The bright side of Horsetooth

My time at Sunday's Horsetooth Half Marathon in Fort Collins was my worst ever at that distance. Thankfully, that's about the extent of the bad news I have to report.

I thought I knew what I was getting myself into. The course profile was on the event website. I figured if I could muddle through the first two miles (and its accompanying 500 feet in elevation gain), a "decent" time was manageable. What I didn't consider was running 13.1 miles on a course situated a mile above sea level.

After cresting Monster Mountain and the short downhill to the 2-mile marker, my time was a smidge under 17 minutes. As a point of comparison, in four weeks at Brookings, I should be around 14 at the same point. So, an additional three minutes. No big deal for a really big hill.

By the time I hit Dam Hill at Mile 4, I was back down to a sub-8:00 pace. I was picking up time and, with just one hill to go, the remainder of the race was downhill. Sweet!

But I was only able to maintain what I had already established. Looking back, that was a miracle in itself. Besides the two marathons I've run and one trail race I should have skipped because I was ill (I threw up when I got home after that one), I've never had such a strong urge to walk during a race. My body felt okay; I just couldn't make myself go any faster than what seemed like slow motion at times. But I did not walk.

The final four miles of the course took runners along the Poudre ("POO-der") River. Or, more accurately, the CONCRETE path along the Poudre River. Good god, to design such a great course only to destroy the runners' knees on concrete for the final third of the race. There was a narrower gravel path which followed the wider concrete trail; however, at times, the two often strayed from parallel. I had to choose between less wear and tear or keeping to as short a trajectory as possible. For the most part, I chose the latter.

And there was nothing I could do about the hordes of runners passing me. No one really smoked me as they passed by, but the passing was definitely consistent. For a slow starter like myself who begins to pick off runners as a race progresses, this did not feel good at all.

Which brings me to the highlight of the race: the awesome tech shirt! Not only does it fit perfectly (it had better not shrink in the dryer), but the course profile was printed on the back. Whoever came up with this brilliant idea deserves the Nobel Peace Prize in Running. Yeah, it sucks to get passed over and over (and over) again. But when a runner with their altitude-adjusted lungs ran by wearing a race shirt, I was provided with a reminder of the severity of the next hill as they passed by. Great idea!

I came into the race with a 1:35 goal. Ha! It didn't take long for a mid-race reevaluation to occur. I decided I'd be happy with an average 8:00 pace and not walking. I met both of these - and then some.

My final time of 1:43:52 (7:56 pace) placed me 131st out of 1,206 finishers. I placed 33rd out of 116 in my age group. My worst half marathon time had been 1:41:22, the first time I had ever run that far. That was back in 2005 in Juneau.

But what I'll take away most from the Horsetooth in 2010 was finishing as the fourth-fastest non-Colorado and -Wyoming runner in the entire race. (For you guys from Chicago, Minneapolis, and upstate New York, I tip my hat to you.) And for you runners listed in the results without a hometown, I'm assuming you live in Colorado just because it makes me feel better.

I concluded the elevation was the culprit behind my slow time after my very quick recovery after crossing the finish and my lack of muscle soreness. And there's nothing I could have done about it. I'm a sea level baby and Mission sits at about 2,600 feet. Unless I move to the mountains someday, these types of races will always present a challenge to me. It's a good challenge, though, because I did have a fantastic time on a beautiful morning. I love pushing myself like I did on Sunday. But I'm not going to lie. It still felt so good to be done. And to have that nifty shirt.

Brookings now awaits and the elusive 1:30 seems within reach. It seems strange to think that way considering I ran 14 minutes slower than that Sunday. But I know I really can't compare the two races. I feel strong and fit at the moment. And to have mentally pushed back the urge to walk on Sunday gives me the confidence that if I'm anywhere close to running a 1:30 in the final miles on May 15, my brain may be able to override my body. I can do this!