Kickoff to Summer 5K 2013

For the third year in a row (4th time overall) I ran a local PTA sponsored 5K with my husband and youngest step daughter. The Kickoff to Summer 5K is near and dear to my heart because it is the first race I ran in New Hampshire after moving here in 2008. At the time my husband was working overseas, so running helped ease the pain of missing him.

This year, my step daughter is training for her first 10K, so we combined the race with her long training run. We planted a car in the parking lot and then ran 3 miles from home to the race.

Our first starting line - in the driveway

We arrived at the race with about 20 minutes to cool off, hydrate, and pick up our bib and race shirts. The course starts at the local elementary school and winds out & back through the fairgrounds. I've had some good finish times and not-so-good finish times with this race. This year I had no plans. No goals. I just wanted to run what felt good and not do anything crazy - like aggravate a healing ab muscle.

Waiting at the second starting line

The race is completely organized and run by volunteers, so you will not hear me complain that the race started a little late especially since it gave us some time to take pictures. Once it was under way, it was pure fun. The gorgeous weather, the cheering spectators, and the happy runners/walkers make this race one of those that you come back to every year.

My step daughter jumped out ahead of mr. C and I at the start. I ran with him for about a mile until we caught up to her. I was feeling really good, so I just went with it. Part of the course is an out & back on a dirt/gravel road (not my favorite terrain) and I got hung up here behind runners, but most of the time I was able to just let my legs go.

Long run & 5K finishers!

My times for this race have been: 32:13, 28:06, and 27:35. This year I was not chasing a PR, but I did finish strong with a time of 28:56.

How do you "kickoff" your summer?

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Speaking of summer, how would you like to kick yours off by winning a HUGE runner prize package valued at $400? My friends at Simple Hydration are having a photo contest and all you have to do is submit a photo to enter. 

Here are the details:

Take a picture with #RUNSIMPLE. Enter your creative photo here for a chance to win a Runner’s Prize Package ($400 Value!). Prizes include choice of HOKA ONE ONE shoes, a 4-pack of Simple Hydration Water Bottles, 1BandID ID tag, HVLO Headphones, Yankz! SureLace System, Mizuno visor and socks and Chica Bands headbands.

My Dogs Are Barking 2012

On Sunday morning, my husband and I took our loyal hound to his second road race. The 3rd annual My Dogs Are Barking 5K was held at the Joppa Hill Educational Farm in Bedford, NH. This race benefits the Animal Rescue League and this year my friend and colleague, Gary, was the event coordinator. 

We ran this race for the first time last year and thought it was an enjoyable family friendly event that encouraged people to get out with their canines and exercise while advocating for the adoption and support of sheltered animals.

Me, Booney, Jen, and Emma

This race was fun because we got to run another official race with the dog. Booney used to run with us much more frequently than he does now, but his age and our distances have made it more difficult. At 9 years old he just doesn't have the same amount of stamina as he used to. 

It was also fun because we were able to meet up and run with friends and their dogs. It's interesting to take those lunch time conversations about running with your pets and make it a reality in one big group fun run!

The race had a new course this year so runners, canines, and walkers were treated to a steady downhill across the finish line. Runners without dogs lined up and started first, followed by runners with dogs, and then walkers. I liked this wave start because it allowed the runners who just wanted to run and not worry about leashes and four-legged friends to bolt right from the shout of "GO!"

Knowing that our loyal hound was not going to be gunning for first place, we decided he should aim for a PR. Last year he crossed the finish in 31:13, a very respectable time for a dog who runs inconsistently. Despite getting out fewer times this year for runs, we were hopeful he could shave a few seconds off his time with the downhill finish.

Booney trying to catch his friend Emma (with Jen)

After about a two minute delay from the start of the runners, we were off. The start was really a crowded mess of owners, dogs, and leashes. Some people let their dogs stray dangerously on loose leads which almost caused a few trips and others were being dragged into ditches by their excited canines. Fortunately it cleared out after about 2/10ths of a mile and we were able to find a steady pace as we made our way through the rolling hills. 

About halfway, we took advantage of the water stop for both two-legged and four-legged runners. The course led us through some nice neighborhoods - houses with three car garages (so nice) and picturesque views of the fall foliage. Then as promised, we rounded a corner to climb one last time before the downhill sprint to the finish. Booney finished with a PR of 31:04!

Do you have a favorite fun race?

If you are looking for a race to run, Amanda told me about a great one for a worthy cause.  The Michael LoVerme Memorial 5K run/walk is on Sunday, October 14th at Merrimack High School in Merrimack, NH. Michael was a Merrimack High School cross country and track runner and died unexpectedly this past August in a motorcycle accident. Amanda's husband, Michael's brother, and some other friends have started the Michael LoVerme Memorial Foundation and planned 5k run/walk as a way to honor him. They plan to make this an annual event. The proceeds will go towards offering a graduating Merrimack High School student a scholarship.

You can visit the website: www.ml-mf.org to find out more information.

LoziLu Mud Run

 
Over the weekend I ran in my first women's only event at the LoziLu Women's Mud Run in Hampton Falls, NH at the Applecrest Farm Orchards.

Event organizers suggested arriving one hour prior to the start of your wave. I didn't think this would be necessary, but I'm glad I did it because the check-in process was slow with one girl checking in individuals and another checking in teams. To save time, your team captain can pick up all the packets and goody bags.

Team Badass Blogger Babes turned out to be a team of two, but that didn't bother us. Angela and I were ready to have some fun.

The 5K course was sprinkled with some crazy fun obstacles. We ran and crawled through mud, climbed over walls, walked up planks & beams, waded through waist deep water, climbed through a web of rope, over a rope wall, and more.

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My favorite obstacle was the slip-n-slide. I never get the chance to dive head-first down a hill into a muddy pit and crash into people along the way!

After finishing the course, we grabbed some items from the snack drawer, paused for a picture on the red carpet, then rinsed off in the spa area.

The awesome race swag included a LoziLu tattoo (which I sported during the run), a stainless steel water bottle, and LoziLu SweatyBands!

This was such a fun run! It is an easy way to mix up the routine we fall into when following a training plan. It is a great full body workout: my arms and hamstrings got more use than they have seen in a while. It's also an adventurous way to spend some quality time with your gal pals!

What do you think about women-only events?

Have you ever done a mud run?

Manchester 5K

 
Last night was the Manchester Mile and 5K. The race was organized by Millennium Running, a local running company that was founded by John Mortimer in 2010, and they put on awesome events. The evening started off with a 5K at 5:30 followed by a downhill Mile at 6:20 that recorded the fastest mile last year at 3:44!!

I signed up for the 5K with my CRP. It was my first ever evening race.

My husband decided to run the 5K too, so we met up with my CRP at bib pickup and registration in Derryfield Park. Derryfield Park is pretty much on top of a hill and we could feel a nice breeze. It was a beautiful day for a race and hanging out in the city.

While we were waiting we ran into a teacher-running-friend from school, Jen.

Jen, Daisy (CRP) and me

I also ran into Janine, a fellow FitFluential Ambassador, and her mom. Love their outfits!

I did not prepare for this race at all and thought of it totally as a fun run. I had a light lunch around noon consisting of a salad and some Quaker Rice Snacks - nutritious, I know. I didn't look at the course map (if there was one) and checked the location on the way to the race as I navigated. I did manage to grab a few of Sports Beans and my Simple Hydration Water Bottle when we left the car.

Turned out to be one heck of a course!

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I started the race keeping pace with my CRP (who claimed to have an achy IT band) and we jetted through the first mile at 7:56! I couldn't keep that pace going into mile 2 which was almost entirely uphill, so we drifted apart as my pace slowed to 9:13 and she kept going. The last mile was a huge downhill to the finish so my pace bounced back to 8:26 even as I struggled with a screaming bladder.

Post race view of the downhill mile

After sprinting to the port-a-potties, I found CRP and then my husband. We chugged some sports drinks and water, chatted, and waited for the start of the One Mile. That's when someone asked my time. I checked my Nike+ GPS watch and saw my time, but I couldn't believe it. Later, after checking the results posted by Millennium Running it was official. I PR'd the 5K with a time of 26:38! We watched the finishers of the Millennium Mile, grabbed some delicious pizza slices, and sat down in Pulaski Park to eat. When the awards presentation was over, we enjoyed the nice mile walk back up to the car.

How do you prepare for evening races?

Have you ever run a race in the dark?

 My first "in the dark" race might be RTB depending on the leg I get...

Kickoff to Summer

June 18 - On Saturday I ran the Kickoff to Summer 5K for the third time. This is a fundraiser race for the local elementary school in my town and dedicated in memory to local father Dave Cramb who passed away in 2008. This year I recruited my husband, step daughter, and BRF. My goal was to do as good or better than my 28:06 time from last year.

My BRF and I had a seven mile long run on our training schedule so we ran four miles before the race. We opted to run along the river, a simple out & back. It was a cool morning with bright blue skies and a pleasant breeze. Our pre-race run was a first for me. I've often seen and heard others talk about running before or after a race to get in the mileage, but I admit that I always thought they were kind of crazy. Now that I understand the importance of a proper training program, I get it. Afterwards, we met my step daughter and husband at the registration area before heading to the grand stand for the Opening Ceremony.

After a few brief words, a moment of silence, and the singing of the National Anthem all the runners and walkers headed to the start line. The combination paved and dirt road course starts at the Central School and loops through the local fair grounds. It's an easy, relatively flat course. The race started on time with a lap around the school and then headed out onto the main road for .75 mile before turning into the fair grounds. The next 1.5 miles followed a dirt road out and looped back around. Here there was a lot of congestion formed by the runners who had stopped to walk. The last .50 mile was a slight incline to the finish.

What I love about this race is that it is organized entirely by volunteers and they do an awesome job. They provide three water tables along the course staffed by students and parents from the school. It also includes a one mile fun run for kids and a kids' mad dash for the little ones prior to the start of the 5K run/walk. The only improvement would be to have chip timing.

I'd been looking forward to this race because it was the first one I ran after moving to NH. That year was not my best running performance, but last year I did much better. This time I not only did better than the previous year, but also beat my six year old 5K PR with a time of 27:35 and 6th in my age group!

After finishing, I hung out with BRF while waiting for my step daughter (who was only a minute behind me) and husband to finish. We ran into a fellow teacher who was the third overall finisher this year! We cooled down over some delicious home made food and good conversation.

After the race, I was notified by Heather that I was being featured on her blog Running with Sass. Heather is a Mississippi girl who was inspired to run after watching her friends run the Disney World Marathon. Head over to her blog to see what she has accomplished since then!

Thanks Heather!

What do you like most about races?

How do you "kickoff" your summer?

Winter Warrior-ing

January 21 - It has been another fun week of winter running here in New England and half marathon training continues. It snowed a little Tuesday morning but that didn't stop hubs and I from getting out for another snowy run. We don't believe in shorts cuts around here. He ran with me for 1.5 before turning around to become photographer and leaving me to do the remaining 4.5. ON MY OWN. I hate running by myself and this run was a brutal reminder of how spoiled I have been for, oh, the last 10 months. No precipitation on Thursday's run, just bitterly cold wind gusts. Turns out I run pretty good when the sidewalks are clear.

Tuesday photos by hubs

Today my training partner and I met up at Runner's Alley, a local running store, to run with the Winter Warriors group. The store itself is a perfect little gem nestled downtown. We are always greeted by friendly and knowledgeable sales people and they have an excellent selection of running shoes, clothing, and gear.

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I'd been hearing about the WW Runs but never attended mainly because we don't live that convenient to the store. Even so, I was interested in finding out for myself what the group runs were like. Here's a blurb from their newsletter:

It's Not Too Late to Be a Warrior! You keep hearing about Winter Warrior runs, and since there are a lot of chilly months ahead of us, how about another friendly reminder on what WW is all about? *Group Runs (all paces/levels): Thursdays at 6:00pm and Saturday mornings at 8:00am *Throughout the winter, each store will host try-on nightsfrom different brands, plus raffles and other giveaways! *Every time you come to a run, you get a point. *Every time you bring a canned good, another point! *25 or more points at the end of the season means you score some free gear with the Warrior branding. Suh-weet! *Have we mentioned it's a blast? Yeah, it is...cuz that's how fun we are....  I arrived at the store 5 minutes before 8 and found about 15 other runners already inside getting ready mostly in small groups with little conversation. After figuring out where to sign in, someone announced that the run would be about 4 miles because of the snow. I have to admit that the irony of that statement made me smile a little inside. So, we ran with the group for 4 miles, took a short break back at the store, then went on for another 6. Even though the group was a little tamer than I expected, today's run was a blast...from old man winter! I can now say that I have experienced the following: snow flakes in the eyes, snow covered face, icicles in my eyebrows and lashes, and possibly even some frozen snot (lovely). I also learned that if you buy a pair of snow cleats, they probably work better if you wear them. Due North Traction Aids Today, I also completed the Twitter Road Race 5K. I loved being able to print my own personalized bib! Not the easiest day to run a race, but I did the best I could in the snow! Twitter Road Race 5K: 30:33 What kind of WARRIOR are you? Did you run the Twitter Road Race? How did you do?

Virtual Running

 
December 22 - We are in the age of Virtual Running. A virtual run is completing the race requirements without being present in an actual race location. More and more events are popping up via social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, Nike Running, DailyMile and more.

My experience with virtual running began in 2009 when I participated in the Nike Human Race 10K. Nike promoted this global 10K event for its users of the nike running sensor through Ambassadors, Challenge Teams, and Facebook. I was invited to join the event by one of the Nike Human Race Ambassadors and enjoyed weeks of training while interacting via the internet with my teammates and participating in contests. On race day, runners had to complete the 6.2 miles wherever they were, whenever they wanted and then upload their run using Nike+. Even though I wasn't surrounded by hundreds or thousands of other runners, I sported my Human Race running shirt and felt part of something huge.

This year I will be participating in the Home for the Holidays Virtual 10K put together by a couple of Twitter runners Robin, Stephanie, and Ashley. To participate all you have to do is run your 10K between Dec 23-26 then submit your time afterward. You are also encouraged to submit your stories and photos because they are giving out prizes from an array of brands for Best Holiday Outfit and just for participating. These runner girls don't want to let anyone end 2011 without one more experience of the "runner's high."

The 2012 New Year will bring the Inaugural Twitter Road Race 5K on Jan 21 created by Doug another runner on Twitter. Doug has successfully registered Bart Yasso of Runner's World along with hundreds of other Twitter runners. Doug's goal is simply to bring runners together to experience the camaraderie of running through the power of Twitter.

These Virtual Races are great motivation for runners all over to get out there during these busy, hectic holidays and run. So whether you are maintaining your training or burning some holiday calories, virtual runs are an easy, healthy, fun way to do it!

What do you think about virtual running?

What virtual races have you participated in?

Jingle Bell Run 5K

bells - check!

December 10 - Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way...

This morning we drove to Concord, NH to participate in the Jingle Bell Run 5K and our last race of the year.  This race was a nice follow-up to our Santa Shuffle last weekend in Manchester. Instead of donning santa suits though, I attached jingle bells to our running shoes this morning before leaving the house.

Today we continued to be granted with great running weather with temperatures in the 30s and plenty of sunshine.  The race was a benefit run for the Arthritis Foundation and another fun and festive way to kick off the holiday season.  Registration and bib pick-up was in the Rundlett Middle School cafe, and hundreds of people were decked out in their holiday gear: reindeer antler headbands, santa suits, elf costumes, candy cane striped socks, you name it!

5K ~ 28:30

Gathering at the start line, more and more people arrived dressed in the holiday garb including canines who would be accompanying their owners on this Jingle Bell Run.

My running partners and I enjoyed a wonderful loop-like run around Russell-Shea State Forest being cheered on by the locals in the neighborhood and serenaded by the hundreds of jingling bells attached to shoes and clothing. Approximately 600 runners made their way along the roads and pathways to the finish line. This was only the second race I've ever run in December, and I was not disappointed.  I love the high-spirited, jolly atmosphere.

Even though I will still be running through the end of year, I am a little sad that the races are over for 2011.  This has been my most successful and healthy year of running, and it has been a blast. Tomorrow I will be joining a fun run around the Manchester Airport, but it won't be the same without the crowds of people clothed in holiday costumes. But, oh what fun, it is to RUN...

Next year I am looking forward to new goals and new experiences in running!

Witch Way to the 5K

October 29 - A friend invited me to run a 5K with her as part of a fundraiser for her son's middle school.  With the event occurring so close to Halloween, runners were invited to wear their costumes for a pre-race parade and costume contest.

Temperatures for the 11 AM start time barely made it to the mid-30s and a winter storm warning was in effect for the afternoon, but that did not stop hundreds of people from coming out and participating.  Kids, parents, and even pets dressed up and joined in on the fun activities leading up to the start.  

The out and back course circled the school campus before leading out onto the neighborhood roads.  One challenging hill to overcome leading into mile 2 interrupted an otherwise quick and easy 5K course.  28:27

My Dogs Are Barking 5K

Booney's first official race. 31:13

October 16 - took Booney on a fun run in Bedford to benefit the Animal Rescue League of NH.  The 5k road race took place on Joppa Hill starting at an educational farm.

Hundreds of people, many with their canines, showed up to enjoy the clear brisk autumn weather.  As if on cue, dogs of all shapes and sizes commenced the race with a chorus of barks and howls.

Although Booney did not receive his own bib, he was an excellent running companion setting  a manageable pace as the course wound through the beautiful roads of Bedford.  Despite not coming in first place, we all enjoyed a wonderful run.

                                                      

                   

Kickoff to Summer 5K

5k - 28:06

Kickoff to Summer 5K is a race that benefits the local school PTA program.  I ran this race for the first time in 2009.  The course is a flat winding loop along the Piscataquog River and through the fairgrounds.


In 2009, my time for the 3.1 miles was 32:13 and I was 109th out of 156.  My goal for this year was simple: do better.

Two years ago I wasn't training; I thought I was, but I really didn't have a clue what I was doing.  Following a proper training program has made a huge difference. I feel like a runner now. I can run distances farther than I've ever run before without injuries.

My race results for this year's Kickoff to Summer 5K were better: time 28:06 and 95th out of 203.  It was a good day.