Race Recap: Minnesota Nut House Challenge — TOTALLY NUTS!

August 6, 2017 - Mel 2 Comments

I took a road trip to Rochester, Minnesota a few weeks ago — my first time to the state of Minnesota — to run the TOTALLY NUTS! challenge series of the Minnesota Nut House Challenge. The drive was just over 3 hours from the Des Moines area.

I love multi-event challenge races, so I was ready to get some miles on my legs in my build-up to ultra-marathon training. The half marathon would be my 12th — AND I got to color in another state on my map.

This was the 3rd year for the Nut House series; it’s a small local race put on by Triton Events and sponsored by Active PT & Sports. There are several races that made up the weekend of events: a 5k, 10k, and half marathon; there was a children’s/fun mile run before each of those races, too. While I knew what kind of mileage I was getting myself into by running all three (22.4), I’m SO GLAD that they were not in the order of 5k/10k/half.

Nut House Challenge flat runner blog review

The 10k was up first on Saturday morning, followed by the 5k Saturday evening, and the half marathon on Sunday morning. Participants had the option of running a single race or completing one of two challenges: Half Cracked (I couldn’t find on the race website which two events were included for this race but I assume the 5k and half marathon) or Totally Nuts (all three). Before each race, the event also hosted a 1 Mile / Kids Challenge. Kinda wonder if I should have signed up to run a mile, too.

I was working HARD in my 10k in hopes of getting that elusive sub-hour PR (my PR from 2014 is 1:00:39). It was not to be. And then I had to walk during my 5k and was all kinds of miserable (I found a place with gluten-free carrot cake, so I’LL BE FINE). Sunday’s half marathon was no better. But I just needed to finish before it was time to check out of my hotel.

Registration + Cost: I registered in December, and with online fees, all three races cost me $107.75.

Minnesota Nut House - race prices

Expo + Packet Pick-up: Pick-up was at local running store TerraLoco on Friday (I drove in that afternoon). There was also bib pick-up on race day. No expo for this race, but I enjoyed browsing the shop. For runners doing the challenge races, the same bib was used (thank you!!!). Naturally, I forgot to pick up course maps when I grabbed my bib; thankfully, I remembered to get the safety pins.

Nut House Challenge totally nuts 3 races

Weather: IT WAS HOT. Like, sincerely the hottest weather I think that I’ve ever raced in (if I’ve said that before, I was lying). The “real feel” temp at start time of the 5k on Saturday evening was 92. I set my limit after completing that evening’s race that I wouldn’t run the half on Sunday if it was over 80 degrees. It was close.

Saturday morning wasn’t overly-warm, but the humidity made my palms sweat within the first mile. It was the kind of thickness in the air that sucked all your energy away.

Nut House Challenge rochester minnesota race blogger — Looks beautiful – but it was HOT!

Start Line + Parking: My hotel was about .3 miles away from the start (and finish) line at Soldiers Field Memorial Park. It wasn’t crowded at all, which is always nice. I explored the memorial and then found a shade of tree to hang out and watch the kid’s mile challenge around the track before race start.

MN Nut House Challenge race day pics — Oh, hey – that’s me!

Course + Elevation: This race series was all on paved trails. The 10K went one direction and several points was in the woods, so it was peaceful (there was also a portion of the trail that ran along a major road, which was not). The 5K started from the same place, but turned towards the city on the trails. The half marathon was kind of a combination of them both (a little more extended into the parks/woods areas portion of the 10K route).

Minnesota Nut House Challenge totally nuts charity race

Aid Stations: Considering this was a small race, I was impressed at how the RD and organizers STEPPED UP to make sure runners were properly hydrated. There was Gatorade available at almost every water stop (if not all of them), AND during the half marathon, there were 11 total stations AND had GU available. Even when there weren’t enough volunteers to support an extra manned water station during the 5K, they left a giant water cooler and disposable cups so runners could self-support.

Minnesota Nut House Challenge start line blog — There’s a giant pool at the Finish Line!

Finish Line + After Party: Guys. There was a POOL at the finish line. There also was a bunch of kids lined up with super-soakers as you approached the finish chute — THANK YOU!!! There was complimentary bottles of water and Gatorade, and free beer from Grand Rounds (a local brewery; nothing gluten-free in the alcoholic department). Also, also: there were Pearson’s Salted NUT ROLLS candy bars (somehow I went my whole life having never had one!). AND there was hot nuts from a local company (wish I caught their name!).

Nut House Challenge nut roll finish line

The races were all timed by MTEC Results — and I got the results emailed to me within an hour of finishing, which included a BUNCH of fun stats! There was a restaurant called Twigs that had a gluten-free menu — I’m talking 4 PAGES FULL of gluten-free options PLUS DESSERTS. I was in fried green beans heaven. I was able to even order a Minnesota-made gluten-free IPA. On my second visit, I had a local cider made with Honeycrisp apples.

Nut House Challenge Minnesota gluten free beer

Fans + Experience + Charity: With small races, you don’t get much crowd support, but I did meet some wonderful runners on my trip — including a beautiful woman from the Carolinas (doing a cross-country trip with her kids) who told me all about the race’s charity partner, Inheritance of Hope. She adamantly expressed her desire to never run another half marathon ever (she was doing the entire challenge as well). Sadly, she lost her husband to MLS a few years ago and truthfully, I haven’t stopped thinking about her and her family since the race. I didn’t know anything about this charity before meeting her, and I’m so appreciative of her sharing her story. I could tell that she was emotionally connected to the purpose, and she really made me think about “why I run” — prompting me to plan to do another fundraise run for charity next year.

Triton Events gives a portion of each registration to Inheritance of Hope — a non-profit organization that inspires hope in young families facing the loss of a parent to a terminal illness. Through these partnerships with endurance events, athletes can raise funds to support Inheritance of Hope and send these families to Legacy Retreats.

Nut House Challenge medals race reviewer

Swag + Medals: There was an individual medal received for each race, and they’re pretty sweet. Though I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t an additional medal for completing the entirety of the challenge (I’m so spoiled), the uniqueness of these medals more than made up for it.

Also, while the t-shirt is a really nice design and SUPER comfy (also, it fits!), I was really hoping for something with the crazy squirrel logo that’s used all over the other race branding because, well… because it’s crazy and I love crazy.

OVERALL
The Great: LOVED the near-instant results email with access to a bunch of race stats.
The Good: Overall, a really fun event – with that “small race vibe.”
The Bad: If I really had to complain about something, it’s that there’s not a lot of the necessary race info on the website — and while this out-of-towner figured things out (and asked questions on their FB page), it could have been better. Also, I almost deleted the race day email because the subject line was about online registration closing.
The Ugly: Another race, another event complaining about the weather. Though this race really stepped up to support the heat!

Nut House Challenge start line soldiers memorial field

OFFICIAL RESULTS:
10K: 1:01:12
5K: 31:19
Half Marathon: 2:23:57
Totally Nuts Challenge Cumulative: 3:56:28 — 58th Overall; 5th in my AG

Race Recap: The Illinois Marathon 5K — Race 1 of the Half I-Challenge

April 23, 2017 - Mel 2 Comments

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to The Illinois Marathon 5K as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Illinois marathon challenge blog runner

I’m breaking down my trip to the Illinois race weekend into two posts. This first post will include the 5K portion of the I-Challenge and the Expo. The second will focus on the half marathon and overall race weekend experience.

Location: Champaign-Urbana, Illinois! A nice little 5-hour road trip from Des Moines.

Illinois marathon road trip blogger race review — Road trip rest stop #1: At least I know that I hydrated properly!

Registration and Cost: As my disclosure states above, I received a free entry to the I-Challenge series (5K and half marathon). If you register for the race early, you can run the 5K for as cheap as $25. There are several incremental increases as the race approaches; expo registration (pending availability) went as high as $50. The Half I-Challenge for the half marathon and 5K starts at $85 and goes up to $140.

There are four different distances as part of the Illinois Marathon weekend: the full marathon, half marathon, a 10k and 5k. There is also a youth run, a marathon relay, and the challenge races that all include the 5k on Friday night and one of the distances on Saturday.

Illinois marathon expo recap blogger — Me and Alma… and Alma… and Alma.

Expo and Packet Pick-up: The Health & Fitness Expo opened on Thursday (4-8pm) and continued Friday from (10am-7pm); I drove in on Friday and made it to the expo around 3pm (after checking into my hotel). The expo takes place at the University of Illinois Activities and Recreation Center (ARC) and, after parking, was easy for this out-of-towner to find her way. Arrows directed you to the bib pick-up area first — I didn’t experience any lines in the afternoon.

Illinois marathon expo review race blog

After picking up my bibs (separate bibs for the half and 5K), registrations are then directed to the large gym area for the vendor area and swag pick-up. There were a large number of vendors, a series of speakers — including marathoner Dick Beardsley — and several photo opportunities. I really enjoyed the experience and layout, and spent a good amount of time looking around (and, of course, shopping). Biaggi’s restaurant was also hosting a Pasta Feed at the Expo — and they had gluten-free pasta (YAY!).

Illinois marathon expo recap

Parking was a little annoying from a time management perspective, but there was plenty of it and it’s free. Signage was very helpful around campus to direct where to park — and look for all the volunteers with orange foam fingers. You just might have to do some walking, and the Expo gets busier as people get out of work.

Swag: Each race had its own drawstring race bag and t-shirt. The 5K shirt is short sleeved and the typical boxy fit that comes with unisex sizing. If you’re local to the area, there were a BUNCH of race and product flyers — many with discounts.

Weather: The weather was much chillier than I expected at 48 degrees (and super windy). And I’m REALLY glad that I packed that extra pair of pants and a long-sleeve layer.

Illinois marathon 5k review blog

Course: All of the races for the weekend started near the State Farm Center and ended at Memorial Stadium. I don’t know much about the area, but it was fun to run through campus and Champaign at nighttime. There was a great energy along the course, with a lot of students cheering from the sidewalks and porches around campus. I did my fair share of “woo’ing” with spectators.

Illinois Marathon 5K course map

Start Line: The 5K started at 7:30 pm — and at a half hour before start time, it was SO CROWDED. All of the runners couldn’t even fit into their corrals, and there was quite a long wait in between waves in order to fit all the people in as each corral moved forward. It kind of made me nervous for the half marathon start. Maybe that bottleneck could be alleviated with entry open to both sides of the corrals?

Illinois marathon bibrave pro start line — Bib Rave Pros!

Aid Stations: There was a water stop on the course about 2 miles in, though I didn’t need to stop.

Finish Line: The big appeal of the Illinois Marathon is the 50-yard finish inside Memorial Stadium. Imagine my surprise to learn we would be doing the same for the 5K! It was a really cool experience, though you couldn’t linger long on the field. Inside the concession area was free food for finishers: Jimmy John’s sandwiches (sadly no lettuce-wrapped), bananas, and Nature Valley granola bars.

After Party: The 4th Mile party outside Memorial Stadium was the celebratory kick-off to the 5K and race weekend. All participants got a free drink (lines were fairly long by the time we finished our races) from Riggs Beer Company. There was also live music, food trucks, and FREE CAKE to celebrate the 150th birthday. All of this, sadly, not meant for the gluten-free runner. I was positively shivering from the cold (I had to purchase an oversized men’s sweatshirt from one of the vendor booths to get warm) and unfortunately, couldn’t stick around the party too long.

Illinois marathon 5k medals

Speaking of birthdays, the 5K medal is a balloons bouquet celebrating the sesquicentennial. And for me, it also celebrated a new PR! HOLY CRAP. I ran the race by feel and… it felt easy. I’m just so ecstatic to have that feeling and see those splits — while also having so much fun.

Illinois marathon 5k finish line stadium review

OVERALL
The Great: I wasn’t planning for a 5K PR, so that was a GREAT surprise!
The Good: Despite being cold, I was having fun.
The Bad: Not the races fault, but my hotel room was right outside the elevators. Whomp, whomp.
The Ugly: Entry to the corrals was pretty backed up, and people were getting irritated and pushy. I hate pushy people.

Splits: 9:31, 8:41, 8:38

OFFICIAL RESULTS
27:44 — a new 5K race PR!

Illinois 5K finisher certificate

Race Recap: Gasparilla Challenge Day #1 (15k and 5k)

March 5, 2016 - Mel

The Gasparilla Distance Classic series of races includes a 15k, 5k, half marathon, 8k, the Michelob Ultra Challenge (which includes all 4 races), the Michelob Ultra Amber Challenge (3 of the races: the 15k, 5k and half), and the Michelob Ultra Lime Cactus Challenge (the 15k and 8k). My choice: the Ultra. So, my challenge was 4 races set over 2 days. First up was the 15k and 5k on Saturday.

Flat Melinda race day gasparilla — Flat Melinda: Ready for Gasparilla Day 1!

Registration and Cost: I love to search for my registration confirmation to see when I decided to sign up for a race. Since I knew the Ultra Challenge was capped at 1,000 participants, I registered SUPER early (in May) to save some money — and it was before I had even completed a full marathon and just a couple weeks after finishing my first half marathon. That cracks me up.

Since I registered for all four races at once, the cost was $185. Everything was done online through imATHLETE, and I didn’t have any issues.

Expo and Packet Pick Up: We went to the expo on Friday after we landed. This size of this expo was on par with Pittsburgh’s — it was HUGE, with so many vendors. Publix was a main sponsor, so they gave out free race distance magnets (and, yes, I got all four!) and Cabot cheese was there sampling their awesomeness as well. Still no luck on finding some clearance Saucony Ride 7s in my size at any of the shoe vendors. Whomp.

I really liked that I wore the same bib for all four races. Also, the t-shirts could all be picked up in the same spot, and they gave us the Ultra Challenge finisher jackets at packet pick-up, which I found interesting (what if you didn’t finish?!). The swag was all packed into a reusable shopping tote, which was also a welcome change (I have so many of those backpack-like cinch bags!).

Bag Check: Didn’t use bag check for any of the races, since I stayed at a hotel within walking distance of both start lines. It was really nice that they had a medal drop in between races for runners completing the various challenges (my medal drop was my boyfriend haha).

Weather: Beautiful… but hot! With the early (dark) start times, I was able to toss out a couple of my old unwanted long-sleeves over the two days, but by mid-morning, temperatures were in the low 70s. Running in shorts and a tank (and hat, because ALL SUN) is my preferred comfort zone but OMG when I saw people running in long pants and sweatshirts and FURRY COSTUMES, I knew Florida officially lost its dang mind.

30something furry gasparilla race — A furry in Florida! RACING IN COSTUME. #hotAF

Fans and Experience: Great crowd support and I lucked out with incredibly friendly pacers (randomly, one who just moved to Pittsburgh) and talkative fellow runners. At the turn-around point, there was a large group of fans with freaking DOUGHNUTS. Throughout the course, there was music and cheer sections and entertainment of various genres (my favorite was probably the guy who was playing a keyboard and singing over electronica music).

Start Line and Course: Both courses took advantage of the beautiful waterfront, running out and back on Bayshore Blvd. Both the 15k and 5k also had the same start and finish lines. I had about an hour between races, and I made friends with a guy from Indiana (who had a Steelers tattoo), who offered up one of his extra GU energy gels for me. The 5K corrals felt SUPER packed and chaotic — more so than lining up for the 15k. There was water at almost every mile of both races, with Gatorade at some stops as well. This race had really great volunteers!

Medals and Swag: I already mentioned the individual shirts, but each race also came with individual medals.

Gasparilla challenge 15k and 5k medals

Bonus: You guys! There were cold towels at the finish line! This was the most amazing thing ever!

Random Bullshit: Ugh, my knee. This was the first time I’ve felt some pain during a race, and it started within the first couple miles. My strategy was total bullshit, too (but it worked) — run faster. (Seriously.) When I increased my pace, it no longer hurt, so I guess maybe my form is breaking down when I’m slowing up? No clue, but I was definitely nervous about running Day 2. And I was having arguments inside my head about being able to keep up the faster pace for 18 miles of running the following day. hahahaha NOPE. OR COULD I?!

After Party: I went back to the hotel to ice my knee and prop up my legs for a few hours, while the boyfriend Uber-ed to the local breweries and to a drugstore to get me a knee brace and some KT tape.

TL;DR
The Great: I PR’d my 15k!
The Good: Man, everyone was having so much fun at these races. It was contagious!
The Bad: That Florida sun.
The Ugly: Ugh, knee trouble.

Gasparilla Day 1 30something

RESULTS
15k official finish time: 1:34:27 — a new PR! I haven’t run a 15k since November 2014, so I took a few minutes off my old time.

Splits (based on Garmin watch): 10:47 (1) / 10:26 (2) / 10:27 (3) / 10:20 (4) / 9:47 (5) / 10:06 (6) / 9:25 (7) / 10:13 (8) / 9:41 (9)

5k official finish time: 30:48 — not a PR but still pretty impressive after running a 15k!

Splits: 10:19 / 9:43 / 9:33 — WOO! Negative splits!

Race Recap: Ugly Sweater Run 5K

November 30, 2015 - Mel

The Ugly Sweater Run is a holiday-themed 5K that isn’t meant to be taken too seriously. This event is sincerely all in good fun and in the spirit of the season, and I had no plans to run fast or get a PR. I had a lot more fun that I anticipated! After being sick for over a week and unable to get any workouts in, I was antsy for some activity.

Registration and Cost: If this race is coming near you, check online for deals. My friend (who registered my bib) got a BOGO 1/2 off deal, and when she registered it was only like $25 per person. Day-of registration was $50 (!!!).

Packet Pick-Up: Easy bib pick-up, with separate tables for swag bag pick-up and 21+ wristbands (we skipped that last one, and thankfully, because that had the longest line of them all and we didn’t need it anyway).

Weather: It was a little chilly, even with the late 11am start time — about 40 degrees but sunny!

Course: We started on Federal Street right outside PNC Park in a chute of inflatable candy canes. The course turned down General Robinson towards the trail off River Road, then on the North Shore Trail and out towards the Science Center. We turned back at that point on the trail and ran back on the trail towards PNC Park into the concessions/gate area. The course was most crowded (and a little annoying, because of the lack of runner etiquette) when runners were in both directions before approaching the turn-around on the trail. The organizers did have a tape separating the two “lanes” of traffic so it wasn’t a mass cluster.

Charity: This series of races supports Save the Children when selecting a special ticket option at registration.

Fans and Experience: As advertised, I was hoping for more holiday music and hot chocolate on the race course, but they still did a great job of integrating holiday fun into the event. Nearly everyone on that race had some sort of holiday-themed attire or accessories and there were a LOT of ugly sweaters in the group. People really got creative. Noted for next time, for sure!

Finish Line: There wasn’t a course posted, but I was surprised to learn (upon asking a volunteer) that we were finishing inside PNC Park. At the Finish Line, any runners over 21 got a free beer and there was PLENTY of hot chocolate. While I was originally wanting the latter, I got super excited when I saw tall cans of Angry Orchard. HOORAY!

Medals and Swag: No medals but everyone got these sweet fleecy knit hats. Probably the most unique item I’ve received from doing a race!

Bonus: Did I mention beer and cider (and hot chocolate, yes) at the finish line? Pro-tip: I didn’t get a 21+ wristband prior to the race but showing my ID at the beverage tables afterward was accepted (and I didn’t waste time in that line before the race). I don’t know if this is protocol for all of their races but BRING YOUR ID regardless.

After Party: The area outside of the park on Federal had a bunch of photo opps with Sam Adams’ cutouts and inflatable snow globes that you get inside of (!!!) and fake fireplace backdrops. BRGR and Franktuary had their food trucks set up here too. We were allowed to take our drinks outside the park, which was a fun bonus in extending the holiday “cheer.”

OVERALL
The Great: Well, ’tis the season, of course.
The Good: Angry Orchard cider!
The Bad: People who don’t know race etiquette. RAWR.
The Ugly: There was a lot of conflicting information before this race — dates were wrong on the FB event page; the start line location said Waterfront in one spot and PNC Park on another; and there was a BUNCH of spam posts on their FB page to weed through (someone needs a social manager). I was anticipating a mess of a race because of this, but it ended up being pretty well-organized.

RESULTS
Uh, I’m not sure actually. I realized that I forgot to stop my watch after I had already grabbed my cider and took a few pictures. If I deduct those couple minutes (and base off my splits), I probably finished somewhere around the 31-minute mark. Though there were timing mats at the start and finish, I couldn’t find a results page/info anywhere. See above needed social manager.

Training Week 2: Niagara Falls International Marathon

June 22, 2015 - Mel

While I did increase my mileage this week, I did not meet my frequency plan. One day I feel really awesome, and then the next I’m struggling like a beginner all over again. I’m wondering when my body will acclimate to this heat.

MONDAY: Rest Day

TUESDAY: Flipped my training plan, since I found out about the Flash 5K Pop-Up on Thursday (which, news flash, I didn’t end up doing), so I did some cross-training. Similar to the Kick My Ass workout that burned last Thursday, but did a few sets of push-ups instead of planks.

WEDNESDAY: Lunchtime yoga (1 hour, restorative) / run//yoga club at Urban Elements, we did 4 miles at a 9:20 pace.

urban elements run yoga club pittsburgh — run//yoga club!

THURSDAY: ~~Flash 5K!~~ Er, nope.

FRIDAY: Rest Day

SATURDAY: I did my 108 sun salutations to welcome in the summer solstice. It was a lot harder than I anticipated. I hoped to do it outside or at a studio, but after canceling the Flash run the other night, I knew that I couldn’t rely on going anywhere else (plus the weather outside wasn’t having it).

SUNDAY: Break in my new shoes (and new sunglasses and new armband) — and run (almost) 5 miles. This was the grossest, worst training run I’ve had since I started running in September. WAY too hot, humid — I had to stop after 2 miles… and then after 3. I walked after 3.5 for about 5 minutes before running again. I started cramping up (side stitch) too, even though I was barely doing a 12:00 pace. I barely eeked out that 4.91 miles, holy Lord. I feel terrible. Afterward (and after a cold shower), I was so tired that I had to nap — and was cold but sweating profusely. Something went terribly wrong today, and I don’t know what.

Replacement Saucony Ride 7 (in a different color -- I love these shoes! And my new armband from ArmPocket. — Replacement Saucony Ride 7 (in a different color — I love these shoes! And my new armband from ArmPocket.

Weekly Runs: 2
Weekly Miles: 8.91 miles
Total Training Miles: 6.02 + 8.91 = 14.93 miles
*also walked 5 out of 5 days to/from work for 10-ish extra miles, not included in the training total

It’s now finals week, and I have a baseball game AND a concert this week, so it will be tough to fit in three runs this week; however, that’s my foundation goal for upcoming Week 3. How are you doing on your training plan?

Race Recap: Stride for Pride 5K

June 11, 2015 - Mel

I’ve been working hard to get my 5K time under 30 minutes since October, and was seriously bummed after what happened at the RnR 5K a few months ago. So I scheduled two 5Ks in June — the Stride for Pride and Gold Jacket Hall of Fame — to try to reach my goal again.

Pre-race: my new Fabletics pants are awesome.

This past Sunday was the Stride for Pride. I didn’t sleep that well the night before, but the start was a little later in the morning to help adjust. AND I could walk to the start line, so that was already a win.

Registration and Cost: Early registration was $20, and I received a $5 discount with my SCRR membership.

Packet Pick-Up: I couldn’t get to Shadyside for pre-race packet pick-up, so went over about 15 minutes before race start time to pick up my bib and swag bag. There was a line, given only two people were working the registration table; but with only a couple hundred runners total doing this race, everything moved quickly.

stride for pride 5k start line pittsburgh — Start line!

Weather: Before I even reached the start line, I was muttering to myself about the heat (and the fact that I wore capris instead of shorts). Don’t get me wrong, it was a beautiful day, but I just haven’t switched over to my shorts game yet.

Course: Out-and-back down the north shore trail — my stomping grounds! Easy, mostly flat, a little gravel to deal with, but not a challenging course by any stretch. I like that it wasn’t closed to the usual traffic of runners and bicyclists — although the race certainly overwhelmed the path.

LOVE this image from the course photographer, but OMG I look so warm.

Charity: The purpose of this race was near and dear to my heart, benefitting The Stride for Pride Student Community Leadership Scholarship and awarding a self-identified LGBT (Pittsburgh area) student with a $1,500 scholarship.

Stride for Pride and its beneficiary foundation strive for Pittsburgh to be a community that supports equal rights and equal love. We are so grateful to have the Pittsburgh community rally around this event during Pittsburgh Pride week and hope to create an event that is welcoming to ALL members of this beautiful, colorful community! Join us to run or walk with PRIDE!

Finish Line: I finished within the top 100 and there were already NO bananas left when I got to the refreshments table. I couldn’t have the cookies or bagels because gluten. Also, no water bottles, which sucked (considering I had to walk home and a dixie cup just wasn’t enough with that heat). I was unfortunately not prepared (and obviously have been spoiled by other races).

Medals and Swag: No medals for this race, but I really liked the t-shirt design! The lululemon handled bag was nice too. Thankfully I found a friend who was running — who had someone NOT running with her to hold my stuff.

After Party: Since my sister and niece were visiting, I didn’t stick around for the medal ceremony. Went home for my usual post-run chocolate milk treat (and a shower), and we spent the afternoon at the Aviary.

OVERALL
The Great: SUB-30 MINUTE 5K!
The Good: pacers!
The Bad: Ugh, I shouldn’t have worn capri pants.
The Ugly: OMG, so thirsty.

OH MY GOODNESS, ALL THE EXCITEMENT! (watch time, unofficial, obvs)

RESULTS
#94 (8th in my age group) with an Official Time of: 28:15.42 (Pace: 9:07/mi)

See more race day photos here.