5k | Through Heather's Looking Glass

Tampa Lucky Run 5K Race Recap

March 20, 2018 by Heather

On Saturday morning, I ran the Inaugural Tampa Lucky Run 5K.

Reasons I ran this race:

1.) Close to my house

2.) Holiday race

3.) Discount through Orange Theory and we had a “team” running

4.) I had been dying for a 5K PR and thought I was ready.

I really didn’t do much “research” on the race, but realized it may be a bit disorganized when the only thing we were told about packet pickup was that it was Friday at New Balance at the Outlet mall (race was also at the outlet mall). I emailed AND posted on Facebook asking if we could get our bibs Saturday morning…crickets. Finally the afternoon before the race I got an answer. Yes we could.

Saturday morning we had very unusual weather for Tampa, as in it was 46 when we got to the outlet mall! I wasn’t mad about it though, I much prefer running in the cold so I knew it made my chances better for a PR. We parked the car, and walked over to where everyone was gathered. I looked for a table to get my bib…and was told they hadn’t arrived yet. Apparently New Balance was supposed to bring them and they hadn’t shown up yet and were not answering their phones. #Fail. This is also when I learned this was an inaugural race. Dang it. I usually avoid those like the plague because of, well…this. I did feel bad for the race director though he was really trying to make the best out of the situation and was apologizing to everyone.

I took this waiting time to find the bathroom. One huge plus of the race was we had access to the “regular” (nice and clean) outlet mall bathrooms, yay!

So then the bibs came but they had no safety pins. I told Bobby I probably had some old ones in the car from past races and he went back to look. I guess this is the one time I can be happy my car is filthy and never gets cleaned out? So in the meantime they were duct taping bibs on to people. Duct tape. Bless it. About the time Bobby came back with four pins (he also told me I may get tetanus because they were very rusty and gross) pins arrived so no duct tape bib for me.

Then the race shirts arrived and it was a hot mess trying to get in line to get those. I had pre-registered so was waiting for my small and they couldn’t find any. About that time everyone was lining up and the race was about to start! I told Bobby to get my shirt and I ran over to the start line. I was frantically trying to untangle my headphones (shocker) and get my GPS to get satellite and it did just before the race started, so no time to warm up or stretch, but oh well.

Oh, one more thing. I had said that I didn’t really research the race (totally my fault) and as I was cursing my headphones in their huge wad of hatred and knots, I heard them say we were making two laps around the parking lot. Say what? This is what happens when Heather assumes. I assumed the race would run out on the road then maybe wind through the outdoor corridors where the shops are. Nope. We were literally running 3.1 miles in the mall parking lot. Two laps.

Not only was it two laps, but I would come to learn it was two laps full of very sharp cutting left turns up and down rows in the parking lot. My right knew is bad so I literally had to stop running and turn because I can’t twist my knee like that when running quickly so it messed up my cadence terribly. Again, totally my bad for not checking it out, but really? A parking lot?

Ok I can do this. I really wanted that PR. So I started out on the first lap with a goal of keeping my pace under 8:30. I stayed between 8:00 and 8:20 for the first mile and a half/lap. I however got a little discouraged going around doing the same thing AGAIN. When I got to about mile 2.5 I started to really struggle and I looked up and saw Bobby!

He didn’t have my child with him which was super confusing but I literally didn’t have the energy to ask him where she was so I just kept running. #MomofTheYear

I was however a little confused when I saw that my watch said 2.53 and I kind of calculated in my head where we were on the course, which was not that far from the finish. I thought oh well…math has never been my strong suit, so I pressed on, and turned the final corner and could see the finish line.

So my eyes are bad, but I knew I saw a 23 on the clock and knew something wasn’t right. I KNEW I had not run paces in the 7:00’s the whole time. It all (slowly) started to click that the course was short. NNNOOOO! I crossed at 23:47, and after recovering for a second saw that the course was about two tenths short. Sad times!

However, I did some quick calculations based on my average pace and what distance I needed to make it a 5K, and I still got a killer PR of 25:30! (Previous PR was 27:13)

Bobby and Emma Kate even missed me finishing because he had started a timer when I started running so he would know when to circle back to the finish to watch me, and he also knew I couldn’t run a 23:45. He was just starting to walk up when I crossed, hence why I have no finish line photos.

Oh, I also found out that Emma Kate was playing on the (within sight) mall playground when Bobby came out back to film me. Apparently she didn’t want to watch me run by so he just left her there (seriously he was like 100 feet away. I really don’t need hate emails about child neglect k thanks.) He even said “I thought you would ask where she was when you passed” and I told him I had no energy to even speak ha!

So while I love holiday races on cool mornings close to my house with good bathrooms that I get at a discount, I do NOT like running laps zig zagging around mall parking lots with duct taped bibs and late starts and no communication. Oy. They did try hard and I hope they now can do better next year. The money went to a good cause so I hope they don’t give up. Oh, and while I was running Bobby DID manage to snag me a shirt in the right size. So all was not lost. Heh. I am now the happy owner of a shiny new PR, and a funny experience to share with you all.

Filed Under: blogging, fitness, Guest Post, holidays, Race Recaps, running Tagged: 5k, holiday, lucky run, race recap, runing, St. Patrick's Day, tampa

Superhero 5k Race Recap 2017

October 24, 2017 by Heather

Our neighborhood hosted a 5k last weekend so of course Bobby and I had to participate. We got to sleep in to a reasonable time and just drive to the front of the neighborhood to run. I’m all about convenience so I was excited to run it!

What I was not excited about was the weather. While it wasn’t hot thankfully (low 70’s) it was 100% humidity, which was absolutely brutal. But I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s back up!

I slept in until 6:20 which was nice for a race morning. We got up, ate breakfast and got ready, then woke Emma Kate up. My parents came to watch her while we ran and they met us at the front of the neighborhood where the race was starting.

They played on the playground with Emma Kate and were at the finish line when we crossed so it worked out well. Anyway, this was a very small race, and it was admittedly weird that a “race course’ was through streets that I regularly run during the week. Our neighborhood is huge, so I was bummed to see we would be making two loops around the same streets (I knew I would get bored). Oh well, it’s just 3.1 miles I thought to myself. The race was chip timed, but what I didn’t realize until after was that there was no starting mat, so everyone’s gun time was the same as their chip time. I started towards the back, and had I known there was no starting mat I would have started closer to the front, because my time is about 3 seconds off because of this.

So we started promptly at 8:00, and my goal was to keep a sub 9:00 minute pace which I thought was reasonable in the weather conditions. (Had it been less humid I would have shot for sub 8:45 for a PR.) Bobby took off and was way ahead of me, and I just got into a groove listening to my music and running this familiar course. I made the first loop, and Bobby passed me going the other way. We high fived, and I was still feeling good, keeping about an 8:45/8:50 overall pace for the first 1.5 miles.

I hit mile two and was POURING sweat. It kept getting in my eyes and burning, and I kept wiping my eyebrows and forehead but there was so much of it that it really wasn’t helping. I knew I should have worn a visor and was cursing myself in that moment for forgetting. I kept hanging on to my pace until I got to about mile 2.5. I looked down and realized I was running a 9:20, and I was barely hanging on to that.

I pushed as hard as I could and got it back down to right around a 9:00 mile pace, and started getting that awesome nauseated feeling you get when you are pushing really hard. My face was on fire and I just couldn’t push any harder than I was. I made the last turn and saw the finish line and my family.

I crossed in 27:39, but I estimate I ran a 27:36 with the delayed start.

My PR is 27:13 but was in 50 degree weather and very low humidity, so I think with another chance in better conditions I can beat my old PR, which is encouraging.

This is my “leave me alone I need to keep walking so I don’t puke” face.

Finish line hugs are the best.

Bobby did really well. He ran a 23:13, which is 3 seconds away from a PR!

We were both super thankful that one was over, but still had a good time.

After the race, Bobby jumped in the pool fully clothed, and Emma Kate played on the playground before we all went to change and hit the pool. It was a great day and a fun time!

Filed Under: blogging, family, fitness, health, motivation, Race Recaps, running, Running Skirts Tagged: 5k, Race, race recap, running, tampa

The Bridge 5k 2016

September 27, 2016 by Heather

A couple weeks ago, I ran my first 5k since this past spring. Since I haven’t been running much, I knew there would be no PR but I really wanted to participate because it was being sponsored by my church, and was for a good cause:

The Bridge exists to build a bridge of hope and encouragement to our surrounding community. Proceeds will be used to provide equipment, materials, and training to address recidivism among men currently or previously incarcerated in correctional facilities in central Mississippi.

I signed up on a whim the week of the race, and was up bright and early Saturday morning. I went by myself which is fine, but I left a little too early and got bored standing around waiting to start.

The race was set to begin at 8:00, which is late for Mississippi in September. It was hot and humid yall. I did a little warming up and then hung out around the start line. At 8:00, it was announced that they had blown a breaker so we would be starting late. Great. It was getting hotter and hotter by the minute, and my once ready to run and warmed up body was getting tight. Oh well.

We finally began at 8:17. There was a 5k and 10k option, and after standing around in the 94% humidity and 83 degrees, I was so glad I opted for the 5k! The race was pretty small (just over 100 in the 5k and 10k) and I had no grand illusions of doing well or placing. I was dumb and went to a hard boot camp class the day before where we did lots of running, and my legs were definitely not feeling fresh (totally my fault).

We took off, and I noticed I was about the 4th female back after about .25 miles. We went down a big hill which I knew meant we would be going back up after the turn, so I decided to not push too hard on the front end. I had my music playing and just hung out behind this one guy for a while, kind of zoning out. Two girls passed me, and then I passed then just before the turn around. At this point, I wasn’t sure if there were any girls ahead of me because I hadn’t paid attention to the people coming back the other way, and I saw at least two girls going straight for the 10k course. I felt it a very strange feeling to be the possible lead female, and it made me chuckle in slight embarrassment because with the time I was running I should NOT have been in the front. I made my way up the second hill and when I had a half mile left I started to really fade. I felt like I was going to throw up and my face was so hot it felt like it was on fire.

All of the sudden, a girl sprints past me. Hmm. Well, if I was in the lead I wasn’t anymore. Oh well. I had about .35 left and was SO ready to be done. I had slowed considerably, and another girl goes by. Well. That’s what I expected so I wasn’t upset. I turned the corner and got to the last straightaway and saw the girl in front of me had slowed down considerably. I gave it all I had and sprinted past her to the finish. Turns out, I was second overall female which means I WAS leading all that time haha!

I finished the race in just over 28:00. Everyone was saying how much slower their times were because of how oppressive the humidity was, so at least that made me feel a little bit better. Some cheerleaders from the local high school were there, and they did some cheers while we waited on the last 10k finishers and the awards.

There were a bunch of door prizes, but sadly I didn’t win anything.

The pastor of my church got up and said a few words about the money we raised and how it was going to a good cause in the community. Then the awards were handed out.

I was second overall female and first in my age group (which I thought was weird because in most races I have run, if you win an overall award, you are taken out of the age group category for winning?) Either way, I was proud of my accomplishment despite it not being a great time for me in the race. I truly gave it my all with what energy I had that day. I also really liked the hand carved awards!

QOTD: Do you race when it’s hot outside or wait for cooler weather? Any races coming up?

Filed Under: asics, blogging, fitness, health, Race Recaps, running, running gear, Running Skirts Tagged: 5k, race recap, running, Running Skirts

Fall/Winter Race Schedule 2016

July 28, 2016 by Heather

Hey friends! As you probably know, I live in the south where it is currently in triple digits weather wise. Running is more like swimming, and I lose about 4 pounds every time I go for a run. Unfortunately I gain it all back later that day, but I digress. It seems odd to start planning for fall races when it’s so dang hot! But, I have to start training to be ready for said races, so I came up with a plan that I can hopefully (loosely) stick to doing. The problem is, I don’t want to give up boot camp, but I can’t run 5 days a week and do boot camp, so I am planning to run 3 days a week.

I know it will be difficult to get faster this way, but at this point in my life I would much rather be strong than fast, so we will see what happens. This is a very tentative schedule. The only thing I am actually registered for is the runDisney Princess half in February, but I plan on signing up for some others very soon! I’m going to start with a couple 5k’s because it’s still dreadfully hot here in September. Our half season doesn’t start until October, and sometimes that is even a little early, but hopefully it will cool off earlier this year!

September 17th: Run, Rock and Roll 5k (Mississippi)

October 1st: A Day in the Country 5k (Mississippi)

October 16th: Mandeville Half (Louisiana)

February 5th: RnR New Orleans half marathon (Louisiana) (Use code LOOKINGGLASS16 for $15 off registration)

February 26th: runDisney Princess half marathon (Orlando)

My plan is to do one easy run, one long run, and one tempo run each week, plus 4 days of boot camp. I will probably run Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. We do legs on Tuesday at boot camp, so Wednesday will probably be my easy run day because I usually can’t walk well after leg day. I’m excited to get going again but nervous about how it will all fit together. I don’t want to get burnt out. Again. It happens, but fingers crossed I can make it all work!

QOTD: What is on your fall racing calendar? Have you started training yet?

Filed Under: blogging, fitness, runDisney, running Tagged: 5k, half marathon, Race, runDisney, running

Racin’ For the Seed 5K Recap 2016

April 5, 2016 by Heather

On Saturday, I participated in the Racin’ for the Seed 5k. You may remember last year Bobby ran the duathlon portion of the race, and at that time I had no idea there was a separate 5k, so I was excited to get to run it this year!

This race helped raise money for the Mustard Seed, which is the community center for adults with developmental disabilities. We had such a great time last year because they held a great event on top of a great race, so I knew this year would be fun. The race was held in a different location, and unfortunately it has been raining a lot here so it was very muddy.

That morning we had some really chilly weather, and while standing around in 48 degree temps wasn’t fun pre race, I knew it would equal perfect running weather for me. I was nervous about this race because I really wanted to beat my three year old PR, but since I have only been running one day a week, I wasn’t sure if it was possible. The race was chip timed and a small race, so I lined up towards the front but not in the very front.

I put my headphones in and started my watch having not warmed up at all. I’m the type that needs a solid mile or more of warming up, so I knew the first mile was going to be rough. We left the park and crossed over the highway into a neighborhood, turned right and immediately started going downhill. All my running buddies know what this means….yes yes, we would have to get back UP the hill at some point to re-enter the park.

I zoned out listening to my music and very much enjoyed that it was a small race because I didn’t have to do any weaving like last weekend at the Crescent City Classic! We went downhill some more, then up and down a couple of small rolling hills. My watch beeped one mile, and that split was an 8:25. A little bit fast for a first mile for me, but honestly I was panicked because I knew I would be slow my last mile because I would be going back uphill.

We made a turn to the left, confirming that we would be making a big loop through the neighborhood, and I just kept on trucking. The interesting thing about this race was that for the 5k portion, the duathlon folks and 5ker’s (like myself) were all running together, and I began hoping they had clear direction on who went what way because I didn’t remember reading anything about a turn off.

Soon we were at two miles, and I could feel myself having a harder time keeping pace. That lap was 8:25, so I was at approximately 17 minutes, giving me over 10.5 minutes until this race wasn’t a PR. I knew I was doing well, but with how I was feeling (getting nauseated from pushing hard) plus not sure what type of hill I would encounter or if the course would be long (I had been very careful to run the tangents the best I could), I wasn’t convinced I could PR.

In that last mile I kept telling myself “only one mile to go” then “only .75 to go” and “you can do anything for half a mile”. I was pretty sure I was going to finish in the upper 26:00’s which made me happy until about mile 2.70 when I got to the uphill. I pushed and pushed as hard as I could but my pace ended up slowing and the third mile was around 9:12.

I crosses back over the highway thinking I should be about to the finish by now according to my watch. I kept a lookout for where I was to turn to end the race, and apparently there was a person yelling telling us which way to go but I didn’t hear him. Thankfully I figured it out on my own and made the turn for the finish line (there was no one directly in front of me going the way I was going so I wasn’t sure!) We ended up finishing in the grass which made me nervous because of my weak ankles so I slowed up a bit, but still managed to cross in 27:13 chip time (my watch said I ran 3.17 miles) which is about a 40 second PR. I was frustrated because I wanted the 26:00’s and was so close and couldn’t stay at 3.10 even running the tangents, but that just leaves me for a goal for next time (and hopefully I can find a flatter course!)

Here is a video of me coming into the finish, and I had no idea those guys were that close behind me!

After I caught my breath and saw Bobby and Emma Kate, we headed over to the animal exhibit that had like last year. Little miss thing was OBSESSED with the ferrets. My theory is because they don’t stay still, kind of like her. Every time I would set her on the ground she would run over to the cage.

She was so cute petting them, we told her to be sweet and love them and she put her head down on it, it was adorable.

We also saw Inky the clown who made her a balloon animal that I promptly took away because she tried to eat it.

Also, Frank the camel was back! We had to get a picture since I had one holding EK last year (see below)

I will have to say this race was excellent in so many ways. Great entertainment for the kids and family (a band played as well) and yall, they had SO MUCH FREE FOOD for the runners! I’m talking pizza, sandwiches, bagels, cookies, cakes, chicken tenders, bananas, PowerAde, chocolate milk, all from local restaurants and bakeries. It was amazing.

We hung around for awards because there were only about 110 people in the 5k, and 26 all together in my age group of 30-39, so I was curious to see how I faired. Turns out, I faired well!

Emma Kate went with me to get my second place award for my age group.

It was really sweet. The adults from the Mustard Seed hand painted mugs for the age group winners, and we each took a photo with our award and one of the “seedsters” as they are called.

Everyone who signed up for the race also got a t-shirt and a coaster hand painted by a seedster as well. So cute!

This is such a great race and I highly recommend it if you are in the Jackson, MS area (the race was in Brandon for those familiar). Everything was GREAT except I prefer flatter races (who doesn’t right?) AND it was a nightmare trying to get out of the park after because the only way out was the way cyclists and runners were coming in and out of as well, so it was a complete mess and we waited forever, so hopefully they will fix that next year, but otherwise I give it two thumbs up!

QOTD: Have you ever gotten a handmade race award? Favorite post race food?

Filed Under: fitness, health, Race Recaps, running, Running Skirts Tagged: 5k, mustard seed, PR, race recap, racin' for the seed, running

5 Things Friday XIII

April 1, 2016 by Heather

Happy Friday! This week has thrown me for a loop. All day yesterday I thought it was Wednesday. Thankfully, I was wrong on that one. This week we have had a lot of rain/severe weather, high winds, and crazy humidity. I’m ready for some sunshine. I need to start remembering to reapply sunscreen because my freckles are coming out like woah. Anyway, here’s what is going on in my brain this Friday (scary thought, I know).

1.) Instagram Craziness: Ever since Instagram announced they were going to put “more important to you” posts first, everyone started losing their minds. For some reason it got around that this was to happen this past week, so my feed was filled with people begging followers to turn on their notifications to make sure they saw all their posts. For those that don’t know, all this does is send you a push notification every. single. time,. that person posts. Aint nobody got time for that! Just don’t post those things. Seriously. This article was spot on/hilarious.

2.) Racin’ For the Seed: Tomorrow I will be running my first 5k since December! It’s also a duathlon that Bobby participated in last year that benefits our local Christian community center for adults with developmental disabilities. The center is called the Mustard Seed, hence “Racin’ for the Seed”. We had a great time last year, and this time Bobby is sitting out so I can race. I hope Frank the camel is back!

3.) Did I do that? Wednesday was a weird day for me. I actually walked around for several hours wearing two different shoes. You may have spotted my post on social media that evening, I cannot believe I did that. I have always laughed at other people doing it, but never thought it would be me. Mom brain is real, folks.

4.) Crock Pot fun: In an effort to make my life easier and not have to cook every night, I started using my crock pot again (or slow cooker as some of you may call it). This way I can make twice as much food with little prep. Wednesday night I threw in four chicken breasts, some taco seasoning mix, a cup of salsa and a can of beans. Cooked on low for four hours, shred chicken, and walah, we have food for two days. Happy wife, happy life.

5.) Pigtail baby: What is it about pigtails that make little girls look so darn mischievous? My little bug looks adorable in them but I think she gets into more trouble on days when I put her hair like that. It is quite the wrestling match to do her hair though. I try to do it in the morning when I am changing her diaper otherwise she will not be still for me. Any tips?

QOTD: Are you racing this weekend? Tips for doing crazy hyper girl toddler hair? Best crock pot recipe?

Filed Under: baby, fitness, running, technology Tagged: 5k, asics, emma kate, running, shoes

Jingle Bell Jog 5k 2015

December 8, 2015 by Heather

I ran my first race since the spring on Saturday, and it felt good to be back! Local races and very few and far between way down here in the summer, and early fall brought lots of changes and extra work so I have not been running as much. Actually, in November I am pretty sure I ran a total of 11 miles, so I was a bit nervous about the race. On the other hand, I have been going to boot camp, so I was excited to see if it was paying off.

Of course the one race I sign up for happens to be when it’s 32 degrees outside at the start! We bundled up and headed out to the local high school. This race had a 5k, 10k, and half marathon.

I was very thankful I had only signed up for the 5k when I realized how cold it was! At the last minute however, I decided to shed my top jacket, and I am SO glad I did. I get warm very quickly when I run, and I would have been dying in that extra jacket/third layer.

The start of this race was very…interesting. They had the half marathoners start up the hill first, then had us back behind them about 35 yards, then had the 10k runners behind us about 100 yard, but we were told we would all be starting at the same time…ok?

No one was told “if you are walking start to the back” or anything like that. I got fairly close to the front when I realized there was no starting mat, only a finishers mat, so our timer would be started on the gun even if we didn’t cross the start when the gun went off. Well, the gun went off rather abruptly, and a bunch of people just casually started walking or slow jogging. You can see in the picture below, it was like “oh, let’s go for a stroll! As we stand at the FRONT of the 5k RACE!” I can’t blame the participants though, because they didn’t tell everyone where to line up.

Anyway, I luckily didn’t have to do much weaving because we immediately were out onto a divided highway and we had both lanes to spread out in. I hugged the median because I didn’t want to run any extra distance (insert ominous music here). I warmed up fast, and actually felt really good. Then I realized why I felt really good, we were practically going straight downhill! This of course made me feel amazing, until I remembered we would have to go back UP the hill coming back to the finish! I really wanted to just let myself fly down the hill, but I reigned it in and saved some energy for the last half. Even so, I was having a good time and felt really strong. THANK YOU BOOTCAMP! I was so happy that it was working. I ran mile one in just over 9:00, and was happy with that, considering I was holding back a little. I came to a flat part where the turn around was to the other side of the highway, and tried to speed up a little bit before having to go back uphill. I also snapped a photo of the people in front of me on my side after the turn and the people still coming. There were 1000 people in all signed up between the three races.

Apparently, while I was running, so was Emma Kate.

I took this next one after the race but thought it might break up some of the text to insert here. Smile

I made it to mile two in 8:59, and couldn’t believe it. I was going UPHILL and running a sub nine after running 11 miles over the last month? Yes please! I made it to 2.5, and still had not stopped to walk once and just kept pushing up the hill, but not TOO hard because I didn’t want to burn it out before I got too close to the end. When I got to 2.75, I started to get a little concerned. I know this road very well because I drive on it every week, and knew that we were way farther away than a quarter mile. Uh oh. I kept looking at my watch as it crept closer and closer to 3.1 miles, and the school still was not in sight! When I hit 3.13 I paused my garmin because I knew the course was long and wanted my true 5k distance time. I kept running, and will admit I did slow down because by then I was frustrated that I wasn’t going to get a “true” finish time.

I made the turn into the school, down the hill, and towards the finish and there was Bobby and Emma Kate cheering me on!

My sad attempt at waving as I went by.

I was happy that I felt so good and so strong but bummed about the length. I finished and told Bobby the course was long, that it measured 3.45 miles!

My finish time for the 3.45 was 31:20, but my time for 3.13 was 28:30, which I am happy with! (I ended up with 6th place in the 30-39 age group out of 56 women in that age range).

I got my medal and some water, found Bobby, and caught my breathe. I went over to the guy with the bullhorn who had been giving instructions at the start and asked if the 5k course was long. His answer was “I hope not.” Oh. good….. I asked if it was certified and he said no…then I asked if anyone else had said anything about the course being long and he said “well…it might be a little long””. Alrighty then.

We were freezing so we decided to head on home pretty quickly. Oh, I forgot to mention, this race was to raise money for the children’s cancer hospital in Mississippi, a very worthy cause!

Later that night I went to check the results and came across the race’s Facebook page. A lot of people (who ran all the different distances) were complaining about the race being long. Then someone pointed out that in VERY small numbers, the organizers had put the true distances in the results. Look closely next to the work “5K” and you will see it says (3.45). Ha! I was right!

Aside from the course being long, I really did enjoy this race, and it was just what I needed to boost my running confidence. If I can run a 28:30 with no miles hardly, then I know I can do well combining the boot camp with my running if I can get on a good schedule after Christmas. I’m excited!

QOTD: Have you ever run a long or short course?

Filed Under: fitness, Race Recaps, running, Running Skirts Tagged: 5k, fitness, jingle bell jog, run, running

4th of July Plans + Virtual Race

June 15, 2015 by Heather

I love holidays, so in my mind it’s never too early to start planning for the 4th of July! This year we have a lot going on, but I’m really excited.

First of all, Gone for a RUN is hosting another great virtual run. This one is a four mile race. Just sign up, receive your race packet in the mail, and run, walk, or crawl the 4 miles on the course of your choice during the race window. In exchange you will receive a REAL finisher’s medal! You will also get a race shirt (either a Women’s Athletic Tank Top, Men’s Lifestyle Tee or Youth Short Sleeve Tee), real race bib (no downloads!) and a car magnet.

Race will be held July 2nd-5th.
In order to ship your race packet in time for the race, please register by June 22nd. Here is a close up of the medal. I love it!

If my quad is cooperating, then I plan to run the local Watermelon 5k in Jackson. It’s a big fun race but it’s going to be super hot I’m sure so we will see what happens.

Also, our life group from church is having a 4th of July party. We will have BBQ, slip n slide for the kids, and everyone is dressing up in their red, white, and blue. It’s going to be so much fun, I can’t wait. I love dressing up for themed parties so this is right up my alley. Here are a couple photos from years past:

QOTD: What are you doing for 4th of July?

Disclosure: as a Gone for a RUN ambassador I received a free entry into this race, however all opinions are my own.

Filed Under: blogging, family, fitness, holidays, running Tagged: 4th of July, 5k, Gone for a Run, holiday, running, virtual race

Son Valley Rally 5k Race Recap

May 20, 2015 by Heather

Last Saturday, I ran the Son Valley Rally 5k, first 5k I have run since the Royal Family 5k in February of 2014. I was extra excited because my parents were there to watch, as was baby EK.

The race started at 8:00, and there were clouds looming and a very high threat of rain, which unfortunately meant very high humidity. It was a small race (less than 200 between the 5k run and 5k walk) so the start was pretty informal. I lined up around the middle of the pack, and Bobby got towards the front (you can spot him in the grey shirt).

I had not looked at the race course so I had no idea where we were going and I just hoped there would be signs or people at the turns (there were). Mississippi is relatively flat, but this course was not. I admittedly started out too fast, and when we started going downhill I knew we were in trouble because we would eventually have to go back up. We turned onto the trace running trail, and went up, up, up and across the interstate and down the other side. This is about where Bobby passed me going the other way. I hit the turnaround and headed back up towards the interstate overpass. I had slowed down considerably, but was still holding a good pace. When I hit mile 2, I stopped at the water stop and walked for about ten seconds. My fast start was catching up with me and I was kicking myself for not leaving some energy in the tank for the end. I made it back onto the road and was really starting to hurt and slow down. I took one more walk break around mile 2.8, and those last three tenths seemed to take FOREVER! The humidity made it really hard to breath, but I turned the last corner pushing with all I had. I crossed a little after the 30 minute mark, which was super disappointing to me. I have been running on the treadmill and could run a 29 minute 5k, so I figured in a race situation with adrenaline pumping I could do at least that well. Thanks mom for taking a picture of me right after I finished and thought I was going to throw up.

I only recently started working on speed after my marathon was over, but I was still frustrated. Coming back after having a baby is SO humbling and I still have a ways to go.

Bobby struggled with the humidity too. He ran a 24 something, and usually can run in the 22 range.

It felt good to push my body, but wow I forgot how hard a 5k is! I much prefer a half where I am not trying to basically flat out sprint the whole time.

A fun thing about this race was some of the animals that were at Bobby’s duathlon a few weeks ago were back. Specifically, Frank the camel was back! He really liked my dad.

Selfie with a camel! A phrase I never imagined I would say.

Emma Kate did SO well all morning and loved people watching in her stroller.

The guy in charge of the petting zoo decided my dad needed to hold a snake. My mother, who is DEATHLY afraid of snakes, flipped out and wouldn’t get near him,

I was sure to stay a safe distance away myself. I am not a fan. ick.

Bobby made a friend as well.

I thought this bird was really pretty, I have never seen one quite so pink!

more animals that I kept my distance from.

Frank the camel’s owner ran him through the finish line at the conclusion of the race.

We stuck around for the awards, and I found out I placed 3rd in the 20-29 age group. What was really special was that the awards were handmade by some of the amazing special needs adults at Son Valley. I got to pick out a piece of artwork as my award.

This was the first year for the race and while it needs some tweaks (they had THIRTY FIVE door prizes and took FOREVER handing them out while we were all waiting around for awards) I would run it again, especially since it’s for such a good cause, raising funds for the Son Valley community center. Next up, a 4th of July 5k. Hopefully I learned my lesson and will pace myself better!

QOTD: Have you ever poorly paced yourself during a race?

Filed Under: baby, family, fitness, Race Recaps, running Tagged: 5k, animals, camel, race recap, running, son valley rally

Inaugural Castaway Cay Challenge 5k

January 15, 2015 by Heather

The Inaugural Castaway Cay Challenge 5k took place yesterday morning on Disney’s beautiful private island. Over 700 runners took to the beautiful course surrounded by lush tropical landscape, rolling waves, and an island breeze (well, some days!)

Any cruise that sails to the island has had a 5k in recent years, but this is the first time you could run a runDisney race in Walt Disney World, the follow immediately with a Disney Cruise Line cruise. If you completed a race at WDW and the Castaway 5k, you would also get the challenge medal, which is absolutely beautiful! (Please note you have to register for this challenge!)

The cruise is on the beautiful Disney Dream, for four nights as it sails to the Bahamas. The ship left from Port Canaveral, FL on Monday. Runners also have access to special speakers, merchandise, and activities all surrounding the Castaway Challenge.

There will be another Castaway Cay Challenge 5k following on the heels of the runDisney Princess half marathon weekend next month. Space is still available for this challenge, check out runDisney.com for details on registration.

I do hope runDisney and Disney Cruise Line continue this partnership with more races, as I would love to be able to participate! Who doesn’t want to relax on a Bahamian cruise after running hard at a runDisney event?

QOTD: What are your thoughts on this challenge? Is this something you would like to participate in?

Filed Under: Disney, runDisney, running, vacation Tagged: 5k, castaway cay 5k, castaway cay challenge, Disney race, runDisney, running