Can you see me in this Bolder Boulder 2012 starting wave?  I’m wearing a white shirt and green hat.  Let me know if you see me because I can’t find myself.  I probably started near the back.  That’s my starting strategy this year too.  My thinking is that will allow me to go out more conservatively than the bulk of the wave.

Starting out in the 4th wave, I expect to still run well under an 8 minute first mile.  My wave should average a 7:10 pace and most runners will likely come in under 7 minutes the first mile.  The excitement will no doubt suck me in like a vortex.  I don’t care too much how slow I run, I’m more concerned with starting out too quickly.  With that said, I might be disappointed if I don’t break an 8 minute pace.  I would like to run around 7:30.  I would like to hold that pace for mile 2 as well – knowing the uphill grade increases and the typical runner slows heading up Folsom.

This will be a challenging pace for me, but I think it’s doable.  Any faster than that the first two miles will lead to disaster, but I could maybe maintain this pace the entire course.  If I am at 15 minutes by 2 miles, I might have the confidence to push myself to run even faster.  I know it’s dangerous to make predictions, but what else would I blog about?  How slow I expect to run?  Screw that.  Running slow is for marathons.  Or the way I run them, the last 10K of marathons.

Mile 3 continues the steepness of mile 2, but also contains a little downhill slope rolling into mile 4.  The 4th mile rolls up and down several hills.  These first 4 miles rise steadily uphill from the starting line – which is the overall low point at 5275.  This is why runners are advised to start off slowly.  If not winded after 2 miles, then run through the hills of miles 3 and 4 aggressively.  That’s my game plan if I’m feeling strong.  The timing tag will record each mile split, plus I’ll have my Garmin.  I hope afterward to see an even pace overall with a slightly negative split – meaning I run the second half of the course faster than the first.

The 5th mile begins at the highest point of elevation with 5391 feet on Casey Hill.  Then it’s downhill for the next mile all the way back to Folsom.  I want this to be my fastest mile.  No reason to save anything for mile 6.  It’s uphill again.  I just have to plan on the crowd and paranormal energy to bring me on into Folsom Stadium.  The way to run the Bolder Boulder is to kick on mile 5 and save little to nothing for the final mile.