Eugene Marathon (Race Recap)

Sunday, April 28
Eugene, OR
Marathon #21
State #21
Weather - Perfect. Overcast, cool. A bit humid.

Rumor has it that there is MAGIC in Eugene. Last year, there were a TON of bloggers I follow that had amazing races in Eugene and set PR's left and right. Needless to say, I wanted BADLY to run the Eugene Marathon. I booked airfare (again, CRAZY cheap - round trip into Portland for $106!) in December. I waited a bit to register after having months of slow and painful running. Kim assured me that if I at all was considering the full that I should just register for it and the drop down to the 1/2 was simple if I had to do it.

I convinced my BFF Heather to join me in a "redemption" marathon, as L has decided no more marathons, the end. We managed to settle on a matchy matchy outfit, and off to Oregon we went...

Saturday

Our flight out of Denver was just after 8:00, so we had to leave by about 6. Not to much earlier than I would get up for work, so that was nice. Spent the 2 1/2 hour flight to Portland watching a marathon of Teen Mom 2. (I know, I know). Arrived in Oregon around 9:45, and only ended up having to wait about a half hour for Heather to arrive. Picked up our rental car, and then we started our weekend. First two goals were to hit up Voodoo Doughnuts and Lululemon. (Did you know that Oregon has no sales tax???) We got a bit turned around trying to find the glorious donuts, but when we DID find them, they were GLORIOUS.

I shared the voodoo guy (raspberry filled) with L and also had a maple bacon bar. Man. Those things are good. Genius. We walked through a pretty sketchy part of town to Lululemon where L was overjoyed to find the Pinkalicious pace setter in her tall size. Then we decided that we had been screwing around long enough and decided to start the drive to Eugene so we didn't miss the expo.

Shortly after leaving the city, L spotted a sign advertising a place called "Pizza Schmizza" - aka, LUNCH.

L drove, thankfully, and it was the prettiest drive EVER. Oregon is so green and lush compared to brown, dead Colorado.

We got to the expo with about 1.5 hours to spare. Of course, my line for bib pick-up was the longest. It was crowded and chaotic. We took this fun shot though:

Um yeah. I seem to have lost all ability to make a normal face for a picture. With no plans other than 6:00 dinner near the hotel, we decided to hit up Voodoo in Eugene. You know, for some pre-race fuel.

You can TOTALLY get married at Voodoo! Starting at only $200??? My possible future spouse will be so thrilled to know that I absolutely WOULD get married at Voodoo.

I'm saying "RAAAAAAAWR"

I sure love me some donuts

We checked in to our hotel and managed to walk right past Kim's room. We chatted for a few minutes and then we settled into our room until it was time to go to dinner. We ate at Amici's at the other Holiday Inn across the lot. There were a lot of complaints about service and food. I was thrilled with the no sales tax and my sausage and pepper Panini and fries were pretty tasty. We went to the bar/tap house near our hotel. Service was bad, but my vanilla porter was so good I had a second one.

Lights out early, around 10.

Sunday

Up around 5:30, with plans of leaving between 5:45 and 6:00 to drive over to the start. I thought that was a bit too late and I was really worried about parking, especially since we didn't know the area and there was no parking at the start.

Luckily, Kim coached us pretty well, and without even meaning to, we managed to all park in the same lot, only a few blocks from the start.

The start was a giant cluster of chaos. We only cycled through the bathroom line once and then took a pre-race picture:

Not my favorite - I look super chunky (Left to right - Heather, L, Alma, Kim, Sally, Me, Jess)

And then it was time to line up. The picture I took at the start is for reals the only picture I took of the entire course.

I had put my ID and credit card in the same pocket with my phone, and it seemed like too much of an ordeal to pull it out. Heather took BILLIONS of pictures (as she should have, it was the most beautiful course EVER. I will "borrow" one or two from her blog here:

Thank you, Heather, for taking the time to capture the beautiful-ness of Eugene.

Going into the race, we really wanted to not die and finish within the time limit, which was 7 hours. L gave us a time limit of 6:40 so that we would have time to shower (thanks to the SUPER awesome check out time we were given of 2:30!!)

A quieter goal was to get Heather a PR (sub 5:10 and a super loftybutmaybepossible goal of sub 5 was discussed. I did not want to wear a watch, so Heather was in charge of monitoring pace.

We started in the back of Corral C and honestly, the first few miles went by pretty quick. The course never seemed to crowded to me, and there were a lot of spectators. Sadly, the race honestly started going to shit for me around mile 3. It felt like a gradual uphill. I had no idea what pace we were running, but it SEEMED HARD. I already felt like I had to use the bathroom, which is no bueno this early in the race. I was trying to let Heather take charge of the pace and do my best to keep up with her, as long as I wasn't physically hurting.

At the turnaround, it finally felt downhill and I felt a LOT better. The next few miles went well, except for the aid station at mile 6 running out of cups. Not water or Gatorade, just cups. Volunteers were suggesting I cup my hands for a drink. Um. No thanks. I used a port-o-potty an hour ago. Bleh.

The hill at mile 8 seemed pretty small from the base. We ran up the first half... then walked the rest. Nice downhill at the backside and then we ran by the start/finish area. There were already speedy half marathoners finishing. Jealous.

We hoped to see someone we knew heading in, but we didn't. We ran by our car just before mile 10 and since there wasn't a wait, used the bathrooms. I felt better for a bit. I think our pace slowed a little, but I felt decent through the halfway point, which is about where the 5 hour pace group caught us.

I knew that Heather wanted to stay in front of them. I wanted to as well. The pacer had the loudest and most high pitched voice ever. I really wanted to outrun them. My ankle started to ache (I promise this is not made up) and somewhere around 14-15 miles in is when I gave the race away. I tried to get Heather to go on without me. I felt like a total jerk for screwing up ANOTHER RACE.

But... she didn't, and we had a great time. The weather stayed on our side, and the sun came out only briefly for a few miles. The aid stations were spaced pretty well apart and again, THE COURSE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL EVER.

At mile 23.69 there were guys handing out beer on the course. I may have told one of them that he was my favorite person on the planet. And I meant it. Beer during a race is The Best. We walked quite a bit the last 10k. Heather was saying that her right leg was hurting pretty bad, so I didn't feel AS bad about taking so many breaks.

We came around the corner and recognized the lot where we had parked and realized we were close! We were discussing a walk break when we saw Alma and Kim!! I think I'm screaming - HIIIIIIIII!

And clearly we were getting pretty darn excited for the upcoming finish. WAHOOO, look how smiley we are:

I really wanted to sprint into Hayward. I really did. My stupid crappy dumb legs were done. It was all I could do to NOT walk across the finish line.

Bib #4207
Official Time - 5:17:31
Overall Place - 2369/2561
Gender Place - 1109/1222
Division Place - 209/223
5K - 34:58 (11:16 pace)
10K - 1:10:21 (11:20 pace)
Half - 2:32:41 (11:40 pace)
20 Mile - 3:54:39 (11:44 pace)

We took a quick finisher pic and grabbed some water and then met L right outside the gates and walked to the car. We hurried to the hotel and took quick showers so that we would have time to get LUNCH AND BEER.

We went to Roadhouse and had a delicious burger and fries and I had a GIANT BEER.

It seemed silly to only go to two of the three Voodoo Doughnuts, so obviously, our only other plan was to go to the third location when we got back to Portland. I apparently fell asleep in the car, and we stopped long enough to go to another Lululemon (in hopes of L getting Aquamarine in tall, which they did not have) and some froyo from Yogurtland. Quick-ish stop at the last Voodoo:

Then we headed to Kim's house, where her and S were graciously going to host AND entertain us. We ordered some food:

And then we watched Pitch Perfect. If you haven' t seen it yet, you should. It is HILARIOUS. Early to bed again. Our flight left early Monday morning, so quick donuts for breakfast with some coffee and some chatting with Kim and then we had to be on our way.

Thoughts:

• Running a marathon is hard. And I don't think I want to do it anymore. I have said this before, but if I'm left with that feeling even AFTER being on the prettiest course ever, I think it's time the marathon and I break up for a bit.
• We got TONS of comments on our outfits. (Sorry, L, it appears Heather and I are twins!)
• The course is great great great. I can see why people come here to BQ. A year or two ago, this race would have gone much differently.
• Plenty of aid stations. I didn't wear a fuel belt and I was fine. 2 Clif gel stations and there were 2 stations with bananas (there should have been 3, but I think one ran out before we got there).
• Did I mention this course is beautiful?
• I really like Oregon. I might have to come back sometime.
• Annoyed I didn't take any pictures myself. I should have.
• I got the worst chafing EVER on my inner right thigh - serves me right for not body gliding. Two days later it STILL hurts.

Wordless Wednesday

They make it sound like I am already in. I'm not. This is lottery attempt number 3!

Albuquerque Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Saturday, April 20
Albuquerque, NM
Half Marathon #79
New Mexico half #2
Weather - sunny and warm

New Mexico was the ONLY state I didn't have a medal from. It was one of the first 10 states I did, but only people that PLACED at the other half I did got a medal. I did NOT get a medal, instead, I got a salsa dish for participating. So... when L suggested the Albuquerque half marathon - an inexpensive race WITH a medal, I jumped on the opportunity. It did NOT hurt that she also found the most insanely inexpensive airfare in the history of flying - $46.04 AFTER TAX, ROUND TRIP. What. Couple that with sharing a room and a rental car, and my total travel expenses INCLUDING the race entry, were about $140. (You know, about the cost of a Rock 'n' Roll event).

Kim flew out of Portland and we met up with her in Denver for the one hour flight to Albuquerque. We picked up our rental car and immediately went to packet pick up at Fleet Feet. Cotton shirt, personalized bib and a timing chip. We got zero paper in our bags, not even a map. Kim got an excellent shot of me "studying" the confusing route:

 

The next goal, obviously, was carb loading. We stopped at a Chili's down the street where I indulged in a giant (and delicious beer) and some tasty Cajun pasta.

Checked in at our hotel that was also nearby and lights were out pretty early, before 10:00.

Race Day

The race started at 8, but there was not any parking on site. We hoped to leave by 7:00 to park in the "close" lot, which was supposed to be .45 miles from the start/finish area. (Spoiler: it was actually about twice that far - good thing we had picked up our bibs the day before).

Even though it was supposed to have been a chilly 36 degrees at the start, the sun was shining and it felt HOT. While waiting in line for the bathroom, the race director delayed the start by 10 minutes, giving us enough time to check our arm sleeves.

Pre-race - W, L, Kim, Me

The race start was a giant cluster. By the time we walked to the start and lined up, there was a "moment for Boston" and then we were off. Well. Sort of. The race started on a fairly narrow dirt path and did a u-turn around a canal to really start off. It was congested and crowded and it was slow moving, even for me.

It was already hotter than hot. The first mile of the course (which, mile 1 hit right by where we parked) was on packed dirt along farming area:

W and L took off early, but I manged to keep Kim in my sights until at least mile 1.5. We exited off the dirt path and went into a residential area. The aid stations were well stocked with small cups of both Gatorade and water.

The 10k race had started 15 minutes after the half, and I didn't get passed until about 3 miles in. YAY!!! 3 miles in and we are running by the start/finish area, and that is where the race really begins. I hadn't done any research on the course, but Kim assured me it was "flat." Which was just the boost I needed after 8 months of crappy racing.

My calves got a bit tight around mile 3.5 and I walked a decent amount. I took an Island Nectar GU at the mile 4 aid station and seriously, it was like I was a new person. I won't say that the walking stopped, most miles I walked for at least 30 seconds, and I still walked all the aid stations, but I felt better than I have in ages.

I was actually PASSING PEOPLE. What. I haven't passed people in a race in ages. I felt like I was flying (well, sort of) and by mile 6 I was still feeling good. I haven't been wearing my watch so I had no idea what pace I was running. I sneaked a look around mile 7.5 and was SO HAPPY to see how I was doing.

There was a weird section at the "turn around" where we were running on a major road (one lane was coned off one lane plus the bike lane). There were ZERO police or volunteers at any of the intersections. I took this right before the mile 8 aid station:

We got back into some residential areas and the most "exciting" part of the race was seeing a half dozen bike police harassing a homeless person by the railroad tracks.  I had my headphones in so I couldn't tell what he was saying, but it looked like he was ranting.

Kept passing people, kept passing people. Starting to get tired so I took another GU around mile 9. Once again, it was like I was a new person. The course felt flat for sure (maybe even gradually downhill - maybe because of the "hard" treadmills I have been using for the last few weeks at the gym).

I sprinted in to the finish and was super happy to see my time on the clock when I ran in. Fastest time since last August!!!

Official Time - 2:23:34
Official Pace - 10:58
Overall Place - 468/615
Division Place - 528/80
Mile 1 - 10:51
Mile 2 - 10:42
Mile 3 - 10:58
Mile 4 - 11:09
Mile 5 - 10:42
Mile 6 - 10:31
Mile 7 - 10:52
Mile 8 - 10:47
Mile 9 - 10:48
Mile 10 - 11:07
Mile 11 - 10:57
Mile 12 - 10:25
Mile 13 - 10:56
Mile 13.1 - 9:40

The other girls were ready to go by the time I was done, so after grabbing some goodies for the road, we meandered the .8 (or whatever it REALLY was) back to the car. We had gotten late checkout, so we made a quick stop at Dunkin' Donuts on the way back to the hotel, where I picked up this DELICIOUS maple bacon donut:

Kim and L were kind enough to humor W and I through a tasty and satisfying flight of beer at the Marble brewing company:

We had lunch at the Frontier Restaurant. It was DELICIOUS. I had a satisfying combination of a cheese enchilada, french fries and a tasty cinnamon roll.

By then, the trip was already over and we had to head to the airport. W and I had another flight of beer:

The flight back was uneventful and we landed on time in Denver.

Fun Fun FUN girls weekend. So happy I get to see Kim again ON SATURDAY in Eugene!

Three Things Thursday

1. I have my "redemption" race this weekend. The only state I do not have bling from is New Mexico! I leave tomorrow afternoon to run the Albuquerque half marathon with BOTH of my sisters AND Kim. Should be fun. Well, as fun as New Mexico can be.

Challenge - pack everything I need for the weekend in the above bag.

2. I've been really crappy about updating on my raffle (that is ALMOST over). We are now at the $300+ tier, and I think we are very close to being at the $400+ tier (which means LOTS of prizes for those of you that can donate). Also, I'm only $19 away from hitting $500 total raised, so kick in a buck or two if you can!

Edit: I have been pushed over $500! I have updated all the information on the raffle - thank so you so much to everyone that has donated. Two weeks left!!

3. It has been snowing here ALL WEEK. Which means, even though I quit the treadmill... I've had to run on it. Even less productive than walking pace running? Walking pace cautious "running" on ice.

SPRING SPRING SPRING, WHERE ARE YOU???

Last Few Days

Wow.

Chronological order:

• Friday after work I took A to a birthday party. It took over a half an hour to get there (between how far away it was and Friday rush hour). A had a lot of fun and I lived up to my promise of not eating crap and snacked on a vegetable platter (mostly peppers).
• I also selected the winner of my most recent flash giveaway - the winner is Heather!! (let me know what you want):

• Saturday I got up early and did my long run. A SOLO LONG RUN OUTSIDE. I did 10 miles out and back. Did I mention I was alone?? It was pretty chilly in the morning, low 30's. I kept my jacket on the first 11 miles and still kept my gloves on until I was about 15 miles in. By the time I was done it was the low to mid 50's and felt much warmer. SLOW, but OH so pleased I got this done. 

• After my run we picked up my mom and went to the Butterfly Pavilion with the kids.

• Then we tried to drop my mom off at home, only to discover that their neighbor (a Denver Deputy) was dead (still not sure if it was murder or suicide or what). Their entire block was closed for over 4 hours and my car was trapped in their driveway until 8:00 at night.

• Sunday, I took both kids to yoga at Lululemon, then we went to brunch at Sweet Tomatoes. Yum.
• That afternoon I had a deep tissue massage. IT HURT SO BAD. The worst areas were my upper back/neck and my right thigh. Two days later and it feels like someone repeatedly beat me with a bat. Ouchie.
• NINE years ago yesterday (April 15, 2004), I joined the gym for the first time. Then, my goal was to lose weight. I had NO idea my life would turn out like this.
• It snowed an INSANE amount here yesterday. Isn't it spring?

 
And my inevitable comments about what happened at the Boston marathon. While I've never dreamed of running, I knew SO many people that WERE running. It is never easy watching something like that pan out. I had been off social media most of the morning and checked in to see how everyone was doing. I was horrified by the posts about bombing and spent the rest of the afternoon getting as much information as possible.

Basically, I don't understand. I don't understand what happens to anyone that would make them want to do that. I am so very sad for everyone that was affected. I'm sad for those that were injured or killed. I'm sad for everyone that trained so hard to run the race and for it to have been ruined. I'm sad for everyone that spent their morning cheering and supporting friends, family and strangers during the marathon. And I'm angry.

However, I just LOVE the running community, and it is awesome to see how everyone is coming together, offering whatever help/support they can.

Today, I'm wearing blue (and will be wearing my 2010 Boston half marathon shirt when I'm off work). Instead of signing up for another race to show my support, I have signed myself and A up to volunteer again. We will be helping out at the ultra marathon "Run for Aurora" - a race where 100% of proceeds of this event go to the Colorado Office for Victims Assistance to benefit the victims of the Aurora Theater Shooting. Now is a perfect time to give back - volunteer if you can. You won't regret it.

A Few on Friday

• I got A a "graduation" present.  She wants to go camping/hiking over Memorial Day weekend (back to MOAB!) She will love these. (WITH shipping, I got both of these for about $40. What. (PS - go to campsaver.com - GREAT deals over there!)

• I am undecided about what to do for my "long" run this weekend. 20 alone tomorrow in decent weather, or pay $20 and do a "timed training run" with some other folks in probably rainy/cold. What would you do? Chances of me actually doing 20 miles alone? Slim. I know me, I'll probably quit at half that... Bah. I'm just OVER running right now.
• I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE the new treadmills at the gym. If I wasn't already struggling with my fatigued legs and general unknown cause of my weakness / being tired / fitness decline, the new treadmills are TERRIBLE. I feel like I am running up Mt. Everest, even on "0%" incline. This week I attempted two runs and both were FAILURES. I am quitting the treadmill. If it means I don't run anymore, so be it. These runs cannot be productive. THE END.
• Related to above two bullets - WHAT IS THE POINT OF RUNNING IF I AM NOT ENJOYING IT???
• Yesterday was my one year work-a-versary. I finally asked about a review/raise. Apparently the shareholders do "reviews & raise analysis" for EVERYONE at the same time. When? Any time now. WTF.
• I am pretty surprised that there hasn't been more action on my latest FLASH GIVEAWAY. So far only one person is entered, so chances are good if you donate now! Remember, no minimum, so even $1 puts you in the running!! (Ends today at 5:00 pm MST)
• Believe it or not, I have finally decided to shed the 10-15 pounds I have gained in the last year. Since nothing else is working, maybe THAT is why I am suddenly a slow and fatigued SLUG. There. I said it. I haven't actually "tried" to lose weight since A was born, so let's see how I do with no cupcakes.

Flash Giveaway #3!!! (Again?!!)

You do NOT want to miss this one!!

From now until... 5:00 pm MST on FRIDAY, April 12 (just over 48 hours)

Anyone that donates is automatically entered to win. There is NO minimum donation requirement, and you get ONE entry into the FLASH giveaway for every dollar donated. (Remember, to also be entered in my RAFFLE, a minimum $10 donation is required).

The giveaway this time???

I'm not giving away my sweet medals, but I am giving away a medal rack from ALLIED MEDAL!!

If somehow you have never heard of them or seen their awesome product line, PLEASE go to their website and see what they have to offer.

GIVEAWAY IS FOR ONE MEDAL RACK

(anything that is not "custom" can be chosen!)

Information on the raffle is HERE

You can donate HERE

Redline 13.1 at Westminster (Race Recap)

Saturday, April 6
Westminster, CO
Half Marathon #78
Colorado Half #18
Weather - Overcast for first half, sunny. Ideal temperatures.

As part of our goal to run all the half marathons in the state, we of course added Redline 13.1 at Westminster to our schedule. The course is on Big Dry Creek, which is probably where I have run most of my outdoor runs over the last few years. L had run it last year and wanted to run it with me again.

The race started at 8:00, and the start was only about 10-15 minutes from our house. We didn't expect a big turnout, and dropped off the kids around 7:00 at my parents house. We ate our pre-race fuel (donut holes of course) and had the car parked by about 7:15. We managed to get a spot just feet from the 5 port-o-potties. There were less than 100 runners participating in the half marathon, although there was also a 5k option that didn't start until 9:00.

We hit the bathroom a few times and headed to the start area with 10 minutes until it was supposed to start.

You can tell I've added some chub to my waistline!

I told L right from the beginning that I knew I was going to have a slow day and that she was more than welcome to run without me. (Spoiler Alert! - Glad I told her to run without me, she ran a 1:58 for her fastest time in over a year!)

I started in the very VERY back. Well, about as far back as one can get in a race that only has about 75 runners. I kept L in my sights for maybe the first mile, and then she was gone. The first aid station was about 1.5 miles in and I never saw her again. My stomach was feeling off AGAIN and I had to stop and use the bathroom that was at mile 2.5. I got passed by a few people around that point and never caught back up. I looked behind me and DID NOT SEE A SINGLE PERSON. There was a separate "walker" division that had started at 7:00, but it looked like I seriously was going to be the last runner. WTF.

The course is nice, but nothing special, I've run it a billion times. What I hadn't run was the section that split off after the aid station at mile 4. So there were a few miles in the middle of the course that were on sections of trail that I had not run before.

The course is partly paved bike path and partly dirt "trail." It is NOT at all technical and one of the most popular trails for dog walkers, runners, walkers, bike riders, etc. One of the issues I had was with how dry it has been, the dirt sections were REALLY packed down and it was hard to run on some sections that were grooved from bike tires and strollers.

I have not been wearing my garmin, and although I use mapmyrun on my phone, I do not look at it during races. My stomach was feeling off and my legs were extremely fatigued. I wasn't having any pain, I was just really REALLY tired. So I walked. A lot. It was very discouraging being so far in the back and I just stopped caring. The mountains looked so pretty but it's hard to capture it with an iPhone:

There were tons of volunteers on the course, so even though I was completely alone, I never felt like I could get lost. Not that I really COULD get lost, I know the area, even if I don't know the specific path that I am on. I saw the leaders coming back when I was just past mile 5. I saw L right before I hit the mile 6 marker, so she was well over a mile ahead of me at that point.

When the sun came out, so did the bugs. There were swarms of gnats EVERYWHERE. It was so disgusting. I spent the second half of the course waving my arms around like a crazy person trying to keep them off my face. GROSS!!!

I probably walked even MORE the second half. I finally DID see ONE person behind me. ONE. I was about a half mile ahead of her, so my only goal was to not come in last :-/

I had to stop and use the bathroom again around mile 7.5. I was starting to see more people on the trail... although they were people just out enjoying their Saturday morning.

The rest of the "race" was uneventful. I never saw anyone else in front of me, and the one runner that was behind me never caught up.

Top: INKnBURN, Skirt: Lululemon, Socks: Running Skirts, Shoes: Newton

I pulled my phone out when I saw the finish area and when I stopped the timer I was shocked that I came in just under 2.5 hours. Considering how deserted the course was, I honestly thought that I was looking at a 3 hour race.

Official Time 2:29:32
Gender Place - 58/59
Division Place - 17/17
Time - 2:29:24
Pace - 11:28
Distance - 13.03 miles
Mile 1 - 9:57
Mile 2 - 12:00
Mile 3 - 12:05
Mile 4 - 11:11
Mile 5 - 11:14
Mile 6 - 11:06
Mile 7 - 11:31
Mile 8 - 13:23
Mile 9 - 11:34
Mile 10 - 11:29
Mile 11 - 11:39
Mile 12 - 10:52
Mile 13 - 10:37
Mile 13.1 - 8:50

What, if anything did I learn from this race?

• I'm NO faster if I "run" the whole race. Other than the first mile, I walked IN EVERY SINGLE MILE. And this is pretty much the average time I have been running over the last 6-8 months or so. And actually, although by seconds, this was my fastest time since last August.
• It really REALLY sucks to be in the back of a race. I don't care what anyone says, it SUCKS. Yes, I know I finished and yes, I know I finished with an average time for my running, but it still SUCKS.

Thoughts on the race itself:

• This is the third (?) race I have run put on by Redline and it was by far the best / most organized.
• There was Cytomax (normally I would say ew, but the flavor they had was ok) and water at every aid station. There were gels at the turnaround - both GU and the Clif for a total of 4 flavors to chose from.
• The shirt is nice - gender specific tech tee in a fun "orange-y" color.
• Nice medal
• Good post-race items. They had a bakery "Nothing Bundt Cakes" that was giving out samples, a restaurant that had samples of chips, salsa and guacamole and flat bread. They also had bananas, chips and boxes of cereal. Plus they had little Lara bars. The volunteers gave me about 40 bars, so that alone paid for my race entry :D
• Only "complaint" was that there were supposed to be 6 aid stations and there were only 5. Didn't make that big of a difference to me though since it wasn't super hot out and I wasn't really over-exerting myself.
• I guess a secondary "complaint" was all the bugs. No way to get around that, and certainly not the fault of the race, but still, SO GROSS.
• The awards and raffle weren't being done until 11:00. That is a LONG time for the fasties to have to sit around and wait... I mean, for crying out loud, I am 100% aware I am not getting an award, it is perfectly fine to start that earlier. We didn't have time to stick around for the raffle because we had to pick up the kids.
•  Overall, this was a good race and I would probably run it again.

Three Things Thursday (FLASH GIVEAWAY!)

1. FLASH giveaway time again!!

Anyone that donates between NOW and NOON (mst) TOMORROW is automatically entered to win. There is NO minimum donation requirement, and you get ONE entry into the FLASH giveaway for every dollar donated.

Prizes are - 3 people will win a Newton visor, 1 person will win an ultimate direction running/race belt.

*IF* $100 is raised between now and NOON tomorrow, I will ADD a pair of INKnBURN arm sleeves to the prize list.

Keep in mind if you donate $10, you will also be entered in my raffle which will continue for another month - GREAT prizes.

Information on raffle is HERE.

You can donate HERE.

2. I ran this morning before work. It was pretty chilly and DARK (who knew, at 5:00 am, that it would be DARK). The first half was completely miserable. Tired and tight legs and stomach issues. Bathroom at the halfway point and then I was a new person. 

What.

3. I would LOVE to find a running partner/friend for early morning Saturday or Sundays. Or maybe even during the week. North Denver metro? If you are someone, or know someone, send them my way. Someone slow like me - 11:00ish pace for an overall average...