As you may know I am raising money for the Ironman Foundation.
I love racing for a cause because I love giving back to something that has given me so much. I am really excited to work with the IronMan Foundation and all the good work they have done and will continue to do.
Each year, a select group of athletes from around the world race on TEAM IMF to support the mission of the IRONMAN Foundation. Together, we share a passion to create positive tangible change in our race communities and prove that “Anything Is Possible.”
Since 2003, over $50 million has been provided through IRONMAN charitable giveback programs including the IRONMAN Foundation to more than 8,300 local, regional, national and global nonprofit initiatives. Through these partnerships, IRONMAN athletes are powerfully linked to the community and together we leave the IRONMAN legacy behind in our race communities long after race day. We #RaceForMore.
In order to raise money for the foundation I am hosting a 5k virtual run.
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.
I Tri and Craft 