Frosty's Frozen Five and Ten - January 15, 2011

Frosty's Frozen was, thankfully, not frozen at all. What a wonderful day for a race in Colorado, and what a nice, well run race this was. This was my first experience running a Winter Distance Series race (http://winterdistanceseries.com/ ) and I will be back for more. The day began with the five mile race, and I arrived just as the first runners where finishing. The ten miler was set to begin at 10:15.

Parking was easy once I found the right place (across from the south end of Arapahoe Community College) and then it was a quick jog to Hudson Gardens, where there is a nice garden house complete with roaring fires in several fire places. This was a very nice place to stretch and relax, with (indoor bathrooms!!!) and only steps from the start.

The ten miler was an out-and-back course along a bike path weaving its way through Littleton. There were some icy spots, but the course was generally in good shape considering the wintery weather we had earlier in the week. This was a fairly smallish race (286 for the 10 mi./527 for the 5 mi.). However, bike paths tend to be narrow, and I don't know that this venue would work well for a larger race. The course was scenic, if you kept your gaze to the west and the mountain backdrop. To the east runs the highway and a good sized auto junkyard. Well this is an urban race. Pick your view. The course itself is fairly fast with nothing more than gentle rolling hills.

So, overall, great race and great job on the part of all those at Colorado Runner. http://www.coloradorunnermag.com/

Now, a small gripe: IPods - Okay, I know I'm in the minority on this, but I was pushed off the course twice by men running with IPods. Here's the scenario: It's the beginning of the race - everyone is jockeying for position, and there's lots of passing going on as runners settle into their paces. A large man passes on the left. He does not pass me completely and remains at my knee lift. He then proceeds to drift to the right. But wait, that's where I am! He does not hear me when I try to inform him that he's running me into the snowbank along the path. I had to either surge ahead and to his left to avoid sinking into the snow or slow down and let him slide in in front of me which meant that I would have to slowdown. But I'm just trying to run. I wasn't doing the passing. If he wanted to pass he should have: 1) passed completely, and 2) been aware of other runners around him. A bit further, another IPod toting runner passed me and quickly moved right in front of me - again, seemingly aware that I was right there. This time I had to respond quickly or end up face down on the cement. I just don't believe that IPods have a place in races. I feel some sense of satisfaction in that I ended up passing both of these runners farther on in the race. That may not be very nice, but there you have it.

I can't wait for the Snowman Stampede in February and I'm hoping for unseasonably warm weather again!