Ralston Creek Half Marathon

After a week of recovery from the PIG, it was time for the in inaugural Ralston Creek Half Marathon. The race season for me usually waits until the end of April but this year, Racing Underground started a new half marathon in Arvada on the Ralston Creek bike path. The course runs west, around Arvada Reservoir and up the switchbacks.

I was worried with all the snow we've had the last couple weeks that the path would be covered in snow but early reports have the path as mostly clear with patches of snow and ice. Race morning and the temperature was around fifteen degrees and it wasn't supposed to get much higher.

After trying to say warm at the start, everyone was off. To make the temperature a little more bareable, the race had a late, 9:45, start time. The first mile was down a closed road to the path. Not wanting to start too fast, I picked someone I thought would be a good pacer and settled in. The first few cruised by and around mile five, I caught up to the first of the early starters. Up the southern hills of Arvada Reservior I met my pacer who was a two time CDA Ironman. I was going to make a move on the switchbacks, but I felt good on the descent so I decided to stretch it out.

I've ridden the switchbacks and they are about a mile long, five switchbacks and 4.5% grade. I like hills so I kept the cadence high and began to climb. By the time I was at the top, I had caught several people and was feeling good. The descent was long so I took it easy to not beat up the quads too much.

After looping all the way around the reservoir, the course joined back up with Ralston Creek and it was time to head for home. I was caught by one runner I passed going up the hill but I caught a couple more runners from my wave. Off the path and the last mile was back on the road with a slight uphill.

Overall the race went better than expected. I knew my fitness was good but I expected it to be my cycling that was improved. Even on the hard course with the rolling hills and switchbacks, I managed a PR with a 1:31:41, an improvement of about twenty seconds over last year's Westminster 13.1.