Today I ran the Color Me Rad 5K at Met Life Stadium....I thought it was IN the stadium, but it was just some cones set up in the parking lot OF the stadium...whatever! ha ha
Was it a hard race? No! Was it a serious race? No! Was it a fun race? TOTALLY!
There were points on the race that my sister, her fiance, my friend, and I thought it was kind of lame (we thought/wished there were more stations to have corn starch thrown at you), but we made it fun as it went on. We opted to wear white so the colors really showed...obviously we went with white tutus to help pull the look together. ha ha They also give you "RAD" tattoos and neon framed glasses....You really need them with all the dust in the air...and to help you look rad! (wear old sneakers you don't mind trashing)
As you ran there were stations along the course where people threw colored cornstarch at you. Sure they throw it at us and we got some color, but we took the cornstarch up a notch too....we rolled on the ground in colored cornstarch and we grabbed handfuls of colored cornstarch from the boxes the volunteers had to throw at the runners...I don't know if they loved us doing it, but it made the run so much more fun to have cornstarch fights. We got an amazing ab workout from laughing so hard. At the end of the run they give you a "color bomb" (bag of colored corn starch) to get yourself that much more colorful before going home ha ha.
We realized we were beyond gross and didn't want to get our own places messed up so we went to my parents' to jump in the pool to "clean off." It took several hours in the pool and a shower with lots of scrubbing to get to the point where we didn't look like we had been beaten or or had some freak disease all over our bodies ha ha
When we got to my parents' my mom was LOVING our stories about the run and decided she wants to do it next year! (We actually now have a huge group or family members who want to do it next year!) I'm so excited she and other family members want to do it! It's fun runs like this series that get people who wouldn't normally run a 5K into running a 5K. My mom ran her 1st 5K at 67 and swore she wouldn't run another....here she is today saying she's in to run a Color Me Rad 5K next year! If you've never run a 5K try out a Color Me Rad 5K to get your started...not all 5Ks will be this much fun, but this might be the "race" you need to get started on your running career!
You can't tell me you don't want to look like this after a 5K! :)
Something to know about me....I'm always prepared for any situation. If you're ever trapped in a snowbank, in a car, hope you're in my car ha ha I have everything you could possibly need from blankets to books ha ha Maybe it's fear of the unknown, OCD, my many years of being a girl scout-who knows, but I pride myself in being ready for any situation.
With that being said, people have asked me what I take on my runs so I'm prepared BUT I'm not loaded up like a Sherpa heading up Everest!
That photo basically spells it out...
Watch and iPod:
These two need no explanation.
Chapstick:
I'm addicted and the idea of being on a run without it makes me crazy. ha ha As I've mentioned in a previous post, I put it in my bra-easy access when I'm running.
Belt:
They claim the belt won't slide or move when you run-lies! (slides less/more depending on my outfit tho) Regardless of the annoyance of it moving, I keep using it. It can actually hold a lot. It has loops to store gels but as I've mentioned, I don't do gels so I use the loops to hold my house key.
Chomps/Jelly Beans:
I always have them on me for 7+ mile runs, but in general I keeps some with me in case I start feeling dizzy or weak. I don't need the entire pack so I just keep a few wrapped up.
Phone:
I ALWAYS have my phone, for a few reasons: GPS if I happen to get lost, ability to call someone if I need help, to check in on FB mid run <---jk (I keep my phone in a ziplock bag in my belt...protection from rain and sweat)
Insurance Card:
I'm just being prepared, but what if something happened and I was unable to tell EMS my info? Having my insurance card takes care of things. I don't carry my license because I don't want to forget my license in my belt and be out somewhere without it and I have several copies of my insurance card so one stays in my belt at all times.
Small Water Bottle:
You can tell in the photo how small I'm talking with the water bottle. (I got it in the travel size toiletries section of Target for like $1) After my incident with the bug I choked on while running and the humidity in NJ during the summer I always have it. Some people do hydration belts, but that's not my thing. The belt I wear annoys me enough. On longer runs I generally plant water along my route so I don't have to carry extra weight but I don't skip hydration either. (I still have to post about hydration while running...it's coming)
Sure there's more I COULD bring, but I find these to be the bare bones essentials...Happy Running!
"To be prepared is half the victory."
Miguel de Cervantes
Running can test your mental strength as much as your physical strength.
Physical:
Training for the marathon is A LOT of running. I am not even 1/3 of the way through my training and I'm feeling the miles. (not to mention sleeping and eating more) I'm also realizing training is a learning process. Take my hamstrings for example..I haven't been able to touch my toes the past few days because my hamstrings are so tight. I've learned (or more like remembered) I need to stretch more and continue/up my hamstring strengthening.
I'm really working on pushing through, but realizing my limitations and paying attention to my body. I've mentioned running on the treadmill and hating it....sometimes the treadmill can be a savior. The other morning something in my body (or maybe the humidity) told me running outside was a bad idea-not my ideal to hit the treadmill, but it was safer and I had to run.
"Listen to your body. Do not be a
blind and deaf tenant." -Dr. George Sheehan
To date, I've run 76 miles of the 461.2 get ready for plenty of posts about walls I hit, running frustrations, and injuries. As of now I don't have too much to say about the physical because the truth is, if I had to runt he marathon tomorrow I could. It would be insanely hard, but I'm physically fit and with each run I learn more and more about my endurance and my ability to pace myself.
Mental:
There are a million stories out there about the power of positive thinking. You've probably read stories about people overcoming something nearly impossible by changing their outlook on things. I really think this is true. I didn't overcome some great adversity, but I am realizing the more positive my thoughts the better I feel when it comes to my runs. Take this morning for example, I woke up kind of achy but I had time in my schedule so I didn't have to rush off and run. I started writing this post and wanted to get some quotes about positive thinking for runs. The quote page opened with this, "The following is a compilation of my favorite motivational running quotes. Keep these handy. Running can test your mental strength as much as your physical strength, and these quotes are a good source of motivation…" as I read through them I did in fact feel empowered and stronger. I went out to run and I really did feel great-I even did some speed work. On the flip side to today's run are the days when getting up to run is the LAST thing I want to do, but I grudgingly get up and go...my runs on those days are terrible. I've seen/experienced both so I'm really trying to approach each run as a way to make myself better. As I run, I'll visualize something I REALLY want when I'm done (sadly it's usually a cold shower and tons of water to drink)...Sometimes it's a type of food/drink treat I want and a lot of times by the time I'm done with my run the craving is gone so it's a super win win...I win because I'm working out and I win because I beat the craving! I often visualize myself and different mile markers..it helps get me through. As I run I often think things like, "think about all the people who aren't doing this" or "people in way less shape than you have done this-get moving" or I can think about stories like this --> Team Hoyt. Anyone can run a marathon after reading that story! :) We aren't all Team Hoyt material and we all run or do what we do for different reasons. Celebrate your reason for what you do and go with it!
After reading that story about Team Hoyt I look ridiculous for even writing this, but this is my blog about my journey so it is what it is. :) My long run last week was 9 miles and it's been pretty hot and humid so I was a little nervous. I had my route all planned, I had water with me and I had my mom put some water in her mailbox so when I ran passed my parents' house I could hydrate, I was running early in the day so the heat wasn't too bad....I was ready. As I started my run I reminded myself this is an hour and a half (tops) of my life and I shouldn't perseverate and let negative thinking hold me back. I was feeling great...I was 3 miles into a 9 mile run. I wasn't pushing myself too much (they say on your long runs you should be able to sing or hold a convo and since I was running alone I was trying to sing along to my ipod). I'm not gonna lie, I was listening to "Party In The USA" by Miley Cyrus (back off ha ha) all of a sudden the music stopped. I thought maybe I had sweat too much and temporally killed my earbuds-I've done it before. I took them off and tried to shake out sweat, blow into them...anything to make them work again. I kept them out for about a mile to dry out and tried them again-no luck. I was now 4 miles in and annoyed but realizing I had 5 miles left and no choice. I depend on my music to keep pace up I started thinking that hour and a half idea was out the window, but I kept on running. I really couldn't judge if I was going to hard or not hard enough. My splits seemed too good to be true. As I mentioned before, I visualize different mile markers to keep me going but without music the visualizations turned into me visualizing the different mile markers and the hills they had. I started thinking "hmm should I run with a backup ipod/earbuds for the marathon?" That got me into thinking about different things I absolutely want/need to have with me on race day. That got me thinking I should write a post about what I have with me on training runs. Before I knew it, I was on my last mile. I looked down at my watch and realized I had been running consistent 9 minute miles...I was pleased. As I ran that last mile I realized that if this happens race day I know I can run without my music and perhaps this mishap gave me one less thing to fear on race day. ha ha Everyone deals with/overcomes his/her own "stuff" so for now, this was the adversity I overcame. ha ha
Epilogue: I went to Apple that day and sadly the people at the genius bar did all they could but their efforts wore unsuccessful. My relatively new ipod was gone...Thankfully the 3-5 business days Apple told me I'd have to wait for the replacement turned out to only 2 days....phewww let's see how long until I kill this ipod ha ha
