I was doing a lot of running in the spring of 2018. I ran in the local Senior Olympics for the first time and did well, with a time of 6:51.8 in the 1500m, winning my age group and coming in second overall. Then the first weekend of May, I had fun going with a group from here in Las Cruces to Albuquerque for the half marathon, Run for the Zoo.
Finally, I set my sights on Bolder Boulder. Coach Neely was based there and she always encourages her runners to meet up for a fun run the day before and dinner that evening. I was grateful for the opportunity to finally meet her and some of the team, Get Running.
I was excited that morning, Memorial Day, and rode the bus in with a friend from the Las Cruces running group. We went our separate ways and I did my 1.7 mile warmup. Then I lined up with over 46,000 runners. The logistics are such that they have a lot of waves starting every minute, so we’re not all actually starting at the same time, and it works well.
Had a blast and was so happy! I ran a strong, steady pace and finished in 56:43. I just wanted to take in the fun atmosphere and maybe break an hour, so I was very excited to run so strong! I finished in the top 16.7 percent, and I think being a part of Coach Neely’s team helped. My watch said I ran even splits, meaning the same speed in the first and second half, and that I had a maximum heart rate of 176 based on my chest strap, which is considered the most accurate way to track it.
Congrats to Conner Mantz on today’s race!