Black Hawk trail half marathon (Race Recap)

Sunday, July 18

Golden, CO

Half marathon #

Weather - Sunny and warm

I volunteered at the ERS Westminster Trail half marathon back in April and got a comp entry to a future race. Initially, I picked Snow Mountain Ranch since I expected to be running Vermont 100 the weekend of Black Hawk. When Vermont cancelled, I opted to run Black Hawk - it's a lot of climbing, so I figured it would be good training for Bigfoot.

Ben opted to not sign up, so I was going to be running solo. Even though I had mapped it out the night before, I managed to get out the door about 10 minutes later than planned - which is not a good idea for this race since parking is so limited.

Either way, there was no traffic on the drive and I managed to get a parking spot on the road (not the lot) and had just enough time to get my bib and use the bathroom before it was time to start. They opted to do a few wave starts of about 25 runners each to keep the congestion down. I had no idea what my body was going to feel like doing after covering so many miles, so I started in the last group of folks.

Unbeknownst to me (because I guess I didn't read the pre-race emails, nor did I listen to the RD at the start line, haha) the course was going to be done in reverse. I've done the half three other times and the 10K once, and we've always done the loop counter-clockwise. You wouldn't think it would make that much of a difference doing it the other direction, but it really was a lot harder in my opinion.

We started up almost immediately. Even though I had intentionally started towards the back, I was not the last one, so I was very conscious of my pace. Right of the bat, I felt like shit. My calves were insanely tight - to the point of being painful. I obviously had no intention of running the climbs, but even hiking briskly didn't feel great. I didn't enjoy being in the conga line. The same little spur where we have gone off track in the past got a bunch of folks on the way out, so in addition to them adding mileage, we all had to wait while they scurried back up - since the people closer to the front were supposed to be the faster ones anyway. I wasn't really sure what the course was like since I hadn't looked in advance, but when we took a turn down to the first aid station, I knew I could at least jog that part. I did manage to pass a few people in this section. I didn't stop at the aid station at the bottom, other than to grab a package of Honey Stingers.

Nothing improved from here. I thought that the nice section of downhill at an easy jog pace might loosen up my legs. It didn't. Things got even worse from here. I was wondering how stupid it might be to just turn around and go back to the start. I mean, people DNF short races too, right? This was awful. It was sunny, it was warm, I was sweating like I had been sprinting. I couldn't believe how hard this felt. The climbing seemed to go on FOREVER. We arrived at the cute lake I always take pictures of, and I remembered how nice it was to run by this and have a few miles of downhill. Sigh.

Climbing continued up, then we had a short out and back (which we actually had in the past as well, but it was much further in the race previously). I had actually been listening that the next aid station wasn't until mile 8.5 and I was wondering if there was any way I would even be able to make it that long. Even though I had down this route (in reverse) before, I was having a hard time remembering where the trail actually went. We came to the section where we had to go up the sweeping switchbacks which are a blast to come down and NOT super fun to hike up. I had to actually pull over on the side of the trail a few times here to catch my breath. At this point I was wishing I had looked at the course info to see how much gain there was actually supposed to be now, because it certainly seemed like we had been climbing F O R E V E R.

I was happy, briefly, when we got to the top, because it was cooler and because I knew the downhill was coming. The downhill, however, was pretty steep, so I wasn't able to blaze down like I normally can. Plus, my legs were burned out from all the climbing, so it was more gingerly hopping down the trail and trying to stay upright.

We entered into the pretty area by the river that I've always enjoyed coming up in years past. I had never done this section going down, and I didn't care for it. I don't know if it was the time of day, but it was really hard to see all the roots and rocks and I felt like I had to go a lot slower through here than I would have liked. I did actually manage to pass a few people coming through here, although that would be short lived when we had another big climb coming out of there. When we finally got out of that section, we were at the part where we would be on an exposed double track. I remembered this section from the beginning of every other year. 

It was SO hot. I knew we had an out and back that was probably close to three miles. Hit the second aid station, and friend Pete was working. I didn't stop long at this station either, just filled up my bottles. I was able to run the downhills and made note of how miserable everyone looked on the way back up. I just felt so incredibly defeated. Came to the big climb out to the turnaround and I kept having to stop in the shade to rest. How the hell am I going to do Bigfoot? How am I still so horrible at climbing? Why why why???? Ugh. Finally hit the turnaround, and I walked a bit with a gal on the climb out to the aid station. I tried to run a bit when I could - I was just SO SICK OF BEING OUT ON THIS COURSE.

I thought I knew where the course was going, but then we somehow ended up on a trail I had never been on out here. It seemed like it wouldn't be that bad, but then we had another grueling climb around 11.5 miles in. FINALLY we got to the intersection where we had originally gone down to the first aid station and I really did know that it was actually all downhill from here. Finally. I had absolutely nothing left, so what I did was a pathetic run at best. Thankfully, the course "only" measured 13.25, and not the rumored 13.5. SO HAPPY TO BE DONE.

Garmin Time - 3:33:15

Garmin Distance - 13.26 miles

Elevation Gain - 3,090'

Official Time - 3:33:08

Overall Place - 108/127

Gender Place - 37/49

Mile 1 - 18:50

Mile 2 - 12:04

Mile 3 - 17:06

Mile 4 - 16:36

Mile 5 - 15:53

Mile 6 - 18:11

Mile 7 - 14:49

Mile 8 - 16:09

Mile 9 - 13:10

Mile 10 - 17:05

Mile 11 - 17:50

Mile 12 - 19:02

Mile 13 - 13:30

Mile 13.25 - 11:45

No, I did not place in my AG. I think I placed about 6th from last

Alison, Maureen and Me

Maureen and Alison were hanging out by the red barn waiting for me - apparently I took took too long, lol. We stayed for a few minutes - ERS was finally able to have food again! They didn't have a BBQ like usual, but they at least had beer and seltzers, which was nice. I even had a chocolate milk (for like the third time ever after a race).

Thoughts:

• I really do/have liked this course. I did NOT like the course done in reverse, at all. Normally I enjoy myself at least most of the time, this race, I did not.
• Medal is cute - not as big and blingy as years past, but I'm fine with toning it down a bit.
• Shirt is cute, although I didn't get one. They usually sell them for $5 as an add on after the race, or I think you can pay extra at registration for one, but the last thing I need is more race shirts.
• Will I run this again? Probably, I already gave my feedback on the course to the race director, and sounds like I was not alone in my thoughts!

Week in Review (July 13 - July 19)

Tuesday (24,815 steps) - Worked from home for a bit before dropping A off at her trail run, then headed into Louisville because I was supposed to get blood work done. Even though I had an appointment, they turned me away because I didn't have the right paperwork, so that was REALLY annoying. I had 8 miles on schedule and planned on going to Lair o' the Bear since I hadn't been there for a while. I had really hoped to have a day off after my five day endurance block, but no... Really not much to say about this one. I didn't feel great and I "intentionally" hiked all the climbs. There were a MILLION bikes out, especially on my way down, so that wasn't the best.

I made it down a little later than I had planned. It looked like it had rained while I was out, so that cooled things down a bit. On my way home I stopped at the liquor store (for the first time in probably years - seriously, Ben always goes) and picked up a new random beer for the evening.

Wednesday (21,205 steps) - Work in the office. Walk in the morning, then Nicole and I did a core and upper body workout at lunch. Yet again, still had miles on schedule, so Tyler and I made plans to go to Eldorado. Ben got off work early so I invited him to join. On the drive there Ben started messaging me asking what our plan was if it rained... After getting off the highway it was raining pretty hard, but I looked at the radar and it wasn't supposed to last. By the time I got my shoes on and used the bathroom it had basically stopped. Ben had brought Pika, and I wasn't running any of the climbs, so it was a bit slow going, but at least it wasn't crazy hot.

Overall, it was a decent run. The rain had cooled things down enough that I actually had to use my seat warmers on the drive home. Crazy.

Thursday (23,570 steps) - Work from home. I had a new appointment to get blood work done (at a closer location, even) and that went much smoother. I took an early lunch to get my run done - THE END OF THE ENDURANCE BLOCK WAS FINALLY HERE... I opted to just run the south side of the lake to get it done early. The run itself was ok, although I got bitten by some horse flies (haven't had that happen in a few summers), which wasn't fun. Glad to have this done. 

I was only a few feet from this hawk - he had no interest in people at all!

Took Pika for a walk after that. When I got off work, Ariel and I took Pika and headed into Golden for the grand opening of the new Runners Roost location. We did a walk while the rest of the group ran and briefly stuck around for the BBQ, although I knew Ben had made dinner, so we didn't stay long.

Friday (14,188 steps) - Up early to meet the gang at Wash Park! Work in the office, walk in the morning and gym with Nicole at lunch (core and upper body). No recollection of the rest of the day/evening.

Saturday (9,771 steps) - Slept in. Actually slept in. Until almost 10 am!! I only had a short shake out run on schedule, and even though I knew it would be hotter later in the day, I didn't care. I miss sleep! I did my 20 minutes and then took Ariel to meet up with her track team. They had plans to hike a 14er and were going to camp near the start. Other than that... nothing much happened. Watched TV, and went to a new to me brewery. 

In bed early since I haven't been sleeping well.

Sunday (31,453 steps) - Black Hawk half marathon. 

I gave Maureen a ride back to her car (she had parked at the carpool lot in Golden), and we met up at Green Mountain Brewery after she picked up Colfax. Thankfully, we got a table in the shade, it's been SO HOT in Denver. Headed home and took a nap since I knew I had a bit of time until I needed to pick up Ariel. Burgers for dinner and Dexter marathon.

Monday (10,253 steps) - Work from home. Nothing exciting at all, just happy to have a rest day. Black Hawk took a lot out of me! Walk with Pika at lunch and then another quick walk after work. Wings for dinner and another Dexter marathon.

Stats:

• 135,255 steps
• 35.03 miles run
• 15 minutes of cardio
• 50 minutes of strength training

Week in Review (September 29 - October 5)

Tuesday (22,407 steps) - Work in the office. Rough being back to normal life after a magical weekend in the mountains! Went for a walk at lunch, and headed to Green Mountain Brewery after work. They were re-paving the parking lot, so I had to park a few blocks away. The way the lot was blocked off was super annoying. Everything ended in a dead end and people were super angry (including me). Ben and Pika met us there. I ran with Pika, Mo and Colfax for about 4 miles on the trails. A beautiful night!

Ariel talked us into watching the end of the debate, and I think this picture of Batman expresses how we all felt afterward. WTF.

Wednesday (16,217 steps) - Work from home. Took Pika for walks. The end.

Thursday (15,766 steps) - Work in the office. Took Pika for walks.

We finally got our storage unit reserved and started packing up and moving things over. I remember now why I said I would just throw everything away again if I ever moved...

Friday (19,039 steps) - Work from home. Lots of trips to Home Depot today because Ben was doing some repairs. Of course when I saw the Plague Doctor Halloween decoration, I had to have it. (Funny story, we had him sitting in the cart like this and a guy came up to us and said "I thought that was your child!!" - we laughed and laughed...)

Pika walks!

Saturday (30,392 steps) - Up early to pick Kristin up and head to Golden Gate park to run Windy Peak. The drive was nice, and outside of not being able to figure out how to pay for parking until we saw a ranger, it was a lovely day. Alison met us for the run - which was nice because I haven't seen her much this summer and I barely got to talk to her at the wedding. I was also really happy that Ariel decided to join us - she hasn't run with me on the trails since... spring?

The afternoon was spent packing and cleaning. AND PLAYING WITH BATMAN AND HIS NEW HARNESSS AND LEASH! (Which he doesn't love yet, but he will!)

We also had a happy hour with Mike and Tyler and FINALLY told them we are moving. Tyler is the most awesome neighbor ever and we will definitely miss him!!

Sunday (19,536 steps) - Slept in!! UNTIL LIKE 8:30. Took Pika for a short walk, then we went to the grocery store. Mountain breakfast of cinnamon rolls and bacon before another day of Home Depot stuff and packing.

After a long dry spell of not seeing any owls, we finally saw one VERY close up again! In the bottom picture he is eyeballing Pika - she does not care though.

Monday (26,091 steps) - Work from home. Same old, same old. Batman's newest gift finally came! (And yes, we are now "those" people). Again, he doesn't like it YET, but I am determined, and I'm sure he will learn to love it, haha.

I met Kristin at New Terrain so we could do a loop around North Table. I've run this trail a zillion times, and I still love it! Pika struggled a little, but none of us fell, so I consider it a success. Great "last run" before Moab 240 this weekend. (I'm feeling very undertrained, but I really didn't think this race was actually going to happen, so I've been barely maintaining mileage. Ah... we will see how it goes).

Had a beer with Kristin and Phil before heading home. Made dinner, more packing and cleaning. House is completely catastrophic right now, but we will get everything done eventually. Ugh.

Stats:

• 149,448 steps
• 14.8 miles run

Black Hawk Trail half marathon (Race Recap)

Sunday, July 21
Golden, CO
Half Marathon #187
Weather - Perfect!

I lucked out and got another comp entry from Runners Roost for the Black Hawk trail half marathon. I ran the 10k last year, and the two year before that I ran the half marathon. It is a beautiful and challenging course and I was really looking forward to running it for the fourth time.

Ben was able to score a comp from Honey Stinger, so last minute he was going to be joining me. I had signed A up to volunteer, so the three of us heading to Golden to meet Maureen at 5:45 in the morning.

We got to the start about a half hour early - and snagged the last spot in the lot. I couldn't believe how many cars were there, definitely the most people that have ever been at this race, I think. Good thing we carpooled.

By the time we got our bibs, used the bathroom and put on sunscreen, it was mere minutes until the start. (Just how Ben likes it - I swear he thrives on stress). I lined up in the back with Mo and Alison. It was going to be a LONG day after running 18 miles on Pikes Peak.

Within 30 seconds we were walking because it was a bottleneck to get onto the single track. By the time we got to the first jeep road I was already ready to walk. Already contemplating if I was even going to be able to finish this race. How could I? Everything was already hurting. I ran with Alison and Mo for the first few miles.

We were at the first river crossing when I saw Ben. He was already like two miles ahead of us?? I really struggled up first climb. It was hot and exposed and the grass/brush was really overgrown. Luckily, I felt a lot better after the turnaround.

I bombed the downhill and didn't struggle that much up the climbs - I even passed a few people.

A few minutes after leaving the aid station I really regretted that I had not topped off my bottle. We headed into the prettiest (but hardest section of the course). The forest-y section is definitely my favorite, and brought back memories of Cruel Jewel and Black Hills.

The bottom of my right foot was hurting a bit, so I walked a bit more than I would have liked. The switchbacks through the trees is the hardest section for me. I really struggled and had my slowest mile of the day.

I also had to pee on the side of the trail and I was so sweaty that I had a difficult time getting my skirt back up. (Definitely a perk to being in the back - don't have to worry about flashing anyone).

Once I got to the top, there is a fantastic downhill section. I passed another few people on this section and leapfrogged a bit with a gal I had been behind in forest. Really was marveling at how many wildflowers there were this year! It's always really pretty on these trails, but the flowers made some of the meadow areas so colorful.

Quick out and back around mile 8 (where I finally found a rabbit and a reason to "race" rather than just run it in for a finish).

More single track down towards the cabin and lake - another favorite part of the course.

Rocky and sunny jeep road that I was actually able to do a decent amount of running on before we turned to for another technical descent. While I like this down section, it sucks that you run all the way to the road and have to go right back up. Heading back up I was determined to run as much as possible. After getting to the top and seeing the sign for mile 12 I really kicked into high gear.

Thankfully, my legs (although completely tired) had something left in them. I finally passed my rabbit and it felt AMAZING. There was a section where a sign had been knocked over, and a few of us made the decision to go down the trail (like we had the first year that we ran) - it added about .35 round trip to my distance (and we were NOT supposed to go down). I still had something left and sprinted into the finish WELL under my goal of beating my time from two years ago.

I look a little goofy, but thanks for the pic Tom!

 

Garmin time - 2:57:29

Garmin distance - 12.13 miles (this course has always measured short, but trees mess up GPS...)
Garmin pace - 14:38

Elevation gain - 2,598'

Mile 1 - 16:15

Mile 2 - 10:50

Mile 3 - 15:48

Mile 4 - 13:49

Mile 5 - 13:07

Mile 6 - 22:11

Mile 7 - 21:12

Mile 8 - 11:42

Mile 9 - 11:37

Mile 10 - 11:20

Mile 11 - 17:05

Mile 12 - 11:16

Mile 12.13 - 9:41

Photo borrowed from Mo, thank you!

I didn't see Ben at the finish so I assumed he was at the red barn. Didn't see him there either, so I went back to the finish line to watch for Alison and Mo to come in. After they finished we all went back to the finish area for beer and food.

Ben got 3rd in his AG And 16th overall! Not bad for someone out with a foot injury for a week...

Basically the same height now... haha

We were the last people at the post-race party, like usual.

Thoughts:

• Now that I barely race, I'm pretty selective with the ones that I show up for. This is one I have now run four times, and I will definitely run it again. I've improved every year, and maybe next year I can get rid of those 20 minute miles!
• Another year with a really cool medal! The shirts looked "meh," but I don't take them anymore for most races, and I really like that ERS does a $5 add in so registration can be cheaper if you don't want one.
• Post-race food was amazing like always.
• Of note - carpooling for this one is a must. This year had the most participants I've ever seen and I'm not sure where people who got there later than us parked.
• Also of note - once you get into the canyon, there is NO cell phone service.