Street Wise
Me and 54,250 of my closest friends were part of the biggest timed road race in the country today. I wasn't exactly racing, but there were those who were. I walked the 10k course along with thousands of other people -- the Bolder Boulder is open to everyone, and has a large contingent of walkers in addition to some serious runners. It's been going on for thirty years and attracts people from all over the country. And it's right here in Colorado (which I recently heard is considered the nation's healthiest state). It was fantastic, and I can't wait to do it next year. Who wants to come to Boulder and do it with me?
Ten kilometers (roughly six miles) isn't a tough walk, and for someone training for the Avon Walk it should be like a warm up. There were 85 start times to stagger the elite runners from the slow-poke walkers -- I left in a fast walker group at 9:10 a.m. (9:10:40 to be precise, and as they shuffled each starting group to the starting line, they actually had a starting gun for each wave). I walked the first part with a friend and her five-year old daughter, which was fun in a liesurely way. A lot of kids participate in the Bolder Boulder, and in fact it was begun partly as an event kids could participate in.
Me in our yard just before I left for the Bolder Boulder.
After a while this little girl slowed from brisk five-year-old pace to tired five-year-old pace, and I ended up moving ahead to meet the funnybunnies and the husband at the end. Later, I heard she walked half of it, which is very impressive for a five-year old, and while I was with her I didn't hear a single complaint! That's the thing about the Bolder Boulder, it's for everybody. There were grandmothers and little kids, dads with children in backpacks and moms with babies in slings. I saw a group of men my father's age wearing "silver sneaker" tee shirts and more than a few grown-daughter-and-mom pairs. There were people in costume -- from grass skirts and silly hats to all-out wacky outfits, and people playing games along the course. I saw a group of guys (early 20s?) who leapfrogged the race, a nine-year-old girl who pogo sticked five miles of it, a blind walker who was in way better shape than I'll ever be, and several groups of high school girls walking it backwards. There were many people wearing signs saying they were walking in honor of fallen vets -- this after all, a Memorial Day event. Along the course route, which wound through central Boulder, there was a band every half kilometer or so, spaced so when you stopped hearing the sounds from one band another came into earshot. Rock bands, amplified solo singers, way-too-loud bands, Elvis impersonators, a Blues Brothers band, and someone singing children's songs. There were two groups of women belly dancing along the sidelines, kids shooting silly string onto the walkers, and countless groups of people in lawn chairs with mimosas (or beer) cheering us along.
The event ended at the University of Colorado at Boulder football stadium with all the finishers walking onto the field and across the finish line in a stream. Finished runners and walkers and non-participants filled the stadium for an annual Memorial Day tribute, including a flyover of four air force jets in a broken formation (symbolizing fallen airmen and women). The weather (slightly rainy) kept away the star act of the ceremony: paragliders who land on the stadium field. The rainy weather and general pre-schooler-ness meant that once I found my family in the bleachers we needed to head out. Honestly, for the girls, I think the bus ride to and from the stadium may have been the highlight of the day.
When you're new to a place, you want to be Not New anymore. Today, I felt like I became a little more soaked in Boulderness. Because, what the Bolder Boulder brings to the streets is a sense of community: a wonderful, vibrant, healthy community, and I am becoming part of it. I recently heard a story on NPR say that smokers who are friends, or even friends of friends, of people who quit smoking are more likely to quit themselves. Extrapolate a little and it's easy to see how Boulder can be such an active place. If 54,000 of your friends participate in a 10k each year, perhaps you're more likely to hop on the treadmill instead of, well, not.
Regardless of larger implications, the Bolder Boulder is a part of the culture here. It's a Big Deal, and I had a blast. Alhough there are a few things I'd do differently next year (for instance, not suggest my family meet me in the stadium if it's drizzling out), I'm already stoked for my next shot at it. Seriously, who's coming to join in?
Ten kilometers (roughly six miles) isn't a tough walk, and for someone training for the Avon Walk it should be like a warm up. There were 85 start times to stagger the elite runners from the slow-poke walkers -- I left in a fast walker group at 9:10 a.m. (9:10:40 to be precise, and as they shuffled each starting group to the starting line, they actually had a starting gun for each wave). I walked the first part with a friend and her five-year old daughter, which was fun in a liesurely way. A lot of kids participate in the Bolder Boulder, and in fact it was begun partly as an event kids could participate in.
After a while this little girl slowed from brisk five-year-old pace to tired five-year-old pace, and I ended up moving ahead to meet the funnybunnies and the husband at the end. Later, I heard she walked half of it, which is very impressive for a five-year old, and while I was with her I didn't hear a single complaint! That's the thing about the Bolder Boulder, it's for everybody. There were grandmothers and little kids, dads with children in backpacks and moms with babies in slings. I saw a group of men my father's age wearing "silver sneaker" tee shirts and more than a few grown-daughter-and-mom pairs. There were people in costume -- from grass skirts and silly hats to all-out wacky outfits, and people playing games along the course. I saw a group of guys (early 20s?) who leapfrogged the race, a nine-year-old girl who pogo sticked five miles of it, a blind walker who was in way better shape than I'll ever be, and several groups of high school girls walking it backwards. There were many people wearing signs saying they were walking in honor of fallen vets -- this after all, a Memorial Day event. Along the course route, which wound through central Boulder, there was a band every half kilometer or so, spaced so when you stopped hearing the sounds from one band another came into earshot. Rock bands, amplified solo singers, way-too-loud bands, Elvis impersonators, a Blues Brothers band, and someone singing children's songs. There were two groups of women belly dancing along the sidelines, kids shooting silly string onto the walkers, and countless groups of people in lawn chairs with mimosas (or beer) cheering us along.
The event ended at the University of Colorado at Boulder football stadium with all the finishers walking onto the field and across the finish line in a stream. Finished runners and walkers and non-participants filled the stadium for an annual Memorial Day tribute, including a flyover of four air force jets in a broken formation (symbolizing fallen airmen and women). The weather (slightly rainy) kept away the star act of the ceremony: paragliders who land on the stadium field. The rainy weather and general pre-schooler-ness meant that once I found my family in the bleachers we needed to head out. Honestly, for the girls, I think the bus ride to and from the stadium may have been the highlight of the day.
When you're new to a place, you want to be Not New anymore. Today, I felt like I became a little more soaked in Boulderness. Because, what the Bolder Boulder brings to the streets is a sense of community: a wonderful, vibrant, healthy community, and I am becoming part of it. I recently heard a story on NPR say that smokers who are friends, or even friends of friends, of people who quit smoking are more likely to quit themselves. Extrapolate a little and it's easy to see how Boulder can be such an active place. If 54,000 of your friends participate in a 10k each year, perhaps you're more likely to hop on the treadmill instead of, well, not.
Regardless of larger implications, the Bolder Boulder is a part of the culture here. It's a Big Deal, and I had a blast. Alhough there are a few things I'd do differently next year (for instance, not suggest my family meet me in the stadium if it's drizzling out), I'm already stoked for my next shot at it. Seriously, who's coming to join in?
Comments
xox,
m.
Both you and your garden look great, by the way!
http://whiteoaktreefamily.blogspot.com/
Hope you and Jon and the kids are doing well! Pete is switching schools next year - Lake Braddock! Commute is MUCH better! When are you in town again? Miss you!
Love,
Donna