20225 has been a long year for us, with many months in limbo due to the move. After two months we were still not yet settling into Minnesota, still living out of boxes while living in temporary quarters. Truthfully, I had not felt quite “on” since mid-spring this year.
After moving to sea level from altitude I thought I might experience an aerobic boost, but the humidity was so high and sleep so poor that I never felt that strong in July when I had a couple of okay but not great races. In early August the blood test from my annual physical revealed that my red blood cell count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit were already back to levels indicative of an athlete from lower elevations. So much for the past 11 years (and nearly 40 years in my life) of altitude benefits! It goes away quickly.
With a quick turn-around from the Hood to Coast Relay in late August, I didn’t know how I would feel for the half marathon. After returning I recovered for a few days then got in 70 miles from Thursday to Wednesday before cutting back to recover for the race. Fortunately, I felt pretty good over those two weeks.
Last year I hit 1:24 three times for the half marathon, and arguably four if you count Canyonlands Half at altitude (1:26). But based on mid-year 2025 results and how I was feeling over most of the first two months here I was thinking a mid to low 1:25 might be more likely.
The Race
Although the race is limited to only 2,000, for the local competitive runner this is one of the bigger races of the year for competitive runners around here and the fields are pretty deep. However, the event is also preparatory race for most, not really the main goal race.
The course is pretty narrow in parts (start in particular) and that is why the fields are limited. Some races sell out in minutes or days, the half marathon did not sell out this year.
I got to the race about an hour before the start and started my 2 mile warmup 40 minutes before the gun would go off.
Warmup up just before the start of the race.
The course is a figure 8 that has a long neck between two lakes. Each lake is about 3 miles around and the connecting segment between them is about 0.4 of a mile. It only has a few hills, four per lap, but they can take a toll on the second lap. Otherwise, the course is quite flat and fast. It was unseasonably cool and a perfect day for racing, with temperatures mid-40s at the start and little to no wind. We also had a good field and a fast course.
I lined up in about the 4th row (which was probably too far up considering how many people passed me) and everyone rocketed off the line. I settled into a less frantic pace after about a half mile, just before a couple short hills. Visibility was poor in the shady sections, with the bright sun reaching through the shadows while it reflected off of the puddles on the road in a strobe light effect. Nevertheless, I navigated early miles without mishap.
The first 5K split was just at 20:00 but it felt fast. A couple dozen runners had passed me, but I didn’t fight it. Some local women in the group that I was in were getting lots and lots of cheers from their clubmates and friends. I was Mr. Incognito.
Mid-way through the first lap, Mr. Incognito into the scream tunnel as hundreds of bystanders cheer the runners on.
I was a little over 40 at 10K (40:05 if the marker was accurate). Things got harder on the second (of two) circuits but I was clicking off most miles in the 6:27-6:33 range, so hanging in there. The official 10-mile split was in 1:04:35, and I had promised myself to hold that effort through 11 or 11.2 miles before trying to run hard to the finish. I don’t think that really happened because the early miles had taken enough out of my legs that all I could do was hold on and not lose too much ground.
The finish stretch has a hill just before 13 and then you can sprint the final 0.1 or 0.15, which is downhill. I wanted to break 90% age grade and knew that it’d be close so gave it all I had to finish in 1:24:38 (final 5K in about 20:08), which was enough to achieve that goal. So time-wise I was happy.
This was my best race since April.
I think I could have gone out a little easier over the first 5K and would have spent less time in the pain cave (most of the second lap), but didn’t lose a whole lot of time. It was a great event and I look forward to returning in the future.
October: Across Two Cities for 10 Miles
After recovering from the half I got in another solid mini-block of training through the rest of September. That included my first 20 miler of the year with a friend and that went well. I did a couple tempo workouts at race pace and hilly runs to get ready for the more challenging TC 10 mile course. I was hoping for cool weather and a faster time than I split for the half.
The weather did not cooperate. We hit a bit of a heat spell on the weekend of the race, with highs reaching the upper 80s and low 90s that weekend. At the start of the race it was about 69 degrees. Fortunately, the humidity was not bad and the stiff 10-15 mph (with higher gusts) from the south cooled things down a bit. Still, just warming up it felt uncomfortable.
In the half I lined up a bit too far, this time I was too far back, but after waiting in the porta potty line for 15 minutes I barely had minute to spare the start and no time to move up. I lost 13 seconds just getting across the line.
The first mile was a little crowded as I made my way up the field, not weaving too much and not making any crazy accelerations. Several teammates had lined up more favorably and I caught a couple by a mile or mile and a half.
With the heat and wind the running never felt comfortable on Sunday, and then we had the hills. On this course you are running mostly uphill from mile 2.4 to 7.
The 5K split was 20:15, so already a decent amount off from my split last month. That included the steepest hill of the day, where you climb 80 feet in about 0.4 mile. We had a bit of a respite after crossing the bridge and for a few minutes after before making the turn onto the long grind up Summit. It’s not steep at 1-2 percent most of the time, but it is relentless. My 5 mile split was about 32:20, 6:28 per mile. A few runners passed here and there but I just focused on trying to stay with the group and maintaining the effort. We were passing at least as many runners as were passing us, and were not slowing down.
I was relieved to reach the high point on Summit Avenue at about 7 miles into the race. After that grind it was easy street. I remember running a personal best 5 mile on this route, way back in the early 1980s and how happy I felt that day.
The last 3 miles felt comparatively easy and I was able to enjoy the morning, with splits of 6:28, 6:34, and closing at 6:15 made up a little time to finish in 1:05:29. Although that was short of my goal (to finish under the time I split at the half marathon the previous month, I was still happy with the result and do not think I could have run much faster on the day.
Twin Cities 10 mile and marathon have an epic finish.
The City of Lakes and TC 10 mile were two great race experience and while I do miss aspects of living in Colorado, I’m really glad that we moved here.
Upcoming are the USATF 5K this weekend and NYC marathon two weeks later. These should be a good way to wrap up racing in 2025, which has been a busy and eventful year.
I might need to admit that I never really went out my way to do the Hood to Coast Relay, even though it has been a big deal and on the radar for more than 40 years. The Mother of All Relays. Something about staying up all night and running relay legs on highways, city streets and backroads for some 20 hours (give or take, depending on the competitiveness of your team) or up to 30 hours did not seem all that appealing. Not to mention the need to cut back some to prepare and then recover for a week or more from the effort did not seem to fit into my training schedule for late summer races.
Going back to the late 1980s I had been asked a few times to run Hood to Coast, or similar events like the Klondike Relay in the Yukon (was asked just this year!). However, I always had work or travel commitments.
Most recently, in 2023, the Boulder Road Runners (BRR) 50s+ team wanted to put together a team to go for the “Supermasters” record, which had been set by the renowned Bowerman Track Club some 20 years prior. I declined because I would be returning from a two week trip to Europe just before that, for our son’s wedding, and would be too broke and behind at work to make a five day trip to the West Coast. I have to admit there was a bit of FOMO before, during, and after as the guys from Boulder went out and did what they set out to do. They ran the course record averaging an astonishing 6:17 per mile. It would have been great to be part of that epic weekend.
2025
That was then.
Tamara and I just moved to the Midwest this summer and I am switching team alliances for the USATF races, but as still a member of BRR and having been friends with these guys for years, and without hesitation I said yes when they asked this spring. It seemed like a fun thing to do, I’m retired and not working anymore, and my early fall season was fairly open. So why not as a last hurrah with the club, albeit the younger age group. I would be 8 years older than the next oldest on the team.
Age is just a number, right?
Although I readily agreed for the opportunity to run that does not mean that there was no trepidation! I thought about it a lot all summer and was a little nervous. Could I handle the expected paces on three legs and how would I hold up in the middle of the night?
Originally, and for the entire summer they had me down for two fairly easy and one kind of challenging legs covering 3.9, 4.1 and, and 7 miles. However, things went south over the final week or so as two runners pulled up with injuries. There were some back up runners, but there was some shuffling and last minute additions.
The goal this year was to break the record again, our leaders Chris and Flavio felt that there were enough glitches in 2023–including injuries and substitutions, getting lost, pacing in the heat, and getting the vans through traffic at the exchange zones–that the 2025 crew could surpass the the record by a decent margin (5 or 10 minutes) if everything worked well.
Travel and Setup
More than half of our team had been on the 2023 team, and several of them had done the race on other teams in prior years. Their knowledge and experience were invaluable, and we seemed pretty dialed in with the logistics.
We all met in Portland on Thursday and got a tour of the Nike Headquarters in Beaverton. You don’t get more Oregon than that! The highlight was seeing the futuristic Nike campus and famous buildings (some of which have had to be renamed in recent years due to controversies surround some former athletes/coaches, i.e., Alberto Salazar and Joe Paterno). Nevertheless, the tour was fascinating, and the highlights for me were venturing into the atrium of the Lebron James research and development building (no photos allowed), the Seb Coe display including his gold medals from the 1980 and 1984 Olympics and his training logs, and the Michael Johnson track (speaking of controversy! I do hope that he pulls Grand Slam Track back together, or at least keeps out of jail for millions of dollars of non-payment).
FuturisticNike Campus
Sebastian Coe’s Olympic medals and memorabilia
Lane 1 Michael Johnson Track
One of the more interesting things on the tour was a display in the Lebron James building that had some Nike memos from the past. I could not take a picture but they had a simple single sheet outline, typewritten and probably from the early or mid-early 1970s, that described the Nike credo in those early days. I wish I could remember more, but it had about a dozen sentences in outline form. Here are ones that I remember:
Be bold
Your work does not stop with the clock and you are not finished until the job is done!
Work with your peers
Be willing to take chances
You may offend people along the way (but that’s okay, and expected)
Keep connected to the sport
I thought that these really exemplified the super-competitive, take no prisoners of the Nike brand, i.e., no limits.
Lane 1 Michael Johnson Track
After the tour we stopped at the Nike store and with a special discount most of bought some shoes.
We had dinner at the house of a relative of one of our runners, which made good for some team bonding and introduction of newer runners. We went over the final logistics. Most people would run on the legs that they were scheduled to do, but some had additions and switches, and I had a complete overhaul of relay legs. Instead, I would be in a different van (Van 1) and would run legs of 4.1, 6, and 5.7 miles. So a little further than the original plan and at completely different times: approximately 11:30 AM 7:30 PM on Friday, an at 1:30 AM on Saturday. I actually liked the change in timing, knowing that I expected be done by 2:30 or so in the morning instead of 7:30 or 8 AM.
We stayed a sleazy hotel in east Portland, not far from downtown. There were a lot of jokes about hookers and coke. We got our gear together and settled in by 10 PM. I slept okay, not great, maybe 6.5 hours.
After a quick breakfast run at a funky coffee shop a few blocks away, we loaded our gear and selves into the vans at 7:30 sharp and headed to Mt. Hood, which was about 1:45 away.
As we got onto the highway we started noticing other team vans all loaded up with runners and graffiti. It’s kind of a tradition to pain up your van with team identification and some smart and saucy comments. We found ourselves driving for a half our alongside the 12 Olivias, and noticed that they appeared to be a team of 20 or 30-something women. We kidded our driver Glenn (one of the most talented runners in the club but unable to run due to injury) as he tried to keep up with the Olivias. Eventually they did speed off, leaving us old guys in the dust.
Van graffiti
“Talk is Cheap Fellas” said the announcer to Boulder Roadrunners as they started their successful record quest in 2023.Here is Van 1 in 2025.
Van 2 before they marked it up.
The Actual 12 Olivias; 12 women whose real name is Olivia, recruited for the relay by an Olivia on Instagram
We had nearly and hour and a half to mill around the ski lodge and parking area at Mount Hood, gawking at the volcanic heap, rising nearly 6,000 feet higher than our elevation of 5,800 feet, the views of the nearby valleys and other peaks (Mt. Jefferson to the south), and of course other vans and runners as they prepped for the staggard start, with a dozen teams going off every 10 or 15 minutes through the morning and early afternoon. We took pictures and got ourselves ready for 196 miles of road.
Our intrepid Supermasters Team, from left to right: Rick, Me, Todd, Garry, Frank, Brian, Eric, Flavio, Chris, Kevin (kneeling), Glen, Mike (kneeling), Tony
Was this crazy or what!? There was a lot of energy in the air.
It was also warm. About that. The heat was the story of this year’s relay. After a relatively mild week, Portland and the surrounding areas expected highs in the 100s on Friday afternoon. I was grateful that I was in Van 1 and most of us would escape the worst of the heat, although it would still be a challenge and ultimately it would define our race.
196 Miles of Sweat, Not a Whole Lot of Glory, But a Lot of Fun
Van 1 Legs 1 to 6
After our team picture we left our first runner Tony at the start line and the rest us from Van 1 loaded up and headed down the course. The first leg drops more than 2000 feet over 6.2 miles, by the time we got to the exchange at 11:00 AM it was already approaching 80 degrees.
Tony, the youngest and a newcomer to the team, sped through ahead of schedule and handed the wrist slap baton to Mike, a veteran of the record-breaking campaign. Mike kept close to pace. I would be up next!
Mike taking the wrist baton from Tony at the End of Leg 1
By the time I got the baton, we were already below 3000 feet and the temperatures were in the 80s. Fortunately the first mile and a half were on a deeply shaded forest access road. With minimal warm up and some bumps in the pavement I took the first mile rather easy (6:30) before settling into +/-6:00 pace. Dropping 150 feet/mile this was a tempo/threshold effort. I felt great through about 15 minutes, but onto the busy 4-lane Highway 26, there was no more shade and I could feel my core temperature rising. I figured only a mile and a half to go.
However, as I approached 4 miles there was no exchange zone! The organizers had switched the location of the start and the leg ended up being 4.5 miles. My heart rate climbed into the 150s, which is hard tempo effort although I was trying not to push too hard. We were still near goal pace, after my leg and Garry’s. Twenty miles into the race, we had dropped 4,700 feet. After those legs course would involve rolling terrain and a lot of uphill for the next 176 miles. Things got tough for Frank and Flavio on Legs 5 and 6 with temperatures climbing into the 90s with little shade, and some arduous climbs.
A lighter moment, one of the gang hamming it up for his newest fans, while team leader cajoles him to get to the exchange zone–You don’t want to miss the start!
The scoop was that we could be as far back as 10 minutes by half way (end of Leg 12) and still be in contention for the record. That worked for them in 2023, but on that day they had a later start (less time in the high heat) and it was 10-15 degrees cooler in Portland. Nevertheless at the end of Leg 6, at Sandy High School on the east side of Portland, we had a 4 minute deficit. Remarkable considering the increasing heat.
Respite and a Shower
After that exchange Van 2 took over for Stage 2. They had the toughest lift. Running in 100-103 degree temperatures through the afternoon.
We piled into Van 1 and made our way back some 40 minutes to the motel near downtown. After a shower and quick meal it was time for an afternoon siesta, and we nodded off for about an hour. We then loaded up the van for the evening-night session. It was blistering hot just to walk across the parking lot and I could not imagine what our teammates in Van 2 were going through at this time.
Stage 3 (Legs 13 to 18): The Heat is Still On
The sun was getting lower but the temps were still slow to drop, showing 102 on our dashboard and 101 on the weather app. We got to the busy exchange at the end of Leg 12 at about 6 PM and no one ventured out of the van as the AC blew full blast. We dropped off Tony for his leg and headed out on the course, deciding to find a shaded parking area where we could monitor his progress and to provide him with some ice and cold water.
By the time he got the baton we were 20 minutes behind the schedule and any realistic chance at the record was gone, even if the temperature suddenly dropped to 60 degrees. Tony was already feeling it, about 2 miles into his leg and we stopped again. Same for Mike on his long 8 mile leg. He was in and out of shade but the temperature was still well into the 90s. Mike looked great at 2 and 4 miles, but the heat wore on him.
I was next. We were leaving the Portland suburbs and heading north on Highway 30 parallel to the Columbia River. It was past 8 and the sun was behind the hills but it was still 92 degrees. Maybe not blistering hot, but there was no escaping it. My leg started with a half mile climb over a bridge and I used that as my warm up, knowing that I’d be giving up more than a minute just to get started. Onto the highway, I did my best to find a proper rhythm and effort. My leg was 6 miles, I was slated to run 6:00 pace, but knew that was out of my reach (even fresh and at 50 or 60 degrees), so my goal was 6:30 per mile. The first mile was right at 7:00. I wasn’t going to be able to run 6:20 for the rest of the way to make that back. I ended up running 6:30-45 for the remaining 5 miles of the leg. The first half went okay. And it was a relief to see the van at 3 miles, where they handed me a water bottle with cold water. I carried my handheld for fluid on this leg, so just dumped the 16 ounces of water on my head and shoulders. I felt great for another half mile, and then it got tough!
Feeling good at the moment, just after splashing cold water on my head. Things got real over the next mile. Real and indeed difficult the 90 degree heat.
I hung on as best I could, I had to go to the bathroom but also had to hold on to the pace. I concentrated on running steady and looked forward to some relief!
I found Garry at the exchange and told my catcher, Mike that I needed a bathroom! Now! I wouldn’t be able to make it to the next stop. There were no porta potties in sight so I grabbed some wipes from the van and headed to the woods on the other side of the exchange area.
Later read that at the Hood to Coast everyone has a poop story. I was glad to have escaped disaster.
Back into the van as dusk is turning to night. By the time Garry’s 4 mile leg is done it was almost dark. And by the time we got to the exchange it was. Temperatures were still in the mid-high 80s at that time.
We turned due west off of Highway 30 and sent Frank into the dark but still hot night. The next 7 hours would be a blur of glow vests, headlights and headlamps. The exchanges were still crowded and we figured that this would be peak time. It was a challenge to find parking and then to exit in time to get on the road before the next leg.
Frank, the fastest and arguably toughest runner on our team, was exhausted after his leg. I sent Flavio off into the darkness for his leg. When he finished we’d be done with round 2 for Van 1 before Van 2 would then take over for the next 5 or so hours. We loaded Flavio into the van after is leg and headed west to exchange 24. It was a long drive, more than an hour, through quiet back roads and much of it was away from the race course. At times i seemed like we were just randomly driving through the forest.
Respite but No Sleep for the Weary
The temperature dropped quickly and before long it was in the 70s and 60s! Relief from the heat at last, although the humidity increased.
I tried to sleep some. And would nod off for a few minutes at a time. Mostly, though it was some quiet talk and music–sometimes loud, I think we were listening to a classic rock station. At one point The Ramones’ I Wanna Be Sedated was blaring, but someone said it was too loud so we switched to some quiet country music.
Finally we arrived to the exchange and settled in for a few hours of rest. At first there were only a few vans in the field, but it filled up and soon got noisy even though it was 11 PM. Some people kept their flood lights on. We tried to sleep in the van, and maybe I got 1o or 20 minutes of snooze before it got noisy outside as more and more vans came in and departed. We rousted ourselves up and got ready for our final push, legs 25 to 30.
Stage 5 Into the Darkness We Drift
I would be doing leg 26, 5.7 miles starting after 2 AM. We were now more than 45 minutes behind, but still pushing. I had never run at 2 in the morning and haven’t run much in the dark for more than a decade. I put on my light vest and headlamp, made my way to the exchange, and did a minute or two of light jogging in the adjacent parking lot.
They called my bib number and I darted across the road to take the baton from Mike.
Game on! Running in the dark with a thin headlamp. The course started downhill for about the first half mile but it took a while to find my stride, so I did not really get an advantage on that stretch. The temperature was cool, which was refreshing after the evening’s 40 minutes of approaching heat stroke. However, found that I had difficulty running faster than about 6:50/mile. This was 20 seconds slower than I had anticipated and my teammates would want more than that. I wanted to stay on my feet, visibility and the possibility of tripping were limiting factors. When cars passed I’d get 10-15 seconds of extra illumination and could surge.
That’s pretty much how went on that dark and lonely leg. I passed a couple dozen runners along the way, and the effect was surreal. You would see road right ahead of you and the light vests bobbing in the distance and not much in between. It seemed like we were bioluminescent creatures at sea. There were a few stretches where I could see no one ahead and there were no cars. It was eerie in places.
One runner passed me at after half way on the leg. I did my best to keep up and maintained a 60-80 m distance until the final mile or so. We had a steady climb for about a mile and then a nice half mile descent to finish the leg. I made up some time there. I shouted my bib number to the officials who were about 100 m from the exchange, but the receivers did not get the memo! I crossed the line, somewhat exhausted but there was no Garry!
I stood there dumbly, not sure what to do. Then I heard them shout, here he is. He was still in the staging area across the road, as they had not announced that my bib number was coming in. Ackk! Garry took the baton and sped off into the dark night.
I was done. Although I did not approach my goal pace, and we were now 50 minutes behind schedule, I was happy to have completed my third leg of the Hood to Coast relay. We quickly piled back into the van and I took some fluid and an energy bar. At the next stop I was able to switch into some dry clothes and relax a bit. I fell asleep somewhere in there, maybe for 5 or maybe it was 20 minutes. The last two legs of our final van segment were sort of blurry. We were getting pretty punchy and made a lot jokes and comments that were funny to us at the moment, but now I can barely remember what we were laughing about.
The exchanges were overcrowded with vans and with some luck and swift maneuvering we made our way through the parking areas without much delay. I was only half awake during final legs through the forest on the dark pavement. By 5 AM Van 1 was done and Van 2 took over.
We drove about 45 minutes to Seaside and found a cafe that would open at 6. We waited for a few minutes and along with occupants of several other vans, piled out and got in line for the breakfast rush. Some caffeine and protein (eggs and vegetables for me) were perfect. I was tired but not crushed.
To the Beach
We made our way to the beach and a couple of us jumped into the surf. I only went waist deep because the water was cold, but the chilling salty surf felt good on my calves and thighs.
Garry and I get our feet wet early on Saturday morning.
Flavio, or team leader, carried us in for the last leg and we greeted him at the finish line for the final jog and photo. Then as a group we went back to the beach for some more surf time before embarking on a 2 day binge of rest, rehab, and a lot of eating.
Supermasters team champions and top 2 percent overall.
Aftermath
After the relay had two days to enjoy the Oregon Coast. That two naps on Saturday afternoon, another trip to the finish area to collect our team awards, big meals, a beach run, and coastal hike.
All day beach part for the Hood to Coast.
View from our beach house.
When I was there I wanted to soak it in and figured this might be a one time thing for me. I’m not getting any younger! However, the BRR calls in 2025 or 2026 I am pretty sure I would say yes! That was an amazing experience.
This was my fourth Bix 7 road race, third in four years after a 42-year hiatus from this historic mid-summer road race in the heartland. After a rather inauspicious debut as a 22 year old in 1980, when I sort of tempoed the effort in about 40 minutes. I was nursing a hip injury that knocked me out of summer training that year and opted to run 5:40-5:45 pace instead of going all out. That was an epic year in Bix history, as legendary marathoner Bill Rodgers raced it for the first time and it transformed from a fairly sleepy local/regional race to the big time national scene.
My return races in 2022 (44:07 1st in my age group) and 45:15 (again first in a new age group) were good. The 2023 effort should have been noted as an age group record, but in 2019 a runner seemed to have cut the course short and walk-jogged his way to a 44:52. Never did actually get to the bottom of that issue, but I think that’s the story. In previous years he had either walked the entire course in about 2 hours or had done the short course at about 22-23 minutes a mile. Maybe 2019 was inadvertent or maybe on purpose.
Build-up and training
I was a little flat this June after a long winter-spring of training and racing. My last two races, the Bolder Boulder 10K in Colorado and Steamboat 4-miler in Peoria, IL were decent but I could tell I was at the end of a long block. I took a few days off following the 4-mile and just ran easy-unstructured through the rest of June. We moved out from Colorado on the 29th and arrived in our new home (house yet to be determined) in Minnesota on the next day.
July was a build-back month and I got in three solid weeks of 63, 67, 68 miles leading into last week. I didn’t do any fast workouts, but ran a weekly double threshold of repeat 4-6 minutes on Tuesday mornings, followed by hill reps of 1.5 – 2 minutes in the afternoon. A couple of days later I would do a fartlek, tempo, or strides, and on the weekends a long run of 15-17 miles.
So far have really enjoyed being in Minnesota and meeting people, and I have joined a new club team that is stacked with very good masters runners. It’s the deepest in the country and they have a good team spirit and sense of community.
Running at sea level has felt pretty good so far, although the transition has been slowed somewhat by warm-hot and humid weather. In a land of some 20,000 lakes (and three major rivers converging within 10 miles from here) there is a lot of moisture in the air. Almost all of my runs have been at a dew point of 68 to 72, with temperatures ranging from the high 60s to 90 degrees. By last week I was feeling pretty well adapted but also hoped that I retained some residual red blood cells and hemoglobin from nearly 11 years of living and training at altitude.
Last week I ran “through” to Wednesday, keeping my daily mileage up to 9 or 10 (70-80 minutes of running) on those first three days. On Thursday I rested, and we drove to Iowa. We first stopped in Iowa City, where I met three of my high school friends. I did a 4 mile shakeout run on Friday morning with another friend, and Tamara and I ventured the hour to Davenport under hot and humid conditions. Bib pick up was a breeze and we checked into the (first) hotel at 3 PM.
Injecting a rival into the mix
As far as competition goes, my return in 2022 and 2023 were a breeze for the age group and won those by 2 or 3 minutes, while also beating almost everyone else in their 50s. However, this spring I had a couple of the Quad City locals tell me that they had a friend who wanted to take me down and set a new course record. A bit of trash talk I figured, but it seemed like this runner had some solid credentials (recent 5Ks in the low to mid 18s), so I knew I’d have to be ready. I figured that three and a half weeks of solid base training should be enough to hold off almost anyone. I didn’t try to engage in any one upmanship with my friends and at the same time, wanted to keep the race as a fun event where the main competition was me vs. the course and conditions.
Nevertheless, the race was on my mind for much of the week as I focused on what I could do for my own race and to let others do what they will. This was not a championship event and the only thing on the line was a little blue Iowa-shaped ceramic plaque and some pride.
And then the rains came down
Friday afternoon was hot and muggy. We went out to dinner a little early (5:30) and got there just in time to beat the pre-race rush! It started to rain as soon as we got to the restaurant.
After dinner we settled back into our hotel, an older place about 10 or 12 minutes from downtown and the race. At 8:30 we noticed a fire engine in the parking lot, and moments later the fire alarm went off! We grabbed the dog and a few items (including my race gear of course) and headed out the door. A fireman was right there and he told us to stay put.
So we did. We waited about 10-15 minutes in an empty and eerily silent hotel, while the firefighters worked upstairs, and mulled our next steps. Earlier I noticed that our lamp and clock were flashing on and off due to electrical surges and moments before all of the commotion I heard scratching and crackling in the walls and ceiling–this ended up being an electrical fire. We decided to bug out and made new reservation at a nearby hotel.
Despite the turmoil and some extra expense we were in bed by 10. Sleep was a little restless but not bad. I woke up just befor 5:00 AM to a sharp thunder clap. Rain was coming down hard and it would not relent for hours. We wanted to get to a parking ramp near the start early and had just packed the car, ready to go, when I got the delay of race text. We wouldn’t be starting until 9 AM a delay of one hour. Back to the room. It was still pouring rain when we headed to the race but there had not been any lightning that we could see. However, we did have to change our parking plans, and avoided the downtown area. We parked along the Mississippi River, about 3/4 of a mile from the downtown and I waited until 30 minutes before the start to head out into the rain and begin my warm-up.
It was pouring.
I did just a short warm-up of about 1.3 miles with some drills and strides. I’m not sure if that was not sufficient for the day. It was still fairly warm at 73 degrees, and I didn’t want to overheat once we started racing. The rain helped everything feel cooler.
I got to the Orange corral (2nd) about 16 minutes before the start of the race. I think I have been in Orange every year I have run it. The White corral is for the elite and next fastest couple hundred runners. After the race I found out from a local that you have to request an elite/sub-elite start position in the White corral.
This did make a difference on Saturday. In my previous outings I had lined up fairly near the front of the Orange corral, and was able to run up Brady Street hill without much interference. In 2022 I probably took it out a little fast and was struggling for breath the rest of the way. I ran an 18 second positive split and moved up 22 spots from half-way. That was solid for first time back in 42 years. The next year in 2023 I started out a little easier on the first mile and ran a 10 second negative split. Tha.t felt better
My goal was to run a bit faster than 2023, under 45 minutes and to have a shot at the existing (what I think was false) record of 44:52. To do that I wanted to get out in about 6:40 for the first mile and run 6:20s for most of the rest of the way.
The race
The Orange corral had filled up fast (and early) and I lined up towards the front. Ultimately it was not far enough and I should have found a way to the very front. Once they dropped the ropes and we made the final approach I was about 10 or 12 meters back from the start line. The gun went off and it took about 10 seconds to cross the start line. I figured I’d be fine because everything is by chip time based on when you cross the start; however it soon became apparent that there were many many of runners ahead, going out at variable speeds.
I was boxed in.
The first half mile up Brady Street is a straight climb at a 7-8% grade. The trick is that you don’t want to go out too fast and then suffer the rest of the way, but you also don’t want to go out slow and fall behind. I got trapped behind clumps of runners a few times and had to do some weaving around and stutter stepping to get through. By the time we reached the top of the hill I had found some better navigation. But the going was still choppy.
The split for the first mile was 6:55, and that was too slow. On the good side, I wasn’t breathing hard as I picked it up on the downhill second mile but it was still quite crowded and had to slow and weave several times to get around slowing runners.
One of the highlights of the day was when a youngster ran by and said “hey, you’re a good runner!” I thought that was funny and asked him how old he was. He said 12! My second mile was in 6:10. The street was crowded but I stayed pretty close to my young friend through the turn-around.
I hit the half-way split in just under 23 minutes. My goal to run under 45 minutes and the opportunity to set a new record appeared to be slipping. Saturday would not be a record breaker for me. I wanted at least to hold 6:30/mile pace throughout (45:30) and I reminded myself to hang on for that.
My 12 year old friend dropped off soon after the half-way point.
Miles 4, 5, 6 on this course are a grind. After you crest that first hill at about half a mile, you have just over miles 2 miles of flat downhill, mostly on Kirkwood Avenue. That’s the best part of the race. However, at 2.6 miles you hit another big uphill on Middle Road, it’s about a quarter mile of 5-8% grade and it’s a gut punch. You then drop down to the turn around and have to do it again but in reverse (longer but not quite as steep on the return). The respite on the leeward side of Middle Road feels too short. My 3rd and 4th miles were 6:35 and 6:36, slower than I had wanted but it would have to do.
Tamara was there to cheer at about 4.2 miles, just before we started the long gradual ascent to Brady Street.
From 4.2 to 6.2 it’s almost all uphill with a couple steep pitches and here is where the course really gets tough. You are getting fatigued but still far from the finish. My splits for mile 5 and 6 were 6:39 and 6:41. At about 4.5 miles I had caught up to another masters runner that I know and we went back and forth to the finish. He kept me going, and I think I kept him going.
With about 0.7 to go, the long downhill down Brady Street and past the start is usually a lot of fun. But unlike the early miles running down Kirkwood, it’s a hurting sort of fun. You know that you are almost done, but the fatigue, leg aches, and hypoxia have taken their toll. I just wanted to keep up with my masters compatriot, knowing that if I did I’d finish ahead in the standings because he was in the White corral at the start and had a gap off the bat.
We hammered that last mile! I hit that last split in 5:46 my fastest split of the day and faster than in 2022 and 2023!
My final time was 16 seconds slower than in 2023, and 32 seconds from my pre-race goal time (and 40 seconds shy of the old “record”).
And what of my age group rival, whom my friends had touted? I had crossed and initially thought I had finished ahead, because I had passed a couple of other 60-something runners along the way.
Moments later, however, I saw him with a group of his “Faster Masters” team. He had finished a minute ahead and had broken the previous mark by 20 seconds. Although I would have liked to have been on top (he ran the time that I had dreamed of in an A++ scenario) I’m glad that had set a legitimate mark for our age group. But dang! Where did he come from? Prior to this year I think I was ahead of his performance level, and we had faced off head-to-head a couple of times and I had triumphed. Not this year.
Post hoc shakeout
For age grade, I have been consistent. I ran 86.7% in 2022, 85.6% in 2023, and this year it was 86.5%. I’m not unhappy with my age grade score, my competitor at two years younger was less than 0.2% ahead in age grading, and we ended up finishing 1-2 in overall in age grading for masters men (unofficially).
Looking at it a few days later I had a good but not great race and I should be proud of the effort even though I did not win the age group or set the record. That would have required an extraordinary effort and I simply do not have the fitness right now to run minute faster than I did.
That said, I have a couple muses. Primarily, I need to find a way to get into that White elite/sub elite corral. In my three recent outings I have beaten many runners who have had the opportunity to line up ahead of me. I could also keep my warm up going a little longer and confidently line up and run my pace up that hill and over the first couple miles with less interference. I think that cost me 20 seconds.
Second, my new age group rival, what the heck kind of community effort was that to get him on top? He had a lot of encouragement and maybe some intel from his running mates (some of whom I share Strava accounts, so they could see what types of workouts I was running).
Finally, the fields at many races are getting stronger and deeper in our age group. It is rather remarkable. I can’t just try to maintain age grade points (and slow down a bit each year) and expect to win every time. And this is especially the case as you get up in your age category. That means going forward I have to be better prepared for big races.
A weekend of fire and rain that ended up going pretty well. Bix is a great event. Usually with 12,000-15,000 runners these days, and a quality professional field. I’ll be back, especially now that it’s only a half day’s drive to get there.
One more for the road! I ran the Steamboat Classic on Saturday to close out a long winter-spring racing campaign with seven races over the past six months.
The pre-race was a little hectic, but there was no getting round that for this race. I had an endoscopy on Thursday afternoon, and they had to knock me out for half an hour. The procedure went well but I was groggy on Friday morning.
I flew out to Peoria on Friday evening and arrived at the Airbnb that teammates had rented just before 10 PM local time. Everyone got up a 4:30 (so 3:30 my time), we had some breakfast and caffeine, and got to the race by 6 for check in and warm up. During the 20 min warm up I mentioned that it all felt sort of out of body because I wasn’t awake enough yet.
Conditions were decent but not perfect–67 F but 92% humidity with a light head wind on the way out. The course basically had 1 hill over the first half mile and a fast downhill over the last one-third mile. Otherwise it seemed almost completely flat.
The elites went off just after 7 AM and we started about 10 minutes later. My plan was to run about 24-flat or low 24 for the 4 miles and score >90% to close out the season (7th race in 6 months). I have been feeling a little flat since the 10K out east at the end of April.
I felt terrible up that gradual hill but hoped I would be able to pick it up once we got on the flat street toward the turn around. I checked my watch a couple of times and saw I was only running 6:10, although it felt like 6-flat. Maybe I could have surged to snap out of it, but instead I tried to work into it a faster pace. Split 6:15, way slower than planned.
I was running in about 25th place and 40 meter gap had opened up with a pack of 10 or 12 runners at about 6:00-6:05 pace. I briefly went after them but tied up and my breathing got heavy, so I eased up and ran with the lead woman from the masters field and an open runner. We played cat and mouse through mile 2. That split was even worse! 6:20. It looked like I might not be able break 25, so I was was writing it off as a bad day.
But at the turn around a masters runner from my age group was only a few seconds back. I decided to fight it out for as long as I could. Dan, my main rival was already well ahead, and I figured that going home with a silver medal would be better than a bronze. Plus there was team competition and age grading to consider, both with prize money.
The lead woman were just a few seconds ahead, so I surged to catch up and stuck with them through mile 3. We picked up, and that split was a 6:05. I didn’t feel great but the pace and effort were more like it. We crossed 3 in 18:40.
Over the last mile I pulled away from those runners, and my masters challenger, and worked to reel in stragglers from the faster-starting group. They had 20 seconds on me, and although I did not catch them I made up some ground. I kept it together by looking at the stoplights as focal points. We made the turn to head down the hill and I picked it up to closed in 5:51 to take an age group sliver and to help our team to win.
I fell short of my age grade goal, with 89.5%. I needed to have been a few seconds faster in the opening mile or two to be at 90%. The highlight of the day was to drop down an age class and to run with the men’s 50-59 team. We won that against some stiff competition from the Atlanta Track Club and Shore Athletic Club.
Mixed on these results. Ended up running little less strongly than what I had expected. However, I haven’t been firing off great workouts lately so it wasn’t unexpected. It is the end of a long campaign and I had a lot going on last week.
I’m looking forward to a few days off dialing back for a couple of weeks, with not much intensity work over the next month or so. That should be a pretty good reset for the next training block.
I ran the 15-mile run on Magnolia Drive west of Boulder the other day, the route made famous in the book Running with the Buffaloes, a cult classic about the 1998 Colorado University cross country team. The route is an attraction for runners visiting Boulder. It’s not really a staple for locals, other routes are preferred, but a lot of people run the course or parts of it a couple times a year.
The out and back route starts about 10 miles west of Boulder at an elevation of 8200′. It has a series of long climbs (1/3 mile to 3/4 mile) that are followed by a drop in elevation. Repeat seven times, then you turn around. The low point is 8050′ peak elevation is over 8700, and in its entirety, runners must climb and drop about 1,500 feet.
I have always run Magnolia (aka Mags if you’re a cool kid) about once year just as regular weekend long run. Even then, with all the hills, it’s not an easy run. Magnolia Drive is famous for some Olympic-level runners doing some crazy fast times and I have wondered what I can do on it.
I probably should have done it 6 or 8 years ago, when I was younger and a little more spry but it never fit in. Now that I’m in my last month in Colorado, and with just more one race to go on the calendar this season, I decided to give it ago. Although I had only five days of recovery following the Bolder Boulder 10K, I felt good enough this weekend to give it a try.
We had a wet week and I actually delayed the attempt a couple of days becasue of the wet and foggy weather. On Saturday morning it was 60 degrees, clear, with only a light breeze. So pretty close to ideal (50 degrees might have been better). I
I have been thinking about this for years now, and figured that I could run 7:30 pace on average. Maybe I could have five or six years ago, but that that proved to be over optimistic. The uphills were just too hard.
I slurped down a gel and some water, did a half mile jog as a warm-up and rolled into my start. I actually started the watch at the crest of the hill, which was 30-40 meters behind the start of the pavement. I figured that Garmin/Strava would sort that out and start my route when hit the dirt. Didn’t work out that way! So in the end I ran some 60-80 meters further than necessary.
Running at a hard effort at an average of 8,400 feet for nearly 2 hours is hard enough. Throw in all those hills and the task becomes really tough. The nice thing is that the downhills do not beat you down too much because of the soft surface. It’s the uphills, which start early and don’t really let go until you a done.
You start with a nice 3/4 mile downhill (150 foot drop), the first mile is the easiest of the day. I hit a 7:15 and felt really good, although dreading what was to come.
Tamara provided support every 2-3 miles, and I took in a few ounces of Maurten 160 drink at each stop, I figured that would be enough and once I ran out there’d be water. Going out was hard! We moved from our condo at 7,400 feet a month ago and even though we’re staying at 5,900 feet now I think I could tell that my breathing was more labored. It did get better once I settled in, after about 15-20 minutes. Nevertheless, I had planned on averaging 7:40s-7:50s on the way up and to be well under an hour at the Peak to Peak Highway (7.5 miles). But the hills were relentless, and I slowed way down on the steeper sections. As a result, I was about 59:26 (7:56 pace) at the turn around.
The return, until the last hill, was better. And I was able to run 7:20s most of the way. But even there, on the some of the, thankfully shorter, uphill sections I could only run about 9-9:30 pace. Fortunately, my legs were fine on the downhills and I could run 7 min pace +/- when I wasn’t going uphill.
It’s hard to gauge effort compared to sea level. Too many variables (hills and elevation) to draw a direct comparison. However, I would say that I was running pretty to a marathon effort for the 15 miles. Not that I could have held that pace for another 80 minutes on Saturday, unless they were flat miles!
I don’t normally go that hard for that long unless it’s in a race. The most marathon pace do while actually training for a marathon is about 10 miles. I have gone up to 14 in the past (ala Pete Pfitzinger plans) but decades ago decided that might be too much if its incorporated into an 18-20 mile long run. Usually, the most marathon pace I’ll do is 10.
I ended up running about 1:55:50 from pavement to pavement (that’s the official demarcation), which is 7:43/mile. Strava said it was 7:37/mile, but there is some discrepancy with the different watches. That’s the fastest for the age group by a long way, and I set numerous age group segment leads along the way. It’ll be interesting to see if any of my friends, frenemies, or friendly rivals decide to go after those times. I know one who could probably take them down and another one or two might try over the next year or two. Bring it on! That’s why we do these things. Although I’m not making a huge deal about it on social media. Just put the run down and let it be.
That was freakin’ hard! Although I’m way down on the segment list (like mid-pack with more than 1500 attempts) but if you age grade it (1:27:30) I would be in the top 5 on the Strava board.
Glad I did it, doubt that I’ll do it again, especially coming from sea level. Unless it’s an easy paced effort.
This was my 15th Bolder Boulder, going back to 1983. To date me even more, I was in town for the first Bolder Boulder ever in 1979. Some college friends and I traveled to Boulder to train for the summer, but I broke my foot a few days before the inaugural race and had to skip it, and I was so disappointed that I did not even watch the race.
I have lived in Colorado for half of my life, and I have run this race more than any other. However, I regret missing many years due to injury (1979, 1984, 2002, 2003) or work and travel (1982, 1987, 2004, 2015), or travel, plus the covid years. That’s a lot of misses, each with regret.
My course PB of 34:06 (1985), is 2 minutes slower than my 10K at sea level. It’s not an easy course, with rolling terrain and an uphill finish (and a net gain of 90 feet from start to finish; and nearly 300 feet of vertical), all at +/-5300’ elevation.
The goal was to break 40 minutes, a tough task at altitude and proving to be just as difficult for me as breaking 3 hours for the marathon (which I haven’t done since 2017). My last official sub 40 at Boulder Boulder was in 2019, although I did run 39:45 in a solo virtual attempt in 2020, and 39:37 at a socially distanced race in 2020. Both of these were at different locations and on flatter courses, and they do not count in the record books.
No one over the age of 64 has been under 40 minutes on this course, I was hoping do that in 2022 but covid knocked me out.
I returned in 2023, but it was only 16 days after an all-out (American age group record) at the Riverbank Run 25K in Michigan. Afterward, I did not manage my recovery as well as I should have. The result was a lackluster 40:46 in Boulder, my slowest Bolder Boulder and probably my worst result of that year. In 2024 I also had run the 25K a couple weeks prior but did a better job of recovering and tapering for the Bolder Boulder. On Memorial Day last year I just missed the mark, with a 40:08.
2025
So here we are in 2025, probably my last best chance to break 40 because we are moving to sea level next month and I’m not getting any younger. Unless I do 5 or 6 week altitude block, maybe with some coaching from Mike Smith or Ed Eyestone, it’s going to be quite difficult to break 40 going on this course.
This is a year of transition in other ways; for first time I did not qualify for the A wave, in which you need to run an 18:10 5K, 38:00 10K or 1:24:00 half marathon to qualify. I did not achieve any of those standards in the past year and had to run in the AA wave. There are about 500 runners per wave in this huge race, and 100 waves! They are going out all morning an 80-90 second intervals.
Nevertheless, the AA wave is very competitive (the fastest from our group ran 31:30 and was top 20 on Monday). If anything I found the A wave a little more relaxed because I would line up near the back and it was fairly easy to find a rhythm.
Race Time!
I got to the start corral a few minutes later than I probably should have (about 7-8 minutes before the start) and lined up back a way. It’s all chip timed of course, but it was crowded the entire way and in particular during the first 2 or 3 miles—enough so you could not really run the tangents effectively. I just watched my space and hoped not to get tangled up with another runner.
Monday was an odd weather day with mist and rain, and slick pavement. However, it was cool, in the upper 40s at race time. I split the first two miles in 6:24, and 12:47 (6:23). On this course you are climbing gradually through 2.7 miles, before getting some respite. The 3-mile split was 19:28 (6:41) and my 5K was about 20:10, which was just about what I wanted, because I was hoping to run a negative split. Despite those intentions and being right on for halfway I was not feeling optimistic, it felt like I was pressing as hard as I could and I did not know if I could hold on for another 5K.
Half-way and already feeling it.
The 4th mile is rolling, and I was struggling as I split in 26:04 (6:36), and I had wanted to be about 5 or 10 seconds faster on that mile. The 5th mile drops close to 80 feet, and it is the easiest stretch on the course, and I passed 5 miles in 32:21 (6:17). My mental math told me that I would need to be under 6:20 for mile 6, and have a strong kick, to finish under 40.
The course makes the turn onto Folsom Avenue, heading south, with about a mile to go. On that stretch I was hanging on with the but also struggling.
Running down Folsom, hanging by a thread (note the 9-year-old on my tail!).
The last kilometer is uphill and always extremely tough and I lost some time. With about 450 to go the climb gets more serious as you turn onto the stadium access road, I had practiced and visualized that dreadful hill over the past month, and I tried to increase my pace for a final long kick, but it kicked back! And by halfway up I was jogging. The 6th mile was a 6:37, not what I needed. I was gasping. Into the stadium with just a couple hundred to go I mounted a feeble kick (the mat was very slippery) to finish in 40:23. Shucks.
Entering the stadium, usually a joyous moment, but you can see we are all in our own private pain cave.
I fell short of a big but difficult to achieve goal at this point in my running journey. However, I am pretty happy with the race overall, I did break the single year age record, won my age group, and now have the two fastest times ever for the 5 year age group. This was also my 8 official age win at the Bolder Boulder (10th if count the covid races). Can’t argue with that. However, there are some caveats and maybe a misgiving or two (self-flagellation) about the shoulda, woulda, coulda on Monday.
As I mentioned earlier, my first half splits were good on paper. However, I had actually planned on going out a little bit easier, closer to 6:30 pace for miles 1 and 2, and then about 6:30-35 for mile 3. That would have put me a few seconds back, but maybe with a little bit more energy for the first half.
Did I get caught up in competition in those early miles, with certain rivals just ahead or behind? As the old adage says, for every second too fast at the beginning, you can lose 2 seconds on the back half. Did the rain and slick roads have an effect, as indicated by race announcers Alan Culpepper and Frank Shorter. It was definitely more crowded in the AA wave than hanging off of the back in the A wave. Running better tangents and turns might have helped shave off a few seconds. Or are those just three excuses?
It also just comes down to finding the wherewithal to push through over the second half. I lost time on the 4th mile (5 seconds), 6th mile (at least 7 seconds), and the final finish into the stadium (5 seconds), that was easily my weakest finish ever at Bolder Boulder.
Post Race and Elite Races
After the race I met up with teammates for a bit, trying to get warm in the old CU field house, and then hung out for the morning to watch elite races.
Had some mixed emotions as this will (probably) be my last time racing the Bolder Boulder as a Colorado resident. Nevertheless, although it was an exciting, if not damp and chilly morning.
The elite races were fantastic! Connor Mantz had a huge kick to win men’s race in 28:21, passing Kenyan star Daniel Ebenyo with just 50 m to go, and Grace Nawowuna broke the long-standing record (set 30 years ago) of 32:12 by running 31:52.
Bolder Boulder and Me: The Future
In spite of having some success at Bolder Boulder, I have never run quite as well as I had hoped. Or maybe it is just the course. As an open runner I probably should have run well under 34 minutes, in fact my goal back then was to run under 33. However, those years I ran too fast in the opening mile or two and then paid a heavy price to the finish. As a masters runner (1999-2001) I felt I could have been under 35, but didn’t put it together (pacing in 1999, hot weather in 2000, and out of shape in 2001). In this latest era as a grand masters and senior runner (2015-25, minus the covid years) I had the most success age group-wise, but it never has een my best race of the year. I guess that’s okay.
As for the future I want to return even though we are moving away. I will return. Whether or not I am as competitive as I have been is a different story. Maybe it will not matter. You see former world class runners taking more than an hour to complete the course, and they are happy and we are happy for them. Participation in this event is what it is about.
When I do return, I guess at least once, I would like to have the final weeks of my training block to be in Colorado or at altitude. To get into the best competitive shape that I can. That’s not a given, but something to maybe plan and strive to make happen.
Until I do return, thank you Bolder Boulder for the excitement as a participatory runner and fan of the sport of road running.
I first did this race in 2022, more than 40 years after thinking that I had to run it someday. Getting to Spokane and running the race was a huge bucket list race event for me. We liked it so much we thought about moving to Spokane, and by 2024 those thoughts became a plan.
We planned the Bloomsday weekend back in January, thinking that this would be a pre-move scouting trip, or we would already have a bid on a house by then. However, things changed, and that was discussed in last week’s post and we decided not to move to Spokane after all.
Despite that, I still wanted to make the trip and run the race in 2025. Although I have only raced to it twice now, the Bloomsday 12K is one of my favorites.
Quick Turn-Around From The 10K
I only had a week to recover from the USATF Masters 10K, which was on the East Coast. In-between the travel and these races we had to move out of our condo on Wednesday, with closing on Thursday before Bloomsday. Not to mention flying out Friday night. The week was a bit of a blur. I had couple of easy running days, but put in 21,000 steps on a 14-hour moving day. The last three days of the week were just easy runs with a few strides thrown in.
Returning to Spokane after thinking-expecting to move there this year was a bits strange. Let’s just call it bittersweet.
On Saturday morning I ran about 4 miles along the course, including the top half of Doomsday Hill, and we drove around the town some after bib pick up. Otherwise, we took a restful day which was nice after such a busy week.
Doomsday Hill
Doomsday Hill a 5% climb over a half mile in the background.
Race Day
Race day dawned rather cool, at 39 degrees. We made our way downtown early to ensure that we had good parking (that wasn’t a problem) and waited in the car for 40 minutes before making our way to the Riverfront Park area and race hub.
Took some pictures of the falls, but just doing that was chilling so we found a coffee shop and warmed up there until I was ready to start my jog.
I got in just 2K for a warm up, dropped off my bag and lined up in the second seed wave, about 30 meters behind the elite runners. It had warmed up significantly, to about 48 degrees with just a slight breeze. These were perfect race conditions.
The first half mile or so of this race is a little sketchy compared to other big races. There are several slight turns with curb jumps and the streets are narrow in spots. Plus, there are potholes. However, I managed to avoid any mishaps.
The plan was to run the first two miles a little slower than goal pace, which was about 47:00 (6:18/mile). My secondary goal was to break my time of 47:32 from 2022.
The first mile is relatively flat and the second mile has a half mile descent (dropping 140 feet) and sharp uphill. My splits were 6:18 and 6:18. Just a few seconds faster than I had planned but it seemed within reason, my breathing was good and I felt in control.
Mile 3 had another big uphill and it was a net climb of about 80 feet, so my split was a bit slower at 6:34 (but the grade adjusted pace was another 6:18). Through mile 3 my effort was fairly even and I felt good. So I pushed it some in mile 4. Maybe that was my mistake. With a drop of about 30 feet I ran about 6:08, my fastest split of the day. At this point I was ahead of my 2022 time and I was feeling good about that as we crossed the Meenach Bridge over the Spokane River. This, the low point of the course at 1740 feet, would be the highlight of my race.
Onto Pettit Drive and the start of Doomsday Hill, I eased up a little and let the pack just ahead pull away from me. I figured I could make up some time once we summited (which I knew was nearly a mile ahead). The course climbs over 100 feet in that initial half mile, at a grade of 4-5 percent. Just get through that part I thought, and I could grind out a good finish. My 5 mile split was 32:00, almost exactly what it was in 2022.
Course profile and pace, along with some stats.
Although I had run up the steep part of the hill, the run out was another half mile at about 1% incline. Small but I was just zapped at this point, and I ran a 6:30 for the 6th mile. Fortunately, I regrouped by 10K and got my rhythm back, knowing that it would be a net downhill to the finish. This stretch along Broadway is more than a mile long with no turns. However, it’s easy going and there were some crowds along the way cheering us on. That mile was a 6:20, again a little slower than 2022. We made the turn on to Monroe and I threw all I could into it for a strong finish in 47:42. Short of my goals, but I’m still happy with the effort and to take home another age group win.
I’ll reiterate that this is one of my favorite races. It’s huge, with 30,000 runners, but everything is well managed. They have an exciting elite race up front and those in the mid pack and back are out there on a Sunday morning having some fun running or walking with friends and family on the scenic yet challenging course.
We did not move to Spokane in 2025, but I will return for this race!
“Think you’re escaping and run into yourself. Longest way round is the shortest way home.”
I took a long trip away to run the James Joyce Ramble, and then we sold our home. It was that kind of week.
We planned to sell our place in the Rocky Mountain foothills this year, or at least look into making a move, but I envisioned that we’d close the deal during the summer. Or maybe we’d make the move next year. However, events took a life of their own as soon as we returned from a weeklong trip to Spokane, WA where we were planning to move.
Life sometimes throws curves at you. Two factors changed our destination. We bought our mountain condo in 2016, and all seemed pretty good, but the monthly homeowners association fees increased 10-15% a year and by 2024 it had doubled, while the services and quality of maintenance at the site declined. In a few more years the fees would be greater than our mortgage, and that would be financially unsustainable for us. Not to mention the value of our property would decline. At the beginning of this year we decided that moving out in 2025 would be better than 2026. That would mean having the condo on the market by spring.
Things accelerated from there. Realtors, you know. We were on the market on March 7, with open houses the on the following two weekends. So much for a relaxing beginning of spring! Had we not been selling our place I would have stayed the World Masters Championships in Florida to run the 10K road race on March 30, but I needed to get home to help take care of things.
Meanwhile, other events prompted us to rethink whether we actually wanted to move to Spokane. It checked a lot of boxes, but one issue was that it was no closer to our family, in fact further. In mid-March, just a week after the condo went up for sale, we decided that a move to the Midwest might suit us better. Three factors gave the edge to the Midwest. Housing is even more affordable, it’s closer to our oldest son (his brother lives on the West Coast, but it was still a 2 hour flight from Spokane), and access to cross country skiing would be better. We have decided to move to the Twin Cities this July. It beat out Spokane in 10 of 12 categories that we considered. The only two that it was better were location and landscape and size.
Enough of the preamble, now to Dedham and the 10K.
Post WMA Training
I had five weeks after the 8K cross country championships. Recovery from that race took longer than expected. I was completely washed out that first week, and it felt more like following a half marathon, indicating some life stress no doubt but also that the race in Gainesville was an all-out effort.
My weeks in April, leading up to the 10K at the end of the month were 47, 43 (with some skiing and cycling), 56, 43, and 39 miles. For me that’s kind of in the lower end of moderate mileage. I usually like 60-65 miles a week. With so much going on and the slower than normal recovery it was adequate.
Workouts were nothing special in April but I got in a couple of double threshold days, and some single workouts focusing on threshold or CV effort (essentially race pace). I guess my capstone workout, 10 days before the race, was an asymmetrical ladder with 2,3,4,5,6,5,2 on rolling terrain. Starting at threshold and then working toward low 6 minute/mile effort (CV for me right now). That workout went well enough, and I felt I could run under 6:20/mile in Dedham.
Travel and Pre-Race
I flew into Boston on Friday afternoon and visited my cousin and her husband in Brookline that evening. Saturday was very chill, I ended up spending the day on my own at the hotel in Dedham, with my only activity being an easy run to pick up my race packet at the course venue.
Race Day
My friend Jim drove down from New Hampshire Sunday morning and we visited for a bit before taking the short drive to the race. It was cool, windy, and raining off and on. More like day for a cross country race, but it wasn’t terrible and everyone would be facing the same conditions so it didn’t phase me much. Got in a 2-mile warm up jog with some friends, did my strides and stretching and before I knew it, we were lined up and ready to go.
The first part of these races is always a little frenetic, and I’m always surprised at how fast some runners shoot off from the starting line. I focus on staying on my feet but also try to be aware of my pace-effort, next is to survey the scene and to keep an eye out for competitors. Two local guys from my age group strode by in the first 200 m, and then a guy in the 70s age group! I couldn’t even keep track of how many in the 60-64 group were ahead, but it seemed like a lot. Then another runner (a future teammate from the Twin Cities) ran by looking light and fresh.
I was hoping to win the age group, but figured that even if I had a bad day, I would be top 3 in the age group. However, you never know and I’m always full of doubt in the early stages of these masters running events.
By the first mile (a bit too fast in 6:03) I had pulled away from the two local runners and had my sights on my new friend/rival from the Twin Cities who was about 30 meters ahead, who had thrown in at least one surge and was and looking strong. A hell of a way to introduce ourselves, I thought.
I gained some ground in the second mile, but when I got within about 10 meters he surged again and the gap had quickly opened up to 30 meters. I knew I’d have to keep focused and have good middle and latter part of the race to keep in contact. At about 2 miles we made a sharp turn to the right, and I could see him easing up some. I was in a good pack of about six or seven other runners and I went with their tempo. We crossed 2 miles in 12:12. This was faster than the 6:15/mile I had anticipated, but I felt it was important to keep in contact.
Just after mile 2, pulled along by the pack of runners, I eased past my competitor. This was mostly a flat mile, with a net downhill and I think the wind was in our favor. That split of 5:56 was my fastest of the day, as I crossed 3 miles in 18:08.
Then things got harder. The 4th mile is through a campus and it features two solid hills. The first one was 25 feet, not too bad, but after a short downhill the second hill climbs at 6% with a net gain of 40 feet. I really slowed on that one. My mile split was 6:22, the slowest of the day. The 5th and 6th miles were a grind, with lightly rolling terrain, the splits were 6:07 and 6:13. I was running out of gas during mile 6 and on the final turn, with about 1200 m to go, did a head check to see where my competitors were. I had about 20 seconds and although I was feeling uncomfortable I felt that I could hold the effort for a few more minutes. He’d have to have a blazing kick to run me down.
Course map with Garmin splits (probably about a second per mile faster than actual).
The last 500 m have a slight net uphill, with a final hill with about 350 to go. I threw it all down and closed in about 5:50 pace to hang onto a 38:17, good enough for 48th overall and 1st in my age class.
A final surge at the finish was enough to put me on the age grade podium, 3rd out of all runners/ages in the race.
That was a hard fought race–it’s going to be interesting once I get to the Twin Cities, with such strong and competitive teammates! Meanwhile, although we did not field a 60s team, the 70s team showed up strong and took 2nd place to a surging Shore Athletic Club from New Jersey. They rarely lose, but Shore is strong this year.
With BRR 70s team.
And speaking of future teammates, in the age grading category I edged another Twin Cities runner (early 60s) by 0.05% to score a 90.6% age grade, and 3rd place overall. That was probably the biggest achievement of the day.
I was really happy with this race. Although I felt rough in that 6th mile in particular, I held on and didn’t lose much ground. Had I put my head down and stayed with the leaders of that pack I might have eked out 8 or 10 more seconds and been at the 91% range or age grading (and moved up a spot), but other than that I don’t think I could have gone much faster.
Sisu. Finnish for strength, will, and determination.
Although we raced on just the third day of the spring, the World Masters Athletics (WMA) cross country championship was my biggest race for the spring or winter of 2025. Preparation this time was a little different, because I mixed in more cross country skiing (on average two workouts a week) for recreation and to supplement my training. The result was less running volume no more than 40-50 miles a week of running, compared to 60-65, and fewer workouts overall. The workouts I did were less intense and frequent than in years past.
Following US Nationals in January I took a four week break from tempo or speed workouts, and I resumed doing regular sessions in February. These sessions were nothing fancy. Typically, I would do a tempo or threshold session early in the week and a few days later something involving 5K to 10K effort. I did a couple double threshold days, but these were not an emphasis as they had been during the winter over the past few years. The routine was solid and I averaged about 8 or 9 hours a week of training since January.
This year’s WMA races were in Florida so I decided to include some heat training to prepare for warm/humid weather. Twice a week over the past five or six weeks I went to a community fitness center and spent 15 or 20 minutes in the steam room (the sauna was not functioning properly) and then donned a couple layers of running clothes and I ran on the treadmill for 25 to 45 minutes. This was nothing radical, but it seemed to serve me well in 2018, when I ran the Gasparilla 15K in Tampa.
I was prepared but heading into these championships did not feel as sharp as last summer, when I raced in Sweden, and not nearly has honed as I was in 2019 when the championships were in Poland. Noteabley, my recovery days of late have been much slower (about 30 seconds per mile) than in previous years. However, my workouts were close to what I had been doing in 2023 and 2024, and I felt confident that I could get another world medal and maybe a win.
I have never won a championship cross country race although I have done so on the roads more than a dozen times. Leading up to Sunday’s race, at the US cross country championship events I have had five podium finishes (2018, 2019, 2022, 2024, 2025), and two bronze medals at the WMA championships (2019, 2024). A win would be nice. Here is how it went down in Gainesville.
Travel
I traveled to Florida on Thursday evening, but did not get to my hotel in Jacksonville until midnight. On Friday I drove to Gainesville and my first stop was for a shakeout run at the cross country (and throws venue), about 10 miles west of the city and the University of Florida.
It was fun to drive through the city with it’s storied running history going back to the days of Olympic Gold Medalist Frank Shorter and writer John L. Parker Jr., author of Once a Runner, which was set in a fictitious version of Gainesville. And more recently it has been home of the NCAA track and field champion Florida Gators, where the likes of Olympic Gold Medalist Grant Holloway and Olympian Parker Valby still train.
The 2K loop on a former golf course was mostly flat, with a few bunkers along the way to break things up, but lumpy and sandy. I would like to see more hills and interesting terrain but it was fair enough.
Course preview on Friday
On Saturday I returned to the course, after my easy run and a few strides, I spotted my friend Jukka from Finland. He won WMA XC in 2019 and 2022. Last year we raced in Sweden and I was 3rd and he was 4th. That day I wore spikes and he wore Nike Vaporflies, and that may a have been the difference. Before the race the other day he showed me his brand new Nike Dragonfly XCs and said “Now we are even!”
On Friday I ran into my friend and primary competition, Jukka from Finland.
Otherwise I was very boring and only ventured out from my Airbnb for essential trips. I’d like to go back Gainesville some day for a winter training camp, then maybe I would have some more time to check out the city and university.
Race Day
Friday and Saturday mornings there were surprisingly cool in the 40s, and it only warmed up late in the morning. But things heated up quicky on Sunday when it warmed up almost 20 degrees from 50 to 70 in just a couple of hours (and then climbing to 80 later in the day).
The temperature was already in high 60s when we raced, and about 70 by the finish. It was a little warmer than I would like but thankfully it was not oppressive.
The race had three five-year age groups combined, covering men from age 55-69. Each time I do one of these WMA races age range gets larger. In 2019 we just ran one age group at a time, so you knew exactly where you were. And last summer in Sweden we had two age groups of men in their 60s. Nevertheless the field this year was not big (70 runners in all three age groups and only 20 in the men’s 65-69 age group.
After getting yelled at and verbally abused by the official for a few minutes, typical for masters cross country, we finally lined up and the starter fired the gun. I immediately settled into to mid-pack and I counted three runners in my age group who went out faster. Three that I knew of at least: Jukka from Finland, a runner from Algeria (Alem), and another from Argentina. Jukka and Alem gapped me by more than 30-40 meters within the first 400, where we had our first turn. And that gap ended up making the difference on Sunday.
Even though they were well ahead, I stuck to my pacing throughout the first lap and reeled in a half dozen runners and I felt I was running about where I should be. My first mile was in 6:18.
Making my way through the field, end of lap 1.
By the end of the lap, Ricardo the runner from Argentina was coming back, but the runners from Finland and Algeria seemed to have increased their advantage over 40 m. I passed Ricardo early in the second lap and instinctively picked up the pace, and set to work on reeling the other two. The by midway through that lap, Jukka had pulled away from the Algerian, who had slowed down. I caught and passed Alem just after lap 2, and I surged by to discourage him from going with me.
I was getting thirsty and hot, but had run by the water table twice because they had placed it way off to the left side of the course just before a right hand turn. I didn’t even see the table on the first two laps.
Onto the final lap. One more to catch, Jukka, my friend from Finland. He was still about 30 meters ahead. At the end of lap 3 I finally spotted the water table off to the left side and decided to veer off the tangent to grab a bottle (it was beyond me why they put the table way out there) so I could get a sip and splash some on my head and arms. That felt great and I was rejuvenated, but I lost a few meters. 2K to make the gap 40 meters. Catching Jukka was possible but only if he would have to fade some. I did make up some ground before starting my kick with about 500 m to go. I got back to about 20 or 25 meters back. On the last turn, just 200 m from the finish I went into a full sprint a but then he also kicked it in and I finished 5.6 seconds back.
I congratulated Jukka, who could only mutter “I feel so bad right now!” We had pushed each other out there. This race was all about Sisu. Going against Jukka the Finn, he showed a lot of Sisu out there and would not let up. I’m half Finnish myself. I felt that also ran with guts and determination, I just did not quite have that extra gear on to reel him in.
I did not get the gold medal but did win an World Championship upgrade to a silver. A win would have been great, but I am not too disappointed. We won the team title (also did in 2024), so we got another medal for that. Avg. 6:20/mile, about 87% age grade which has been about where I have been landing for XC races over the past couple of years.
Men’s 65-69 age group individual podium at the WMA 8K cross country championships in Florida.
Individually it was close but not quite. Teamwise, which is why I chose this race instead of the 10K road race, we won easily. In fact we beat all comers (best of the rest combined), and would have been 2nd behind the American men in the 60-64 category, where he did have a half dozen teams.
Team USA taking the age group gold medal in the 8K cross country at the WMA championships.
I lined up for Saturday’s Sharin’ O’ The Green 5K hoping not to have a blow out. Not my shoes, and not folding in the stretch, I was concerned about holding my breakfast and yesterday’s meals in my intestine. This was my first bicarb (sodium bicarbonate) race experiment and I lived to tell the tale.
Other than some casual ski races in January and February, on the schedule for fitness more than competition, I had only raced once since November and that was 9 weeks ago. However, I needed a rust buster and test effort for the upcoming WMA cross country event this month. I also got my hands on some Maurten bicarb, which is all the rage this year, but like anything new in running that shows success it’s hard to get. Fortunately, one of my friends knows people in the company and was able to get package with four treatments.
Last week I listened to the Physiology of Endurance Running Podcast (they’re nerdy but it’s really good), and their recent interview with Dr. Andy Sparks a researcher who did much of the work on sodium bicarbonate in sport over the past decade. He’s now a research manager with Maurten. In that interview he told tales of their earlier research where athletes had massive diarrheal outbursts or upset stomachs after taking bicarb. But that was before they developed an encapsulated formula that releases the bicarbonate in your intestine, and at a slower rate, rather than your stomach. The issue is the acids in the stomach don’t mix well with the base in the bicarbonate, and that often leads to an upset digestive system.
For years researchers athletes and coaches have recognized the sodium bicarbonate can buffer the exercise induced acidosis in blood and muscles, but the trick was to find a way to get enough into an athlete’s system while not causing digestive upset. However, recently Dr. Sparks and others have shown that encapsulating the bicarbonate and taking it with a carbohydrate gel product, it can be consumed by athletes while not resulting in digestive issues. Indeed it appears to allow greater endurance by buffering the blood.
The trick is that you need to follow the protocol. It’s pretty simple. Eat a light meal a few hours ahead of your exercise (or race), two hours before mix the gel caplets into 200 ml of water, and then a couple of minutes later add in the encapsulated bicarb, mix and then slurp down the tasteless gel in one bout but without chewing the bicarb.
How did it go?
Saturday’s Race
We decided to drive the 80-90 minutes to Fort Collins on Saturday morning, rather than stay in a hotel overnight. I was a little nervous about the bicarb protocol and timing it right while we were enroute, but decided to go ahead with the idea that we would stop about half way there, 2 hours ahead of the race.
After 45 minutes of driving we pulled off and stopped at a service station where I mixed the goop, waited 5 minutes and gulped it down without gagging anything and spilling only a half teaspoon. Two hours to race time.
We arrived in Fort Collins about an hour ahead of the race where I picked up my bib and set about with the warm up. I had planned on 3 miles, but with porta john lines (especially important on this day!) I got in 2 miles with some drills, a short tempo, and some strides. We lined up and everyone one seemed to converge at once, and I could only get as far up as the 4th row, with 30 or 40 people ahead of me in a field that did not look deep.
The plan was to run about 6:08-6:10 over the first mile and then see how it would go on the bike path over the final two miles. My goal was run about 19:00 for the 5K, which age grades to about 88 %.
20 meters into the race, and slightly boxed, in you can see my hat and sunglasses between numbers 288 and 694.
We blasted out of the start and some from behind shot ahead. The pace over the first few hundred meters was faster than I had wanted (sub 6) so I eased up a little. I split the mile in about 6:02, which was a little fast. My breathing was okay.
We had a bit of a headwind as we turned onto the bike path just after one mile. I tucked into a large pack of about 10 runners and found myself near the front of the group. It was a little unnerving to hear so many footsteps right on my heals. I braked a few times because the leaders of the group slowed a bit, and also eased up once, at about half way because a guy was breathing so heavily, practically in my ear. That was a distraction and either I could pick it up and get a gap or slow a bit and run behind him for a bit.
On the bike path, about 2 km into the race.
I fell back to about 4th or 5th in that pack, trying to keep focused and in contact. By 2 miles I had moved back up some and the pack was dissipating by then. We split in about 12:10, so a 6:08 second mile. That felt about right and it felt like I could run about 19-flat or under if I could hang on.
However, I started to get the feeling that I might need to go to the bathroom. Hold on! Less than a mile to go. I got gassed (tired) at 2.5 and slowed down for a few hundred meters. Two runners went by quickly. They were younger and closed under 6:00 for the last mile. Then two more went by, but they were not moving as fast and I was able to maintain a better pace, about 5 meters behind them. We popped off the river and over a bridge at about 2.8 miles, and I was back onto 6:00-6:10 pace for the stretch. Over the last 200 or 250 m, just before the 3 mile marker (3 miles in 18:28), I threw down all I could and had a strong kick (5:40 pace). I passed those two and pulled away by 4 or 5 seconds. Officially finishing 19:17, but I think that was a little long. And my watch had me closer to 19:05+/-.
Finishing kick!
My intestines were okay, but I did seek the nearest bathroom within 2-3 minutes after crossing the line. No upsets or accidents. All was good.
Post-Hoc
This is why we do rust busters. I think my fitness is there, but the pacing was not perfect (see pace chart). The finish was crazy fast, however, and that’s encouraging.
Pace chart from Saturday’s 5K. Note the quick start. The big dip at 2.1 miles was actually going under a double bridge. Ideally I would have liked to hold about 6:10 pace from 2.3 to 3 miles, and hopefully can find that gear when we have the bigger races.
I finished top 20 and won my age group, and pretty much achieved my pre-race goals.
Age grade was 87% for the full time for 5K, if you consider that the course seemed long (3.16 miles) it was over 88%. I probably hit that first mile a bit too fast, maybe 5 or 6 seconds, and that’s why struggled some over the 3rd mile.
Age group winners at Saturday’s 5K in Fort Collins.
What about the bicarb? I think there is something there, that was my best kick in a 5K in a long time. Usually I drop a few seconds in pace, maybe 10-15 seconds per mile under the overall pace, but this was 30+ seconds, and I felt I could have gone another 100-150 meters at this sprint effort, instead of feeling utterly spent when crossing the line. So I am encouraged.
rrunnin234 