LIFE & CULTURE HOW YOU CAN RUN YOUR BEST BOLDER BOULDER 10K
Colorado’s most iconic running event, the 41st Bolder Boulder, kicks off Monday with around 45,000 expected to take part.
Deemed “America’s All-Time Best 10K” by Runner’s World magazine, it typically ranks as the second-largest non-marathon race in the nation, boasting more than 1.3 million finishers since 1979. For many runners, it is the can’t-miss event of the year.
Whether you’re a serious competitive runner who trained specifically for it as a goal race, or a casual jogger who enjoys celebrating Memorial Day with thousands of like-minded people and honoring the sacrifice of fallen veterans at ceremonies that fol
low at Folsom Field, there is nothing you can do to improve your fitness over the next two days. However, you can get the most out of your fitness level with proper pacing. That’s a prudent strategy for any race, but especially the Bolder Boulder because it is a hard course.
We spoke with Ewen North, head coach and director of Revolution Running, a Front Range training group with 350 members who pay for his coaching. North previously worked for the Bolder Boulder as director of its official training clubs from 2005 to 2011. We asked him to break down mile-by-mile pacing for runners with a goal of averaging 9 minutes per mile. Faster or slower runners can adjust his suggestions to their own goal paces.
Q : The Bolder Boulder remains very popular, but it’s certainly not a “fast” race. The hills make it a diff icult course, so it’s not a race where people look to set personal records for 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).That said, prudent pacing can help runners get the most out of their current fitness, right?
A. This is exactly what I talk about with our people. It’s not a PR course. They’ll do the Bolder Boulder for fun, for the camaraderie of it, because it’s such a great Memorial Day celebration and community event. And if you want to beat a previous (Bolder Boulder) time, that’s really cool, too.
Q. Exactly. A lot of people use it as benchmark race, trying to beat their best time on the course or their time from the year before. If someone wants to average nine minutes per mile, let’s break down how they should approach each mile.
A. Our advice is always to go out conservative. If you take the 9-minute average (goal) pace, I’m going to say go out (the first mile) at 9:15, maybe even 9:20. If you think you’re running too slow, you should probably slow down. That first half mile always feels so easy, there’s such a big crowd, and it’s exciting. You’ve really got to be conscious of not going with the flow of the crowd, making sure the pace is correct for you.
Q. Then things get tougher. Take us through the second and third mile, which are almost all uphill.
A. If you’re in a rhythm (from the first mile), it’s more about maintaining that rhythm. You’re going to try to be about the same, 9:15, maybe 9:10 if you’re feeling kind of good. You certainly don’t want to be any faster than that, because you’re going uphill. If you’re pushing 9 or sub-9, you’re going too hard and oxygen debt is going to be a big thing. A lot of it is being conscious of your effort. Think about how you’re feeling, not being overly concerned with exact pace. A. Like 9:15, 9:10, no faster than that.
Q. Then you’ve got a nice downhill of a half-mile or so on 19th Street, but you know looming ahead of that is the infamous Casey Middle School hill at Mile 4 that marks the high point of the course, more than 100 feet higher than the starting line. If you get to the top of that hill in good shape, you can really roll on the f ifth mile which is mostly downhill, but you can’t take advantage of Mile 5 if you didn’t pace prudently before you get there. Take us through Mile 4.
A. One of the keys to the race is what you do in that section. When you take that left turn (on 19th), this is a point where you can soak up some time. It’s a time to roll the legs out a bit and make up some of the time you’ve been losing. You’re losing all the way up to that point — behind your ideal (goal pace) — so you’ve got to try and make up some of it. In terms of 9-minute (goal) pace, maybe like 8:50, maybe 8:45. But then, as you turn right onto Balsam, you’re immediately back uphill again, so ease off. You kind of have to split that mile into two, in terms of how you’re pacing it. Keep some rhythm, but you’re probably back to maybe 9:10, 9:15 pace, maybe even 9:20 for the second part of that mile.
Q. Once runners get over the Casey hill at Mile 4, they can really attack Mile 5 if they haven’t gone into oxygen debt. What’s your advice there?
A. In a marathon, they say it’s a 20-mile run and a 6-mile race. To me, the Bolder Boulder is a 4mile run and then a 2-mile race. We say push hard and start competing there. Before, you’ve been thinking about holding back; now it’s on. That section is great, because if you have been able to hold back a bit, coming down onto Pearl Street, the crowds are usually pretty good there. It’s kind of cool, it feels like a bigger city marathon race. People are watching you and cheering you on. You’re turning it on at that point, maybe 8:45, maybe an 8:40.
Q. You hit Mile 5 and now you’ve got 1.2 miles to go. We all know the f inal hill at the stadium is brutal, but that whole last mile once you make the right turn onto Folsom Street is sneaky hard. Your eyes are playing tricks on you. Folsom Street looks flat, but almost every step on Folsom to the stadium is uphill, climbing 50 feet or so.
A. This why the Bolder Boulder is so hard, man. You’re right, it seems flat but it is an annoying grind that is awful. It feels harder than it should because you do think it’s flat. You’re back above 9-minute pace at that point. It’s about maintaining rhythm from that (preceding) downhill (but) you’re not going to maintain the speed. We tell people, “Compete with people that are just ahead of you. Pick out one or two people who aren’t too far ahead. Don’t worry about the watch anymore, you’re just trying to beat people.”
Q. Finally, what about that steep hill after you turn off Folsom Street onto the ramp to the stadium f inish?
A. Again, it’s all about trying to compete, finding ways to motivate yourself up that thing. It’s almost exactly 400 meters from the turn off Folsom Street to the finish, so we tell our runners, “Remember all those 400-meter repeats you’ve done on the track? Think of this as your final repeat.” You are hurting, but you’ve got to grit your teeth and keep pushing. Just compete with the runners around you. You have to say, “This is the last section, and if I don’t keep working now, the rest of it has all been for nothing.” You could be the best runner in the world or a 10-minute-mile runner, the way you approach the thing is the same. It’s mentality. You should be crossing the finish line feeling, “I can’t go anymore.” Like if someone said, “Sorry, the finish line is further on today,” you’re like, “No, I can’t do it. I’ve got to sit down, I’m sorry.”