runningwithfaith

Denver, CO

I’ve been nagging you about choosing a Fall run and so I decided to lead by example and chose Denver for my next big race. The Denver Rock n’ Roll marathon is on October 15 and is only my second rock n’ roll event, the first being the Washington DC marathon I ran in March of this year. Not too shabby, I thought, and so here I am again with big plans to rock Denver. Why Denver? Well, it’s a new course, I was invited by a friend to stay and run with her; nothing can trump that, I’ve never been there, plus it’s gorgeous I’m told – that of course was the deciding factor.

Washington Park

According to our friends at Runners World, Denver is a running paradise. “It’s a year-round runner’s city – a mile-high mountain metropolis stuffed with pristine parks, surrounded by a couple of hundred miles of paved paths and natural surface trails to tread.” Because of its 5,280-foot altitude, Denver is known as America’s “thinnest” city. And its most educated, as it has the highest percentage of college graduates of any major US metro area. But what’s really attractive to me is the “feast of nature” experience that it promises. It’s said that its 5,280-foot altitude produces hefty hemoglobin counts, which really means that it’s running on a whole new level out there. Cupped by the mountains, and not mountainous, Denver boasts some of the most scenic trails, parks and bike-friendly paths in a green environment. I promise to test the truth of this along with those single-track trails that serve up sweeping views of downtown Denver and the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.

Manitou Incline

It whispers adventure and a tough but scenic running experience. For a runner like me, that’s enough to send me packing and running with sneakers in hand. Because of the altitude level, I’ve been warned to get there a few days beforehand to get acclimated; at least that’s my official reason for taking a couple of days off from work to head over yonder, and make sure I’m all situated before race day. Training is on. This time around, I’ve decided to sign up with a track club to work on speed, strength and endurance. Within recent times, I’ve found breathing to be quite challenging over long distances and would like to throw some focus in this area as I’m sure this will come into play in the race. As I dig down into my training, I remind myself to give up the late nights and crazy eating and to take an all-round approach to ensure I’m fit and fabulous come October.

The Rockies