Celebration of Running 5K

It's been over 6 weeks since my last running event. Both Lu and I were really nervous but looking forward to getting back into the game today and the Track Shack Celebration of Running 5K came at just the right time!

I have missed Lu sooooo much - we work so well together! Today, we set our goal at just running the whole thing no matter how slow...

 

Tech shirts - always a plus!

 

It was really busy like most of the Track Shack events, well-organized, with a nice route and friendly spectators :)

 

We did it! And they gave out great medals too! And after running in the heat and humidity I really felt like I deserved one!



What a great way to start the season!! I have a long way to go but it's so great to feel back on track!

It's CROW time again!

Canoe Races of the World, also known as C.R.O.W., is a beloved, annual Cast Member event that dates back to 1963. Scores of Disney Cast Members arrive at Magic Kingdom before sunrise each July to participate! About 80 teams (each has 10 people on board) compete on the Rivers of America in the Magic Kingdom before the parks open in canoes that were part of the original Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes attraction. Teams that row around Tom Sawyer’s Island with the best times, averaging around five minutes, advance to the finals and get a chance to race against the clock in a championship round.

Last year we came in at just over 7 minutes. Not fast enough to place, but a very respectable first-time performance. (link here!). This year we had two boats and were really committed to training to improve our performance...I'm towards the front of the boat in the white visor...paddles up!

Watching the sun come up over the castle is just amazing :)

 

My boat buddies...

 

 

In the end we were just 12 seconds away from qualifying and over a minute faster than last year!

 

Which just goes to show that rowing is like anything else - practice makes perfect. So now back to some more running - I need to defeat this heat!

 

4 on the 4th!

June has been tough:(. I failed miserably at Juneathon (a virtual challenge to work out every day during the month of June) and struggled to run consistently each week. I didn't even do an event for a whole month :(. So now it's time to get back on track! I have started training for a tri in September (having a focus on a challenging training plan really helps) and I've taken to the treadmill to fit in runs at times when it's super hot. I love our new gym so that's working out well and swimming with Maddy which is lovely bonding time too :).

Mike and I decided to kick off July with a 4-miler on the 4th:). We saw this one in Oakland which is so pretty. I was really nervous since I knew it would be really hot and I haven't ran 4 miles in a while. I decided to run as far as I could and switch to intervals if necessary...

 

The crowd looked really fit (it was hosted by the local tri store) and they were fast! It was well organized and I loved the fact that they had a child sing the national anthem at the beginning :)

 

I managed 2 miles before doing 4:1 intervals and finished the 4 miles in under 45 minutes. Not where I want to be but there it is. I'm really happy that I did it though and I'm feeling energized and motivated to put in the hard work to push myself now:). Mike on the other hand ran like a speed demon and despite the heat, finished right around 33 minutes! Here we are, stinky and sweaty after the race...

Gorgeous trails in Oakland...

  

After the kids' race we drove around to see some of the houses that were all decked out for the Holiday and talked about what Independence Day means to us.

 

I feel very grateful today. I love my life, my husband, my daughter, my family and friends. And I love my country :) Happy 4th July!!

And the photos are in!!

The professional photos from Color Me Rad were awesome!! I couldn't resist these :)

 

Great memories!!!

Color Me Rad!

Color Runs have been HUGE this year so Lu and I signed up for Color Me Rad in Tampa so that we could see for ourselves what all the fuss was about! We weren't quite sure what to expect but dressed in white T-shirts just like they recommend on their website and bought some matching bandanas to get ready for some color...

 

 

 

The atmosphere was amazing when we got there - the DJ was playing great tunes and everyone was dancing and having a great time!

 

 

Start line fun...

 

 

After 5 different color stations (3 powder and 2 liquid - one for each K) we were all finished! We both said it was the fastest 5K we'd ever done - not because we were running super fast ;) but because the time just flew by! The crowd and spectators were really great - everyone was just so happy the whole time :).

 

I love our 'Team Daaaaaamnnn! 'sweaty hug' picture!!!!

 

 

The paint is just cornstarch so not dangerous at all (so they say;)) and they have tons of water stations since it does make you thirsty. It's not difficult at all to get completely covered in paint and get some great pics for facebook :)

 

 

It is, however, far more challenging to get one of those fancy 'jumping' shots. But we had a blast trying and these solid efforts were my fave pics of the day in the end - they still make me laugh out loud :)

 

 

Aaah - the old faithful 'back to back' shot...always a winner :)

 

I can't wait to do another color run and totally recommend them to anyone! If I were a doctor I'd be prescribing Color Runs for depression - it would be completely impossible not to have a fantastic time. :)

 

Definitely one of the BEST runs ever!!!!

 

Great race picture!

Loved the picture of us that the race photographer took for the Miles for Milk facebook page!

Miles for Milk

Today there was a big 5K on idrive to promote tourism in Orlando so we decided instead to support a small, local run in a pretty park on a lake for an amazing cause - Florida's first milk bank :)

 

 

Bill Frederick Park is absolutely beautiful...

 

 

And they had signs throughout the race with facts about the cause...http://www.milkbankofflorida.org/....

 

The run was surprisingly hilly and hot as expected. No chips or fanfare - just a couple of hundred people getting together to raise money. It was really perfect - my kind of run :)

Corporate 5K

The annual IOA Corporate 5K is Orlando’s biggest office party! Held exclusively for Florida’s corporate community; businesses and non-profit organizations form teams and participate in the Corporate 5K for camaraderie, friendly competition and celebrating with co-workers. The participating population is made up of over 15,000 runners and walkers from over 700 companies and non-profit organizations. This year, half of the proceeds were donated to the families impacted by the recent bombings at the finish line of the Boston marathon.

Our running group at work have come a long way in just a year:). Last year the annual Corporate 5K was our first team race (see last year's post here). This year we had over 28 runners/walkers - a big increase from our 18 partcipants last time. It was really nice to share the "first 5K experience" with some of my work family!

 

We ended the night making plans for Ragnar...hope we can pull it off in 2014!

 

 

It was a very moving night - and I so love being a part of this amazing community. Super hot and slow race but that's 8 done so far for 2013 and I'm managing to get my training runs in a bit more often now which is my main focus for the year. Life is good :)

Windermere Run Among the Lakes

The 12th Annual Run Among the Lakes 5K through Windermere town center was only about 10 minutes from our new home and where we sometimes run at the weekends anyway. It was really nice to do a smaller, local, pretty race with a lovely community feel.

 

Team Daaaaamnnn!!!!

 

 

The race route was on sand for the most part and quite hilly but very scenic. I really love running by lakes:). There were lots of residents who came out to cheer us along too!

 

There were tech T-shirts too with the registration and they were adorable :)

 

The weather's gotten hot again suddenly and inconsistent training has left me struggling to run a full 5K again. So the goal for today was just to run the whole thing which I was thrilled that I managed to do! It was really tough and super sweaty :) 

 

 

Now I just have to keep up with training through Summer and do at least one event per month. I can do this!!!