I thought was done racing for the winter, but I am now registered for the PRC Winter 5k series.
Through a contest with Run Oregon I won an entry to this Run with Paula/Portland Running Company race series. There are 3 races; one in Dec. one in Jan. and one in Feb. (which unfortunately I will be out-of-town for).
I had not heard of this race prior to the contest so I was really excited when I won. If you want to participate you can do all three races or however many of them you can. You do of course save money if you register for all three. They are all 5ks, around one of the PRC stores, so quick and easy. The price doesn’t include a shirt (and is inexpensive for a race), however you can buy one. Which of course I did, and at each race they put a patch on the sleeve to indicate what race you running.
I feel like I have come to a place in my racing experience where I can say ‘it’s just a 5k.’ I don’t say as a bad thing, I love that distance. I say to myself so I don’t get the pre-race jitters. I say it so that I don’t have to go to bed at 8pm the night before or have my kids sleep over at my moms. Because to be honest most weekends I run farther than that for training.
I was feeling the same about this race until the long drive to the race location. I started to panic about how small the race was. I really like small races, I like the small community feeling, personal aspects of them. But this one might be the smallest I have participated in, there was less than 200 runners.
I started to get paranoid about coming in last. Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being last to cross, someone has to finish up the race. But what I was afraid of is that this race was geared toward elite runners and that I wouldn’t be in the same league as them. So I would finish so far behind everyone else. I started to panic that I shouldn’t be going and participating.
I got to the store where the race was being held along with packet pick up and the pre-party. And I felt ridiculous for doubting that I belonged. This race, just like every race I have been to, had a wide diversity of racers, everyone from elite runners to walkers. So I got my bib, some coffee, a cookie and put my goodies back in my car. Then hung out in the store and mingled until race time.
Picture from PRC Email
It had been raining prior to the race, I mean like dumping buckets of water for days. The race director sent out an email warning that there might be some slight course changes due to high water. Included in the email was a picture of a part of the course that was turned into a pond.
I decided to try out my new Skora Tempo’s on the road. Luckily the rain held off for the race, but the ground & course was still wet and we did have a couple detours. The Tempo’s uppers are a thin mesh like fabric and I was a little concerned about water, but the website talks about how great they are through puddles.
And I gotta agree with them! When I went through a puddle (which I mostly tried to avoid) or got water on them some other way, my feet were almost instantly dry again. And while I was afraid of blisters again, that didn’t happen either. I had a great pace on the most flat course and was complemented on my running outfit.
The after party had bagel breakfast sandwiches, cookies, coffee, raffles and a photo booth. Not to mention in store discounts. I had to leave because of a prior engagement that day, but I did get my picture taken.
I had a ton of fun and can’t wait for the next race this Sat. but hopefully the course will not have so much water!
Just. Keep. Running.
*Skora is offering $15 off your order when you click through my site! This link will take you to a coupon code to use towards your purchase.
For my loyal readers RunnerBox is offering 10% your purchase by using the code RUNMSRUN so go start your subscription today, or go buy one for that runner in your life.
This year my running club and I will be participating in the Hood to Coast Relay Race as a fundraising team. We will be raising money for Providence Cancer Center to help #FINISHCANCER. Click on the picture below (or here) to donate today.
Last month (November) was apparently the month of the races for me. I ended up participating in 3 5ks and one half marathon. Admittedly I knew about one 5k and the half.
My training for the half had been somewhat lacking. October was busy and after the Mustache Dache I started fighting a chest cold. It started as a sore throat and ended in my chest, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me.
I know there are two schools of thought on this one: either you rest or you run it out.
I feel like most of the time I can just run it out. This time was no different.
I did take some extra steps, like mixing All Day Nuun with OJ a couple of time a day to boost my Vit C intake.
But here is the thing with that…while I think the running and healthy habits helped it couldn’t keep the cold away. I still got a sore throat then cough, however, it didn’t knock me out. I wasn’t 100% but I wasn’t down for the count either. I could run with the chest cold and cough, but about 3-4 hours after I would have bad coughing fits, and on running days the cough would keep me up at night.
It did slow my half marathon time, but I don’t think I would have been able to participate if I had succumbed to the cold in the beginning.
While at the Hot Buttered Run I saw Skora* had a product tent there. I have been coveting a pair of Skora shoes for a while now and I am need of a new pair of shoes.
Turns out Skora* was selling their sample shoes for $20! and had one more pair of Tempos in my size! Take my money now please! So sample shoes are shoes that the Skora brings to events for people to try on, so they have been tried on and ran around in a little bit, but no really worn. So it’s not like they have been returned or anything like that. But how could I pass up a sale like that?
I couldn’t wait to try them out.
ugh! I got blisters/chaffing on the back of my ankles.
First run was my right ankle, my sock slipped down, made it about 2 miles, added a band-aid, kept running. Only made it another mile or so before I had to quite.
Second time around I wore taller socks, and a band-aid on my right ankle but now got a sore on my left ankle. The gym had no band-aids so I only made it about 1 3/4 of a mile. Then I had to move to the elliptical (wasn’t gonna quite moving!).
So the new shoes are shelved right now until I contact them and figure why it’s happening.
Good news, the rest of my feet were super happy.
I thought was done racing for the winter, but I am now registered for the PRC Winter 5k series.
There are three races; one in Dec, one in Jan and one in Feb. All three races are 5k, and you can get a discount if you register for all 3. The one in Feb is a prediction run, so you can’t use timing devices, you predict how long it will take and the race is chip timed. I have never done something like this, so this should be fun.
I am trying to get my 2016 race calendar set up and I keep finding more races!
Just. Keep. Running.
*Skora is offering $15 off your order when you click through my site! This link will take you to a coupon code to use towards your purchase.
For my loyal readers RunnerBox is offering 10% your purchase by using the code RUNMSRUN so go start your subscription today, or go buy one for that runner in your life.
This year my running club and I will be participating in the Hood to Coast Relay Race as a fundraising team. We will be raising money for Providence Cancer Center to help #FINISHCANCER. Click on the picture below (or here) to donate today.
Imagine running a race with more than 300 other participants all by yourself, wherever you are, at whatever time of day fits your schedule.
That is basically what a virtual race is.
You sign up for the race, which give a portion of the proceeds to charity, they give you a 2-5 day window for you do run/bike/walk your distance. You choose the location, the time, and the date. You submit your time to them online and boom you are done. You still get the swag, a shirt, medal and race bib (depending on the organization).
The beauty is the flexibility and it helps bring people from all over the country together for the event. This past summer I participated in a Nuun Ambassador Virtual race and we had a Facebook group page where we got to connect online with other participants. It made it possible for locals to actually meet up and run their races together, and do other runs together as well. Instant running friends!
If you are an avid racer like me you have probably already heard of FitFam (Formally Gametiime). A great social media platform for racers & runners. FitFam has helped many organizations put on their virtual races and decided to kick off 2016 with a race of their own!
No worries, you can still get 10% off both races by using the code MOVETHEMISSION10
Just. Keep. Running.
For my loyal readers RunnerBox is offering 10% your purchase by using the code RUNMSRUN so go start your subscription today, or go buy one for that runner in your life.
This year my running club and I will be participating in the Hood to Coast Relay Race as a fundraising team. We will be raising money for Providence Cancer Center to help #FINISHCANCER. Click on the picture below (or here) to donate today.
OK, so if you read my recap from last year I said I wouldn’t run this race again because of THE hill.
Do you want to hear about the hill?
The course is a 3.1 mile loop with over 400 feet (435 ft gain, to be exact) of elevation gain in the first 1.7 miles (aprox.). That is about a 5% pitch for this race. When I ran the Wine Country Half Marathon there was only 328 foot elevation gain over the whole 13.1 miles. The last hill though, that one was the killer. At mile 0.91 were were at an elevation of 372 ft; at mile 1.73 we were at 660 ft. That is 288 ft in less than a mile!
Yep, you read that right.
But the race is fun. The costumes are fun. The atmosphere is fun. I just couldn’t help but register again. I called my friends and convinced them it would be a good idea to race it again too. This year I also wanted Ian to enjoy the fun. So I signed him up for the kids 1k race. Because of when I signed up we also got a special ‘party pack.’ Ian rocked his and Sid stole mine.
The plan was to have my husband come and wait with Ian while I ran the 5k. Then Ian and I would do his race and we would all hang out together after.
Best laid plans…right?
So Hubby ended up having to work that day and while my mom was able to keep Sid, she couldn’t come out to the race. Some of the races put on by Energy Events had a Kids Zone where they had paid child care for runners, but this race didn’t have that option.
It’s ok, I thought, I’ll just push Ian in the stroller. I’ve done it before, I can do it again.
(uh…remember THE hill!)
I came to terms with the fact that I will be walking up the first 1.5 miles of hill and that this will be no 35 min 5k. My stroller is not a fancy jogging stroller, it is not even a good jogging stroller, but it is a stroller I bought used so that when I needed to I could run if I only had one kid. It is a heavy stroller, and my kids are now heavy, well heavy for me. Instead of me running slowly up this horrific hill, I will be walking slowly up this horrific hill while pushing 60 pounds of stroller + 5 year-old.
OK. OK. No big deal, I will just push the stroller, I’m not the only one who has to do this.
It had been raining, no pouring all week and the forecast called for inches of rain that Saturday. I was going to feel real bad for Ian if it rained on him the whole time. I packed blankets, made him snacks packed us all up and dropped Sid off at my moms. A couple of times on the way to the race our car got hit by rain but I didn’t use my wipers, so it wouldn’t last.
We got to Big Al’s, the race location, got the stroller all set up and Ian changed out of his jammies. Ian asked if the cobwebs on the stroller’s wheels would be wiped off during the race. Turns out, I haven’t used the stroller in a while and the two back tires were both flat. One more than the other. Also, the stroller has a fixed front wheel, but the alignment is off. So it is extremely difficult to make small turns and it pulls to the left. Oh well, we gotta roll with the punches.
Ian getting ready for the race, not really ready for pictures
We meet up with our friends and enjoyed the fun atmosphere until the race started. I tried to take some pictures with Ian, but he wasn’t quite in the mood. We hit the lucky streak with the weather and while it was a little windy there was no rain! And to be honest, that was just fine. It was time to get in the staring line and my Super Fast Friend head out to the front of the line while I stayed in the back with my stroller. Out other two friends, The Couple, hung out with me till the race started, but I knew I’d be making this slow hike without them.
Since the start is flat and the first hill isn’t that bad, I started at a slow jog off to the side, allowing runners to fly by me. When we got to the hills I slowed down to a walk, I tried to walk fast, but that stroller was heavy! I would run on the short downhills and any flats between the hills, but never uphill. I just couldn’t do it.
I would show him the views from the top of the hill and he’d say ‘yep, ok, let’s go.’
up the first hill
The course wove mostly through residential areas where there was not a lot of high traffic and in one spot I was outside the cones. Ian was concerned, but with me pushing uphill and the fixed front wheel of the misaligned stroller, it was too hard to steer back to the right. I told him he had to get out and walk for me to get back on course. So he walked for a little bit up that hill, on the sidewalk.
He’d do quick little runs, so I’d have to run to catch up with him. After about a quarter of a mile he got back in the stroller. When we got to the biggest, steepest hill I made him get out and walk after we were about half way. He walked to the top, which was about the 1.5 or 1.7 mile spot and the start of the downhill portion of the race.
start of the downhill
He had to take a water break at the aid station. Because sitting in a stroller (with your own snacks and drinks available to you) is such thirsty work!
At this point the hardest part was steering the stroller. While running downhill he kept telling me to ‘go! go! go!’ which didn’t necessarily mean go faster, it just meant don’t stop. Thanks kid.
I kept teasing him that I was going to just let go of the stroller and would meet him at the bottom, or that I would hop in and we would both ride down.
The last mile was pretty quick, as it was mostly downhill with some flat areas and at this point I could run them. However I am still not that fast while pushing that damn stroller, but at least I wasn’t walking. The very last portion of the race, before you get back to the parking lot and the finish line, goes along a running path with a little playground. Ian wanted to stop and play, but I said no way, or we would be there all day. I did let him get out and climb on the statues for a minute, then told him we had a race to finish!
A lot of times in order to turn a corner I would have to pop the front wheel up and this is how I came around the corner to the finish line. With the stroller doing a wheelie!
Pictures from GameFace Media (free from the race!)
I crossed the finish line in 48 minutes, pretty slow for a 5k, by my standards, but good under the circumstances. We had sometime to kill before his race started, but I didn’t want my free beer yet, cause I still had to run with him for his 1k. I tried to get him to take a picture with me and my friends in the PEMCO insurance booth, but he still wasn’t having it.
As we go to the starting line for his race he is not feeling it. He hadn’t eaten any of his food, and now he is tired and hungry. Perfect mix for a race.
At least his age group goes first. His race distance is 1k (0.6 miles) and is a loop that goes out and along the running path behind the restaurant. We walk/run for the first half and then he is on my back. I give him a piggie back ride up until we get back to the parking lot and tell him he has to run through the finish line.
picture taken by Energy Events, and it is my FAV!
At the finish line the racers and our friends are standing there giving high-fives to the kids as they run past. The little kids loved it!
He crossed the finish line and got a medal just like mine, with a spinning mustache.
We promptly meet up with my friends went inside the restaurant to warm-up get food and our free booze.
Will I do this race again next year? Who knows….It is still fun, even the horrible hill. OK maybe not the hill, but the whole event is fun.
The Mustache Dache takes place in November (mostly), because it is also Movember.
But what is Movemeber you might ask? Don’t worry, I’ll tell you.
About a decade ago some Bros in Australia decided to challenge other men to a Mo* contest.
*A MO is a mustache, short for the English spelling of Moustache.
The Bros decided that during the month of November they would grow their mustaches for a cause, after some research they decide their cause would be prostate and testicular cancer, as well as depression. After a couple of years donating their proceeds to local charities they ended up creating a charitable organization of their own.
Fast Forward to now: Movember is a world-wide charity raising money and bringing awareness for men’s health. You can go to the Movember website and donate, or participate in the Mo growing contest during the month of November. You can also find tons of information on men’s health issues and look at pictures of men with awesome Mos. You can also read the whole story behind the campaign.
Us women have October as breast cancer awareness month, and the men now have Movember because these guys wanted to change the face of men’s health.
picture from race site, click image for link
Last year the race was put together as one of the ways to raise money for the above mentioned charity. It is a fun 5k, there are lots of costumes, booze, fun prizes, kids race, humor, awareness and mustaches everywhere; the real ones and fake. This race is held in various location across the country. It is a fun good time.
This year the Mustache Dache race is partnered with the charity Zero, to help end prostate cancer. Not sure why the change, but either way the money is going to help men’s health.
Just. Keep. Running.
For my loyal readers RunnerBox is offering 10% your purchase by using the code RUNMSRUN so go start your subscription today, or go buy one for that runner in your life.
This year my running club and I will be participating in the Hood to Coast Relay Race as a fundraising team. We will be raising money for Providence Cancer Center to help #FINISHCANCER. Click on the picture below (or here) to donate today.
For my loyal readers RunnerBox is offering 10% your purchase by using the code RUNMSRUN so go start your subscription today, or go buy one for that runner in your life.
I Tri and Craft 