WARRIOR DASH… “Mud, sweat, and beer”

When I first heard of the Warrior Dash, I was convinced I would never compete in a “race” like that (a 5k at elevation, on trails, filled with obstacles, and multiple places to get hurt). Besides, it was on a weekend that I should be running a half marathon to prepare for the Marathon I have in three weeks which I have spent all summer training for.

It was my husband and his friends who convinced me to run this race.  They promised a fun weekend with friends and I couldn’t resist.

I was pretty nervous at the start of the race. I did not sleep much the night before, I am terrified of heights, and I did not want to get hurt so close to the marathon I’ve been training for all year.  Then the announcer said the fastest time of the day for females was 26 minutes.  This made me even more nervous, thinking about how difficult the obstacles must be for the top female time to be so slow.

The gun went off, flames erupted at the start, and my nerves disappeared.  The race was a blast!  My adrenaline got me through the obstacles (think military basic training) without much difficultly.  I followed “Captain America” throughout the race, which kept me motivated.

As I crossed the line of fire, all my friends said I had finished between 23 and 24 minutes.  I didn’t believe them, so I went back to the house.  I was enjoying a One Beer Steam Shower (for muscle recovery, of course) when my husband came banging on the door telling that I had won the female division and the award ceremony was “Right NOW!”

The 1^st Place Female Award:  A heavy duty, real metal, Viking Helmet. 

As I walked up on stage with an AC/DC cover band, I placed the Warrior Helmet on my head, my name was announced, and fireworks were shot off in front of me.  Pretty dang cool.

The final numbers….1st of 6,574 females … 10th of 12,687 overall runners….only female in the top 50... 

P.S.  To prepare for the race, I did 10 pushups once a week.  It really buffed me up.  Anyone wanting to run this next year, I am happy to give you my training plan.

P.P.S.  Here are the professional photos if your are interested.

Jamie Arnold

Race Report from a Blind Athlete

I usually take part in the event by guiding blind athletes, but for this race I chose to be a handler for a blind athlete who is 68 years young! The best take aways were meeting other visually impaired athletes, guides, and handlers, who make up a unique community that gives of themselves to help others achieve their goals by lending their sight and time. 

Claudia Spooner, Myra's guide flew in from Austin the day before the event. Now that shows dedication! I was on call 24/7 as Myra's handler. I volunteer guiding athletes also through the C Different Foundation. The C Different Foundation is located in Littleton, Colorado. I encourage anyone from Fleet Feet to try guiding once. It may gives you a different perspective about yourself. 

Thanks for reading a race report that is not strictly about Fleet Feet, but rather about what I do in our community for others. -  Deb Conley

Myra's Race Report - A Blind Athlete from Flying in from Canada to Race in the Denver Triathlon

Before the Race: Me, Myra Rodrigues, Claudia Spooner 
 

"I had a wonderful time and want to congratulate Matt Miller and Chris Laskey and everyone involved in the Expo and race day organization. Also, a big "Thank You!" to my awesome triathlon guide, Claudia Spooner, and Deb Conley, the perfect and patient host who met my seven-&-a-half hour late flight at the gate, no less, at 1:30AM Saturday morning - even the airline crew and ground staff were amazed that she was able to do that!  Deb so kindly looked after me and a zillion details throughout the weekend - what an absolute angel! Thank you, Matt, for linking us up!"

"On race day we arrived at the gathering place at 5:00 a.m., and getting the tandem to Sloan's Lake and T1 on the shuttle turned out to be a surprisingly simple matter. This was the first time I did a long swim without a wet suit, and absolutely loved it! The bike portion was challenging and fun - Claudia handled the two 180 tight turns beautifully - not an easy matter with an 8 foot long  tandem. The final 5 k run/walk included a few dips under over-passes which provided nice relief from the heat.One thing that really impressed me was the encouragement and cheers from so many of the participants - what a positive and good natured lot of folks!"

A few things Myra learned:

1. Bar ends are a must - bikes were pulled from T1 if bar ends were missing. This is to avoid potentially serious injury in the event of a crash.    
2. Having less stuff to deal with at transitions can save a lot of time. She suspected this, so only took the bare minimum and that really did make things much easier. 
3. Using a camelback for hydration during the bike portion made it possible for her to be really well hydrated for the run - this was really essential given the heat on race day.

Unfortunately, Mrya wasn't able to attend any of the social events because of time limitations - hopefully next time!  And, she is looking forward to next time, and wants to work on her swim skills. Because of knee issues and pending surgery her running days are over, so not much hope of improving in that area!

"Hey, loved the finishers medal and the event T-shirt and proudly wore them home on the plane! And the award plaque is cool!"

"Thank you C Different for a terrific inaugural tri event, and for making it not only possible but comfortable for those of us without vision to participate IN THIS VERY INCLUSIVE EVENT!"

Myra

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." Helen Keller

She won her division and also AG against able bodied!

Moving Forward - North Boulder Park Classic 5k

Emily Lawrence, me (Deb Conley), Mary Alico - Before the race

The racing season took a change with not guiding Luanne as planned. It's open other opportunities to guide several visually impaired athletes and let me focus a bit more on my own goals.  

I am glad Todd Straka, member of Fleet Feet Men's Master team, emailed me about  this new race and inviting the women to gather a team. The race course was five loops around North Boulder Park, taking the same bike course as the bike criteria races held later in the day. Mary Alico place first woman, Emily Lawrence, placed second woman, and I took fifth woman. We won the women's division.  

The bonus was having the men's team take the top five places as well as the men's team title. What a nice way to spend a Sunday morning in Boulder. - Deb Conley

the uphill

Slacker Half

I ran the Slacker Half Marathon this past Saturday, June 25, 2011. It was a totally fun race that started at 10,630 feet in the Loveland Ski area and ended in Georgetown at 8,400 feet elevation. Although it is known and advertised as a “downhill” half, there were some slight uphills at times and flat areas (which my knees welcomed). I was expecting a trail race but it was paved almost the entire way on streets and paved paths. It was also full sunshine the entire way and warmer than I thought it would be even at the start where snow patched the scenery. There were lots of water stations along the way and a great party at the end in the cute old historic town of Georgetown. I also stayed at a cute bed and breakfast for the weekend in Georgetown named the Horstmann House with very sweet owners – I would definitely recommend it for a short weekend or longer getaway!

~ Jen Spolnik

Race Report: Dash n Dine, Bolder Boulder, and Onward

An assortment of weather each week offered variation for the Dash n Dine races at Coot Lake: sun, wind, rain/snow. After this series I am aiming to increase my miles to prepare for longer races. I am still fighting bursitis in my hip and trying to counter it by strengthening my knees and hips. I find that going to physical therapy seems to make it worse. Sometimes running helps it. Who knows?!?! I also want to start building some speed workouts in on a weekly basis. These were my times for the races I ran of the Dash n Dine series: 4.12.11 -- 25:19 4.19.11 -- 26:18 4.26.11 -- 25:38   5.10.11 -- 25:02    Bolder Boulder was a blast! My time was: 53:08 Next up: Slacker half marathon. …looking to improve my times. ~Jen Spolnik

Dash n Dine

Bolder Boulder

Cherry Creek Sneak Welcomes Blind Runners

Live interview by Ashton Altieri on 7:40 am broadcast

The separate start for the blind athletes in this year's Cherry Creek Sneak 5k is truly a milestone in my life. My hope is to further the development of sports for the visually impaired and blind athletes.

I had an unexpected live interview on the Sunday morning broadcast with Ashton Altieri. The interview left no time for a warm up with my blind athlete, Kerry Kuck. That was a little nerve wracking since I had never guided Kerry before.

Kerry prefers his method of guiding and following, which is more like "towing" in adventure racing. Since he is totally blind and usually runs with his guide dog, he has become used to feeling the tension of the tether for balance.

He wanted to run sub 8:00 pace, really hoping for 7:30 pace. I thought, "no problem." I did not take into account the effort of being 110 pound woman and towing a man who weighs about 145 pounds. Let's say it adds about a minute per mile, that is according to Kerry and his experience with other guides. He did run a sub 8:00 pace, we averaged 7:45 miles.  I told him that I should have trained with a 20 pound weight vest to get him in the lower 7:00 range for the race. Towing is very different than side by side running. Here is a short clip of the start of the race.  - Deb

A few of the Fleet Feet women experimenting with hoods, green nail polish and mickey mouse awards bags (??)