Garden Of the Gods 5k and 5 mile

The Garden of The Gods 5k and 5 mile runs are two of the most scenic races in the country.

When I got up at 6 AM it was 22 degrees out, I had a cup of coffee ran a half mile on the tread mill then ate breakfast. My wife Linda has been fixing menus from Runners World ( http://www.runnersworld.com/ )and it has made a big difference in my strength and endurance.

We had to park at Verizon parking lot at Garden of the Gods Road and 30th Street about two miles away and take busses to the Garden, with over 600 runners it could have been a nightmare but the coordination was great with plenty of busses and no waiting time.

Arriving at the Garden of the Gods about 7 it was still below freezing but the sun felt warm and there wasn’t a breath of air. It was going to be a perfect day for running.
The first mile was all up hill continually getting steeper until you go over the top. Then the 5 milers split off and head toward balanced rock and we continue the loop back to the start finish. There are no flat running areas in either race you’re either going up or down but after that first mile it’s running at its best.

I finished first in my age group and 23 over all men (113) with a time of 22:43, my target time was 21:44 which I ran in 2004 but I was two minutes faster than last year. Last year was my fat year I was twelve pounds over weight and wasn’t able to train like I wanted. We had a great time with great friends and looking forward to the next race.