Rocky Mountain Half Marathon

Well, I did it. I ran 13.1 miles at 8,000 ft elevation and lived to tell the tale. The course was brutal, the views were spectacular, and my lungs (and legs) held up to the task.

This was by far the hardest run I’ve ever done. I thought the altitude was going to be my biggest problem, but strangely enough, I never felt really winded. However, I’m sure the course wouldn’t have felt AS BRUTAL if I were at 1,100 ft elevation, like at home.

The family and I pulled our camper to Estes Park, CO, a few days before the race so I could acclimate as much as possible. The start/finish line of the race was on one side of Lake Estes and we camped on the other. The location was perfect! The morning of the race I eagerly jumped out of bed at 4:00am, downed a cup of coffee and an English muffin with almond butter, and packed up the last of my essentials before making my way to the starting line.

My race day essentials are my hand-held water bottle – since the race was at a National Park it was completely cupless – meaning they had water/Gatorade stops every two miles, but they didn’t supply cups. Dates – when I’m running 10 miles or more I always put a couple of dates in my pocket to eat as needed. I can’t get behind gu’s, gels, or chews, the ingredients kind of freak me out. Hat – the brighter the better so Chase can find me; sunscreen, phone, headphones.

I got to the starting area just in time to stop by the bathroom and make my way to the corrals. The start line was perfect. It was 60 degrees, no humidity, and the sun coming up over the mountains was just the sight I needed to get me eager to run.

The first two miles were nice. They were flat, easy miles on a paved sidewalk around Lake Estes – perfect to get my legs warmed up.

Good thing they were warm, because miles 2-4 were rough. This stretch was a two mile incline that left my legs on fire. At this point I was really thankful we had driven the course because I knew there were some down-hill stretches coming up.

The course plateaued from mile 4-5, then when I made my way around the bend to go downhill THIS was the view that greeted me! AHHH!!! I think I literally smiled from ear to ear as that downhill stretch put some life back into my legs.

Things were wonderful, I felt like I could run all day long. Then a hill happened. Actually, let’s call it what it is. It’s a mountain. Mile 6.5 – 7 humbled me, but the good thing about mountains is once you go up you gotta come down.

I cruised from mile 7-8 and I thought, “You’re over halfway, you got this, one foot in front of the other.” Chase and Chief were waiting for me on this stretch and some encouragement from my boys was just what I needed. I squeezed them both, gave a quick kiss, and got those feet moving again.

I was running pretty comfortably until mile 9. There was a HUGE hill between mile 9-10 that made runners stop in their tracks. I knew it was coming and had already decided I wasn’t going to stop; I was feeling pretty good and knew my legs still had a lot left in them.

I felt like I was running in mud as I trudged up that steep incline. As I was re-thinking my plan of not walking, I heard someone yell “Cassie!” I looked up and Chase and Chief were standing at the top waving so big it looked like they were directing traffic. Knowing Chief was watching was the inspiration I needed to keep running. I put a big smile on my face, waved to my boys, and picked up my pace to the top.  At the top we were greeted by The Stanley Hotel from The Shining. It’s beautiful, and eery, and I’m pretty sure I exclaimed “Here’s Johnny!” as I ran by.

I knew that was the last big hill between me and the finish line, but what I wasn’t ready for was the wind. At mile 11, we turned to run back around Lake Estes and straight into a strong headwind. The wind just about killed me. I thought about walking so. many. times. but I knew if I stopped I would never get my legs moving again. Miles 11-13 were brutal. I couldn’t see the finish line until I was pretty much at it, but as soon as I got my first glimpse of the end I picked up those knees and bolted for home. I heard “Cassie Bridgforth from Norman, Oklahoma!” over the loud speaker and I put the biggest, stupidest grin on my face as I crossed the finish line.

Chief immediately stole my post-race snacks and the medal around my neck. I was more than happy to share with the little nugget that inspires me to keep moving. I dipped my tired legs into cold Lake Estes as Chief yelled to “kick, kick” from the shore line. That cold lake made for the best post-race recovery.

What a race. I ran it faster than I was planning and I was pleasantly surprised with how well I was able to breathe. This race was significantly harder than my first half marathon, but I’m already contemplating which National Parks to run next year. I guess I’m just a sucker for pain.