Race Recap: Shamrock 8K

I look a little too excited.

Today was day 1 of the Dolphin Challenge, and I couldn't have asked for a better race!

I woke up at the crack of dawn to try to beat traffic. I didn't really work, because there seems to be traffic 24/7 here, but it helped a little bit.

I got to the starting line pretty early, and made it back to my starting corral, 10 (which was 2 blocks back). But first, I had to snap a selfie with the start gate.

The race didn't start for about 30 minutes  but it gave me plenty of time to people watch. People came in all kinds of green clothes: tutus, kilts, leggings, hats, and I even saw a few green beards!

The race was sold out at over 10,000 participants, and the corrals filled up quickly.  The race started at 7:45, but those of us in Corral 10 didn't even see the Start gate until closer to 8. When they let us go, we took off and the magic started.

It is completely flat around here. Completely flat. I ran the entire 5 miles and it was easy. I'm the kind of person who has to walk up hills and after a few miles. Not today! I have never felt so comfortable in a run, it was almost like I wasn't even trying. I worked up a sweat because it was warm (so warm I even took my jacket off) but it wasn't taxing. According to my results, I finished with a chip time of 55:35 with an 11:11 pace. I am so proud of myself! (My gun time was 1:13:26 but that doesn't even count because I didn't start until almost 20 minutes after the gun)

If I can keep that pace tomorrow, there's no doubt that I will beat my goal time!

Also, I placed pretty well. I came in around the middle of the whole race, and pretty far up among the women runners.

The finish line was a different experience from ones I have seen at past races. They gave you everything in the finish chute- medal, water bottle, snacks, and even had photographers taking pictures in front of backdrops. The area went on for what felt like forever before I could get out, but it was nice to have everything in one place.

Some final thoughts on the race-

Course: Overall, the course was pretty boring. We ran down one street full of buildings, then down the Boardwalk with a view of the ocean (which was less boring), then back down some more streets with buildings, finishing with a view of the beach. I did like how flat the course was!

Medals: These medals are absolutely gorgeous! They are big (about the size of my palm, which is larger than I was expecting for the 8K), shiny, and heavy. The top has a bottle opener, and the ribbon is printed with the date. Completely worth it!

Atmosphere: What the race lacks in exiting course, it makes up for in atmosphere. Everyone was so excited, from announcers to spectators to participants. The fact that it is St. Patrick's themed makes it even more fun because there are some crazy costumes!

Spectators: There were so many people lined up wearing green to cheer us on! Our bibs had our names printed on them and some of them even took the time to cheer on as many people by name as they could.

Overall, this race was great. Maybe I'm just feeling really good after my post-race nap, but I feel confident that tomorrow will be even better!

Official Finisher's Certificate

Shamrock Weekend: Expo Day

We are here! After a long day of driving and traffic we have made it to the hotel in Virginia Beach. I have picked up my shirts and bibs and am relaxing watching Gossip Girl.

Aren't they pretty?

I was really impressed with how the Packet Pickup went. The numbers were divided up so that each stand only covered only a few numbers so there were only 3 people in front of me in the 8K and half lines. The shirts were at separate tables, and there was no rate for those. The shirts are really awesome. The 8K is a cotton long sleeve, and the Half is a tech shirt. I had forgotten that they came in XS when I registered, so I was so happy to have a shirt that doesn't swallow me!

I wandered around the Expo for about an hour. I didn't think to take any pictures (shame on me). I saw the medals at a framing table. The Half medal is HUGE, along with the Dolphin Challenge. I can't wait to get them!

I bought 2 Bondi Bands (because they are my absolute favorite and the best place to get them is at a race expo). I also got to sample some fun things like Waffle Crisp at the Post Cereal truck, and Nuun Hydration. The Nuun was delicious, and I almost bought some, but I really don't want to get into the whole flavored water thing. I'm happy with my plain, boring water.

I also entered to win a free race entry for several races I have been looking at, and I made my final decision to do Flying Pirate next Spring. There was a ton of great merchandise I wanted to buy, but I kept my wallet shut. Planning a wedding trumps over any running gear I think I need right now.

For the city of Virginia Beach itself, I have to say I'm not the biggest fan. Everything is kind of right on top of each other, and its a little grungy. However, I may be a little biased since my heart belongs in the Outer Banks.

Even if the city has failed to impress me, I'm still SUPER excited for the 8K tomorrow! The forecast is nice (better than it has looked all week, actually) and the race seems super organized and energetic. Stay tuned, because I'll be sure to report back with my experience tomorrow!

Throwback Thursday: Sunrise 5K

Last summer I ran 3 races presented by Outer Banks Runcations. They do races all summer long, some are one time only and some are weekly events. The first one that I did in June was a one-time event: The Sunrise 5K.

It started really really early, and it was pretty chilly and windy. I had only brought shorts and a short sleeved shirt so I was going to have to wear that, but I kept my hoodie on until the last possible second.

Before I get too far into the story, let me make one thing clear. I had stupidly forgotten 2 things: my running shoes and a headband. Luckily (or not) the race was on the beach so I chose to run the race barefoot- that's what most people were doing anyway.

Anyway, I picked up my number and not-so-exiting t-shirt and waited for the race to start (still wearing my hoodie). At the very very last second I took the hoodie off and headed to the starting line.

There was one thing I learned very fast: running on sand is HARD. I thought I would be okay, since Lynchburg is nothing but hills running on flat sand would be easy. Wrong. The dry sand was too loose and I felt like I wasn't making any progress so I followed everyone else to the wet sand by the water. This sand was really hard and almost immediately I knew I was going to be feeling this run the next day.

The race itself was pretty simple. Out 1.6 miles to a turnaround and water station, and then back again. I was fine the first 1.6 miles when the wind was blowing into my face. However, as soon as I turned around, I immediately regretted not having a headband. I have a lot of hair, and my hair doesn't like to stay in place. I eventually even gave up pushing it back, but it was really annoying and really frustrating.

I don't remember my time, but I did enjoy the race. If I ever did it again I would run it in shoes (I've since run one on sand with shoes, and it was much easier). All of Runcation's races are very well organized and run very smoothly.

Oh, and I almost forgot the best part! You get wonderful medals at the end of all their races!

Spring Break Road to Shamrock

The big week is here! This weekend is the Dolphin Challenge and I'm both excited and nervous!

The last couple of weeks I have been feeling off. I would come back from a run more frustrated than when I left, and one run even ended in a hormonal rage of tears (that was not my most proud moment). However, that has changed this week.

Since it is Spring Break and I don't have class, I have been able to get up and go run in the morning. Of course Daylight Savings and warmer weather have helped with that, too.

Yesterday, I had the best run in probably the last month. I only went 3 miles, since I'm trying not to overdo it this week, but I set a new PR for my fastest mile. I seriously had a runner's high all day after that! It was just the confidence boost I needed to know I'll be okay this weekend.

Yesterday left my calves really sore, but I'm okay with that. I did another 4 today with a little more walking than I would have liked due to the sore calves. 

I also started packing for Shamrock. I basically pulled everything green out of my running wardrobe (and my Monsters Inc tank) and threw it in a bag to take.

I do have 2 days of green to prepare for! 

I'm excited for Shamrock for a lot of reasons. One of them is the elevation profile. Here in Lynchburg most of our races have an elevation profile like this:

Virginia Ten Miler Elevation Profile

However, Virginia Beach has races like this:

Shamrock 8K Elevation Profile

I'm not even sure I'm going to know how to handle that! One thing is for sure, I should be able to run more than I would if it was here!

I'm getting really excited and can't wait to blog about my experience this weekend!

Zooma Photo a Day: Week 1 Recap

Zooma has started a photo contest for March. I've tried these kinds of "photo a day" things before and usually stop caring around Day 10. However, Zooma stepped theirs up a notch, and they are giving shoes away! There's nothing a runner won't do for free shoes, so I'm going to try and win!

Here's the master list. Some are easier than others, but I've made it my goal to be creative with all the shots.

Happiness is a warm run (see what I did there?). I thought I was clever. But really 46 doesn't sound that warm but it was perfect once I started moving.

Outdoors. My favorite type of outdoors is the beach, and I can't wait to be back in my beloved Outer Banks this summer. (Note: running on the beach is not my favorite. Been there, done that, not a fan)

Fuel. Fruit is probably my favorite thing to eat. I have a big sweet tooth, and if I'm going to eat sweet things, at least fruit is healthy! Plus, it makes me happy. 

Art. These are not mine, but I LOVE them. Fan art and concept art for the movie Frozen is something I have found myself looking at a lot recently. These are from  here.

Feet. I wish I could have said I put my feet in running shoes that morning and went for a run. but I did not. At least I'm honest about it, right?

Your view today. I took a nice freezing cold walk around Lynchburg College's campus with some friends and snapped this shot of their grounds.

Red: It was only fitting that Zach and I went to see 300: Rise of an Empire on the red day. It was pretty good and VERY red and gory.

That's all until next week, keep up with my through live updates on Instagram.

Feature Friday: Shamrock Spotlight

Yesterday, I was featured over at BeachyRunner as one of the Shamrock Spotlights, a series they are doing highlighting some of the runners participating in the Shamrock Half & Full next weekend.

Click here to read my story!

Throwback Thursday: The Color Run

There's a trend on social media called "Throwback Thursday". I have decided that since this blog wasn't around when I first started running (and through some really fun races) I'm going to do a couple of Throwbacks of my own.

The first one is the Color Run last June.

Runicorn!

This was the biggest race I had done to date, and the only one not organized by local charities. I was so impressed at packet pick up how organized and how smoothly things went!

 We arrived later in the day so there weren't that many people there, but the whole thing is like a party. There's music blasting, and games to play, and you can even meet their mascot, a unicorn.

All the race goodies

They give you a white shirt and encourage you to wear it in the race. You also get to pick out what color packet you want to throw in the end celebration. I chose purple, of course. There are also temporary tattoos to wear to make you look extra fierce as you they pelt you with color. You also get a white headband to wear, but I thought it looked ridiculous on me so I chose not to wear it.

The next morning we started off all nice and clean. We had bought white shirts at Old Navy to wear because they are cheap and we didn't want to mess up the nice ones they gave us. We put on our pink tutus and temporary tattoos and headed to the start.

The race goes in waves, and if you ever have the opportunity to run a Color Run, get towards the beginning wave. When we finished there were still a lot of people waiting to start and it was really hot that day. I can't imagine waiting that long in the heat.

On the course there are a total of 4 color stations if I remember correctly. Pink, blue, orange, and yellow corn starch are squirted at runners through bottles. My favorite station was the blue one because most of the volunteers were younger kids and they were very generous with their color!

At times the course gets really crowded so you can't really run, but since I was doing it with my mom I had planned on walking anyway. I have no clue what our time was because it isn't officially timed, but it was over way too fast due to all the fun we were having. If they made half marathon color runs, I would probably set a PR!

At the end everyone throws their color packets up in one final color explosion. This is done every 15 minutes to accommodate all the finishers. Note to self next time I do this: keep my mouth closed. The dust tastes like chalk and it isn't fun.

The "after" photos were so much fun to take! Both of us were super colorful, and I had it in my mouth and hair and just about every crevice of my body.

It took about 30 minutes to scrub all that off. Mainly the purple that was in my hair:

This was one of the most fun races I did last year and I can't wait to do it again in April with my mom. Color Run Kaleidoscope Tour 2014: here we come!