Bolder Boulder

So I did it. I ran a 10k and I did pretty darn well considering. I came in at just over 1 hour 3 min. That's about a 10 minute mile. Not bad for a first timer as well as for someone that had a two week interruption in his six week training program. Yeah, I felt pretty good about it. And I still had loads of energy afterward. I could have run at least another 20 yards!

Beyond the success of completing the race, it was also just a lot of fun. I'd never heard of Bolder Boulder but apparently it is one of the biggest, most popular races in America. I was one of an estimated 54,000 people running through the streets of Boulder yesterday. All along the race route there were bands playing. People lined up shouting out encouragement and offering watermelons, (magic?) brownies, shots of vodka and basically anything you could want, including Mardi Gras beads. There were also two different belly dancing groups, a few Elvis impersonators and a couple of tap-dancing, tutu-totting old women dotting the sidelines. One house even had a slip-n-slide going out front. Some people raced in costume (like the Smurfs pictured below), others took it more seriously. But in the end, everyone had a great time.

Man it was awesome!