Running Palisade

As after any major race I write a post about how the race went...I've now waited 3 days, hoping to be able to post my official results but they haven't been posted yet. I guess I was also waiting to write about this one also to be able to make sure all of my thoughts were organized and stuff. I'm not sure I achieved organization but I was able to make many bullet points that I want to cover...

• The Training -- I trained hard for this one. I didn't miss a long run. I fit in longer runs during the week. I made most of the track sessions. All of my times were faster, and continued to improve. I was conscious of any pain and adjusted my training to accommodate such pain. I was told there were hills, so I trained hills...a lot... So before I even started I knew that I had done everything I could to prepare. My downfall to my training...the whether...many of my long runs the weather was nice, a little on the cool side... Lets just say there is a reason they grow grapes in Palisade. Grapes like it warm...

• The Course -- This course was far more beautiful than any other race I have done. Don't get me wrong, Georgetown was nice, many of the 5k's I've done have been fine...Colfax is...well...it's east Colfax, so however beautiful that can be. And the Denver / Rock -n- Roll is downtown Denver which gives its own type of beauty...Palisade has a natural beauty, like this is who I am and if you like it, great, if not your the one missing out. Running along the Platte River and the Mesa, in the Vineyards was very nice. The bummer...the giant, curvy hill. The race organizers did not try to hide the hill, they were very forthright with it. And even though I trained on hills that were bigger than this one, it was still hard.

• The Organization -- This is race had probably less than 1,000 runners which mainly means that it is easier to organize the race. Either way, it seemed like everyone was super relaxed and things were well run. There was plenty of water and cups at the aide stations, people asking if I needed gels or water or whatever, people to make sure we turned around at the right spot. I wish they would have closed the road we were running on, but I understand not closing the road also...sometimes vehicles can be very rude.

• The Trip -- This is the first race that I have traveled to so as I'm packing and repacking and debating what I want to bring, and what I don't need I was terrified that I would forget something important...I did not forget anything but I did have a pretty big bag and extra stuff. Usually, getting 14 girls organized and in the same location can sometimes be kinda difficult, but this trip went well. There was no rushing around and we made it to all of our obligations. The girls were all fabulous and fun. There was some snow during the drive, but we live in Colorado, that is to be expected. The hotel was beautiful and new and very nice. The wine tasting was fun, dinner was good. I don't have a complaint.

• My Race -- This race was a bit different for me, because I was on a little bit different of a schedule than I'm used to, I decided to try some new things (some worked, some I'm still debating), I was out of my comfort zone. That being said I still ran a solid race. It started out when I got up a little earlier than I would have, but we made it to the start line with plenty of time for the bathroom and warm up...which was all that really concerned me. Since it was a small race the bathroom line was fine and the start line wasn't too crowded. I started running with Jo Ann and we were doing well. She told me our first mile was 8:39...I'm thinking, crap...starting out too fast is going to kill me. Things were pretty uneventful until mile 3 when I had to stop at the bathroom. I have never had to have a bathroom stop at any race I have done, so that bummed me out. But I kept going. Mile 4 was when they warned us of the hill...and when I saw the hill it smacked me right in the face...like are you kidding me right now? About 1/2 way up the hill I met a photographer which irritated me only because I don't want to see how pained I looked, I remember how I felt. About mile 5.5 I met the leader already on the turnaround. Which bummed me out a little only because that meant he was a good mile and half in front of me. Wow, I still have a lot of work to do, is what I kept thinking. Things were again uneventful until the bottom of the hill and I was trying to remember where the aide stations were...Like I was thirsty...but not...After the aide station at mile 10 I told myself that I have about 25 minutes left...we can do this. That mile should have been easy because it was flat, in the shade (which was nice because it was warm and the sun was becoming a little brutal) and I think I sped up because I was passing people but it was still hard. At mile 11 you go over a bridge and I remember thinking there was another water stop in 1/2 mile so I hurried along. Thinking if I drank that I would be able to finish strong. Right after that was when the stomach started its thing again so I ran faster...I only know this because I was passing people again. When I turned the last corner so I could see the finish line there were 2 girls in front of me, one in a purple shirt and one in a green shirt...the green shirt was pretty far (like maybe 3 blocks ahead) but I was determined to beat them both. There was some giant amount of effort given there but I did it. I remembered all those track workouts and Lori reminding us that we have another gear...way down deep and the end of the race is the time to find it... My clock said 2:02...I had hopes and goals of breaking 2 hours. So I'm not happy with my finish in that aspect. However, my previous best is 2:11, so breaking that by 9 minutes with a bathroom stop is nothing to be sad about. I keep telling myself to be happy with it...It was a challenging course with a few minor issues (the stomach thing, the warm sun thing)...however, I'm still not happy...Guess there is another 1/2 in my future. By the way...some of the new things...I started re hydrating with coconut water along with a smaller amount of Gatorade. I ran in new shoes (like shoes that only had about 10 miles on them). I had a real meal, like right after the race, instead of hours after I finished running. All of this went extremely well...I'm debating if the stomach issue was because of the coconut water before the race, but I'm also thinking it could have been the LARA bar...My recovery so far has been good, there was no headache after the race. Very few minor sore muscles...Just a lower IT band tightness that hasn't given up yet. It will in time...

Don't take any of it the wrong way. I loved the trip...had an amazing amount of fun and the race was good. It was my time I'm not excited about. Who knows, maybe the official time will give me the benefit of the doubt...