul ass. The biggest problem is trying to suck up enough air/oxygen to keep the legs moving!

My plan was to run smart – a 7:30 pace for the 1st 10K and then slow down to an 8- min pace for the final 7 miles through rolling hills including 4 miles of very nasty BAHs (Bad Ass Hills). Plan didn’t last long! By mile 2 my lungs were burning and my right hip was killing me. By mile 4 my lungs were on fire and I was struggling to run an 8-min pace. I knew right then – that soon- that it was going to get very ugly and painful!

I managed to struggle past the 10K finish line in 47:39 but I was hurting! I wanted to quit and call it a day but knew there was no way to convince Maddog to quit a race once he had started so I pushed on. I crashed (hit the WALL) at mile 8 as I started into the BAHs. My legs were wasted and the right hip was really hurting! At that very moment an old fart passed me – and I didn’t care! There was just no energy left to sum up any willpower or desire to compete. I figured the only thing I could salvage out of this race was an opportunity to train the old bod to cope with the pain and fatigue. Somehow I managed to keep the wasted old legs moving – refused to walk – at a 9:30 pace through the BAHs. When I finally emerged on the return loop through the BAHs at mile 12 in 1:40:41 I was surprised to see the old fart was only ¼ mile ahead?

I was lucky – I had been granted a reprieve – an opportunity to redeem myself! I decided to quit feeling sorry for myself – to quit whining – to dig deep – to ignore the pain – to regain the willpower and desire to win - and to lower the hammer and pace back to sub 8-min! I caught the old fart around 12 ½ miles! I knew there wasn’t enough left in the wasted old legs to get into a pissing match so I wisely and quietly dropped in behind him and followed him until there was about two minutes left to the finish line. Then I made my final move! I blew past him and continued to sprint until I crossed the finish line in 1st place (AG) in a very slow and totally pathetic and unworthy time of 1:49:44! Sad News – the old fart I beat by 13 seconds turned out to be only 52 years young!

Nevertheless my time and performance was so pathetic and disgusting that I was embarrassed (once again) to go to the podium to collect the Gold Medal for 1st place in my age group. But I figured I earned it for perseverance and pain!

The only good thing to come out of that race was a clear – VERY CLEAR – realization that my legs are wasted and my old bod is tired from Maddog’s relentless and intensive ‘Suicidal High Altitude Training Camp’! I don’t give a SHIT what Maddog says – I am taking a few days off next week to let my wasted legs and tired old bod rest and relax to get ready for a challenging race next weekend. The Estes Park Marathon – ‘the highest paved marathon in the world’!

Stay tuned for (hopefully) a better race report!