Show Us Your Medals!

Ahhhh, medals: the tangible evidence of completing a race. They are the proverbial icing on the cake of months of hard work and training for a race.

This past week I reached out via Facebook (our own and the Run Blog Society community page) and Twitter, asking people to share pictures and stories of their favorites. And wow, did people answer the call! To quote the A-Team, “I love it when a plan comes together.”

So without further ado…

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Kyle at An Accidental Optimist.

“The first one is a fave because it’s a horseshoe. You can’t get much cooler than that. The Amish made it. I ran the Bird-in-Hand half with Vic. Good times all around!

The second one is because it’s from MY FIRST MARATHON, Philadelphia 2013.”

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Michele at A Pace of Balance.

“This is from the Nation’s Triathlon which I completed September 2013.  It was an Olympic distance and was my first tri since 2003 BC (before children)… so really, it was my first tri.

I loved this race for many reasons.
1) I did the race with my sister and in fact, it was her birthday/Christmas/Mother’s Day gift to me.  She guided me through the whole thing.

2) The course. Washington DC. Need I say more?

3) I felt like a bit of an underdog.  I didn’t decide to do the race until about 8 weeks out.  I am an avid runner, but I had to really improve on the bike.  If you see my bike in the pic, you’ll notice it’s a hybrid and not a fancy road bike like the majority of the people had at the race.  It was my mommy bike which I converted into a race bike by getting rid of the baby seat, slapping on some cage pedals, and installing a speedometer.  Boom.  Someone actually said to me during the race “Girl, you are killing it on that bike of yours!”.  And I was.  I kept up with the seasoned crowd.  I finished in 3:01, which I think is pretty good for a first timer.  To me, the medal is a reminder that I should never sell myself short and we are always capable of more than we realize.”

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Ruth at The Run and I couldn’t pick just one – so she sent along a handful of these awesome medals!

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Julie at Run. Walk. FASTPASS. Repeat.

“Jost Running was looking for running bloggers to  review their Virtual Race Medals as they launched their business last year.  Each month an new medal came out for that month’s race. I was amazed at the detail and “pop” in their virtual race medals. I was not a fan of Virtual Races when I signed on, as I live in a big city with PLENTY of race opportunities, BUT I loved the idea of running the race my day, at my time, my route – and getting my bling in the mail.  I am German and yes I love beer. The Oktoberfest Medals just made me smile…who can’t use another bottle opener.  Seriously, my favorite medals in looks. Fun designs and a great reward for long training runs especially when you have a hard time getting out the door.  They converted me to a fan of the Virtual Race.”

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April at Run the Great Wide Somewhere.

“I traveled alone to the race [Space Coast Half Marathon], but felt strong and got a PR.  The course was gorgeous, all the runners were friendly and polite and it was very well organized.  And the medal is so beautiful and sparkly and has a space shuttle on it!”

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Meredith at Just An Ordinary Girl in FL.

“The Dumbo Double Dare race medal hold the number one spot. Not only was this an inaugural race, but also represented a huge accomplishment for me in completing 19.3 miles in 2 days!”

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Cynthia at You Signed Up for What?!

“I had a longtime goal to do a triathlon by age 40, and with 3 kids and a more-than-full-time-job, I did it. And I loved it!” [Athleta Iron Girl]

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Summer at Running with Pixies.

“My favorite medal is the 2013 Princess half marathon medal. Even though it was my third time running Princess, and my 5th half marathon, there was something about that race that clicked and made me realize that regardless of my finish time I was, in fact, a real runner.”

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Sue at This Mama Runs for Cupcakes.

“The Marine Corp marathon medal is my favorite because it is the medal from my very first marathon! A lot of hard work and time spent away from my kids for this!”

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Jennifer at Rescuing and Running.

“Wine Glass Marathon, Corning, NY is a fabulous weekend getaway in the beautiful fingers lakes region of NY!  It was a wonderful girls weekend of awesome regional food, wineries, glass art,  and a beautiful 26.2 mile run through rural NY countryside.

The medal, which is actually glass, is handmade  by a local Corning glass artist. It is beautiful and very unique! In addition to the awesome finishers medal, the race swag is top notch. We got a great drawstring back sack, a good technical long sleeve tee, wine glass, and  a small bottle of Champagne made and labeled specifically for the weekend.  The course was beautiful with many supporters along the way. The post marathon food options is the best I have ever seen with offerings of pizza hot out of an oven, several hot soups, sandwiches, cookies, fruit, bagels, chocolate milk! I cannot say enough about this wonderful regional marathon.”

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Sara at The Classy Crafter.

“Six months of training all boiling down to one race and truly figuring out what your body is capable of.” [Walt Disney World Marathon]

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Lisa at Lulu’s Big Adventure.

“This medal is from the Canada Army Run Half Marathon, which I ran in September 2013. Not only do I love that they created a dog-tag medal in the army spirit, but this race was special to me. I knocked over twenty-five minutes off my last half marathon time, and I came in well under my goal of 2 hours. I was really nervous about how I was going to do at this race, since I am incredibly injury prone and trained in the stifling Brazilian heat all summer. So, when I had such a wonderful race experience and achieved such a big PR, it was a special moment for me.”

So there you have it, our second installation of “my favorite medal”! You can check out the first post, from Vic, here.

I love seeing the different favorites that were sent and also hearing the logic behind why each person loved their favorites the most. You’ll notice that we had no repeats – so many different races and reasons! Many thanks to all those who shared. You rock!

What’s your favorite medal? Link us to a blog post or pictures in the comments so we can check them out.

We Might Be Giants

Or at least we were for one day when Mister Jess and I (and Bug, too, by default) ran The Giant Race 5K.

Somehow, despite the fact that the city of San Francisco is obsessed with their baseball team, I’d never heard of this event. But when my darling friend Val mentioned on Facebook that she’d signed up for it, I looked it up, decided it would be the perfect inaugural post-baby race to run, and signed right up!

It’ll be such great motivation to train! I thought. I’m going to be SO READY to run! I told myself. 

Fast forward to August 4th and yeah, I hadn’t trained at all. Whoops! Needless to say, I was a little nervous about running 3.1 miles when I hadn’t run even one mile in well over a year. Add on to that the fact that Mister Jess was determined to run the whole thing without stopping and I was getting a little dewy underneath my Scoot A Doot t-shirt.

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Sorry, you want me to RUN?

Ain't no thing, says Mister Jess.

Ain’t no thing, says Mister Jess.

We got to the start line in front of AT&T Park (where the Giants play, of course) about ten minutes to 11am when the race was expected to start. Knowing nothing about this race previously, I was wholly unprepared for just how many people were there.

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There were thousands upon thousands of racers dressed up in orange and black, sporting Giants gear, ready to run on behalf of their beloved baseball team and Project Open Hand, a very worthy cause the race was raising money for. We ended up at the back of the crowd. The early bird gets the better spot and all that, which was fine by me due to the whole not training for the race thing. I was happy to start in the caboose.

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Nervous smile! BOB cameo!

Because there were so many people, it took us forever to get to the actual start line and once we officially began racing we were barely walking, never mind running.

This is easy! I thought. For about two minutes.

But then people started dispersing and spreading out and, you know, running. Mister Jess looked at me and said, “Ready?”

Apparently it was not a rhetorical question, so run we did.

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The course went from AT&T Park down the Embarcadero toward Pier 39 and then looped back to finish at AT&T Park. It’s certainly one of the prettier courses I’ve run, although I think you’d be challenged to find a course in San Francisco that doesn’t have some kind of scenic eye candy. We ran along the bay, past the Bay Bridge and the various piers, bobbing and weaving through the crowd with our BOB and a straight passed out Bug.

I was already feeling pretty fatigued less than a mile in, but Mister Jess was a great running partner, encouraging me to keep running even if I needed to slow my pace. Despite the fact that he hadn’t trained for the race at all, he was running next to me like we were on a walk in the park. Annoying, but forgivable since he was keeping me motivated.

By the time we reached the halfway point, though, I was really feeling it and had to slow to a walk. Disappointing and probably completely in my head, but I was tired, sore and parched. We turned back toward AT&T Park and walked until I got my bearings and breath back.  After a few minutes, I was ready to pick up the pace again. The natural competitor in me (buried deep down, but it’s there!) didn’t want my finish time to be too skewed.

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Yep, loving life.

 It had been so long since I’d run a race that I completely forgot about the rush. You know the rush: when you’re less than a mile from the finish and you’ve got spectators cheering you on, saying things like, “you’re almost there!” The endorphins kick in and suddenly there’s that burst of energy and you’re like, “I’M ALMOST THERE!”

Add on to that the fact that we could hear cheers coming from AT&T Park where people were waiting to welcome us across the finish line and I had a renewed sense of what I like to call Hell Yeah.

Experiencing the rush!

Experiencing the rush!

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Hell Yeah!

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What’s around the river – er, stadium bend?

If you ever want to cross a race finish line on the hallowed ground of a major league baseball field, then The Giant Race is for you. Mister Jess is a big sports buff, so when we got here:

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And here:

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He was pretty geeked out. And even though I barely know the difference between a touchdown and a home run, I have to admit that it was awesome running onto that field and seeing people cheering for us from the stands. It gave me a tiny taste of what it must be like for the Giants to play there. It was a truly unique experience that I wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere else, and definitely a race moment I will remember forever.

Another thing I’ll remember forever? Getting my first medal!

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I’m done!

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And I’ve got a medal!

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My boys!

After we’d crossed the finish line, grabbed our medals, and took off our time chips, we went to hang out in the grass for a few minutes. Bug was less than impressed with his first experience with grass (pssh, city kid).

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Two eyebrows are worth a thousand words.

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Hmm. Can I eat this?

After soaking up the atmosphere we packed it up, packed it in, and left the park to feed our hungry bellies. I was nowhere close to PRing, but I finished the race and ran the majority of it, so I had to pat myself on the back for a job well done.

Overall, this was a very well organized, super fun race with a unique finish line experience. As soon as we were done, I turned to Mister Jess and said, “we’re doing this again next year.” If I can’t be a Giant all the time, at least I can every August!

What’s the most unique race course you’ve ever run? When did you get your first medal? Tell me about it in the comments! 

Middle of the pack

Apparently, I’m pretty consistent.

I never would’ve predicted it, but at my last two 5k races I placed fourth in my age group, with an 8:26 pace. Both events were small, local fundraisers in Rochester, NY.

Teenage me would scoff at this pace. But adult me is pretty damn proud.

For years, I couldn’t drop under 27 minutes for a 5K race. I hovered just above, as the elusive 26 taunted me. I’m not a sprinter, but tend to hold my own as a distance runner, swimmer or rower.

So to find myself flirting with the edges of the winner’s circle is a bit exciting, and unexpected, especially for a self-proclaimed middle-of-the-pack runner like me.

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My goal at the start of the summer was to beat my best previous 5K PR, 26:56, set last June at an evening 5k race that took us through random and unmarked athletic fields for the last mile. It was hot. And I know from experience that I don’t run my best in heat or humidity.

My best-ever 5K time is in the low 24s. But its been years – 18 years since that day. If my PR was a person, it could vote this fall.

My first summer race was on May 25 and produced perfect running weather. Temps were in the 40s when we set off and my legs felts great. With just 80 people running the course that morning, I finished with a sprint up a hill and smile on my face knowing I did my best.

I finished 26:10, fourth place in my age group. I was freezing, but thrilled. I reached my goal straight out of the gate.

On Sunday, I ran the 5K to Cure ALS, which started and ended at Frontier Field, home to Rochester’s minor league baseball team, The Rochester Red Wings.

als2Zipping by at mile 2

I wrote a detailed race recap on my work blog – But my race highlights included running my first mile under 8 minutes and rounding the bases on the baseball field before crossing the finish line, right behind home plate.

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That’s me in the bright green skirt, about to round the last turn into the finish at Sunday’s 5k. (I passed the dude in the blue shirt, by the way!)

Of 650 runners, I again finished fourth in my age group, with a time of 26:11. This was extra special since the race was one day after I ran a 6-mile loop through suburban Rochester with the local women’s group, Rochester Moms in Motion.

I actually learned my place I went to check my time on the race website Monday morning. I had hoped to get my chip time, but one wasn’t listed. Instead I got a better surprise!

I’ve got one more 5K race planned for the summer before I move into marathon training mode. So who wants to guess how I’ll fare at my next 5k race on July 4? Will it be a hat trick?

Who else plans to run a race on July 4? Have your ever surprised yourself by running faster than expected at a race? Tell me in the comments!

It’s About to Get Ridiculous Up in Here

Belly Flop Drop.  Tarzan Swing.  40 Bounces to Freedom.  No, these are the latest dance crazes.  They’re obstacles, just 3 of the many from the Ridiculous Obstacle Course 5K I participated in the race this past Saturday.  I’ve ran in mud.  I’ve climbed hills.  I’ve ran tires.  But I’ve never ran a muck like this before.

When I signed up for the race, all I knew was there were trampolines.  I don’t know about you, but I love trampolines.  And anything that incorporates day-glo wear with trampolines is my kind of activity.  My friend Amy signed up with me and enthusiastically sported our vibrant tie-dye in an effort to stand out.

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Unfortunately, we were ill-prepared.  There were teams of minions, brides, prom dresses, zombies; pretty much any and every costume you could think of.  I was shocked to see so many runners looking so, well, ridiculous.  Had I known, I’m sure my propensity for ridiculousness would have reigned supreme.  Next time, ROC, next time…

The race was located at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in San Diego.  We were signed up for the 11 am start time and were herded into the starting gate.  Yep, the very gates used for the horse races.  We had to wait a bit, they were letting runners go in small groups to lessen the wait time at the obstacles.  Even though I had thoroughly sunblocked, I was already feeling the heat on my shoulders.  It was dusty and hot and I was looking forward to those water obstacles.

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The Wrecking Ball, the Inflatable Water Slide and the Moon Bounce.

The first obstacle we hit was Tunnel Vision, which is exactly what it sounds like, a tunnel.  Out of the tunnel, we came to 40 Bounces to Freedom,  a series of trampolines that escalated in height.  You had to jump down and across the tramp to a high platform, getting higher and higher until you came to the end.  The only way to get down was to slide down a pole, which I had never done before.  And kind of freaked me out.  But it was either down or back through the traffic and there was no going back now.

We ran on.  Amy, my ridiculously fast friend, sprinted off ahead but I hung back with the group.  We hopped some hurdles and scaled a gigantic mountain of dirt and then it was time to slide.  For the obstacle named Cool Runnings, we had to grab an inner tube and run it up a hill, then proceed to slide down a water slide.

After the refreshing little dip, we had to run some more.  We climbed more walls.  I attempted to cross some monkey bars and cross a muddy pool on a rope swing.  I failed at both.  I was ready for more water by the time I got to the Aqua Drag.  Basically, it’s a four-way slip and slide.  You run as fast as you can and then dive onto this inflatable water slide, hoping to make it to the end.  I neglected to build up enough speed and I hesitated, which resulted in a less than spectacular display.  I got stuck on the slide about halfway down and had to inchworm my way to the end.  Thankfully, I destroyed any documented evidence of this fiasco.

It seemed like we ran a lot in the beginning, but about halfway, the obstacles started piling up.  And we started having to wait.  After the longest tire run of my life, we ran up a ramp over the race track and into the Moon Bounce.  It’s a bouncer for adults.  The world’s largest, in fact.  After bouncing across, we had to stand in line for the Wrecking Ball.  The obstacle consisted of barrels strung across a pool of water.  You had to cross the barrel bridge and avoid the two huge rubber balls that were flying around your head.  I made it about halfway before I bailed.  The last obstacle was the World’s Largest Inflatable Water Slide.  I climbed to the top, where they scanned my timing chip before sending me down the slide.  Best way to cross a finish line ever.

Not only was the race itself totally epic, but the after-party was amazing.  Lots of vendors, with all kinds of food and drinks.  Many products available for sample. And a soapy hose down for those who needed it.

The Salmon Ladder.  These two were trying to win a free race entry.

Alpha Warrior: The Salmon Ladder.

We met up with Amy at the Alpha Warrior exhibit and then it was time to get our free beer and do a little dancing.  Amy had placed 3rd in the women’s division for our time slot and had to pick up her awesome medal.  We people watched some more, ate a delicious artichoke on a stick, and were able to see all the best costume winners.  My vote goes to the couple who dressed up as Indiana Jones and the Boulder.  484805_10151379989246481_888811857_n

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Registration for the Orange County race opens on May 15th and I’m seriously considering running this again.  It was a blast, like being on a giant playground.  And I want another shot at that ridiculous costume contest!

Would you participate in a race like the Ridiculous Obstacle Challenge? What would your costume be?

BA5k – Mother’s Day Run with family

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFcHk-fAEGw&feature=youtu.be]

Have you ever ran in formation? Because after today’s 8th annual BA5k, I can now say that I have… well, at least for a hot second! I mean, I was next to them so that sort of counts. A little. Pooks, Jay and I were very impressed with the police academy runners.

The BA5k is a local-to-us race to honor the memory of Brian Anderson, a young man who passed at age 21 from an undiagnosed heart arrhythmia on Mother’s Day in 2005. The 5k walk/run started the following year and this year was the 8th annual memorial run.

Last year, Pooks ran a quarter mile race and was looking to “up his distance” (I’m not kidding – that’s the phrasing he used). He was seven at the time and I was thrilled that he was so interested so we chose to participate in this race. It’s always held at the local park that we consider “ours” – it’s where we’ve played since he was born!

2012 Mother's Day 5k

2012 Mother’s Day 5k

This year, we were able to talk Jay into joining us. Maybe talking him into joining us is a bit too liberal of a phrase… I signed us up as a family team and told him that we were going to run it together. You might recall he ran his first 5k in March so he felt fairly confident that he’d be good to go for this race.

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Yes, my eight year old will be taller than me. Probably sooner rather than later.

We’d signed up as a family team but somehow there was a glitch with their system because they only had me listed under participants. After getting bibs and shirts sorted out, we were once again on the way to the start! The race began at 9am; thankfully that time wasn’t hard and fast this morning because the boys both needed to stop at the porta-potties before we lined up.

ba5k3At the start line, they didn’t really have clear markers or anyone with a megaphone directing runners or walkers. The runners logically should’ve started first but that’s not really how it went down. There was a lot of bobbing and weaving for the first minute.

ba5k4But once we got past that, it was smooth sailing and we fell into a nice, comfortable pace. I asked Pooks if he had a plan for this 5k, since he was setting the pace. He told me that he wanted to take it easy the first mile, speed up the second mile, and sprint at the end.

Is that what happened?

I’ll give you one guess…

NOPE!

Right out of the gate, he was hyped up and going too fast. Which I mentioned, but what eight year old wants to hear that? Or thirty-something year old, for that matter? So I tapped into this enthusiasm, knowing eventually he’d simmer down.

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Dude and Pooks – holding strong at almost a mile.

Looking at pictures from last year, I found one of Pooks at nearly the exact same spot.

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BA5k 2012

If I were to guess, I’d say there were about 1,000 runners and walkers present. The course wound through the park so you were able to see other runners and the walkers throughout the race.

Just past the mile mark, Pooks asked for a short walking break so we slowed to a fast walk and continued with intervals through the rest of the course. He was happy to see the water station at the halfway point and more than happy when we made our way to the finish line.

Of course he was an absolute stinker at the end. “Mom, wait for me so we can cross the line together!” Pulls up next to me, asks if I’m ready to sprint, and as I’m answering him he TAKES OFF.

Last year we finished in 49:59. This year? 39:56. The kiddo bested himself by 10:03!

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“Mom, I beat you!” Uh huh. You sure did, kid.

Have you ran with your family before? Did they pull the old “let’s cross the finish line together” and then leave you in the dust?

The Color Run – We’ve got the hook up!

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Hey Scooters! We’ve got an awesome opportunity for those of you wanting to check out The Color Run (that’s all of you, of course). The Color Run, aka the Happiest 5k on the Planet, is a unique paint race that celebrates healthiness, happiness, individuality and giving back to the community. Each kilometer participants are doused from head to toe in different colors, painting a kaleidoscopic array all over your entire being. As we’ve mentioned in a previous post, these runs are a great way to let loose, have fun with friends and get painted with color!

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The lovely folks at The Color Run were kind enough to hook up our readers with some incentives. Holla!

Firstly, we’ve got promo codes for $5 off of registration at four, yes FOUR, locations. We picked these locations all over the country so that hopefully you’ll be near one of the sites listed. If you’re not, why not plan a road trip to visit a friend or family in the area?

Grandma lives in Columbus? Grandma can take part too! (Honestly, who can resist the post-race Color Festival? Not Grandma, that is for sure.)

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Anyway, what we’re trying to say is feel free to share the codes on Twitter, Facebook, by carrier pigeon or where ever your heart desires. The more, the merrier!

  • August 31, 2013 event in Englishtown, NJ – use the code: COLORSCOOT1
  • June 29, 2013 event in Pomona, CA – use the code: COLORSCOOT2
  • October 19, 2013 event in Charlotte, NC – use the code: COLORSCOOT3
  • July 20, 2013 event in Columbus, OH – use the code: COLORSCOOT4

A couple of things about the codes that you should keep in mind:

– The promo code will take $5 off your registration fee. The codes are race specific so make sure you snag the right one. If you sign up as a group (that’s a “Team” opposed to an “Individual” during registration) you’ll get an additional $5 off.

– Remember that even if you’ve got a promo code, it doesn’t guarantee a spot in the race. These races fill up quickly, due to the sheer awesomeness, so if you’re planning on joining in the fun, make sure to register ASAP.

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Additionally, and super amazingly, The Color Run also provided us with a free race entry to one of their events! Enter the giveaway and if you’re the lucky winner, you get your pick of The Color Run locations (so long as it isn’t sold out – take a look-see at the list of locations).
Click the pic to enter

Click the pic to enter

*This giveaway is for one entry to any Color Run event that is not sold out. Once the winner has been chosen, we will share your name and email address with the folks at The Color Run to get you set up with your run of choice. We have not been compensated for this post although The Color Run provided the colorful pictures.

Hail and color everywhere!

You never know what sort of weather to expect in upstate New York.

Friday was a spring day, with a high of 74 as the sun was shining. But by Saturday morning, we felt the chill as temps dropped to the upper 30s and hail pelted us between falling flakes.

We knew what we were getting into living in Rochester, so we headed to the Color Vibe 5K race bright and early, prepared not to let the wintry weather chill our day.

Our group, like many, donned the official race shirt for the mid-morning run. It was white and well, when else were we going to wear it? We lined up about 30 minutes before race time, huddling for warmth. Many in the corral grew bored, ripped open their color packets and started a color war.

I was technicolor before we even started moving.  What fun!

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Carnage of some impatient runners

Soon enough, the race was underway. Our group of seven split in half and I ran along with Charlotte, Lindsay and Deb. Less than a half-mile into the run, hail started pelting us as we ran. The whole crowd groaned.

But alas, a color station was ahead. Once we were coated in green, everything seemed more springlike!

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Volunteers throw green corn starch powder on passing runners

Our race was on the local community college campus. Parking lots were aplenty, so we spent much of the run winding through lots and campus roads as we chatted. We were also pleased to see so many people out, despite the weather. We saw many kids running, some racers in costume (Batman and Superman passed us by) and several color infused strollers.

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Lindsay, Deb and Charlotte

Since no mile markers were posted and most of my group skipped wearing watches for the untimed 3.1-mile race, Deb kept track of our mileage. She also shared that info with other runners who were itching to know how much further to the finish.

As we ran, high winds carried the color powder high into the air. It was quite the sight.

Then the snow returned, followed by the hail. (Ouch)

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Snow. sigh.

After we were doused in yellow and blue, we rounded the last turn to the finish.

Because many people stopped at the finish to toss their remaining color powder packets, we had to stop and walk about 50 or so yards into the finish line. That was a bit disappointing, as my favorite part of any race is a feeling of accomplishment as you finish.

But that said, we pummeled each other with color powder at the finish!

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Here, the girls douse me in color!

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From left: Sara, Charlotte, Deb, me, Lindsay, Amanda and Thea

Amanda, one brilliant runner in our group, offered up an idea to protect her iPhone from the color powder. She put her phone inside a plastic ziploc bag. Genius! Unlike my phone, which was a technicolor horror and lost 2 months off it’s life, hers was well protected through the madness.

We also loved that Color Vibe partners with a local charity for the event. In Rochester, it raised awareness for the YMCA of Greater Rochester.

Entry into the Color Vibe included a white T-shirt, one color packet, sunglasses and of course our races bibs. We were also given Boston bracelets, a thoughtful gesture by race organizers as we ran several days after Monday’s Boston Marathon bombings.

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Have you ever taken part in an non-traditional race? Do you like untimed events? Please share your experiences  in the comments.

ROY G. BIV – Colorful Runs!

Have you heard of Holi?

Holi is a Hindu religious festival, one in which brightly powdered colors that are thrown amongst participants in addition to bonfires, chants, and the celebration of spring.

Photo attributed to Jorge Royan: http://www.royan.com.ar/Royan/Home.html

Photo attributed to Jorge Royan: http://www.royan.com.ar/Royan/Home.html

Not long after I’d first learned about Holi, I saw a brightly colored ad for The Color Run, which began in January 2012. Touted as the Happiest 5k on the Planet, it was first inspired by Disney’s World of Color, paint parties, mud runs, and festivals throughout the world. The Color Run is known in the industry as a “paint race” and promotes healthiness, happiness, celebrating individuality and giving back.

And not too long after that, I heard about other color runs! Color Vibe, Color Me Rad, Run or Dye – the color powder is a’plenty and the party-like atmosphere is a good one.

"Color runs are awesome because you sweat rainbows." - Cam

“Color runs are awesome because you sweat rainbows.” – Cam

A couple of the Chicks have done their fair share of color throwing thus far; Jess, Cam and myself (Mer) took part in The Color Run 2012 San Francisco.

"Color runs are super awesome because everyone's there to have fun and get colored and give high fives." - Jess

“Color runs are super awesome because everyone’s there to have fun and get colored and give high fives.” – Jess

I volunteered at The Color Run 2012 New Jersey and soon I’ll be running at Run or Dye Philadelphia.

Bec‘s done both Color Me Rad 2012 Boston and The Color Run 2012 Boston and has another Color Me Rad coming up this summer.

" Color Me Rad is the perfect name for it. It was totally chill (as chill as an 88 degree July day can be), and I love that it was about playing and color and FUN. No timing, no pressure, just getting down for some good, clean (errrr) fun." - Bec

“It was totally chill (as chill as an 88 degree July day can be), and I love that it was about playing and color and FUN. No timing, no pressure, just getting down for some good, clean (errrr) fun.” – Bec

However, Victoria has yet to experience a color explosion and so we thought she’d be the perfect, unbiased, candidate for our comparison post!

Ring the bell and meet our two contenders in the COLOR THROW-DOWN!

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VERSUS

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Color Vibe was founded in March of 2012, first under the name Graffiti Me Color Series before later changing to Color Vibe. Both races encourage the wearing of white (even after Labor day – GASP!), do not have timing chips, and encourage their participants to have THE BEST EXPERIENCE EVER.

Victoria, we hope you’re ready to party!

Color Vibe and The Color Run have both graciously provided entry for Vic’s experiences and she’ll be coming back here to share everything with the Scoot a Doot readers. Not to fret, this is a friendly competition where the boxing gloves are more like fist bumps and everyone is looking to have a good time.

First up is the Rochester Color Vibe which takes place today, April 20th.  Vic is looking forward to it and will report back next week!

Will you be there or at another colorful event this spring/summer? Have you been to a Holi celebration? Let’s hear about it!

While Color Vibe and The Color Run have compensated Vic for the races, this post and all others regarding it are not sponsored. All thoughts/opinions expressed are our own.

Race rewind – runDisney’s Castaway Cay 5k

Free… for the mere price of a cruise!

Last summer my family and I took a week cruise on the Disney Magic. I’d heard about the Castaway Cay 5k for months prior and on Tuesday, June 26th 2012, I got to experience it firsthand.

Disney owns its very own Bahamian island, Castaway Cay and it’s absolutely beautiful. However, that day, Tropical Storm Debby was brewing and decided to take aim.  I, along with the other runners (I’d guess there were about 35 of us), got hit about ten minutes into our run.

The group of us met in one of the bars at 8:30ish and got our bib numbers.  You could tell that everyone was sizing each other up until we all realized that we were just doing this for kicks.  (Or at least I was… I don’t really know what the other people were doing it for.  The plastic medal?  The glory?)

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The sun was still shining at this point but if you look off in the distance, you can see the clouds rolling in.

My plan for this 5k was to take it nice and easy and take pictures along the route.  That lasted for those first ten minutes.  We took a tram out to the start of the 5k; Everyone was in good spirits and chatty the entire ride.

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Soon after I took this picture, the skies above looked ominous.  Dark clouds came barreling toward us and started pelting us with hail.  That was about the time I decided to stash my phone in my SPIbelt and press on.  The route isn’t all that exciting anyway; past the watch tower, out and back near the airstrip, the watch tower loop AGAIN, and then the finish.

I fried the backlight in my nano.  Boo!  Wound up finishing in about 35 minutes (that’s with stops along the way).  Made friends with the kid running near me, we played cat and mouse the entire run.  And at the end I joined a woman that was ahead of me and we finished up together.  She was training for that year’s Tower of Terror 10 miler.

I have to admit, I felt pretty bad ass running in HAIL.  I mean, yes, I ruined my nano and I was soaked to the bone… but hey, now I can say that I’ve experienced that, right?  Who’s drinking from the half full glass?  That would be me!

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You might not be able to tell from the picture but I was soaked, head to toe!

A few nights later I came back to my stateroom to find a “magical moment” certificate (with my name spelled incorrectly – Womp! My parents had to go the different route with it and I’m “paying” for it ever since).

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Have you ever ran in the Bahamas or any other island? In hail or a Tropical Storm? Have you broken an electronic device during a run? (I’m still bummed about that, nearly a year later.)

The Color Kinda-Run

Here’s a confession: running is not always fun for me. In fact, a lot (okay, FINE, most) of the time I consider it work. Sure, I love that it makes me feel strong and healthy and accomplished. But it also makes me feel sweaty and wheezy and tired.

So why do I do it? Aside from the whole good-for-you thing, which is admittedly pretty important, I love that so many of my friends run, too.  It’s the reason I got into it in the first place, proving that, yes, I’d jump if everyone else did. Sorry, Mom.

And what’s so great about having so many runner friends, you ask? It means that we make plans to run awesome races together. It means traveling to other cities and states to run said awesome races together. But best of all, it means that they travel to MY city to run said awesome races with ME. I hate to fly, so this is understandably my favorite scenario, one that happened last July when Chicks Meri and Cam flew to the City by the Bay to run the happiest race on the planet.

Yes, that’s right. A happy race! And not just any happy race, The Color Run!  Doesn’t it just sound so fun? Because it was. So. Fun.

This is the gist: the 5K race douses runners with a splash of colored corn starch at every kilometer, so that by the time you cross the finish line you look like a super-colorful Rorschach. The race is untimed, so there’s no talk of personal records or “hey, I beat you by 0.05 seconds, suck it.” The point of The Color Run is simply to enjoy, get colored up, then party it up after you cross the finish line. This was our mission and we accepted.

Hey, if you tell me to take it easy and enjoy myself, I’m not going to argue with you. Plus, I was 18 weeks pregnant with my little Bug at the time, so I was more than okay being the tortoise for this one.

Meri flew in first and we palled around the city while we waited for Cam to join us.

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Welcome to San Francisco in July. Beautiful, isn’t it?

Once Cam was with us, it was basically about preparing for the 5K – outfit planning and packet pick-ups, which included t-shirts, a headband, and a packet of color to use after the race – and eating. Oh yes, there was eating.

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Cuteness with a crepe sundae.

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Stuffing my pregnant face like a lady.

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Getting pumped! Please note our t-shirts. Clear eyes, full hearts, free Tim!

With our bellies full  – really, really full – and our race day duds ready to go, we hit the hay. We needed to save our energy for all the happiness and color to come!

July 14th dawned bright and foggy and we woke early to get the party started. Fun fact: Cam is kick-ass at hair braiding, which means she is the Official Hair Braider™ at any and all races she attends with the Chicks.

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Mmhmm, that’s right.

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Meri is dreaming about freeing Tim Riggins here.

We made our way to Candlestick Park (go 49ers with your crappy old stadium!) and joined the bazillion other people who were braving the very chilly weather to run/walk/dance their asses to color nirvana.

Literally, there were a bazillion people there.

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We were pretty far back from the start line and with the race starting in waves, we had to wait for a while to get going. But they were pumping awesome music through the speakers and the people-watching was pretty excellent, so we busied ourselves with jumping up and down to stave off the cold, pointing out some great costumes, and dodging the rule-breakers who were throwing their packets of color up in the air (hello, that’s for after the race!).

Oh, and we took some pictures, too.

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We had the raddest socks there.

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We love each other!

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Showing off our impressive guns. And cuteness.

And then it was our turn! We began our trek around the stadium, starting off slow and steady with a brisk walk.

Well, there was some pretend-running.

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And then? Then it was time for the color. Let me paint this picture (get it? Paint? Because of the color): you’re skipping along with your friends and fellow runners and then all of a sudden right ahead is a cloud of bright color. Truly the coolest thing. And when you see color, what do you do?

Why, you RUN, my friends. You run to the color and roll around in it (seriously) and stand in front of the color-dousers and make them douse you extra-good. And you cover your mouth because hello, it’s a cloud of color, but it gets into your mouth anyway. You don’t care! This is so fun! Wee, color!

They call it mellow yellowwwww.

Color Run volunteers happy to pose for a photo op.

You high five people as they run by!

Slap me some skin!

You stop for water, because all that frolicking and high-fiving and color-getting works up a thirst.

99.9% parched.

Note to future Color Runners: don’t park your car next to a color station.

Sorry not sorry.

We got through all of the color stations at a nice clip considering we were walking, and then there it was. The finish line and the beginning of the par-tay! As you can see, people were in no rush to PR.

As you can see, people were in no rush to PR.

We were done!

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Cel-e-brate good times, come on!

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Blue Sunglasses wanted to be a part of our cute crew. Sorry, dude, only room for three.

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Livin’ la vida color.

We were also insanely thirsty. There were stations set up after the finish line with juice and coconut water and snacks, all of which had pretty extensive lines. But no water water. We just wanted water water! Hopefully they’ve remedied the water water situation since last July.

There was a Color Festival just past the finish line, which we moseyed over to.

Party time, excellent!

This is where the color packets came into play. Thousands of us gathered round a DJ set up at the front of the crowd, dancing and celebrating and taking pictures of our manginess. And then the DJ told us to open up our packets and we all counted down. 5-4-3-2-1…

The hills were alive with a color ‘splosion (ah ah ah ahhhhh). In the interest of protecting my phone, I didn’t take pictures as it was happening, but this was the aftermath.

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Meri got it on her teeth…

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Cam got a mustache…

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I got it everywhere!

After some more dancing and celebrating, we decided we were both parched and starving (surprised? Didn’t think so), so we packed it up and packed it in and took ourselves over the Golden Gate Bridge to a magical place called In N Out. Sure, it was 10:30 in the morning. Sure, we were completely covered in colored corn starch. But Meri had never had the pleasure of stuffing an In N Out burger into her mouth, so off we went! We definitely got some looks from the other early-risers at In N Out, and I got my hair petted by some high dude who must have thought I was one big acid trip, but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.

Meri especially.

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All in all, this was a pretty stellar race experience. And now that The Color Run is a total phenomenon, with similar races like Color Me Rad and Run or Dye,  there’s really no excuse not to do it again. Who knows, maybe it’ll be my first post-Bug race. There’s really no better – or more colorful – way to ease myself back into running.

What’s the most fun race experience you’ve had? We want to hear about it in the comments!