The Color Run & Girl's Weekend

Quinn and I headed out to Des Moines last weekend for the Color Run and a weekend of girl time with my college roommates, Ami and Heather. 

On our way out, we stopped by the outlet mall to use a few rewards and get Quinn a winter coat.  We hit up Old Navy, ended up buying two coats, using 3 x $10 rewards and only paying $6.  Bargain shopper right here.

We ended up getting to DSM around 12:30, met up with the girls and headed downtown for the run.  A lot of the streets were blocked off but we were able to whip down alleys, through other parking lots to a park only a couple of blocks from the starting line.  Awesomesauce!  Good thing we were in the hands of people who know that city because I sure do not. 

It's funny because my friend Ami says that she gets mixed up with directions when she comes over to eastern Iowa and I feel the exact same way when I head to Des Moines...it's so confusing.

If you never heard of the Color Run, it's a 5K run where they throw colored powder at you so that you're a pretty little rainbow once you cross the finish line.  It's not timed, it's fun a run and it's for charity.  I heard that there were around 27,000 people who participated in the races all together.  They ended up doing to races.  One at 1 pm and the other at 4 pm.

They started the first group of people at 1 pm and then released other groups in intervals.  We cheated, moved the gate and we're part of the 6th group to run (there were 18 groups in all, the last group started at 2 pm).  We couldn't run the entire thing, because 1) we had a stroller and 2) there were so many people walking that just held us up.

Before

After

After finishing the race, we waited around for the next "color bomb".  In our race packets, we each received a color packet to throw at each other.  We waited and a few thousand of us threw our powder into the air.  The only part I hated about this is some sonovabitches started throwing powder at each other, all by themselves and guess what just happened to be right behind them...my daughter in her stroller.  Some people are so stupid and you bet your sweet ass I yelled at them. 

Quinn was in 3 layers plus a coat and a hat (it was around 40's/50's around race time).  She ended up passing out in the middle of the race and didn't make a peep until we got to the car. 

I guess running makes her tired.

I am glad that I did the race and I was able to safely take Quinn along for the ride but I wouldn't do it again.  It was a lot of fun and it was for a great cause but I need competition and to know when I get done with a race, I got at least a good workout in. 

If it comes to a city near you, get a group of ladies together and do it!!

The rest of the weekend was spent going out to dinner with Ami's parents and then watching The 5 Year Engagement.

Guys, I have 7 teefers

 It was also a wear no make-up weekend.  Also, do you know how hard it is to travel with an impatient 15 month old solo?  It's hard but that's a story for another time.

Quinn's First Race

We have this event here in the Quad Cities known as the BIX.  It's a pretty big deal.  Well I mean it's a big deal if you're a crazed mom throwing your kid in her first race at the ripe age of 13 months or you're runner in need of punishment or you're a drunk who enjoys standing in the middle of the street with thousands of other randoms or you're a loiterer.  So you see, it's major.

I am that crazy mom that decides, whenever possible that Quinn can do anything that I force her to do.  Enter, the Jr. Bix...70 yards of one year old fun (also open to crawlers and kids up to 12 or something like that...the older kids run longer distances of course).  At the time, Quinn was extremely active for being only 13 months old so I figured why not.  The worst she could do was sit down at the starting line, wail like there's no tomorrow and embarrass the living shit out of me in front of thousands of people.  That's fine, I'm used to embarrassment...have you ever met my husband?  I'm kidding!  Sort of...

Come race day, we load our big runner up into the car and proceed to speed to the race because we are late (story of my life).  Barney drops us off a few blocks away and goes to park the car and is in charge of bringing the camera to the race with him.  Quinn and I take off in a dead sprint toward the race because the crawlers are already started and Quinn was up next.

If you want to see a clusterfudge, try to get your kid at the front of the pack (because the younger you are, the earlier you start) of hundreds of kids and their aggressive parents.  Wasn't happening.  I ended up having to pass Quinn over the gate to a volunteer and crawling on the ground, under said gate to get in with her.  

After they said go, we took off in a dead walk.  I was maybe, a little bit, trying to drag her faster in a attempt to finish first but she wasn't having it.  If there is one thing about her, it's that you go at her speed.  I let go of her hand a couple of times and she completely stopped and stared at the crowd.  Needless to say, I grabbed  her hand, we finished the race and someone got a medal.  It should have been me, I swear I was doing all of the work.  I kid, I kid.

I let Quinn go through the water fountain to cool off and then we grabbed a few post race treats.  My husband finally showed up and of course everything was my fault.  Whatevs.  We got in a few pictures and made our way back to the ghetto to get the car.

I can't wait until next summer when I can enter her in a bunch or races.  Race on!

Ten Pet Peeves of Road Racing

I ran the Quad Cities Times Bix7 race this weekend and to put it nicely, it annoyed the living crap out of me.  There is such a thing as running etiquette but apparently few people were aware of it and knew how to “share” the roadway.

This race is tough.  Not only is it longer than a 10K and a majority of other races but it also has these steep, never ending hills that practically kill your legs.  Like as in, if you sprint up these, you can fully expect to vomit at the top.  The first ¾ of a mile is a hill and the entire race is 7 miles.  So with that being said, I expected that those around me would be running the same pace, since we started in the same pace corral or at the very, least, the pack would break apart as the miles went on.  But not so much.

When I signed up for this race, I chose my overall time to be less than 60 minutes which is highly doable for me at 8-9 minute pace since I had been training for 4 weeks prior to the race.  Apparently, so did everyone else as in everyone running that race is a time liar except for me.  When I started the race, there were people in front of me stopping to walk up the hill.  Excuse me, you think you’re going to run this under 60 and walking right out of the gate?  I don’t think so.  Get your ass back where you belong…with the walkers. 

I spent the entire race, weaving in and out of runners.  I even spent a great deal of time running up on the sidewalk and the grass median just to get by people.  Do you know what it feels like to run 7 miles overworking your muscles to get around liars?  Yeah, it’s not fun.  Next year I know, I’m drinking the coolaid and I too will be a liar.  Look at that, I can run 6 minute miles.  Well, I’ll be.  I think if you could’ve at any point read my mind during the race you would think that I was a nut job who needed to enroll in anger management classes.   

So I bring to you the worst things you can do during a road race.

1.       Lie and say that you’ll pull off a faster time than you have ever run before. I’m sorry but if you can’t run an 8 minute mile training, then what makes you think you’ll magically be able to sustain that pace for 7 miles?  That’s like every bride who says she’ll drop weight before her wedding so her dress will fit...you’re only fooling yourself fatty.

2.      Don’t stop in the middle of the course.  Politely move to the side and stop but always look behind you first.  The biggest mistake you can make is stopping without looking.  You can get seriously injured running too. 

3.      #2 goes for water stations as well.  There is not enough room for runners who don’t stop for fluids to make it through unscathed if you stop right at the water station.  Take your cup running and then stop and walk after the station where it’s safer.

4.      For the love of God, we all sweat racing (if you don’t you are not normal) but wear some deodorant.  We all have to breathe and I don’t want to deep breathe your stench.

5.      There is this weird thing about running.  When you move, your body parts do as well.  Like your gut and your ass cheeks.  I don’t need to see your actual ass cheeks.  I can’t just turn around and stare at my own at home.  So moral of this story, wear bigger clothes that cover.  I don’t think an inch more of fabric is going to make you run any slower or make your body temp go down.  It’s a race, not a fashion show.  Also, all you bigger ladies,  I’m super happy that you got off your ass and moved but I don’t need to see every lump and bump…ok?

6.      Group runners.  I get that it’s fun to run with your friends, but form a cluster not a line across.  You’re slow and blocking my faster booty from passing.

7.      Don’t touch me, ever.  Again, we all sweat and the last thing I want to do is bump into your sweat ligaments.  Keep your sweat to yourself.

8.      Don’t cut people off.  Just because you need to pass, doesn’t mean that you should do it in a fashion that will cause someone else to get hurt.  I guarantee you’re not going to win the race so just chill for a sec.

9.      Slow down.  Would it really be worth it to kill yourself and not end up finishing because you pushed it too trying to meet a goal?  If I don’t feel it, I’m slowing down.  The race doesn’t count until you cross the finish line.

10.   Don’t be a douche.  Enough said.

Everyone pays to run the race so a little bit of common courtesy will go a long ways and make the entire experience a fun one.  Also, I hate the stroller in back rule.  I get why it’s there but honestly, it’s hard to get a babysitter for every race that we mom’s want to run so sometimes the stroller is the only option.  If I ever had to take my child with me, I would fully expect to start with the 8 minute milers because I can run that fast still pushing a twenty pound child.  I shouldn’t have to be pushed to the back.

I did finish the race with a time of 1:02:31.  I’m confident that had I started in a faster corral that my time would have definitely been under 60 minutes.  I will be cursing your name until I meet you again Bix7.

What Not To Do The Night Before A Race

You don't leave the house in skinny pants and high heels expecting to come home by 9 especially when it's your first night out since ever-ish without your husband and baby.

You don't go to a jewelry party filled with fabulous ladies and lots of vino.

You don't drink the wine like you're a crazy dehydrated fool.

You don't have thoughts of going to a bar and drinking like a fish out of water.

You don't actually go to the bar and drink like a fish out of water.

You definitely don't stay out until ONE in the morning, having to run in a few short hours.

You don't convince one of your girlfriends to run a race with you and have that girlfriend back out on you last minute....AHEM!

You don't actually still have a goal to run your best 5K yet at a pace of 7:30 after the night you've had.

No, YOU would never do any of that.  You're too smart for that.

BUT, if you do...

You should expect to be considerably dehydrated the entire race even though you ate a banana, had two bottles of water and an Advocare Spark that morning.

You don't wear socks up to your knees with fun, green tights underneath if it's going to be hot as balls out.

You should expect to fully suck ass all the way.

Your legs will be extremely tight even though you fully stretched right before the run started.

You'll feel like throwing up nearly the entire way but the fact that the sun is shining right in your hungover face, it will multiply the need to throw up tenfold.

You don't go by yourself.

You'll feel like death.

Actually this picture pretty much sums up how I thought the race went.  

(This is the exact reason I watermark my photos.  Don't need this hottie working it's way through the interwebs without giving me due credit.)

But even after all of that, you somehow pull off a sub 26 minute 5K.  8:18 pace baby!

855

RACHEL

496

F2529

F

12:06

25:43

8:18

(Taken from results website.  Last name removed.)

Moral of the story....don't drink and run.

Check Out My Hardware

Yesterday, I ran the Run for Red benefitting the Gateway Area American Red Cross.  Not only was I excited to run my first 5K of the year but knowing it was going for a great cause made it that much better. 

The race had 130 participants registered and 70 volunteers.  They were able to raise $4300 to support the American Red Cross as well as save 27 lives as a result of the blood drive held that day. 

First off, my experience with competitive races is pretty non-existant.  I ran a 4 mile race a few years ago and the race packet included a bib and cotton shirt and nothing else.  At the end of the race, the food and drinks were pretty sparse so I was completely amazed at everything this 5K had to offer.

I picked up my race packet on Friday night.  I received a reusable bag with a very nice run long-sleeved race shirt (had the feel of Under Armor but not probably as warm or as nice), some information sheets including the race route, a gift-card which by the way isn't a true gift card (deceiving!) and my race bib. 

Race day it was around 37-39 degrees (or so said my car thermometer).  The wind was okay - not as bad as it had been around here last weekend and throughout the week - but there was still a bit of a breeze. 

As far as the course went, we basically ran through a residential neighborhood twice.  One small loop for about 1.25 miles (my guess) and a bigger loop for the rest. 

My goal was to run under 25 minutes.  Based on the times I had been running during "training", I thought this was highly attainable.  The only split I heard was 7:38 at mile one. 

Two thumbs up for not winning!

I ending up making my goal with 23 seconds to spare.  I came across the finish at 24:37.9 which was a 7:57/mile pace.  I was the 33rd person across the finish line, the 9th woman and placed 4th overall in my age division (20-29).  I even came home some hardware - a bronze medal.  OH YEAH!

At the finish line there was loads of foods (fruit, granola bars, pretzels, doughnuts, bagels, etc), water, and even an energy drink sample.  They also gave away lined bags which were pretty fancy.   I grabbed what I could, got my medal and we headed over to Pizza Slut so I could feed my face with pizza and Mountain Dew.  I don't know, I heard that's what your supposed to do post race - load up on carbs and fat after you spent 25 hard minutes working breakfast off.

Overall, I was impressed with everything.

I signed up for a 5 mile run on Thanksgiving morning.  I'm hoping for great weather and 8 minute miles. 

Moral of this story is that you can have a baby and 5 months later be race ready.  I'm proof so if I can do it so can you!  Now go lace up those sneakers and run.

The cutest way to show off the hardware.

I got this really brilliant idea that I would work off my Pizza Slut by doing No Trouble Zones last night. I know, over achiever.  Today I feel like I rode a horse. Not smart, not smart.