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

Giving Back - Volunteering at the Spring Fling Half Marathon

L was supposed to be running the Spring Fling half marathon the day I was in Moab. However, due to a foot of snow, the race was postponed. The organizers put out a frantic request on Facebook for volunteers. Due to the rescheduling, spring break AND Easter weekend, they were experiencing a major shortage in help. For a brief moment, I thought about racing. Then changed my mind and signed A and I up to help out instead.

My dad and H decided to join us, and the four of us added to the giant total of 22 volunteers for the race. We arrived at 7:30 and were greeted with donuts and coffee. My dad and H were assigned to the first aid station and A and I were helping with packet pick-up. There were three distances available - 5k, 10k and half marathon. And they all started at different times. Luckily, this eased the congestion of handing out packets.

Due to the shortage of volunteers, it was a bit frustrating when we came across "problems" and there was no one of authority to help. People who say they registered online but they were not on my list was an issue for a few runners. Also, this race required a photo ID to pick up, and probably half the people didn't have one. Then there were all the people that wanted to change distances or use someone else's bib. All issues I have never really thought about when I race. No one got too upset, and everything went pretty smoothly.

Due to the lack of volunteers, there were multiple cautions given to the runners about following the course markings as there were not enough volunteers to be at every possible location - only at places where runner safety might be in jeopardy. Remember, only 22 volunteers, and most of them were at the aid stations or the start/finish line.

The half marathon started at 9:00, the 10K at 9:30 and the 5K at 9:45. This staggered start I'm sure eased congestion on the course, and had people pretty much finishing at the same time.

I was GLAD I had decided not to run. It was the WINDIEST ever. A lot of time was spent trying to make sure things didn't blow away. However, a lot of the canopies had to be taken down because even sand bags zip tied to the legs wouldn't keep them from blowing away. Even the finish line blew down a few times before they finally gave up putting it back up.

We had about 20 minutes of prep time before the runners started finishing. A and I were also in charge of handing out finisher medals:

All runners would get a medal, regardless of the distance they were running. This was a smaller race, and for most of the runners, they did special announcements (I'm assuming there was a section for "about me" information during the registration process). For many, this was their first race. Awesome to see so many "first timers."

A few runners claimed they "didn't know it was the finish line." Well, I know the finish line sign blew down, but the neon green chute and canopy at the end should have been a hint.

Most runners do NOT want you to put the medal around your neck. Probably helpful to A since she is so small. Also, runners are sweaty, sweaty, sweaty. Further amazement at the Disney characters that ACTUALLY TOUCH RUNNERS. ON PURPOSE. Ew.

A few runners refused their medal. Adamantly. Interesting.

And, a few runners were MAD. I got screamed at by a decent number of half marathoners that got lost on the course and ended up running extra distances. I know I was the first person they saw across the line, but it was frustrating for me. By this time, I had already been out there for HOURS. Gives a whole new appreciation to runners, especially those at the bigger events that deal with WAY more runners. So, just try to be nice to volunteers, remember, they are doing this for FREE.

Overall, I had a pretty fun day, and I will of course volunteer again when I have the opportunity. If you haven't had a chance to do so yet, please do, most runners are very appreciative of the efforts you put in! I enjoyed my free burritos, coffee, donuts AND, thanks to the postponement, all bananas from the prior week became the most delicious banana bread EVER.

(This race offered FREE race pictures, which is how I have so many of me and A to share. There are probably 30 more of us that I'm not posting. Running Guru is the BEST!!)

Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Saturday, August 11
Idaho Springs, CO
Half Marathon #66
Colorado Half #13
GTIS Half #3
Weather - Mostly overcast, Nice

This will be a fairly short recap, as this will have been the third time I had run the Georgetown to Idaho Springs half marathon. Thanks to my recaps from previous years, I knew exactly how early to get up, when to leave, where to park, and how much "stuff" to have with me at the start.

Our friend Ruth decided to join as at the last minute, so the only unknown was how long race day registration would take. Answer - not long AND we were able to use indoor bathrooms we didn't previously know existed. The line for the bus was long, but as in previous years, moved quick. We were up at the start line probably about an hour before the race. We cycled through the bathroom lines a few times, and I had to still get my socks and skirt on. Dropped my bag maybe 15 minutes before the start.

Start line

L and Me

I didn't take any pictures of the course at all. I've run it a few times, so I honestly didn't even think about it. Check out my recaps from 2010 and 2011 if you want to see course pictures. Anyway, we lined up with the 2:15 pace group, and headed out. I was REALLY hoping to NOT have the calf tightening that I have been having lately. It's been BAD. So we started out slow, and my main goal was to not have to walk.

The start is super crowded, and the 2 miles through Georgetown are also packed. Didn't have to walk at all during that section - improvement over last year.

I wasn't looking forward to the downhills (unfortunate, since there is a LOT of downhill in this course) because my knee has been whack the last few weeks - pretty much since mile 19 of the San Francisco marathon. Three miles in and we were "cruising" and I was feeling pretty good.

We really lucked out that it was overcast - the last few years were pretty hot with the sun beating down. Ruth left us somewhere around mile 3 and we maintained a pretty good pace. Honestly, this part of the race was uneventful.

Maybe around mile 6 I started feeling tired. No wonder, I really haven't been running that much over the last few weeks, and certainly not 6 miles without a bunch of breaks to walk/stretch thanks to my stupid calves.

Nothing of any interest happened the next few miles. We caught up to Ruth at mile 9 while she was waiting for a port-a-potty. I mentioned to L that my knee was starting to twinge a bit and if it got worse I might have to take some breaks. Made it to about mile 10.3 before I got some shooting pain up and down my leg, originating from stupid knee. The last three miles were essentially run for .3-.4 miles, then walk for a minute. SO FRUSTRATING. Ruth hung out with us until about mile 12, then she took off for the finish line. L still stayed with me.

We were running down Colorado Blvd (aka, the longest chute EVER) and the 2:20 pace group was just ahead of us. Man. I really really really wanted to get in front of them. We sprinted and literally crossed JUST IN FRONT OF THEM. So out of three years, this was my worst finish yet. 2:11ish in 2010, and 2:16ish last year. I am really tired of not feeling good running :( But - my sprint sorta rocked:

Bib #3198
Offical 10K - 1:04:04
Official Time - 2:20:09
Overall Place - 1821/2559
Division Place - 186/270
Garmin Time - 2:20:12
Garmin Distance - 13.12 miles
Garmin Pace - 10:41
Mile 1 - 10:36
Mile 2 - 10:49
Mile 3 - 10:08
Mile 4 - 10:15
Mile 5 - 10:23
Mile 6 - 10:32
Mile 7 - 10:07
Mile 8 - 10:24
Mile 9 - 10:44
Mile 10 - 10:56
Mile 11 - 11:21
Mile 12 - 11:42
Mile 13 - 11:14
Mile 13.1 - 8:12

Medal is shaped like a bowl!

We had seen the kids right before the finish line, and they met us right after we got our (optional) medals. I am happy to have spent the $10 for this medal - I think it is pretty unique. My Dad got this picture of us before we wandered through the finisher area to get all our free stuff:

H, L, A, Me, Ruth

I'll likely run this again next year, and I'm down to only one real complaint, and it is the same as last year. The 3 oz cups are too tiny for aid stations. In order to get any reasonable amount of fluid they are overfilled and I end up with liquid all over me. Although, they did better having lots of water at the finish line, but again, the tiny cups don't make sense.

Bling!

Elizabeth of at Running For Bling asked... how do "you" display your bling. Thought I'd share:

and now... I'm out of room. I have a couple more I couldn't fit on that last one. What next??

All About the Bling

Some of you might be unaware of my stance on medals/bling. Just so there is NO confusion. I love it. Honestly, sometimes just THINKING about the awesome shiny medal I will get at the end of a race is all that keeps me going. Most fellow bloggers have the really awesome Allied Medal Holders. I bought a bunch of these (not so cheaply) last year to make sure I'd have enough so all my medals could be displayed in matching cases. (I personally like the Allied ones better, but I already have these...) Anyway, I certainly do NOT just toss mine in a drawer. When I get around to it, they are hung up on my wall even!

Sometimes I might be too lazy to hang up the display,but they are still hung up nicely (although the case is on the floor - and has been for... at least 2-3 months now).

I will admit that I am NOT so great about getting them hung up. Actually J does it for me. I just need to remind him to do it and tell him which order they go in... So for a few months they just *might* be in a heap on my dresser (for shame)

I know not everyone feels the same way I do about medals. Considering I'm not super awesome fantastic at anything, these are the only real awards I've ever really received, and I'm damn proud of them. So you better believe I'll have them on display for anyone/everyone to see.

Happy Friday! Have an AWESOME weekend!