Bolder Boulder

I realized I never told you about the Bolder Boulder this year!
The Bolder Boulder is the 10k race that leads up to one of the largest Memorial Day celebrations in the country at Folsom Field at the University of Colorado and I'm convinced it is the most fun you can have while running!
This year I ran the race with like 50,000 of my closest friends (read: by myself). The reason the Bolder Boulder is so fun is because it's in the city of Boulder which is an amazing place all on it's own. But the people that live in it are so incredibly interesting that some people do the race just for the people watching! Some people get teams together and dress in costumes, some people are wearing their regular clothes but you would assume that it is a costume, and some people are just interesting all on their own.

This year was my second Bolder Boulder and I decided I had to take part in the crazy! So I woke up early, pulled on my tu-tu, laced up my sneakers and was ready to pound the pavement! Last year, I finished the race in 1:07:05, so my goal this year was to finish in exactly one hour. By the time I got to my wave's starting line, I'd already had a conversation with Thing 1 from Dr. Suess (Thing 2 was in the bathroom) and met Superman (complete with cape)! After the Call to the Post was played Call to the Post" we were off!

I finished my first mile in 9:32 moving to the beat of Lady Gaga and Florence and the Machine on my iPod. This would be the point where you'd think my brain would hone in on the beat of the playlist I created for the run, so I could zone in on the goal, finish in one hour! But you'd be wrong, there is far to many things to look at along the way. Somewhere between the first and fifth mile-markers, as you wind your way through the neighborhoods of Boulder, you come across hundred of locals, set up for a brunch picnic in their front yards for optimal people watching. Some people are there to enjoy the show as they work their way through a round of certified organic mimosas and a delicious tofu "omelet". Which is all well and good. But the real fun can be had with the people watchers that are determined to be a part of the show! These are families that wake up early to fry 50 pounds of bacon so they will have something to throw at the runners as they pass their homestead. Others have made Costco runs so they can provide the best mid-run snacks! The options include: Nacho Cheese Doritos, giant marshmallows, and beer. But there is always one house that takes their involvement in the Bolder Boulder to another level. Each year this house, rented out to college boys I'm sure, transform their front yard into a water park, complete with slip and slide for the runners to partake in!

Not everyone is totally crazy about their involvement in the race, there was one guy there standing with a piece of art he'd completed and a sign that said "virtual rest stop, enjoy the art!"

The last part of the race is the hardest, because it's uphill, but also, in someways the most fun, because this is where you can find the die-hard race fans standing along the track holding up signs to encourage the runners. This year's winner for best signs of encouragement, was actually a tie! The first one read, "Keep going! Keep going! (That's what she said)" It made me laugh so hard I thought about stopping to take a picture! But I still had the one hour goal in mind, so there was no time for photo ops! The second sign I didn't actually see until I was walking away from the finish line at the end of the race. It was being held by what looked like an 8-year-old boy and read, "Your feet are hurting because you're kicking SO much ass!" Excellent words of encouragement to help all runners make there way past the finish line!

In the end, I finished in 1:01:17, I didn't make my goal, but I was pretty close and I had a great time trying!