In July, I ran my first half-marathon after having the baby. I finished in 1:55:24, which beat the 2:00 goal. The race was good, but most of my training had been on a treadmill. After a couple of miles, it was apparent that I needed to get outside more. The race was good. It's a simple even that runs along the Santa Fe Trail. The out-and-back course makes for a nice race in terms of aid station assistance. It was nicely supported for a nursing mommy. During the following weeks, I seriously increased my time on trails and pushing Rowan in a stroller.
The work paid off, because last weekend, I ran the Rocky Mountain Half Marathon. It was also a very well supported race. It is on the pricier side and is basically all road, but the even had a few key things that made it amazing.
First of all, hydropouches. The run was cup free, and as a person that has worked many aid stations and has begged people to help with aid stations, I thought this was awesome. Each station had two volunteers and a few water or gatorade coolers. You filled your own complimentary hydropouch and continued on with your race. If you're really running fast, I could see this possibly slowing you down, but when you know it's cup free, going in...you could just bring something that will keep you hydrated for the duration of the race. Frankly, when I was faster, I wasn't drinking during a race anyhow.
Secondly....drones. That's right...fricken drones at 5 a.m. flying around and taking pictures of us before the race. I still haven't seen the pictures, but I thought it was pretty wild. They also took a billion pictures and videos during the event. At some point, someone was even stalking me with a camera and their car. Haven't seen the pictures...but...wait a minute...I suppose it could've been some freakazoid, but it was 6 a.m.
Next, the Stanley. You know, the creepy hotel? It started and ended in front of the Stanley Hotel. Which hopefully has chickens, because during my warmup run at 5:30 a.m., there was something that sounded like chickens clucking...or children screaming.
Finally, the people. I would say Colorado Springs has some of the best runners on the planet. I'm not really talking about skill, though there are plenty of amazing runners...I'm actually talking about good vibes. I was cheered on by a number of cops working the race, and a local old guy thanked everyone for coming to Estes Park as we ran by. The best, was the 1:55 pacer. As I turned back into the Stanley drive, the 1:55 pacer came running back to bring me in under 1:55. I was close by gun time, but ended up finishing in 1:54.04 by chip time. I have never seen someone so enthusiastic, and he actually got the entire crowd pumped up for me, along with the announcer. Considering I showed up solo, allowing the hubs and kids to keep sleeping at 4:30 a.m., it was awesome to have so many people cheering me on.
We had a lovely stay at the YMCA of the Rockies, which I highly recommend for anyone visiting Estes Park with a family. I think we may both end up running this one next year. It was the best race that I have had in as long as I can remember, because I allowed myself to enjoy the views and left my Garmin at home. In September, I plan to run the American Discovery Trail Half Marathon and the Pony Express. I'm also planning to have a date with Duane to run Rampart Reservoir sometime this month.
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