Greenland 25K Race Report

I woke up about 5:15am and I quickly got ready. I met Brett, my co-worker, at his apartment at exactly 6am. We were off to Greenland, CO. It's only a 40-45 minute drive, so we had plenty of time. We were planning on leaving earlier, but the distance wasn't as far as we thought.

We arrived at 6:45am which is pretty darn good for a race. We got a good parking spot and I was able to check in early. I was also able to utilize the restrooms without lines. Of course, when I had to go the last time at 7:30, the line was huge. Oh well. At least I had time.

The race started at exactly 8am. I made a mistake and was at the middle of the pack. I had to wiggle my way and fight extra hard to get up front. I will get towards the front at my next race. The 8 mile, 25K and 50K runners started at the same time.

The weather was awesome! It was supposed to get to the mid 70's. It was warm enough to wear running shorts and a long sleeve shirt. The wind was pretty crazy. The snow was mostly melted. It snowed pretty hard on Wednesday and the pictures looked rough. I am glad that most of it was gone at race day.

The first loop was great. I ran the first 7.5 miles in under 55 minutes. When I looked at my watch, I noticed that the time was much later than I thought. I had no gels, and just a swig of Heed. Yikes. I grabbed a hammer gel and sucked it down. I didn't have the whole packet, but I got a good amount. I thought I was getting cramps right after I took the Heed and gel. It did go away. After the first loop, I started to slow down a little.

I used the Galloway method of running for this race. I run 1 miles, walk 30 seconds. It works pretty well, but it was hard during a race. There were several people who caught up with me and passed me. When I was done walking, I had to work extra hard just to catch them. Once things got settled. I only had one person pass me.

The second loop was tough, but I was doing negative splits. I started slower at first, but I kept getting faster and faster. The downhill parts were awesome!! There were too many quick right turns and left turns...that's trail running for ya. My feet didn't like this too much...I hate blisters. I have never done a trail race before, so this was a different experience. I saw Brett at the aid station which was a huge surprise.

The finish was good. I had one mile left to go. I started walking at mile 15 just like every other mile. I walked for less than 15 seconds because I had someone pass me. I tried my hardest to keep up, but he had been holding his energy? I was running faster and faster...and so was he. I was running at 6:30/mile pace. I am not sure what he was running?

I finished! 15.65 miles according to my Garmin watch. I finished 2nd in my age division, and won a pint size glass. The 1st place winner was the guy who passed me at the end. Crap. OH well. Brett volunteered so we left the race at 2pm. He was able to go home early. It was enjoyable to watch all the 50K runners come around for the last loop.

I walked for at least .5 miles before we left and I did some shopping later that evening. Nicole and I went to Wal-Mart, Big Lots and a bunch of other stores. I was limping like an old man...only because of my blisters.

My official time was 1:55:02, with a pace of 7:25/mile. If I do the race again I might not include the walk breaks??

BFitBday