Chaska Skeleton Run 2014 (Unofficial 5K)

 

 

Chaska Skeleton Run Unofficial 5K (3.15 miles)

34:57

Average Pace 11:16/mile

As you all know, I love me some costumes.  I know I don't have to convince you of that.  Which means, of course, that Halloween races are my absolute favorite.

But when you're a racer that is boycotting Team Ortho, who happens to run the biggest Halloween race of the season, what's a girl to do!?

Well... good question. 

 

As is any conversation had with me, it didn't take long for this one to follow a different path.

Apparently, this idea was solid gold.  Before I knew it, I had developed a following.

Of course, the planner in me couldn't leave well enough alone.  Besides, I love the swag you get at a Halloween race.  So, one last proposal.

Well, two technically.  But I kept this one as a special surprise for event day:

And so the story begins.  Within one week's time, a casual group run was formed, with awesome swag and camaraderie to boot.

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A couple of weeks prior to the run, shirts arrived and I was thrilled.

And not to toot my own horn, but I knew they were awesome when everyone started begging to get theirs ASAP.  LOL!

The medals were pretty sweet, too.  Plus they came pre-assembled (engraved tag was surprisingly already attached), whoop!

 

And as a final detail, prizes!!  Because what's a costumed event without best costume prizes? 

Jealous?  I bet you are!!

And yes, the crochet items are from my sister's Etsy boutique.  Go check it out!

Anyway!  In the days leading up to the event, it seemed like all was well.  With about a week left prior to the big day, we had a healthy group of 38 registrants planning to run.  At Run Mankato, which took place the weekend prior to Skeleton, we made one last announcement reminding folks to come (where I was called a race director and modeled the skeleton shirt - wahoo!)... and then... WOOSH! 

Somehow, on the Tuesday before, headcount ballooned.  On Wednesday morning, with only 2 full business days left until we ran, our head count was almost 70.

D'OH!  Although it was GREAT to see so much interest in the run, I was in trouble.

With just 38 folks on the docket a few days prior, I had only ordered 60 "finisher" medals, figuring 20ish spares would leave us comfortably covered for any unexpected RSVPs.  Given the balloon in attendance, we were going to be terribly short. 

In a last second scramble, the Run Club Director dug through her stash of random prizes and scrounged up 20+ spare medals - that she customized with some fancy inserts (these would end up being just for kids):

As an added bonus, when she was digging out medals, she found some old race bibs.  SCORE!  Despite the last second balloon in numbers, things were coming up roses.

Crossing my fingers, I hoped that our "spare medals" would keep us covered for any additional registrations.  Besides, at this point, there was nothing I could do but wait for the big day...

So what am I waiting for?!  Let's do this!

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Hooray! The morning of the run had finally arrived!  I was super excited!

Given I was "Race Director (Assistant)", I decided to be plenty early to the gym to make sure I could help with any last second set up type stuff.  That meant beating the 8:30 start time and getting to the gym well before 8am.

Hooray!  Another early morning.  You know how much I love those.  HA!

When I arrived, I found out that the Run Club Director had already done a fabulous job of decorating the community room where we would meet pre-run (and feast post).  Even the prize table looked fantastic!!

With little to do given her thorough prep job, I began anxiously milling around and hoping all would go well. 

Slowly but surely, participants started to trickle in.  I tried my best to take snap shots of a few of my favorite outfits, but quickly got distracted.  At least I got these few nailed down:

The official count on Friday night had finally settled in at just under 80 participants - 79 to be exact.  As more and more of those folks arrived to check in and claim their bibs, I was elated.  Not only were people excited and jubilant, they were REALLY getting into the costumes. 

In a last second rush before pre-run announcements, I tried to get a 360 view of the room.  The photos were a little grainy and dark, but at least you can get the feel:

Although we weren't 100% signed in (a few people were late or just fell out day of), just before 8:30 the Run Club Director started making pre-run announcements.  Overall, the concept was: run what you could, turn back when you were ready, mind yourself at all traffic crossings, and keep with young children (if you brought any along).

Oh, and of course, follow the unicorn!

Yep, I lead the run... although I was more than happy to let people pass me.  And most did once we were about a quarter of a mile out.  After all, I'm not THAT fast of a runner.  Heh.

While I would have preferred NOT to start the pack, being that I am a slower runner (by comparison to the bulk of the run club), I actually enjoyed being leader of the pack.  Why?  Because as everyone passed me, they shared their excitement and appreciation for organizing the event.  I made a lot of first time introductions with people in the run club too, people who had heard of me but not met me in person, which was fun. 

And, I found out that my influence was INTERNATIONAL!  Yes sir!!  We had a group of visitors from Germany participating as well.  Awesome!

The route was a simple out and back along the main road leaving the community center, with markers at every 1/2 mile to make it easy for people to determine how far they would like to go.  The experienced runners who wanted to could run to mile 2 (or further) and get in 4+ miles.  The people who came to earn a 5K title could run to mile 1.5 and turn back to hit their goal.  And even walkers and kids who wanted to participate in a limited capacity had an option, with the first 1/2 mile clearly signed for a 1 mile round trip journey.

You can get a general idea of where I ran based on my GPS map:

 

And as you can tell by the elevation chart, this was not a flat course.  So, it wasn't a FAST route.  But fun none the less.

Speaking of FAST (or maybe not), even though this was just a casual group run, I posted a finish time at the top of this recap just for the heck of it ... I mean, with 70+ participants, this was bigger than some official races I've done anyway, so why not?! 

In regards to my "finish time", though, I should note that I had a couple of set backs.  First, there were three intersections where I had to stop and wait due to traffic lights.  Second, I had some slight difficulties at the beginning in getting my GPS watch up and running and shorted myself about a quarter of a mile.  So, my splits ... well, yeah.

I started to try to figure out a more exact time by separating out my stoplight wait time, which actually ended up being quite a bit - almost 30% of my run: 

And then I tried to add in the time I spent running the quarter of mile I was short at the beginning... but finally I just said - meh, it's a wash.  I started a little short on distance, I spent a little time on course waiting at stoplights (and socializing, let's be real).  I suppose the 34 minute finish time is close enough.

Besides, 34 minutes is good enough for me and my funky feet, especially when you add in the hill factor.

But I digress!  Back to the event.

A lot of things happened during the 3 miles I ran, and I could go on with details forever.  But given the length of this recap already, I'll cut to the finish of my run.  Which brings me to our photographer... of sorts.

In a last second hustle the day before, I had the grand idea to ask a fellow run club member to take candid photos pre/post run.  Figuring I'd be busy running check-in or something else, I knew I wouldn't get in many snap shots.  Imagine my surprise, though, when I came into the finish and saw she took my request above and beyond ... filling the role as official finish line photographer!  Awesome!!

You can almost see the appreciation oozing out of my smile:

Or maybe I'm just laughing because the Ooompa Loompa in front of me is realizing she shouldn't have trusted that fart...?

Lady Ooompa was actually trying to make it look like she was fearing the Unicobb.  Original intent - fail.  End result - perfection none the less.

As I came in to finish, I noticed we had one extra participant who had crashed the party.  And although they couldn't join me inside for post run munchies, I don't think they minded:

While the hot doggie was cute, I couldn't stay and chat.  I had to get moving!!  Despite my profuse sweating, yes - the day clocked in at over 60 degrees and I ran in that furry hat the entire 5K distance, there was no time to waste on cooling down.  It was time to start discussing costume prizes with the Run Club Director and someone else I'll just call Check-in Assistant (since she ran the sign in table on event day).

Our discussion was intense.

Trying to pick a winner for best kids, female, and male costume was really difficult.  So many people had done a fantastic job on their outfits. 

Right off the bat, though, we were forced to eliminate some participants due to the fact that we didn't have a group costume category, and we couldn't just award one person of a group.  Boo.  Lesson learned for next year.  Sorry Ooopma Loompas, Ghost Busters, Tortise & Hare, Red Riding Hood & Big Bad Wolf, Chefs & Lobster (baby), Farmer & Horse, Gorilla & Banana ... and any others I may have missed.  You have a chance to be redeemed in 2015, though!

Having eliminated a fair number of participants due to this technicality, it was still tough to choose best costume.  There were just that many great costumes!!  Eventually, we decided to base our choice on a few main points:

(1) Commitment to Costume
      Did they take it above in beyond?  IE face paint, full face mask, props, etc.

(2) Functionality of Costume
      Did they run in gear that was not conducive to running?

(3) Execution of Costume
      Did they run the entire distance in the ENTIRE costume?  (No removal/carrying of parts).

After reviewing costumes against these criteria, the winners became clear.

*Faces have been blurred on the following photos due to privacy reasons.  I don't like to make assumptions that everyone is OK with being featured in social media.


To help with the flow of people given our large group, we decided to call up each costume category one at a time and announce winners.  In doing so, we were able to not only single out the winner in each group, but were also able to create a flow in awarding medals to all the participants.

But, a minor hitch.  After we lined up all the kids and took the first set of group photos, we announced that kids in costume would receive a participant's medal.  Everyone was so excited when I said medals (and no - not just the kids were excited), that people almost forgot there were prizes to be had for best costume.  LOL! 

Luckily, the Run Club Director had control of the madness and wrangled the winners each time before they could run off.

Here they are...


Best Kid - Pirate

Costume included shirt/skirt, head scarf, pull on faux boots with coins that jingled along the cuff (hmmm - a musical costume, the Unicobb is inspired), and a sword as a prop.  Even I know how hard it is to run a race with a prop in hand.  Prize EARNED.  Enjoy your booty, matey!


Best Woman - Skeleton Bride

 

Painting your face prior to a run where you're likely to sweat and have it drip down your neck?  That's commitment even I don't have.  Prize EARNED.  I bet if it weren't for the makeup all over her lips, she would have kissed that trophy.  LOL!


Best Man - Mario

Running any distance in denim overalls is quite the feat.  As Cookie Monster once said "C is for Chafing".  I definitely don't have the courage for that level of personal injury.  Prize EARNED.  Way to go, Mario!

Once prizes were presented for all in costume, I realized I got lucky.  Several runners had departed prior to the costume contest, so we hade plenty of medals to go around.  I was glad to see that, and offered the opportunity for any runners not in costume to claim a medal to commemorate the day. 

Much to my surprise, we still had plenty of medals left.  So much so that I offered the kids the opportunity to exchange their more generic medal for a "sparkly medal" (as I called it ... they were quite glittery after all). 

Somewhere in the hullabaloo of all this, people managed to make time to enjoy snacks from the pot luck buffet and socialize as well.  I failed on both of those actions, but I don't think anyone minded.

Eventually, as all good parties do, the crowds started to dwindle.  As the Run Club Director and a few of us stragglers cleaned up, we celebrated a successful event... and then parted ways.

I was amused that I hardly even made it to my car to leave and already those who could not attend were on Facebook clamoring for photos... and those who did attend were bragging about their awesome swag:

Several people were promising to post photos online (and in fact did later, the post event album already boasts almost 300 snap shots), but I didn't have time for that.  I had to go home and reorganize my medal rack.  I mean, I HAVE to feature the medal of my very own selection front and center on my display ... right?

Don't worry, I'll post updated medal rack photos in a few weeks ... once my race season officially ends.  For now, at least you have all the above to enjoy!

And that's the story of how race bib #52 joined my collection, and how I became a "race director" for a day.  Here's to another race soon... and maybe even another race director role, too!!

Gain Weight, Lose Fat

On a somewhat regular basis, I get asked the question:

Why am I working out so hard but not losing weight?

It seems like everyone's ultimate goal in life is to shed a few pounds.  To step on the scale and see that it's a smaller number than before.  To focus on just the number.

Yes, yes... I do agree that weight loss is great, since the general public is now something like 60% overweight or obese (don't quote me on that, I don't know the actual current number off the top of my head). 

What I don't agree with is the concept that the number on the scale is something you should focus on, especially in the first few months of starting a fitness plan. 

I say this because people either forget or don't know about what muscle mass does to your body.  Take a look at this:

 

The image above shows side by side the difference between muscle and fat.  It is comparing the volume that is taken up by 5 pounds of fat versus 5 pounds of muscle.

Notice anything?

If you can't figure it out, the point of that demo is to show you that 5 pounds of fat takes up almost twice as much space on your body as 5 pounds of muscle does.  And, to take that concept a step further: that means that as your body puts on more muscle (due to becoming more active and working out), you can actually gain weight without gaining much, if anything, in size. 

And actually, many people who begin working out burn fat and build muscle, which means that although they might be gaining/maintaining their weight level, their physical size is SHRINKING due to the reduction in fat volume. 

In fact, sadly many people begin working out and totally miss that their clothes are fitting better and they're looking slimmer because they are so focused on the number on the scale and how it isn't moving.

Take a look at this example:

What you see there is exactly what I'm talking about.  Although the far left photo shows this woman at her lightest body weight, the far right photo shows the woman at her most lean looking body size.  And the most important part of that demonstration is that she weighs 15 pounds MORE when she is at her thinnest (physical appearance wise).

If this woman had focused just on what her scale was telling her, she would immediately think her fitness routine was a complete failure when in fact it was an amazing success. 

This is what happens with a lot of people when they first start a fitness plan.  They lose sight of the physical results when they look at the scale.

And that's not even the half of it.  Check this out:

Now, I will admit those numbers are a little inflated, so don't get too excited.  Plus, everyone's body is different, so a pound of muscle on me might burn 10 calories a day while it burns 7 on someone else.  HOWEVER!  The point of this demonstration is that adding muscle makes your body burn more calories on a day to day basis - just because you have more muscle to maintain.  Which means that even if you weigh more NOW because you started adding muscle, the longer you maintain that muscle by working out, the less you'll weigh in the future.  Why?  Because your body will begin burning more fat to fuel the muscles.  (Assuming that you don't increase your caloric intake, of course).

Have I opened your eyes yet?!  HA!

I think overall I've made my point.  Rather than beat a dead horse, in closing I'd like to leave you with this article snippet I stumbled across a few weeks back. 

Enjoy!

Three Things - October

A long while ago, I did a series of posts focused on talking about me on a more personal level.  If you want to read them some time, here's the list:

Three Questions - About Me

I'm Blowin' Sunshine #1
I'm Blowin' Sunshine #2
I'm Blowin' Sunshine #3

I'm a BE-Liebster #1
I'm a BE-Liebster #2
I'm a BE-Liebster #3

I realized in trying to come up with a post for today that it's been awhile since I've done a me focused post that is not health and fitness related.  So... here goes!


Three Things (randomly selected today from my stream of consciousness) - October




(1) My Husband

In trying to come up with three things to talk about today, I though about the fact that I haven't really talked much about my husband on this blog.  Some of that is intentional, since he's a little anti-social media, and is also a pretty private guy.  Some of that is unintentional, simply because I have too much to say about other things.

Although, to be fair, you HAVE seen him in a few posts - like the Bike/Paddle/Swim race report, the first BE-liebster post, and also randomly hidden in photos here and there in my posts where I may not necessarily call him out.

I guess my husband isn't a TOTAL stranger to you, then.  Heh.

Anyway.

My husband and I met a long, long time ago in a place far, far away.  AKA Madison, WI while we were going to college.  It turns out that a girl from St. Paul, MN and a boy Bloomington, MN (roughly 20 miles apart) have to travel to Madison, WI (roughly 250 miles away) in order to meet.

We started dating our freshman year of college, and just stuck together after that.  I guess when it works, it works - right? 

After college, we got engaged and eventually got married (in our early 20's, scandalously young per several people I spoke with at the time):

Now we're coming up on 10 years of marriage next spring.  Thinking of that commitment on another level, he and I joke sometimes that we've known each other for over half as long as we've been alive.  Which is almost true if you consider I'm only a few years off being 36, and we met at 18.

My husband's degree is in IT, and he also has his MBA.  Currently he works in business development for custom data warehousing programs.  Essentially, he's a computer guy with people skills.  Unlike some people out there:

A lot of people ask me if my husband is as active as I am (AKA crazy), and if he races with me.  While he does enjoy biking and being active, my short answer to that question is no.  My long answer to that is:

One time we ran a 5K together ... it was the first year I started running.  Knowing that a 5K was a fair amount of work, I had asked my husband if he wanted to train with me the month prior to the race, to which he replied the typical non-runner response: "It'll be fiiiinnneee.  I used to run track in Highschool.  I can do it." 

The race itself was fairly uneventful, but the ending is key.  Some time after we finished, I asked him if he had fun and if he wanted to do it again. 

His response? 

"That was a lot of work.  I don't think I want to do it again."

(2) My Job

When people ask me what I do for work, I kind of cringe.  If you've never worked in a sales based industry (IE products), my career seems kind of foreign.

With my Chinese Language degree, my hope was to get into some sort of international business position - which I did straight out of college, and never looked back.  The bulk of my experience until 2010 was in technical product design/development, sourcing, costing and price negotiation.  And it was largely (duh) focused on importing from China.  Long story short, I used to work as a Product Manager. 

I'm guessing the product development portion of my career doesn't surprise you, given the wacky costumes I dream up. 

And as a funny side note to being a Product Manager, I never in a million years would have guessed that I would have to know SO MUCH about artificial Christmas Trees for my career.  HA!

In the last few years, however, I did a lot of exploration in regards to what I WANT to do in life, and I realized working 60+ hours a week for a (slightly) bigger paycheck really wasn't worth it.  Almost three years ago, I took a small step back (more lateral than backwards, but whatever), and I am now employed as a buyer. 

I currently work for a mid sized company that makes what I describe as industrial lighting and complementary accessories - think florescent light fixtures for warehouses or large commercial barns, and the wiring, etc that goes along with that.  My company does the majority of the assembly for these products in house, so I simply monitor our inventory levels and based on previous sales trends, purchase inventory to ensure we don't end up with an out of stock that prevents assembly.




(3)  What I'm Up to for Fun Lately

Besides being active, I have a handful of hobbies that I rotate through to keep me entertained, as my mood suits me.  Like I've mentioned in the past, I'm pretty crafty, and I mostly like to do things like knit, cross stitch, sew, etc.

During the summer, since it's so nice out, all of those little hobbies seem to fall out of favor.  Obviously ... who's going to sit indoors and craft when it's 80 degrees out and perfectly sunny?!

Now that it's starting to cool down again though, I'm sure I'll want to get back into something.  I just haven't decided what yet. 

I have been thinking about doing some sort of silly cross stitch:

I also have a vest I've been working on from over a year ago which I should really pick up an finish.  Maybe I will.  It looks something like this from the back, without the sleeves:

I've also been reading more lately.  Nothing intelligent or educational... so I'm not going to admit what here.  But it's entertaining none the less.

Wow.  I just realized the above is a whole lot of words that basically amounts to nothing.  I have been doing nothing with my free time aside from running around outside in wacky costumes.  Whoops.  Seems like I have some character development to work on there.




And that's about it for today.  Random tidbits about me, as they fell out of my head.

Which leave the floor open to you.  If you have a question you'd like me to answer in a future Three Things post, let me know!

Mankato 10K 2014 (Sibling Rivalry)

Mankato 10K (6.2 miles)

1:15:13 PR!

Average Pace 12:07/mile

Can you believe I've never raced a 10K before?  I know, me either.  For the weeks leading up to this race, I figured there must be some kind of mistake.  I MUST have raced a 10K before.

But no.  Somehow in 2012 I hurdled straight from a 7K, up to a Duathalon (run 3, bike 25, run 3), and right into a Half Marathon.  And then, I just kept right on going with Half Marathons, and straight into Marathon training.

Weird!

So here I sit with my first ever 10K completion.  Which is bound to be a PR... because every time it's your first time, it's a PR, AM I RIGHT?!?!?!?!  Whoop!  HAHAHAHA!

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Before I get too deep into the recap, you might be wondering... Mankato?  Really?!  Isn't that like ... out in the country?

Well, technically yes.  But keep in mind that I live in the South West Metro area to begin with.  So, really, heading down to Mankato isn't TOO much further.  Plus, my gym does the whole party bus to this race, and I ran it last year and had a blast, so...???

Anyhow!  So begins my race recap.

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As is any race with me, the day always opens with two things:

(1) An early AM hissy fit
(2) COSTUMING!!

Side note: how is it that I've evolved from the occasional holiday race outfit into full on costumes for pretty much every race?  I don't know... I guess you can just start calling me Edie.

To keep the hissy fit at bay, prior to this race I downed my usual pre race coffee and banana.  And in keeping with my tradition of running this race as a skeleton (is it really a tradition if I only did it once?  Hmmm...), I followed up my breakfast with this:

Oh, right, my sister.  Yep.  She planned months in advance to run this with me too.  Don't we make good twinsies?!

Well, twinsies except for this:

There is only one Unicobb. 
*Imagine that said in a sinister, movie announcer voice.  I just did.  It was awesome.

Given the 4am wakeup call for this race, getting the above done on race day was a little ... slow.  I did mange to get out of the house on time, though, and was one of the first few on my local gym's "party bus".  Hoorah!

Like last year, given the early start to our day, the bus ride down was less party, more sleepy.  My sister and I chatted some to pass the time, and tried to keep warm since the cold air seemed to be seeping in every window crack and crevice. 

Before we knew it, we were parked at the start line of the race and ready to use the porta-potties.  And for 2014, I experienced yet another new porta-potty way of life, the trifecta:

- In the dark. 
- In the cold. 
- With two guys standing just off my left elbow. 

Yes, it's true.  For the life of me I cannot explain why, but apparently two men in their mid 40's were leaning on the corner of my porta-potty and chatting as I did my business.  A part of me thought of chiming in on their conversation as I occupied, but that was a little too gross even for me.  LOL!

Once I was done enjoying the porta-potty trifecta, my sister and I headed over to the starting area. 

Although the weather on race day was much nicer than last year (given the lack of rain), it was still somewhat cold pre-gun.  So, I did something at Mankato that I've only one once before: used gear check.  Yes, you are probably amazed to hear that given the many cooler races I have ran.  I guess I'm just OCD and try to avoid checking stuff as much as possible.  However, given I wanted to hang out at the finish line post 10K and cheer for my friends running the half, I decided it would be in my best interest to check something to keep me warm post gettin' my sweat on.

The gear check process was very fast and efficient, which meant we had an unfortunate amount of time to kill until the 7:30 gun.  Luckily the crowd was large and there was a sizable gap right in the center.  My sister and I snuck right in the gap and enjoyed the free insulation while we waited.

As we awaited the gun, I started up my GPS, and the two of us listened to announcements.  Apparently, just before we were due to take off, someone else was just coming in.  I don't know why, but a man had decided to run the marathon course in reverse - STARTING AT 3AM - and at about 7:20 he was just rolling in to the start corral... SO THAT HE COULD TURN AROUND AND RUN BACK AGAIN.  On the marathon course.  Two marathons in one day.

I can't explain this level of crazy, so please don't ask.

Anyway, I marveled at his commitment, took in the national anthem and - BANG!  Time to run.  With drones circling over head filming us, of course.  (I wonder if that video will make it on Youtube soon?)

I was eager to get out on course ASAP and get moving, since I had ran the half last year and wasn't sure how the 10K course would differ.  In the first mile, actually, both were exactly the same.  It wasn't until the first rolling hill of the Half Marathon that things switched up: while the Half Marathon would crest their first hill about a half mile past the 1st mile marker, we would only partially climb the hill and turn right into a neighborhood development.  From there on out, the course was totally different.  Although, interestingly, very similar in feel. 

I say they felt similar because like the Half Marathon, the first 3 miles of the 10K were a set of steady, rolling but easy climbs.  And like the Half Marathon, the last half of the course was a nice downhill coast into "downtown" with a flat stretch to the finish.  The finish for everything was the same, too, with the only difference being that the Half joined the main drag of Mankato down by Burger King, whereas the 10K joined down further by the Dairy Queen.  The final 3/4 or so miles of the course were the exact same for all races: 10K, Half and Full Marathon.

Although the course felt very similar in elevation, and was equally as beautiful with the fall colors, I noticed that I was a little spoiled by the half route in 2013 as soon as I hit mile two.  I much prefer the country side running on the Half course as opposed to the urban feel of the 10K. 

Not to mention, the 10K course was much less spectated, and thus less entertaining.

However, on the up side, the additional buildings around us meant less wind, which I gladly accepted.  Especially in the first three miles when I hadn't quite warmed up and was missing my wicking jacket.

My sister and I enjoyed our run and chatted as we went, only stopping to walk the water stops at about mile 2.5 and mile 4.5, with a final walk break just after the 5.5 mile mark (due to some minor knee pain my sister was having - a quick stretch and a short walk, and we were good to go after that).  The entire time, I was pleased that my feet issues didn't seem to be bothering me, and I never needed to stop because of them. 

Despite or walking, you can see that we kept a fairly level pace, too ... aside from the final mile where we took the walk/stretch break:





Somehow, though, the splits show up a little uneven on the breakdown.  I don't know why:

 

 

When we joined the "main drag" / final stretch coming into the finish line (by the Dairy Queen), I recalled my finish anticipation from last year.  Since the street follows an S shape the last 1/2 mile or so, it seems like you will never make it to the end, being that you can't see anything in the distance.

And then all the sudden you round the final bend in the S and you see it.  The finish line.  And ... you're done!

Well, unless your sister tries to slap you in the face and keep you from finishing first. 

True story!!

Actually, what happened is: I proposed we jump at the finish for the photographer and didn't clarify timing.  I jumped and was already coming down to land as my sister was going up.  Somehow in the tangle, she managed to get her arm out in front of me and catch me in the face/chest.

It really felt like a true sibling rivalry, my sister trying to hold me back from the finish so she could come across first.  I imagine it looked something like this:

Official race photos aren't up yet, but assuming the photographer caught us, I'll be sure to share that picture perfect finish in a future post.

Of course, as soon as we crossed the finish, we were ready for this:

 

 

We also stopped at the food tents to grab a few standard post race snacks (bananas, bagels, potato chips, water, Gatorade, etc).  Somehow, though, we missed the beer tent.  BOO!

 

After getting our desired treats, we headed back towards the finish line to watch the last few 10K runners come in.  Not too long after, the first few Half Marathoners came in too.  That's when the fun began, I just love cheering for people I know, and I caught about half of the runners on our bus.

 

Eventually, I couldn't take the cold anymore and decided to head back to the bus.  Where I was greeted with a FANTASTIC post race party spread and camaraderie all around.  And of course, it required the obligatory group photo:

 

 

 

 

A few fun party games (with prizes!!) ensued as we enjoyed our food and our company ... and eventually it was time to board the bus and head for home.



 

Which I wasn't too sad about, because it meant I got to go home, shower, and put on this:

And the fabulous post-race party prize I won:

 

Honey Badger Don't Care!

A little later in the day, race results were finally posted, and I was quite pleased.  Although a 12 minute per mile pace may not seem like a big deal to seasoned runners, it was 30 seconds per mile faster than my sister's usual pace - and on her longest course yet.  Given that the last time I set her up on a training program she suffered a stress fracture, I felt somewhat redeemed that my suggestions (and her hard work, of course) paid off.

Plus, I was super happy that I managed a 6 mile run with my plantars feet.  Despite the fact that I was hobbling a bit post race, that quickly righted itself after a night of stretching and a Monday morning wake up call.

Which makes me realize, I need to stop making excuses and get back out there.  I've been way too lazy with my running in the last 6 months, and it's time for a change.  Let's see how the next 6 months go!

---

And that's the story of how race bib #51 joined my collection.  Here's to another race soon...

Day Off

Some of you already know that my sister was in town over the weekend.  As such, I took Friday (10/17) off work to hang out with her, her husband, and her two kids.

I mean, how could I not?  Look at these kids.

SO... being that I took a day off last week, I'm going to take a day off here too.  Don't worry - you'll see more of what my sister and I were up to on Wednesday's post.

Oh, and BTW, that Anna hat my niece is wearing?  Yup!  My sister made it.  Check out her shop.  Her 20% off Halloween sale is still going too, coupon code: SPOOKY

Friday Funny #3

I'm guessing you wouldn't be surprised if I told you - a lot of stupid, funny stuff happens to me on a regular basis.  And usually, it's because I unknowingly set myself up for it.

In honor of my follies, I decided to start an occasional post tradition on my blog:  the Friday Funny.  Whenever something worthy of my unique brand of stupidity happens, I post a snippet about it here.

And so, with that introduction, I bring you the latest installment of the Friday Funny (this one isn't exactly tied to me, but everyone keeps saying it should be, so hang with me here):

Video link in case the below video preview doesn't work.