I’ve been waiting since April for great race weather like I had for this race!   A cool, cloudy morning and a great day for a race meant a great run on a new route through downtown that I really liked.

About 700 people showed up for this race which started and ended at Victory field and raced through the southern portion of downtown.  I love racing down Meridian Street, not stopping for any lights and enjoying the city in this totally unique way.  It’s a great rush that helps to push through the tough spots of the race.

After this race I’m certainly sure that I’m just at the beginning of my training for the half this November and have quite a bit of work to do to get to where I need to be, but it was a great early training run and a good sign of things to come.

August Race
3.1 Miles
12:20 pace
38:19 total time

July’s run was a total departure from any other run I’ve ever done.  There were great points and things I should have known better for, but overall it was a wonderful race and a wonderful way to spend a cool July morning.

The concept of The Color Run is that it’s an untimed, totally fun run.  Their slogan is “The Happiest 5k on Earth.”

The race is filled with young, old, strollers and everyone in between.  It’s a very non-competitive crowd and a very happy, friendly crowd (which you don’t always get at traditionally non-runner races).

Everyone lines up at the start dressed in white tees and fun attire.  We saw tutus, high socks, full body suits and everything else you can think of to dress in white.

Each “k” of the 5k is a color station where you run through and get doused with cornstarch color.  There’s music and dancing and everyone is just having a great time.

I was trying to decide how to dress for it, so I broke the cardinal rule of road racing… I wore a new pair of shorts for the race. When I thought about it that morning, I thought, oh well, it’s a fun day, so it doesn’t matter.   Well, during the race I had an absolute blast, but after the race when I got home I was seriously regretting the new shorts decision thanks to some serious chafing.

I also hadn’t put on my good racing socks, as I just threw some fun clothes on that day.  My shoes are quite a bit more colorful after the race having filled with the blood of my busted heels 🙂  Again, I didn’t notice it really during the 5k because we were having so much fun, but definitely a lesson learned for the future.

This race marked the first race I ran with a buddy (who was not my husband) the whole time, and that was great.  It really kept me motivated and moving forward.  It was such fun that we’ve decide to start running once a week together from now on.  And let me tell you, it’s quite a bit harder of a workout to run while talking!

No timer for this one, no plan, no pace and no problems.  Just a fun, mellow race and exactly what I needed to start off the Monumental Half marathon training for November.

Overall I had probably the most fun I’ve ever had at a race and would seriously recommend it to anyone in the future.  Photos to come, as they’re on other cameras at the moment.  Up next is an August 5k this weekend as I kick training up a notch and really work hard to cross train, get back in shape and get ready for the fall.

July Race
3.1 Miles
fun pace
fun total time