Race recap: Rock n Roll Denver

Late review of the fantastic Rock n Roll Denver half/marathon.

Running past Denver Union Station early in the race.

The course started and ended in Civic Park so we could walk from our hotel to the race and back in minutes. Perfect weather — 60s and sunny — and the course was designed so only a few miles were run facing the morning sun.

The only goal I had for my first half was to finish. This time, I wanted to finish the 13.1 miles in 2:10, or a few seconds under 10 minutes each mile. I hadn’t trained enough to do it easily.

I met up with Buck, a former Star-Tribune sports guy and fellow native Illinoisan. We ran the first 3 miles through downtown Denver together before my shoelaces came untied and I decided it would be better to slow it down a little bit.

The sun came out after about four miles.

I maintained a 10-minute mile fairly easily until the 10th and 11th miles, when my hips started hurting. I estimate I slowed to a 10:30/11-minute pace, walking and stretching. At the 11-mile mark, I realized how close I was and picked up the pace.

I remember seeing the 12-mile marker and thinking, “Wow, it’s almost over already?” In this delusional, tired state, I thought I might sign up for a full marathon.

The course was mostly flat, ending with two downhill miles.

I finished in 2:11:53 — about a 10 minute mile pace and 20 minutes faster than Seattle. After a quick stretch, I refueled, walked back to the hotel, took an ice bath and showered. I made it back in time to see my mom cross the finish line.

I would run Denver again. The course was fun and varied. The bands actually played during the race, unlike in Seattle. My only complaint was that they put the bag check tables right next to the port-o-potties so long lines backed into the bag check area. My mom wanted some water before the race, but we had no clue where that stuff was. There were so many people we wouldn’t have been able to get there had we known.

Surprisingly, we all felt good the night and day after the race. My knees felt fine but hips were a little tight. I took it easy. They hurt about halfway through a slow 3 mile jog so I decided not to run until a 10K on Oct. 30 (more on that later).

Oh, and that strong desire to run a marathon — it went away once I stopped running and ate something.