Boulder Dash

Greetings! Shannan and I participated in the 7th annual Boulder Dash (http://boulderdash5k.com) the last weekend in April. The event included 5K and 10K races. The first couple of miles take place inside a working rock quarry. This was the allure of the race and the reason we decided to give it a try. Forsyth’s Northside Hospital marked the starting point. From there we moved a short distance on street before entering the quarry. The terrain change was immediately noticeable, not so much because of the gravel and loose rock, but rather from the dust being kicked up by all the runners. The course was not very demanding, though it did have one significant hill inside the quarry. Smiles and primal yells indicated most participants seemed to appreciate the downhill finish. 

Overall the Boulder Dash was a well organized event with nice after race area which included free food, vendors, water, music and the obligatory t-shirt. The event is family friendly, in fact a large contingent of Girls on the Run participated. I haven’t been running in races for some time. The race brought couple of things as interesting as the rock quarry course. For one, a fellow answered a phone call while running. Like so many folks glued to the cell, the conversation sounded neither urgent or important. While he was distracted, I passed him.

Although the location is less than an hour from our house, we decided to spend the night in a nearby hotel and created a mini getaway. This was a fun new addition to my old pre-race routines and rituals. One last marker clearly indicated to me how time has changed. 15 years ago I would have been very careful with food intake the entire week prior to the race. We went to a brew pub the night before and had snacks, then moved on to a restaurant for appetizers and a full meal.  The changes were much welcomed. We had a great time. 

Do something different. Run.

Tom