Color Me Rad 5k Recap

Disclaimer: I was given a free entry to the Baltimore race through my affiliation with Fit Approach, LLC and the Sweat Pink Ambassadors.  I was not required to give a positive review and all opinions are my own.  

Saturday night I packed my bag and Maddux and I headed to my cousin's place in Baltimore for the Color Me Rad 5k.  My cousin picked up our packets Saturday evening and said it was a breeze.  She called me to tell me they had a variety of sunglasses to choose from and said they had a bunch of merchandise you could buy.  Because we were on the same "team" she was able to easily pick up my packet for me.  The race shirts had a women's fit option, and I was glad I got a medium.  It's comfortable, cute, and one I'll be wearing often.  

The race was only a few minutes from my cousin's house and her husband offered to drop us off to save on parking ($10 per car ah!).  He was also our official race day photographer!  He wore many hats that day.  It was so nice being able to sleep in until 7 on race day!  Even though I knew this was going to be a fun, easy going race I still woke up several times throughout the nice.  I guess a part of me is always nervous the alarm won't go off!

After a quick latte courtesy of my cousin's hubby, we were out the door and only had a short walk to the starting line.  We got to the starting line easily and just enjoyed the few minutes until it was time to start the race.  I guess I didn't have high expectations of the actual course since I figured it would be more the experience of having color thrown on you, but I actually really loved the course!  It was on the Goucher campus and reminded me of my old cross country days back in high school.  They had a water stop on the course which I appreciated.  My cousin and I were talking about how great it was that so many people who would never try running get excited about races because of fun events like the Color Me Rad 5k.  It made us not mind so much when we got blocked by walkers because the event is so open to everyone regardless of fitness level.  (Just a side note, part of the race proceeds went to Goucher's athletic department.  I thought that was an awesome incentive for the college to hold the race there!)

I think there were four main color stations on the course.  The first station was a powder and even though I knew it was coming it was still kind of a surprise when it hit my face.  I was thankful for the fun sunglasses they gave us because I don't think it would have felt so great if it got in my eyes!  The next station was a liquid color.  They shot this little hose gun thing at you and not gonna lie, it felt pretty gross.  The second time they used the hose it got all over my face.  Not my favorite moment, but I will say that I had a great time.  I was so glad my cousin was able to run it with me.  It's definitely a race you want a friend or two with you!

Someone actually thought my tattoo was real later on in the day.  This amused me. 

Maddux was not a fan of rainbow me. 

After the race my cousin, her husband, and I headed back to their place and after cleaning up a little (for some reason they didn't want me to sit on their furniture until after I showered??) and hung out until it was time to head back to normal life.

Thanks again to Color Me Rad and Fit Approach for giving me the opportunity to race!  I had a great time!

Disclaimer: I was given a free entry to the Baltimore race through my affiliation with Fit Approach, LLC and the Sweat Pink Ambassadors.  I was not required to give a positive review and all opinions are my own.  

Back to Training

So, I'm officially training for a half marathon.  I'm really excited about it because it's one of my absolute favorite races, BUT also really nervous because it is only 50 days away.  I'm on the second week of my training plan right now, and while I've already had to make some adjustments, it's going pretty well.  I've gotta say, having limited time to get my butt in shape is definitely a motivator to get out the door!

I was in Pennsylvania for a little over a week and got in some hilly miles in my parents' neighborhood while I was there.  They were TOUGH, but I was really happy when my last mile on one of my runs clocked in under a 9 minute pace.  I don't see 8s very often on my Garmin and was especially happy that it happened on those hills!

When I left my parents' house my sister came with me!  She helped me get some work done and we saw some of the sights of DC.  We ate lots of good food, went on a great walk with Maddux (minus the part where we encountered a skinny dipper), and may have added a small addition to our family.

Today I tackled some intervals on the 'mill.  I think having some speed work thrown into my training plan for my last half worked really well so I'm going to do my best to fit them in when I can.  I ended up running 4 miles in 35:47 with a ten minute warm up and then 2 hard minutes followed by 3 easy minutes (repeated until the end).  I was a sweaty mess after that one!

In other news, don't forget to sign up for Color Me Rad!  I have mine coming up in just a couple weeks and am getting excited!  I also have a review of the July Kona Kase coming your way soon!  I've only had one of the snacks so far, but think it is going to be awesome now that I'm in training again!  Feel free to use the code GIFTSUMMER for $5 off a kase!

Happy Friday!

Compliments

Sometimes little things can make my day so much better.  Today I went out for a run (it was too nice outside to not go) and while my pace was pretty good, the run itself was tough.  I really pushed it for my last mile and finished strong.   A complete stranger who I saw a couple times as I ran around the park saw me as I finished and said, "Wow, you're really fast!"  Although I was proud of myself for my fast last mile, the stranger's compliment totally made my day.  I smiled all the way home.

I can think of a few other compliments I've gotten that have made my run even better.  For example, I was feeling a little down about my running shoes.  While I loved them because they were comfortable, they weren't the flashy, bright colored shoes that I had seen in the stores and on pretty much every other runner.  When I was at the start line of the Rock n' Roll a girl came up to me and told me how much she loved the colors of my shoes.  It was a great way to start a race!  Those shoes and I went on to run many more happy miles together (and now I'm happy to say that they started making support shoes with a little bit of neon).

Don't get me wrong, it's a good looking shoe.  I am just a huge fan of bright shoes.

It's funny what a few words can do.  Happy running!

Don't forget Wednesday, July 31 is the last day to use the code radfun to get 20% off your registration fee to any Color me Rad race this year!

5k on the Calendar

As I've said before, I'm not a fan of doing races in the summer time.  I can't help but feel a little competitive when I get to the starting line of a race and always have a number in my head that I want to achieve.  This doesn't always go as planned when it is scorching hot and I am dripping with sweat.

The newest race on my calendar is the Color me Rad 5k in Baltimore!  Thanks to my affiliation with Fit Approach and the Sweat Pink Ambassadors I get to be an ambassador for the race and I couldn't be more excited! (Color me Rad isn't paying me, but they did offer me a free race entry!)  I had always wanted to do one of the color races, but they always seem to sell out so quickly.   This race is untimed and focuses on having fun, which will be great for my summer running mentality.  Everybody that I know that has participated has loved it so I'm ready to finally get to join in the fun.

Not me, but doesn't she look like she's having fun? Check out more pics on the Color me Rad site!

I THINK I convinced my cousin (who FINALLY lives in the area again!) to run it with me!  It will be the perfect way to spend some time with her now that she will be back in my regular life again.

If you're interested in running Color me Rad check them out on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Youtube, or Instagram.  I found their social media sites to be light hearted and fun, so if you need to procrastinate it might be a good place to go.  If you're ready to commit and register, feel free to use the code radfun and you will get 20% off your registration fee for any race if you sign up between Monday, July 29 and Wednesday, July 31!


Happy running!