Race #5: May - Color Me Rad 5K

I was so excited to run Color Me Rad.  I thought it would be fun to get all colorful for a nice easy run.  This day was a bit different than I expected. . .

The week had been a cold dreary week with lots of rain.  And race day was looking to be more of the same.  A couple of friends and I carpooled up the the Utah Fair Grounds for our race.  It was a cooler day, but not freezing.  Parking is an extra fee for this race because it's at the fair grounds.  We happened to arrive before the person that was supposed to be collecting money, so we didn't have to pay for parking.  YAY!!  We had plenty of time to pick up our packets, go drop our stuff off at the car, and head back for pre-race warm up. 

Pre-race:

The warm up was ZUMBA!  I was so excited.  If you haven't heard yet (even though I'm sure you have)  I LOVE Zumba.  They even had a decent teacher there with simple to follow dance moves.  Very fun. 

It was getting close to start time and we were ready, but there was a HUGE line of people still trying to pick up their packets.  I'm never a fan of packet pick up on the same day as the race.  However, Color Me Rad was sure that their new check-in would be fast and painless.  Well, it didn't work that way for everyone who showed up within an hour from the start time. 

This was an un-timed race.  We all lined up and they sent us out in waves.  The course was super muddy from the past week of rain, and the color was really far apart.  I pictured a ton of color stations, but there were only a few.  I had seen a new color dump station on their website and in some of their ads, but it seemed to have been forgotten. 

I know they say to wear white for the color races, but I wore black.  (It's all I had) I figured that the powdered color would show up on black more vibrant than on white.  And it did, for a while.  It seemed to blend in quickly.  And if I got hit by someone shooting colored goo, then all color was lost.  The goo showed NOTHING on my black tank top and washed all the powder off.  I spent most of the race avoiding the goo shooters.  Moral of the story... wear white.  Just like they tell you to.

There was more color at the end of the race than at the beginning.  This made the end fun and me colorful enough for pictures.  

 We were handed water and granola bars at the end of the race.  No finisher medals for this one, but there was a pair of Color Me Rad socks in our packet.  I figure that was a decent trade for a medal.

There was a mass color throw during the "after party."  It looked cool from the outside.

Overall, I had fun.  I was there with great friends and we got to get colorful.  I felt this race was more hype than anything else though.  I would have to get an awesome deal or be going with another great group of friends to be convinced to do it again.  I would rather spend on a different race. 

Race #4: April - Pink Series 10K

The Pink Series was a race that caught my attention from the signs posted along the road I drive down every day.  I looked it up and it wasn't too expensive ($35), so I registered.  Then I recruited a friend to run with.  Races are always better with others.

This might have been the race that I felt I had prepared for completely.  I trained.  I wasn't nervous.  I knew I could finish with a good time.  It's when we're over confident that something goes wrong, right?  Well, it did.  I got up the morning of April 18th and my stomach was just churning.  And not from jitters.

For those that don't know, I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).  I function just fine most days that I eat healthy foods.  I didn't think that I ate anything too terrible the day before my race, but my body was screaming that it didn't agree.  I spent at least a half hour on my personal throne before heading out.  My stomach was feeling a bit better.

I was told to park at the Pleasant Grove High School.  Here is where we caught a bus to the starting line.  In our pre-race email it said that the buses would be leaving between 7-7:45am.  So, I was there early.  I prefer to catch the first set of buses.  However, what it really meant was that the buses would all be leaving at the same time and that was 7:45.  We spent a lot of time waiting.  Good thing we had a bus to wait in because it was a wee bit chilly.

Around 7:30 my stomach started to churn again.  And I don't have a bathroom or port-a-potty anywhere close.  And those of you who have IBS know that when it comes, there is NO stopping it.  So, I'm sitting there in the school bus trying to keep my breathing at a steady speed and think about ANYTHING else.  Finally, the bus starts to move.

We get to the start and I hop out of the bus as fast as I can to get to the bathrooms before the crowd.  I make it.  I've visited The John a couple of times now, and I'm thinking that I'll be good to go for the rest of the race.

Here we are waiting to be told where to find the start line.

Walking to the start.

This was a low key race.  We all walked to the start and a guy with a mega phone yelled "go!"  We ran along the Murdock Canal Trail.  I really love this run.  It's beautiful and today was no different.  Until we got a couple of miles in and my stomach shifted again.

We had just passed the the bathrooms.  They were at least a half mile back and turning around is just not an option for me in a race.  And I needed to go.  NOW.  I was so convinced that I was going to shit myself, that I had to slow to a walk.  A gait that I'm sure appeared from behind as though I had a stick up my butt.  My running buddy was nice enough to stay with me the whole way.  We walked just over a mile before we hit another bathroom along the trail.  I saw it and ran.  Made it.

When I came back out, I was feeling good.  But I knew that it wasn't over.  So, we booked it to the finish.  As Pleasant Grove High School came into view, I could feel the rumblings below.  I was not stopping this time.  I ran faster.  Right through the finish and directly to the bathroom.  I almost missed getting my finisher medal.

 If I remember correctly, we finished in 1 hr and 15 minutes.   Not too shabby for needing to waddle with my butt cheeks squeezed together for over a mile and a ten minute potty break.  I'm feeling good about it.

At the finish line.  (post honey bucket)

I would absolutely participate in this race again.  Hopefully without my stomach issues.  I received plenty of emails before the race about race day info and packet pick up.  The organizers of the race seemed to be on top of everything.  After the race there were snacks and water. 

The medal is really pretty.  It has a charm that can be removed and placed on a chain to wear.  I like races where I get medals.  It's great to be given something for an accomplishment, and to remind me that I can.

If you get the chance to run this race, take it.  It's truly a beautiful run.

Race #3: March - Outclimb Cancer Challenge

On March 7, I participated in the Outclimb Cancer Challenge.  This challenge is organized completely by volunteers to benefit the Huntsman Cancer Foundation.  It's a 24-story climb up the Wells Fargo building in downtown Salt Lake City.  Participants can climb once or they can try to break the record for most climbs or fastest climb.  This is done by people of EVERY age and physical condition.

The challenge begins at 6 am and participants have until Noon to complete their climbs. This is also run in waves.   Participants are assigned a start time according to how many climbs they are going to attempt and how many people in their group.

I was running this challenge alone.  Weird how everyone thought I was crazy to want to run a stairs race, right?!  One week into my training and I was beginning to think they were on to something.  I love stairs, but they are a beast to do for a long period of time.  My goal for this challenge was 5 climbs or 120 floors.

I got to the Wells Fargo building around 8am.  My start time was 9am.  They had check-in and packet pick up that morning.  There was not a big line, so I didn't have any unnecessary waiting around.  They also had a place for me to check a bag with all of my belongings. 

I was super nervous about this.  I had trained, but didn't know what to expect. 

It begins.

There were many people climbing.  One elderly gentleman held the banister and pulled himself up each stair as he climbed the huge building.  He climbed more than once.  Some were climbing extremely fast.  Others were going to distance.  There was a woman who looked quite tired on my first elevator ride down to the bottom of the stairs, so I asked her how many climbs she had done so far.  She was on climb 22!!  When I left at the end of the day, we were again on the same elevator down to the bottom floor.  She was on climb 40. . . and still going. 

There were volunteers in the stair wells to make sure we were safe.  Some of them had water and others were dressed up dancing to music and cheering us all on.

Every time I made it back to the clock at the bottom of the stairs, it read 10 minutes past the last time I was there.  So, between elevator rides and walking back to the stairs from the elevator, I figure it took me right around 7-8 minutes each climb.  I took this picture when I finished my 6 climbs!!

There was this comparison of climbs to popular climbs other people do throughout the world.  It was fun to think I climbed higher than the Freedom Tower in New York City.

As soon as I was finished with my climbs, I was given a medal and could join the after party.  At the party, there was food and drinks for everyone, massage therapists for a small fee, and prizes given away for costumes, fastest climb, most climbs, and a drawing.  It was a lot of fun.

This would be really fun to do with a team of people.  There were small teams of just a couple of people and HUGE teams of more than 40 people.  All seemed to have a great time.  If you get a chance to join in on the Outclimb Cancer Challenge, take it.  Money goes to a great cause and I'm sure you'll love it.

Back Pain Resolved

For the last few months I have had some severe back pain. This has made it very hard for me to keep up with my training for the Ragnar.  But after going multiple times to Runners Corner and having them watch me run I think we've figured out why my back has been dying.

They videoed me running and found that I was over-striding with my right leg and swinging my left arm way too far forward; making my back twist over my right hip.  So I have spent the last 2 weeks shortening my stride and keeping my elbows behind my body while I run.  It has really helped.  I am having almost no pain. It'b been fantastic.  I have upped my miles and feel a like I've jumped back on track with my training.  My next challenge will be adding back in my cross training.  I've cut out all of it since I could barely move.  This next week, adding weights back into my training.

Joys Of Running

I ran today. 

I got up off my fat butt, got the kiddies in the stroller, and RAN.

It felt really good to get out and do it.

Good, if bouncing boobs, slapping thighs, and a very jiggly tire around my midsection were what I was going for. 

Although I now have raw skin all over, I will be going out again. 

The more I do it, the less noise and rubbing. Right?

Spring vs. Winter

I have been out walking a couple of times since my last post. It's hard to get out when the weather just will not decide if it's going to move on to Spring or stay Winter for a while longer. (I thought that Phil didn't see his shadow this year. Isn't Spring supposed to come early?)

Anyway, we have had a few blistering wintery days and I just haven't had the heart to bundle up my little one to brave the snow. But these last couple of days have been brighter and I'm thinking my walking days are back. Maybe we'll go tonight with my Hubby when he gets home from work. I love that it's light outside longer.