Sunday, December 4, 2011

Race Report: Rock Canyon Half Marathon

Before the race--the snow was still coming down, the sky was gray, the road was icy! But we were there!

The night before the Rock Canyon Half Marathon (in Pueblo), I (in Boulder) called my friend Kathy at 6:30 p.m. and suggested maybe we should bag the race.

You see, Pueblo is a 2.5-hour journey from Boulder. A storm, complete with snow and 40-mph winds, followed by frigid temperatures, was the forecast for race morning. I'd had a long day with my kids, whose birthday party was scheduled in Boulder on Saturday 3.5 hours after the time I would probably finish this race. I knew if I missed my kids' party because I'd driven to Pueblo for a race in bad weather that I'd feel like a terrible parent.

I hadn't run that day. You know what that means: cranky pessimism triumphing briefly over my accustomed sunny outlook.

Since I put the picture up there, you know that ultimately I changed my mind and drove to Kathy's place. In her cozy Tahoe we made the rest of the drive down to Pueblo before the storm hit. By 10:30 we were fast asleep in our hotel room as planned. It was a risk. We decided if we awoke to weather that looked so horrible it would require hours to get home, we'd skip the race after all and set out first thing so I wouldn't miss the party.

The risk was still there in the morning. We both woke up well-rested between 6 and 6:15 and checked the weather. Kathy belongs to a tight running group, and her phone was full of texts from her buddies who had been turned back by the storm in the wee hours. But where we were, though the snow was falling, the wind wasn't horrible and the roads looked passable. We decided to race. Kathy agreed to pick up her running buddies' sweatshirts for them (this race offered comfy old-school sweatshirts instead of the now-ubiquitous tech tee--I love mine despite the men's size small). I called Jill, who was actually on her way with her son!

I took my requisite pre-race shower (and afterwards used the hair dryer, which I almost never do in bone-dry Colorado). We bundled up in our best cold-weather gear (not counting my hat, which is a hand-knit one not meant for racing at all; I couldn't find any of my running beanies on Friday) and set out to get our numbers and sweatshirts. That errand was accomplished quickly (after we found the park where the start and finish line were, passing a frightening looking accident on the slick streets on the way). We fueled up at Starbucks, then returned to wait for the 9 a.m. start in the Tahoe. One more bathroom trip, a quick meet-up with Jill (she and her son made it with about ten minutes to spare, so we didn't get a picture) and we were off!

Do you always hope for PRs? I do! Despite the conditions we observed driving over there, I was still fantasizing about a big half-marathon PR (I do like cold weather)....until we actually started running. The first two and a half miles were on park roads. They were flat but slick, basically ice on pavement. The wind, on the portion of the loop when it blew in our faces, was bitter and relentless. Kathy and I stuck together for most of this part. With the footing what it was, we didn't talk much. I watched my feet, which at least had warmed up quickly once we started.

Eventually we left the park and veered down to a paved trail that runs along the Arkansas River. I lost Kathy on a steep little downhill (I found out later she was developing a wind-induced headache that really slowed her down). The wind was fickle. Sometimes it seemed full-on in our faces, sometimes it seemed to be shoving us from behind. The whole thing was relatively flat, and the trail (which ultimately changed to gravel under snow) no longer slick, but I still couldn't muster much speed with that wind.

Not bad for Colorado! Too bad about the wind.
Jill had told me some serious Colorado trail runners needing an organized training run would come out for this one. And I figured some hard-core road runners might venture down from nearby Colorado Springs (very much like Boulder in its daunting running scene). Sure enough, with about three miles to go to the turnaround for me, the frontrunners met us coming the other way. A guy behind me counted out their placement so they could hear him: "Twelfth.....thirteenth....fourteenth...."

I caught up with Jill on a weird little bridge on the loop by Pueblo Dam that finally turned us around near mile 8 (thank you for wearing the bright pink jacket, Jill!). She asked me how I was feeling and I said I wasn't sure. (What I meant was, I wasn't as miserable as I know I could have been, but I also wasn't running as fast as I'd hoped. Hence, the uncertainty.) I was about to ask her the same question when suddenly we felt the bridge bouncing underneath us. It's a disorienting feeling when you've got a rhythm going. We came upon an aid station right after that, and I moved ahead of her. I wondered how Kathy was doing.

The wind was less intense at this point. I had turned on my iPod at mile 6.5. An old favorite ("Goody Two Shoes") and two new-to-me songs came on (both by Pitbull: "Shake Senora" and "Give Me Everything"). This put something that passed for a spring in my step. I managed to pick up the pace just a little. At that point, I hoped to finish this beast under 2 hours, but even that wasn't to be. My final time was 2:01:16, average pace 9:05 miles, good for 19th out of 56 in my age group and 254th out of 558 runners (750 had registered, selling the race out, which gives you an idea of the number of no-shows in that weather).

At the finish line, I tried to wait for Jill and Kathy to cheer them in, but I was too cold. I headed for the Tahoe, sponged off with some antibacterial wipes I had in my purse, changed into my party clothes (yoga pants and the race sweatshirt) and was about to go looking for them again when Kathy arrived. She'd finished slower than she wanted to as well, but was feeling good again. Very quickly we were on the road, Christmas tunes pumping, and in the end I made it to the party in Boulder with 10 minutes to spare. I traded some texts with Jill, who was hilarious about the race and how miserable it was (what she didn't mention was that she finished 8th in her age group--may I please have her base in ten years?! the woman's an animal).

I am really grateful to the brave volunteers and race organizers who turned out for this icy race. I definitely plan to send them a big thank-you email. My biggest thanks go to Kathy!! She's always up for an adventure, she's a great driver (not too fast or slow in whatever conditions) and she didn't mind skipping the post-race festivities to get me back north in time for the party. She earned her baking and her time by the fire that night, in more ways than one. I'm so glad that she'll be my roommate in Houston too.....in just six weeks!

22 comments:

  1. Oh man! Sounds miserable and fun all at the same time! The race-weather-gods owe you some serious good weather after this and TOU. :)

    Glad you made the party and were safe on the slick roads. Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah, that sounds pretty miserable. You're tough to stick with it. I'd probably have done the same thing, but I'd have been way more whiny about it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. That sounds tough! You guys are tougher for getting out there and racing. Glad you got it in and glad your travels were safe!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, that bridge!! I forgot all about it - creepy! Still glad we did it - I think we were supposed to be there! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. There's something extra rewarding when you race in terrible conditions. Good for you for sticking to it - even if your feet didn't want to stick to the pavement!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, that sounds tough! I'm glad you got out there and did it. Way to go!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm impressed you guys did that race in those conditions.. Very well done.

    ReplyDelete
  8. You are a trooper ! Congrats. I'm totally a cold weather runner (but not wind or snow ) too :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. You gave that race more justice then it deserved! Haha. Actually, I never regret doing a race, but that one really left a bad taste in my mouth...I don't know why, I just was miserable after my hat wouldn't stay on my head and I was freezing. Wait 'til my RR goes it, it will be much more whiny!

    Wish we could have hung out more but understood about your need to get back. ONE DAY!!!

    Congrats on a fantastic race, I can't believe you did so well in such horrible conditions! I mentally checked out about mile 6 when I saw my pace slip from a 9:05 (that I wanted) and decided to play it safe and go super slow so I could run today. Still, my left quad is a bit stiff...but I did manage to run 8 SLOW miles.

    I got 8th in my ag? Who knew!! Thanks for the update (I have vowed not to look up any results...bleh!)

    ReplyDelete
  10. You're amazing. Sounds like a rough and tough race but you did it! Congrats!

    ReplyDelete
  11. strong. that is what you are. I admire you for doing this one! A true mental test and clearly you pass!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Completely standing in awe at your very presence right now. YOU ROCKED IT, with crappy conditions and all, you rocked it!! I admire your strength and determination girl!! Wondering now- after a few days of rest/sleep/warming up, how you feel about the race today. Would you do it again?

    ReplyDelete
  13. That is a great race! I didn't go this year but I went several years back when it was cold and nasty as well. Nothing like a great day of Colorado Weather to make you feel like a hard core runner! Which of course you are! Congrats Terzah!

    ReplyDelete
  14. nice job hanging tough and making the race happen!! It seems like it would have been so easy to get derailed with the weather and the birthday party. great job! :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. WOW...awesome job. I am just not ready for Winter and all its running ugliness. Bad footing is just the worst...

    ReplyDelete
  16. Awesome job! Glad you made it back for the party!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great job in miserable conditions!! That sounds like my worst nightmare right there! I am so glad that you got back in time for the party!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Congrats! You did great in tough conditions! 6 weeks until Houston--WOOHOO!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow! That is a great time for those conditions. Congratulations! :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Man, do you ever run a race in GOOD conditions? Congrats on another good finish!

    ReplyDelete
  21. You are brave! I don't know if I would have had the stamina to race in that kind of weather :) Nice job!!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Brava! A great race with impossible weather conditions. Congrats.
    A very good training for your longer workouts and the marathon.

    ReplyDelete