My first BolderBoulder

I thought maybe another title for this is "Look at you turning into a runner!"  It's what my friend Wes said this afternoon after I told him how the race went.  I love it!  It could be taken bad or good, so I took it as good.  And coming from an awesome runner that knows how this last year has been for me, that makes me feel great.

Today's BolderBoulder was quite an experience for me - a couple of facts.

1. I lived in Boulder for 3 years and never saw this. 
2. I have done 13 consecutive years of the Denver Race for the Cure, so I understood what it was like to do a race with 50,000+ participants. 
3. I ran 6.2 miles (10k) last Sunday in 1:10:48, so I knew already that I could do it. 
4. Nikki and I were in the FH wave, which was one of the first non-qualifying waves - sub 70 min.
5. Our official BB time via the shoe tag was 1:08:18.  Via my watch, it was 1:06:40.  
6. I wore a white/teal Brooks tank top with black/teal spandex, and matching nail polish.  Yep, I was one of those girls....  LOL

Now, here are my thoughts on the race today.

1. Road racing is a lot harder than being on a track, treadmill, or trail. 
2. It was only in the 60's, but being on the asphalt made it feel a lot hotter.  
3. The heat made it really hard to breathe towards the end, not matter how hard I tried to regulate my breath.
4. I felt so sick towards the very end of the race.  The end is a hill climb up to Folsom Field, and then you run most of the way around the football field to the finish.  As we were climbing up the hill, I had to suppress every feeling to vomit.  And as soon as I crossed the finish line, I had to go stand by the trash can because I couldn't stop that feeling.  
5. The joy I felt when I started into the stadium and I saw my dad waving and then my mom is unexplainable. 
6. I have not been able to get the smile off of my face.  I am extremely proud of my accomplishment, and of myself.  When I wanted to stop, I didn't.  I pushed my way through it, concentrating on my breath and saying aloud "We can do this!".   
7. If I had been by myself, I would have stopped, but with Nikki by my side, I had to keep going.  Plus, I wanted to see what I could have done!!!  If I had walked, I would have to wait a year before I was able to see what I was made of.  
8. Okay, okay.  We did stop - twice.  The first time was because OMG I had to pee.  I had read in Runner's World that you should drink about 16 oz of water 1-2 hours before your race to ensure that you are properly hydrated.  Well, apparently 16 oz was too much for me.  So, that added 30-45 seconds to my run.  And then, my shoe came untied!  Just figures.  But I tried to hurry to remedy them both so it didn't add too much to our time.  
9. We kept a pretty good 11 minute pace, so that was awesome. 
10. I feel like we did amazing for OURSELVES - I am trying not to compare my run to others.  Period. 
11. I am really super sore, and I am afraid for tomorrow!
12. I felt great putting on the purple hair bow for Fibromyalsia.  Not that it did anything to raise awareness, but I am supporting my friend Susie.  It was my little way of showing her that she is amazing and that we are all here for her in our own little ways.

I might add to the list, but there it was.  Another wonderful thing that happened just after it that added to my enjoyment was a picture text  from James of the boys in the backyard laying my my hammock.  Put a smile on my face on top of the other smile that has been there all day!  We wandered for a short time at the expo, and then went home.  I had a wonderful day, and I can't believe that this wild dream of ours actually came true.  I might have to add to this after a while, but I loved it!