Running in thin air (Copper Mountain Half Marathon race report)

Two weekends ago, I ran the Copper Mountain Half Marathon (at Copper Mountain Resort near Frisco, CO), at the end of a week-long conference at the same place. This was my second trail race and first one at high elevation (9,600 ft). Given

the uncertainty of the effect of the elevation, I was fairly satisfied with my time of 2:27:50. It was more than 40 minutes slower than my PR for half marathons but still good enough for third place in my age group. The course was a tough one (tougher than the Dances with Dirt at Devil's Lake Half), mostly up and down and across the ski slopes of Copper Mountain. A good part of the course was on the Colorado Trail, from which the following photo was taken, just above Center Village, where the race start-finish line was located (next to the partially hidden circle at the center of the photo).

Here's a view of the circle from the opposite direction, taken from my hotel room, conveniently located near both the conference building and the race start-finish line.

The course was basically a 5K loop to the west (right), a segment of which was on the Colorado Trail, and a 5K out-and-back to the east (left), completely on the Colorado Trail, both run twice. The 5K loop included an additional (uphill!) segment for the second time around, to get the total distance to 13.1. The 5K out-and-back was mostly single track, so, in addition to looking downward for obstacles, one had to look upward for oncoming runners. Running the course twice had its pros and cons. On the one hand, I knew what was coming up next; on the other hand, I knew what was coming up next (especially those steep segments!). It was definitely helpful, though, to be able to anticipate some of the footing (rocks, roots, and other obstacles) the second time. Even so, the only time the soles of my shoes sufficiently brushed a protruding rock to cause a near face-plant was during the second running of the 5K loop. "Good catch!" the guy behind me encouragingly called out. I credit my ability to have made that recovery to all those core exercises over the past couple years.

This year's course had to be partly changed by the race organizers (Endurance Race Series), because of a previously scheduled bike race on the same day that included the Ten Mile Canyon National Recreation Trail (west of Copper Mountain, towards the Vail Pass) that previously was part of the Copper Half.

I think, in previous years, an out-and-back segment along this trail accounted for about half of the race, which would mean that the 5K loop and 5K out-and-back from the Center Village circle were run only once. When I first heard about this year's course change, I was kind of disappointed, because I was looking forward to the gorgeous scenery along the trail. Here are some views from a morning run a few days before the race. (So envious of the local runners!)

This year's modified, more forested course, over more difficult terrain, however, was also quite scenic, in a more subdued way. So, I'm not complaining much.

The Copper Half was one of five different races over both days of the weekend. There were less than 100 runners for the half and a few hundreds total for all the races combined. So, for me, it was quite different from the usual large urban races--and, quite a nice change! Race logistics were all done well, by the entire staff of friendly people. The course was well described in detail by the race organizers before the start of the race, which was quite helpful (e.g., for the 5K out-and-back, go slow on the wet rocks when crossing the creek!). There were two water stations along the 5K loop and one at the start-finish line by the Center Village circle. There were no stations along the 5K out-and-back, because of the lack of car access to the Colorado Trail; but, that was not a big problem, given the short distance. There was a post-race pasta lunch for all the runners. 

The turnaround point of the 5K out-and-back was marked by three small orange traffic cones. There were two other runners near me, when I got to the turnaround the first time. The three of us briefly stood there and discussed whether these cones indeed marked the turnaround, before concluding they did and heading back. The cones were not monitored. But, it's hard to imagine any runner, by him/herself, would take advantage of the situation and prematurely turn around. No runner would want a race result with an asterisk, even if no one else knew.

Some suggestions for the race organizers:

1. Arrange with the Copper Mountain Resort management for late checkouts for all runners. Regular checkout time was 10 am (early!), and I'd to try really hard to get the front desk person to extend the time to even 11 am. The race began at 8 am, which meant, by the time I finished, I had about 30 minutes to get back to my room, shower, and check out. That front desk person was definitely, to put it charitably, not customer-focused!

2. Have a vegetarian option for the post-race pasta lunch.

3. Try not to schedule the race on the same weekend that a dance festival was also taking place. The latter was located right next to the Center Village circle, near my room, and had music (noise) blasting away from mid-morning Saturday until past midnight. Not the best situation to try and rest before the race!

I was very glad I had a few days during the conference week prior to the race to somewhat acclimate to running at 9,600 ft; still, the elevation probably was more a factor than the lack of trail training. Different people respond to high elevation differently. Some of the conference attendees had trouble breathing, difficulty in sleeping, headaches, etc. For me, although I definitely felt the effect in my breathing, it was not that noticeable. Running, especially uphill, however, was a different story. I felt the thinner air not just in the lungs but also in the legs. One interesting observation I made was that, below a certain percent grade, it was actually easier to slowly run up the slope than to walk it. I’m not sure if that’s because different muscles are involved, or the same muscles but used differently. The aftereffects of this race lingered longer than those of marathons. The fact that, right after the race, I'd to quickly get on the road to get to Denver and catch a flight was probably also contributory. The Copper Half was at the end of Week 7 in my current 16-week training cycle for a September marathon. That Sunday's long run should have been 16 miles, but the race more than made up for the shorter distance with intensity!

Trail races are definitely more fun to run, compared with urban road races. If another Endurance Race Series opportunity comes up the next time I'm in Colorado, I'd definitely run it. Trail or not, I now know I can race at 9,600 ft!