Beat the Heat Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Saturday, April 19
Lakewood, CO
Half Marathon #103
Colorado Half #39
Weather - Cloudy, perfect

The Beat the Heat half marathon fit nicely into our schedule. Not too expensive and local, it was a no-brainer. My dad and the kids had actually volunteered at the race last year, while we were running in New Mexico. Years ago, I stopped reading elevation and course profiles. It never even occurred to me where this race would be taking place.

The night before, L and I are talking about where to park. Turns out, we will be going to Bear Creek Lake Park - aka, where the Bear Chase takes place every year. Oh. I wasn't expecting the race to be THERE.

Race Morning

Up at 6:15 to be out the door at 6:45 to drop off the kids with my parents. L had brought me an iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts, which was a delicious why to hydrate in the morning. We dropped the kids off, and while we were chatting, we missed the exit and then got all turned around trying to find the start. Never mind that we have been there a half dozen times...

We arrive at the park and then the realization hits me. We are going to be running a pretty hilly course. Awesome. My legs were DEAD after doing the Fitness Blender 5-Day Challenge.

We barely had enough time to cycle through the bathroom line (twice), before heading to the start line. We got out of the bathroom with just enough time to hear the National Anthem (twice). And then off we went...

Initially, I thought I might run the whole course, walking only for the aid stations. Then, I got to about mile 1.5, with the start of the hills. JUST KIDDING. So. Much. Walking. My legs were tired, the climb up Mt. Carbon was pretty brutal. I was exhausted.

Mt. Carbon looming in the distance

Headed up the paved section of Mt. Carbon. It's dried out a TON since I ran Bear Chase in September

Looking over the golf course to downtown Denver - NO FILTER

After mile 3, the course flattened out a bit, and then we had a nice downhill. WHEEEE!!! Then, I realized there were mile markers on the other side of the path. WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO RUN ALL THIS IN REVERSE? NOOOOOOOOOO.

There was not a lot of flat, but a lot of steep ups and steep downs. I could not get into a good groove, and knowing that I had to run again tomorrow did not motivate me to push harder.

Between miles 8 and 9 -  nice view of the mountains

Mile 10 or 11  is when I really quit mentally. I would run for a minute or two, then walk. Run a minute or two, then walk. The flattest the course had been and I couldn't even force myself to run it. I passed a handful of people who were also struggling.

Death jog to the finish - around mile 11.5

I knew mile 12 had another decent hill, and of course I walked up that too. So cruel to have hills at the end of an already challenging race...

I saw L, my dad, and the kids at the finish, and A ran me in.

Probably not the best week to do a fitness challenge, as my legs were exhausted before I even started. I'm actually really pleased with the pace I managed to keep, the steep downhills allowed me to run a few really fast miles, which helped out the time.

Bib # - 989
Official Time - 2:22:28
Official Pace - 10:53
Overall Place - 81/123
Gender Place - 35/68
Division Place - 14/28 (woo hoo! top half!)
Garmin Time - 2:22:28
Garmin Pace - 10:58
Mile 1 - 9:32
Mile 2 - 11:36
Mile 3 - 12:05
Mile 4 - 9:22
Mile 5 - 10:13
Mile 6 - 10:29
Mile 7 - 11:34
Mile 8 - 10:54
Mile 9 - 12:58
Mile 10 - 9:39
Mile 11 - 11:17
Mile 12 - 11:37
Mile 13 - 11:19

So the course measured short for me, again. 12.99 miles. L's Garmin measured just over 13.1 and her phone measured 13.3 or something. So, in addition to losing battery life, it apparently is not really accurate with GPS anymore either. Awesome.

We were actually at the finish area when they were doing the raffle, and I ACTUALLY WON!! I got a $30 gift certificate to Moe's BBQ. We ended up going right after the race. Turns out, it was delicious, and $30 was enough food for me, L and the kids AND a margarita for me. Cost me nothing out of pocket. Hurray!!

Thoughts:

• Very well organized, well marked course
• Gender specific shirts!!
• Medal for all distances.
• 9 well-stocked aid stations. There were Clif gels in multiple flavors at most of them.
• Friendly volunteers.
• Good post-race food! There was chocolate milk, Powerade, burritos and bagels. I'm sure there was more, but we didn't stick around.
• I have run a handful of races put on by All-Out and they do a great job. The races are not very expensive, and I never leave a race feeling like I didn't get my money's worth. Maybe, if I'm not busy next year, I'll rematch after NOT doing a fitness challenge?