The Color Run, Bigger Than Ever!!

It's happening again!! The Happiest 5k on the Planet is back for more fun! The Color Run is one of my favorite races and definitely the best 5k around!

The Color Run is fun for everyone! It is a fabulous event that with make people of all ages want to run through the color. Look how much fun my family had last year at this wonderful event.

This year it is going to be bigger than ever! The Color Run will have fresh music, Color crazy race attractions, some amazing swag including headband, wrist band and sling bag) plus it's going to be in more cities than ever before! You can find one near you here also they are offering $5 off your registration when you use the code "COLOR5OFF"

Gather your friends and family and be prepared to get healthy and have a blast while doing it! Be sure to stick around after you get done with your 5k and enjoy the after party. Every 15 minutes there is a giant color explosion that is sure to turn you completely into a smurf if you weren't able to get as saturated in color during the race as you wanted to!

Every year this race gets better and better. This will be my third year running it. I feel like that makes me an expert! Some do's and don'ts of The Color Run are:

Do sign up with friends! The more the merrier when it comes to making color snow angels on the ground. 

Don't wear your expensive watch or bring your cell phone with you while you are racing! You will have color every where and don't want to ruin your electronics!

Do use ziploc bags for the stuff you want to keep clean and don't open the bag until you are completely clean. 

Do take advantage of the giant leaf blower! It will get the excess color off you and don't worry you will still look like a smurf! 

Don't wear your brand new running shoes unless to plan to ruin them with color. 

Do keep your mouth closed when running through the color stations. I ended up with some beautiful blue teeth in all my pictures last year! 

Do have the time of your life and make great memories!

Don't forget to use the promo code "COLOR5OFF" for $5 off when you sign up here!

2013 Recap and 2014 Goals!

2013 was pretty good to me! My original goals when I started 2013 were to run 500 miles, run 13 races in 2013 and train for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon, which is only two weeks away. Some how I got talked into running one half marathon last April, one thing lead to another and I ended the year running three half marathons. I reached my 500 mile goal on a cold December's day. I would have reached it earlier but I got lazy and didn't run at all in October.

I just ran my 500th mile of 2013

On December 28th I ran my 13th race of 2013 at the Hot Chocolate Run. I ran the 10k with two of my friends. It was cold and a super icy course but once we were able to feel our toes, it was great fun. I volunteered at the race that morning with check-in until 10 minutes before it was my turn to run. If you have never volunteered at a race then I highly recommend you do it! Volunteering is always good for the soul but to volunteer at a race gives you a higher appreciation for volunteers and crew at future races and it's good race karma. Final Kick Events (the people who put on some of my favorite races) has a great volunteer program where if you volunteer at one of their races then you get a free entry to a future race. You can't beat free races and race karma!  

One of my favorite races of the year was the Idaho Wine Run, this was the second year in which I have ran it. This year my time from the 10k helped me secure my spot in Coral A for my disney race. Coral A is right behind the Elite runners!! I'm still on cloud nine over it. 

For 2014, my goals are very similar but slightly bigger. I plan to run 1000 miles, run my first full marathon (maybe two), run a relay race and run 14 races in 2014. Some of the races that I have my eye on are:
Tinker Bell Half Marathon - Jan 19
Run 4 Luv - Feb 8
Shamrock Shuffle Half Marathon - March 15
Race to Robie Creek - April 19
Race for the Cure - May 10
Famous Potato Marathon - May 17
Tutu Run - June 7
Sawtooth Relay - June 14
Let Freedom Run - July 4
Bogus Marathon - August 2
Dirty Dash - August 9
Fit One Half Marathon - September 20
Idaho Wine Run - September 28
Orange and Blue Run - October 18
The Color Run

Thankfully I have been blessed with a friend just as crazy as me so we will be training together for our marathons, running most of our races together and crossing off lots of those miles together.

What goals do you have for 2014? Do you have any awesome running buddies? 

September Recap

The end of September is here! During September my work life got crazy, my daughter started school for the first time, I volunteered at a race, ran two races (both PR's) and helped my Mom's Run This Chapter which 1000 miles ran/walked for September! That being said it was a crazy month. I did not get around to keeping my running streak but I did almost double the amount of miles I ran in August so it wasn't a total wash. Look for recaps on both races soon!

I'm thrilled that the weather is finally getting cooler. I am over the super hot days! One thing that kept me going during the hot months was making sure I was hydrated. Normally on a three mile run, I wouldn't need any water but with the hot heat I needed to carry my hand held water bottle on every single run I did. Recently I was sent some Oral I.V. It is a concentrated dose of rapid hydration.

You can either drink it plan or add it to 16 oz. of water. I choose to add it to water. It didn't change the taste of the water at all which I enjoyed and I did feel very hydrated after I drank it. It was the perfect size to just throw in my spibelt and take with me on a long run. It really helped me not feel drained after a long run. You can read more about this product here.

How was September for you? 

Keeping the spark alive!

Let's talk about running! I love running, it's fun, rewarding and a great way to get healthy. However I am one of those people that needs a goal to train and push myself for. I recently did three half marathons in 84 days. My first half was a challenging uphill course. My second half was flat and fast. My third was just to say I did three in under 90 days. After that I wasn't sure what to train for.

The next half marathon in the area was October. I toyed with the idea of training for a full but procrastinated and didn't increase my distance so that flew out the window. In the whole month of August I didn't run any distance over 6 miles! 

I have a 10k at the end of this month. Normally not a challenging distance but with me being a slacker and it being a hilly course I realize it is time to get my butt in gear.  I would also love to PR on this race so I can possibly move up a corral placement at the Tinker Bell Half Marathon. It is a Wine Run so I get to celebrate my PR with Wine after the run. I can not wait! 

Somehow, over the last month me and distance running drifted apart. I am going to rekindle my love with distance. We are going to start off slow with a date (aka short run) and add a nice beverage if I want to make the run extra special (aka watermelon Nuun) then when we start to spend a little more time together I will bring a nice meal (aka a mint chocolate gu, maybe chomps). I'm kind of a romantic like that. I know the spark is there because I feel it on every run, I just need to work on keeping the fire going and not relying on little sparks to get me to the finish line on race day.

In September I am going to try to streak the whole month by running at least one mile every day. So far on day 2 of the month I am doing great. Feel free to join along and we can keep each other accountable and cheer each other on! 

Have you ever had a running rut? How do you keep the spark alive with your running? Are you going to streak with me? 

The Color Run Recap and race tips!

I ran the happiest 5k on the planet, The Color Run. This wasn't the first time that I ran The Color Run but this time it was even better than the first time! I met up with a few women from my Mom's Run This Town chapter. We were wearing white and ready to run.

We lined up at 9am and waited for our turn to start. Finally at 9:10 the DJ who was entertaining us while we waited said we could start. For those of you who aren't familiar with The Color Run let me explain it, it is a 3.1 mile race where, at evenly spaced places in the race, they throw powder color on you. It is a blast! The first color we got to play in was pink. I put my arms up and yelled more color at the wonderful volunteers. After running a little bit more we came to the next color. Orange was splashed all over us!  I'm glad I was wearing my sunglasses because they got me pretty good. This year they did a lot better job on spacing out the runners so we weren't bottle necking at all the color stations.

After we ran a little bit more we hit the turn around point for the out and back course. Soon after we turned around one of the ladies I was running with informed us that if she runs the whole 5k it will be the furtherest she has ever ran. Well you can't hear that from someone and even think about walking! So we ran! Next we hit yellow. I was still loving life and ready for more.

The last station on the tour of color was blue. In my opinion, blue is the best color at The Color Run. It is so vibrant and covers your clothes and face so nicely.  After we got smurfed we picked up the pace for the rest of race. We finished with big smiles and one proud lady who ran her first 5k!

As soon as I crossed the finish line, I dashed to the start line to meet my husband and kids. I gave him a quick kiss and told him good luck and watched him start his first 5k while my kids and I cheered from the sidelines.

After my husband finished, we went to the stage for the color throw!

We were the happiest, most colorful family on the planet!!

I love The Color Run and plan to do it next year when it makes it way back!

Tips for running a color run:

-Wear sunglasses (nobody wants colored powder in your eye)

-Take pictures (before and after of course)

-Wrap your camera or phone in cling wrap to protect it from color. Don't unwrap it until you are in a clean place (ie home or the car)

-Hang out at the race after you run, you don't want to miss the color throw. 

-Run with friends - this race would not be as much fun alone! 

-Have fun!!

Have you ran The Color Run? Did it make you happy? 

Dirty Dash Recap

Recently I ran The Dirty Dash. This was my first time running The Dirty Dash and my first mud and obstacle race ever. I had researched this race so I knew a little about what I was up against. My team name was the Filthy Fairies, so myself along with 6 others put on our fairy wings and prepared to get muddy.

My husband got talked into running this race with his best friend. It was his first race and I am beyond proud! He did not want to run in fairy wings so him and his buddy put on their mustaches and got ready to run! We started at 9:30 then we were off, since we planned to get filthy we left all phones and electronics at bag check. This was the first time ever not running with a phone and it was kind of liberating. Since I didn't carry my phone I don't have any pictures of the obstacles. I will try my best to explain them the best I can so you know what to expect should you ever do The Dirty Dash. The beginning was very bottlenecked and most of us were walking because there was no room to run.

Picture of the starting line

The first obstacle was jumping over hay bails. For dramatic effect I rolled over the tops of them. You would see one then a minute later you would see another. After doing that a few times we came across the first obstacle crawling through big tubes. Thankfully I am short (or as my daughter likes to say "tiny") and was able to shrink down and walk through. Others had to get through on their hands and knees. I did that for 2 seconds and my knees were getting cut up on rocks. After running up hill for some time we came to the monkey bars. Did I mention that this race was on a ski hill. Lots of uphill running. After more uphill then we came to my favorite obstacle of the whole race! It this obstacle you climb over PVC pipes while trudging muddy water and having someone blast a high powered hose in your face. Doesn't sound fun but I assure you it was fun. Then we climbed over two walls. I was most afraid of these because I am not spiderman. After seeing them it made me feel lots better as it was a slanted tent like wall with ledges to help you. I'm terrified of heights but didn't have problems with any of the obstacles. 

Then it was uphill again. It was super steep so everyone was walking. Once we got to the top of the hill we had our next obstacle, jumping over vertical walls. If you couldn't get over the wall you could climb under it. There were three of these and unfortunately due to being tiny and getting stuck in the water, I decided to army crawl under the walls after failed attempts to make it over. We keep running a little more and came to a super high net wall. Pretty simple, climb up one side and climb down the other. Right after that it was time to refuel with chugging a can of beer or root beer if you were underage or preferred that. Chugging beer then running is an adventure!

It was all downhill from there and did that feel good! We had about a mile and a half left in the race and the end obstacles were easier than the first half. Running across a one foot wide balance beam, through a small pool of mud with small mud explosions and running through tires. All of those were very easy but still fun. The mud explosion pool was so fun we did the obstacle twice. We circled back by the spectator area and could see the home stretch. An amazing long inflatable slip and slide. They only had two lanes open so we had to wait in line for 5 minutes but it was totally worth it! After that I was feeling great and couldn't wait to dredge through the almost waist deep swimming pool of mud as our last obstacle. My husband and his friend thought it would be a great idea to attack me in the mud. For those who don't fully know me, if I am in mud I plan to get covered in it. I don't need any help because I will cover myself all on my own. My husband knows this but he thought I might need some help. While being attacked, I got mud in my eye. This mud is super gravelly. Instantly my eyes were on fire and I couldn't see due to the pain. My husband lead me by the arm out of the pit. I managed to open my eyes for a few pictures. Rushed over to the showers to wash my eye out. Finally after an hour of rinsing, drops and ointments I could finally open my eye longer than 2 seconds. After two days I am now the proud owner of a non-red eye.

Tips for future mud runners:
-Wear goggles, you might not think it is cool but everyone will be jealous when you reach the end.
-Don't duck tape your shoes, you WILL get gravel caught in the duck tape and it will be a pain to get off once it is muddy.
-Try all the obstacles. There is no shame in not completing the obstacles but you might regret it if you don't try.
-HAVE FUN!!!!
-Make a before and after collage

So over all the Dirty Dash was my favorite race I have ever run. Maybe because of the mud, maybe because of the freedom of running without a time clock, or maybe because it was the first race I have done with my husband. Either way I will be sure to sign up for this one again!!

"Running" into Money (Saving money on races)

I love races!! I love saving money!! Saving money on races means that you get to run more races! Let's talk about great ways to get that race t-shirt as cheap as possible.

Plan your races ahead of time:
If you know that you really want to run a certain race sign up early. For example the See Jane Run Half Marathon was held on June 22 this year in Boise. If I signed up by March 22, the race would cost $75. If I signed up on race morning it would cost $105. I would have saved $30 just by signing up sooner rather than later.

Social Media:
It helps to "like" the race on Facebook and "follow" them on Twitter. The race will typically post any promotion they are having on both medias. Before signing up for a race I always check to see if they posted any deals. For example, if you are interested in the Idaho Wine Run this year, you can use the promo code "runinboise" for $5 off any distance (Thanks Run In Boise). They have a 5k, 10k, Half and full Marathon.

Volunteer:
Final Kick Events is this amazing company who puts on some of the best races in the Treasure Valley. They also happen to have the best volunteer program around. If you volunteer at a race they put on, you will get a free entry to one of their races. Super easy and simple. My husband and I volunteered at their Run 4 Luv race and I will be volunteering at the Idaho Wine Run before I run it. The Spartan race series has the same kind of program. Not only is volunteering good race karma but it also helps me race a lot without spending a lot.

Daily Deal Websites:
Groupon, Living Social, Yipit all good ways to sign up for a cheap race. Currently Groupon has deals on the Push 5k ($17) and the After Dark Dash ($25). I have used Yipit to get a race for $12 and Groupon to get a race for $17. The $12 race was the Torchlight 5k, you got a shirt, a beer after the race,  and some coupons in the race swag bag. Typically in race swag bags I always see a coupon for $15 off or 20% off shoes. $15 is more than the $12 I spent on the race so if I use the coupon it is like I made $3 running the race!

Newsletters:
Sign up for the newsletters when you sign up for races. Just today I got a newsletter from Active.com with an awesome promo code. Use the promo code "FIT1BUDDY" when you register yourself by August 9th for FitOne and get emailed a code good for 100% off the registration for a friend. Who doesn't love two for the price of one! Too bad I am already signed up for this race.

Check blogs:
Some blogs have discounts on upcoming races, both local and non-local. Some blogs even have giveaways for races. For example, I currently have a discount code for The Color Run! You can use the code "COLOR5OFF" to save $5 off. You can easily google and find lots of locations with race discount codes. Mom's Run This Town has an awesome section of race discounts.

There is no "I" in TEAM:
Sign up as a team and you typically save money. Most races if you have 4 or more people sign up you will get a team discount. For FitOne you only save $2, for The Color Run you save $5, for the Dirty Dash you don't save any money. You never know how much you could save by convincing your friends to run with you.

Do you have any other ideas on how to save some money on races? Did you find these useful?