This is the first race of a 3 race running series held in Colorado Springs. The series ends with a bang with the famous Pikes Peak Ascent-yeah not gonna do that one....yet! This race draws runners from many states because of the beauty and the challenge. There are no flats. It is constantly uphill or downhill but oh so worth it.

I raced this last year and wasn't planning on doing it this year because I just finished with my recovery program from my marathon, but when I realized we were PCSing to Fort Bliss, I had to run it one last time and just see if I could beat last years race time...which I did! I was pleased with my time because I hadn't specifically trained for uphills in quite awhile (besides during aerobic runs) because I did a lot of net downhill training in preparation for the marathon course. Now you have to understand that this is probably one of the slowest race courses around due to the uphill/downhill/high altitude nature of the course so my time doesn't say much in comparison to other ten milers.

I didn't get any shut eye last night. I was quite awake when the alarm went off at 4:30. Temps in the low 50s...perfect! I convinced my dh to run this race with me at the last minute so it could be a family event and he agreed. He's mostly a recreational runner and runs with his company. He's in the army. This was his first race and I was so proud of him.

There was a long line at the bathrooms so I didn't have adequate time to warm up. I made a mental note to get there earlier next race to be better prepared. I think one of my biggest downfalls when I race is I don't properly warm up and so I start to cramp during the event early on. Well it's a toss between that and always feeling like I didn't push myself hard enough.

The gun went off at 7 AM and I didn't cross the start line until a minute later and it was congested for the first mile or so. I should have started out closer. This event is gaining in popularity every year. I think they should start incorporating wave starts, get with the technology and use racing chips (although the price was cheap probably for not having chip timing), or place a runner limit on this event.

After three quarters of a mile passed it became less congested right when the first uphill portion kicked in. The aid stations were well stocked and volunteered by local HS track teams. They decorate their area with a thems and the runners pick their favorite. They all get a percentage of money depending upon where they place to go towards their XT/track team. I think that's a great fundraising idea!

I'll admit I hit an expected wall and walked some of the hills. Those grades are steep and long. During the last mile when I started to walk again a lady told me to stay strong because I was almost there. That was the kick in the pants I needed to get that mental part of racing going and I kicked it into high gear and probably passed 10 or so runners that last stretch.

I started my Garmin when I reached the official starting point so when I reached the finish I got a time of 1:47 even with a Garmin readout of 10.01 miles. The clock said 1:49 something. I really wish they did not do it the old fashioned way of ripping off your bib at the end. But such is life. I shaved 6 minutes off last years time. Which is great because like I said I didn't train for this specific event.