Couch to 20k!

In January of 2023 I set a goal to run in an official trail race at some point throughout the year, no idea of the length or when I’d even do it, but last weekend that’s exactly what I did. Toeing the start line at 7am I immediately began to wonder what the hell I got myself into.

Back in late April a friend asked me to run a 10k race in Leadville, unsure if I could even walk that far in a reasonable amount of time, I took on the 5k May challenge. 5k May is exactly that, you do a 5k everyday for the entire month, however you see fit. I chose to walk the first week of May, walk/jog the second, and mostly run the third, leaving the fourth up in the air. Of May's 31 days, I knocked out a 5k on 27 of them, skipping some days due to work. On June 1st I fell down a steep hill injuring my foot/ankle and making it very uncomfortable to run for the next 5 weeks.

Somewhere along the way I decided the Leadville 10k wasn’t enough, so I signed up for a 20k near Pikes Peak to make sure I was ready. It had been nearly 8 weeks since the last time I ran at all, what could possibly go wrong. The firing of the pistol rang through the air and I was headed up with over 100 people on a single track hiking trail. The first mile or so was tough, trying to weave through the maze of slow and fast runners while making sure I didn’t go too hard too early. Reaching the first aid station at kilometer 4 was a welcomed sight quickly ruined by the 2,200 foot near constant climb up to around 8,000 feet above sea level. For the next 5 kilometers there was almost no relief until just before the halfway point aid station which had a very comfortable downhill leading to it. I topped off some water and headed back uphill, the expectation of that 5km downhill put a little extra pep in my step and I was able to get back to my goal time of 10 minutes per km.

Throughout the entire race the one continuous thought in my head was to finish without injury, because in just 2 short weeks I had the Leadville 10k to run. I pushed it as hard as I felt comfortable with and finished with a time of 3 hours 10 minutes and 24 seconds. With the goal time being 3:20, I was extremely happy with that. Walking up to the start line I was asked how long I thought this would take and said 4 hours at best, beating that by almost an hour was such a great feeling!

Post race I was sporting nothing but the happiest of moods with an unhealthy excitement for the next race. Within 5 minutes of crossing that glorious finish line I was sitting on some very lush grass in what little shade was left nearby. Hearing name after name called out of those still coming in coupled with the cheers of various fan sections was incredible. Even though running is generally an individual sport, the feeling of community and camaraderie was something I haven’t experienced in years, and what a welcome surprise it was. Throughout the race all those leading and passing were taking the time to amp up anyone behind them, pushing everyone past their known limits.

*Quick alpine lake hike after the race, 12,501 feet above sea level!*

All in all I couldn’t be happier with the outcome of the race and for whatever adventure is next. I’m really looking forward to the 10k in Leadville and some other small adventures in the coming weeks including another cross country trip in a few months.

I moved to Colorado!