Let Freedom Run

Next race will be on the 4th of July.  I will be running the Let Freedom Run 5K .  The great thing about this race is that it starts at 9am.  So hopefully my Aerosmith concert the night before will not create issues for my run (aka lack of sleep).  The bad thing about the race is that it starts at 9am.  Yeah 9am for a race in July screams HOT...FIRE...DIE!!!  But that is ok, it is only 3.1 miles..so hopefully I will survive :) 

Speaking of the firey depths of Hell..I may try running early tomorrow morning.  Not sure if this is going to work out because we are currently in a heat advisory and it is 91 degrees outside at 8:30 pm..so not sure how "cool" it will be tomorrow morning...but I plan on trying.  As you can see I am trying to dodge the treadmill and the gym.  Not sure how it will work out, but hopefully I will not see the inside of the gym over the weekend :)

Hope everyone stays cool!

The Naked Foot 5K

On Sunday Becky and I took off to Maryland for the Naked Foot 5K.  It was a celebration of the barefoot running movement.  Becky and I both decided to keep our shoes on for this race, but it was great seeing all of the barefoot runners.  You have to have some tough feet to run naked.

As you may recall..I could not remember if I registered for the run or not.  Turns out I was right..I did not register.  I believe I did buy the shwaggle for $17 but I didn't do the next step which was to register for the race and use the shwaggle coupon.  But no problem I ran with Megan's bib since she wasn't able to.  And really it would have been no problem registering the day of the event either. 

The Naked Foot was a very family fun race.  There was no timing the run.  It was just enjoy yourself and run.  I loved seeing all of the kids running (many running sans shoes). 

Becky loves her shirt!

Can't wait to wear this shirt to run club on Tuesday.

The course was well marked and we got to run through grass, pavement, gravel and some wooded paths around Rock Creek Park.  I don't know if I would have liked running on the gravel and through the woods barefooted, but some didn't seem to mind.  Some runners also got piggy back rides over the gravel parts from their shoe'd friends. 

It was a great run and lucky for Becky she was the winner of one of the door prizes (you know how I love a good door prize drawing)!  She won a Road ID bracelet.  Way to go Becky!

 It was a hot day, but a great run! 

Today Becky and I met up at Burke Lake to run the 4.5 mile loop around the lake.  It was perfect weather..some rain was moving in, so it was a bit cloudy.  When it rained a bit we were protected from the rain by all of the trees.  It is always a fun time running with friends.

Two days of running in a row..guess that means I have some half marathon training to do this summer! :)

A Naked 5K coming up..tomorrow

So as you can see from my lack of posts I have not been setting any world records in running.  That all changes starting tomorrow.  Tomorrow, Becky and I will venture into Maryland and run The Naked Foot 5K .  It should be fun.  I am hoping that I actually signed up for the race.  Ever feel like you thought you signed up for a race and then come race day you are not really positive that you did?  Yeah that is the feeling I have right now. I checked email..yeah I actually deleted my emails from the time I think I signed up.   I thought I purchased a sweet deal courtesy of Shwaggle.com  for a ridiculously low 5K rate (either $7 or $15..can't remember the exact price).  Because I remember signing up for a few different races this spring, I am not 100% certain that I filled out the actual race entry after the Shwaggle deal was purchased.  Opps.  (Megan if you are reading this I might be using your bib tomorrow if this turns out to be the case).  Our friend Megan was going to run the Naked Foot 5K with us, but she is back home and we are picking up her stuff.  So if I messed up my race stuff, I may have a race bib in my hands...and it might accidentally end up on the front of my shirt... 

So this mess is either a sign of old age or that I look at way to many races.  I think it might have also been around the time when I signed up for the color run and had to use a groupon code..so I could have thought I entered for the Naked race using a code, when it was the Color Run...who knows...ugh..

Anyone else ever show up for a race to find out that you never actually registered for the race??

What did I do on National Running Day? Start my 2013 race calendar of course!

I didn't do much running on national running day.  I know..how dare I!  I just haven't felt it this week.  I start on my 2013 race calendar thanks to the Rock n Roll national running day discount!

Here are the first two races on my running calendar:

March 2013





 August 2013

Hard to believe that I'm already thinking about 2013 when 2012 still has six more months left. :) 

Friends with Dean Karnazes and crazy Endurance runners

So yesterday we headed over to Great Falls, VA to get our volunteering on.  This is our second year volunteering at The North Face Endurance Challenge.  I'm always in awe of the people and families that run such long distances.  It really is a family running thing..I've seen more parents, spouses, kids and friends hanging out all day and so concerned about getting everything ready for their runner, making sure that they didn't miss them because they are going to need (Gatorade, new socks, clean shoes, pb&j sandwich..etc).  It truly is a team effort running these kinds of races. 

I got up at 2:45am to make it to Megan's place by 4 am. and then we were on the road and headed to Great Falls by 5 am.  Ugh..I don't get up that early to go to my own races!  We got there at 5 and met up with other run club volunteers.  I look over and I spy my running crush...

Dean Karnazes a.k.a. Karno!  I start to get giddy..not sure if it because I have spotted my running crush or if it is because I'm lacking sleep from getting up so early.  He looks much shorter than what I had imagined him..but that doesn't bother me..when it is love, it is love.  He says a few words to all of the 50 milers and sends them on their run.  Becky and I start to walk over to the food tent to see what type of breakfast we could scare up..wouldn't you know it we are right behind Karno!  Ah..my heart starts skipping beats..I'm so excited.  I start to stare at his huge calf muscles!  OMG!  His legs are all muscles..it is crazy!  Then I start up a little conversation about how I thought he was running and that we were going to mark his bib at mile 14.  Yeah I know how to drive the guys crazy!!  He tells us that he is just the host and not running this one.  I can tell by the look in his eyes that he is sad that he missed the chance of having me mark his bib.  I think he is starting to feel things for me...I mean it is obvious that we were meant for each other.  We are both heading to the food tent (umm hello..the universe must be telling us we were meant to be together by having us walk to the same tent...)  When he is in the tent Becky keeps telling me to ask for a picture with him.  I feel soo stupid asking for peoples picture when I don't really know them (even though we were feeling the love for each other).  But I did!! 

Can you see the love in his eyes for me?  See how he is pointing at me as if to say..this is the girl I have a crush on..yeah I see it too.  Also notice how tiny this man is..no fat on his body whats so ever!  I guess if all I did was run run run I would be missing some of my fat too. 

So I was giddy over meeting my running crush for sometime yesterday.  Sorry Karno..if you weren't married we could be together..

Well the entire day wasn't really about me stalking hanging out with Karno.  I did come to volunteer.  We left the start line for the Great Falls park to set up our super busy aid station.  Becky and I were in charge of keeping track of all of the 50 miler and 50K runners.  Doesn't sound hard at all.  The 50 milers were great.  They were in no big hurry.  So when they got to us and Becky was yelling out stop so I can mark your bib I had time to write down their numbers so we made sure we didn't lose any runners from aid station to aid station.  The 50K people were another story.  They came in large groups at the beginning..running us over.  They did not want to stop to have their bib marked (no mark on your bib..no qualifying time).  But we got through that fine.  It was funny that most of the 50K'ers would put their hands up as if Becky was attempting to rob them.  We got a kick out of it, as did some of the spectators watching.  It was a great day..not too hot and not too cold.  It rained like crazy the day before so those poor runners had mud caked all over themselves. I felt bad. 

Becky helping to fill some water cups before the runners head our way.

more water please

This is what happens when you are chasing people down..you must write some numbers on your hand. 

It was a long tiring day volunteering.  But so much fun cheering on some great runners!  Amazing the distances that some people can  run! 

Birthday Run..it is never too early to plan

So since I'm a half fanatic #2430..(did I mention that previously?? ) I was looking at their race calendar and found a race that takes place during my birthday weekend..and it is at the beach.  My birthday is in February so I don't normally say beach and birthday in the same sentence.  Should I do a half for my 38th birthday?  38...ugh..that sounds so..old..so close to 40..so far from my 20's..

The crayon girl is part of the bday party

So the race is the Dasani Half Marathon which is part of the Myrtle Beach Marathon.  Last February we ran the Love the Run Your With 5K and there were some friends celebrating a friend's birthday by running.  Now I know a half marathon is a bit different than a 5K..but I think it might sound like fun.  I also am pretty sure it is a long weekend thanks to President's day.  I have some time to work through my possible birthday run. 

Has anyone ran a birthday run before?  If so what run did you celebrate with?