My Latest Training Schedule (Tuesdays on the Run Edition)

My first race of the year is coming up in a few weeks.  I started training back in January.  Because my knee is still in a fragile state, I have been very careful with how much I run and how fast.

The race I'm getting ready for is the Ukrop's 10k, which is on April 13th.  Because I have had many relapses with my knee, I wanted to make sure that I did this training right.  I really didn't want to have to work up to a 10k at this point, but I have done this race for many years.  In fact this will be my 10th year running it (not in a row).  And it's the third race to complete the circle.

What is good about taking it slow on my training is that this race is the most friendly walker's race I have ever participated in.  They have several waves that are dedicated to just walkers.  My friend last year led her blind friend to finish the 10k.  I know if I have issues and just need to walk it, I will be in good company.

I pushed it too much during a 5k last fall, and at the beginning of the year I was ready to start running on a regular basis, mostly 2 1/2 mile runs a couple times a week.  I kept it slow with a 30s run / 1m walk.  At the end of January I knew I was in a good place, so I started to look to create a training schedule.  Looking that I had 3 months and knew it would take me awhile to feel comfortable with upping my mileage, I had a decision to make.  I couldn't both up my mileage and make my walk breaks shorter.  Because Ukrop's is so walker friendly, my decision was easy.  Up my mileage slowly and keep my run/walk time where it is.  This will be one of my slower 10ks, but I will be happy if I can just finish with no pain.

So far it hasn't been bad.  Over the first few weeks, I got my runs to 3 miles, 3 times a week.  I started a new cross training class (post to come), which gave me a couple set backs with soar muscles, and being just so tired the next day.  My long run last week was 4 miles, with no pain, so that was huge.  This week I'll attempt 5 and next week 6.  Then a drop back week and then the race.  It's really weird to be excited about a long run of 4 miles. 

My next race will probably be the King's Dominion Run and Ride 5k.  I did it last year and loved it.  With the 2 months between the races, I want to keep to low mileage, and work my way to 30s run / 30s walk.  Even if I just get to 30s run / 45s walk, I'll be happy.  I like my 2 1/2 to 3 mile loops in my neighborhood.  With the weather getting nicer and the days longer, an early morning run before work is a good way to start the day.  And sometimes I'll even see a beautiful sunrise.

Then after that, there are no plans.  Along with a run or two, I'd like to get some biking in throughout the summer.  I do kind of miss having a race a month, like I did last year, but this is defiantly what my knee needs right now.

What's your race calendar like this spring?  How are you training for it?

I’m linking up with with Join Kookyrunner and Zenaida for the Tuesday Topics Link-up.

Donut Run 5k (Tuesdays on the Run Edition)

This past Saturday, as part of my at least one race a month, I participated in the Donut Run 5k.  There was a short window to pick up packets on Friday night, but since I worked till 8 PM, I missed the window.  Thankfully we could pick up our bibs before the race. 


There was a kids race at 8 AM and then the 5k started at 9.  I got there right before the kids race started and picked up my bib and shirt.  I was able to see the kids run.  I swear, they are all so cute!

I walked around some and checked out some of the booths.  They had Belle from Beauty and the Beast and the local baseball mascot, Nutzy, as well as the VCU mascot.  I have to admit I did stalk the VCU mascot some, as that is my alumni and I wanted a picture with him.  I actually was wearing my VCU jacket and he got all excited.


I headed back to my car to put the shirt away and get myself ready for the race.  I headed back and realized the bathrooms were inside, so of course I had to try and go.  Once I made it through the bathroom line I stretched a little and headed out to the start.

There were tons of people lined up.  There were no waves, so I just stepped in where there was room.  The MC mentioned that there were 1000 people signed up.  Wow, that was a lot of people.  Though as I looked at the results and only 600 finished the race.


The race started out of the track area and on to the streets.  I realized that some of these same streets are the ones that I have run over and over with my 10 mile route.  Since I hadn't trained for a half or longer in a long while, I haven't been on those roads in awhile.  It was nice to be on the same roads, but not be the same route.

I had only run twice since my last race, the Ashland Harvest 5k, where my knee really started hurting.  By that race, I had worked my way up to a 30/30 run/walk.  Since I seemed to have a set back, I went back to 30s run and 1m walk.  My knee wasn't bad, but it was bothering me for the last couple of miles.  The course was rolling hills, and my knee really did not like the uphills.

The best part of this race was that there were munchkins at both of the water stops.  Yum!!

During the last mile we came close to the finish line.  I even passed my car on the street.  While I wasn't tired and my knee was holding up, I didn't like getting so close to the finish line without finishing.  It was just a mental thing I guess.

I did finally get to the finish line and was happy to be done.  I went over to one of the younger girls and asked if she could put the medal around my neck.


I grabbed some water and a donut and headed out.  I had some errands to run and an appointment to get my hair cut.  Then I went home and took a 2 hour nap.  After working 60 hours this week, that was the treat of the weekend.

I’m linking up with with MCM Mama Runs, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and My No Guilt Life for the Tuesdays on the Run linkup.

Ashland Harvest 5k (Tuesdays on the Run Edition)

Many years ago, when I was training for my first half marathon, I heard about the Ashland Harvest 10k.  I had always wanted to do it as we do not have many 10ks around here and I have always liked that distance.  I was happy to hear that they also had a 5k option.  To my surprise, they have always had the 5k option and I never realized it.

I signed up for this race a few weeks ago before one of the price bumps.  This would be the race I did for October.  I had been looking forward to it, as Ashland is such a nice little quaint town.  Most of my bike rides are from my house up through Ashland and back.

They had packet pickup for a couple hours the evening before as well as an hour before the race started.  I decided that I would get up early and get my bib before the race.  That would give me time to get parked and situated and not worry about anything last minute.

That morning it had been raining, but radar showed that by the time the race started, it would be sprinkles if not gone.  I got my bib and shirt and two tickets for door prizes.

The door prizes ranged from $25 off oil, to a gift certificate for Creative Memories, to jewelry.  The drawing was at 8:30, so everyone would just need to check back after they were done with their race.  I put my tickets in and headed back to my car.

On the way back I saw that they were setting up a pin for two horses.  I made a bee line over there to say hi to the two beauties.  It turned out that they were from Wings of Hope Ranch which rescues and rehabilitates horses.  There are free programs for children who are in need, no matter what type of need.  It's mutual help between the horses and children.


I went back to my car to shed the jacket and sweats and get ready.  As I headed back to the main area I heard someone call my name.  It was a lady that I see from time to time at the gym.  She actually volunteers with Wings of Hope Ranch and was only running to support them.

It was time for the race to start so we headed to the start.  The 10k start was at 8 and 5k at 8:10.  The 10k had a separate start line and they did their thing.  I stretched some and just kinda tried to enjoy the moment.  It was in the mid-50's and the rain had stopped.  It would be a nice morning to run.  There were some announcements and then the National Anthem and then we were off.


The race started on a unpaved path that went from the road we were on to the road next to the railroad.  I hate running on unpaved paths cause I'm such a clitz.  But I made it to the other road without issue.


My knee had been bothering me a lot more then usual the last few weeks, so I tried to keep an eye on it.  So far so good as I continued my 30sec/30sec run/walk.  We ran parallel to the rail road for about a mile.  I was bummed that no train came while we were running next to it.  The 10k course was a bit different so there were runners coming towards us for a little bit of that part.


About mile in, we turned off the road next to the train tracks.  We were now running through a neighborhood.  Even though I bike a lot through Ashland, I have never been to this part of the town.  It was nice to see a different part while running.  A lot of the houses had their Halloween decoration out, and I enjoyed seeing all sorts of scary items on the lawn.

We had our first an only water stop.  I actually didn't grab water as I really wasn't too thirsty and I knew I would get a bottle at the end, so I kept on trucking.  Around mile 2 you could see we were near the finish line.  I knew we had a turn off soon, to get the extra mile in, but I don't like when races get you so close to the finish line when you are not close to being done.

After the turn away from the finish line, we ran through another cute neighborhood.  At this point the 5k and 10k were on the same course and would finish together.  There were a handful of runners around me at any point of the race.  I knew the ones that zoomed past me were the 10k runners and the rest I was playing leap frog with.

At this point my knee started to bother me.  I tried to slow it down and made sure that I took all of my walk breaks.  But after I did my second mile well under 13 minutes, I knew why my knee was hurting.  But at the same time, I knew that if I kept it up, I would do my fastest 5k in a long time.  I really tried to talk myself into slowing down, but as usual, I got caught up in the fun of the race.

We came around and the finish line was behind me.  There were two ladies in front of me that I knew I could pass.  I knew that going full out at the end would not help my knee, but it felt great to just run as fast as I could.  As I came close to the end, I saw my friend from the gym call my name.  My knee hurt, but after stretching at home, it felt better.

I got my bottle of water and headed to see if I won any of the door prizes.  I did not win anything, but that was OK.  I love door prizes and it's just fun to see what could be won.  I realized at that point that we didn't get a medal.  I think their logo would make a super cute medal, but if that meant more money for the charities, I was OK with that.  I noticed that if I left at that time, I could make it to Costco as they opened, so I headed to my car.

I would defiantly do this race again, either the 5k or 10k.  Even though the courses were a bit different, it was very well organized.  Even when there were only a couple people around me, I never felt like I would get lost, or end up on the 10k course.  There were different colored arrows plus a ton of volunteers everywhere.  Plus there was a door prize with tons of options to put your tickets in.


I just looked at my official time, and shockingly, I was 3rd out of 4 in my age group.  I didn't see anywhere that said that they did age group awards, so it was OK that I didn't stay.  And I looked and one of the ladies I passed at the very end was in my age group, so the knee pain was totally worth it. :)

I haven't chosen my races for November or December yet.  But I have a couple in mind, so stay tuned.

What has been your favorite attraction at a race while you waited for it to start?  Do you like door prizes as much as I do?  Do you get swept up in a race and push it more than you should?

I’m linking up with with MCM Mama Runs, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and My No Guilt Life for the Tuesdays on the Run linkup.

Baltimore Marathon Relay Leg One (Tuesdays on the Run Edition)

This past weekend I was part of a relay team that ran the Baltimore Marathon.  The team was made of of Ana, Meg, and Meranda.  Lacy decided to join us a few weeks ago to run the whole thing on her own.  This was the first time I had ever participated in a relay, so I really wasn't sure what to expect.


On Friday Lacy and I drove up from Virginia, while the others drove together from Pennsylvania.  Lacy and I were the first to arrive so we decided to take a quick walk through the Expo.  I went to pick up my bib and ended up picking up everyone's for the team as they were all in one envelope.  We walked through the Expo and Lacy picked up her shirt.  I wanted to wait for everyone else to get mine.  Shortly the rest of the gang joined us.  The Expo was good.  I really didn't want or need anything, so it was a quick trip through.  It really kinda reminded me of the Expos that we have here.  Nothing like Rock 'n Roll or Disney, but the Baltimore race really isn't that size, so that's not a fair comparison. 

We picked up our shirts and walked to the Inner Harbor to find some place to eat.  We ended up stopping at the first place to eat.  We had some good food, good wine, and great conversations.  We headed back to the hotel and called it a night. 

We had already decided who would run which leg.  Because I was very under trained and dealing with a knee issue, everyone was nice enough to let me run the shortest leg, which happened to be the first one.  I really had not looked at the map at all before the weekend.  I did take a peek at the elevation the night before and realized that I had very steep hills for the first 3 miles or so.  But then it did even out some with a few steep down hills.  Honestly, I was OK with that, mostly because the up hills were first.

Each person of the relay team had to take the bus once.  Leg 2 and 4 had to take a bus out and leg 1 and 3 had to take a bus back.  Seemed fair.  Since Meranda had the second leg, she had to take a bus out to where I would be meeting her.  She had to be on her bus by 7:30 and the race started at 8.  The race started outside Camden Yards where the Orioles play and the bus area was outside the M&T Bank Stadium where the Ravens play.  The two stadiums are just a few blocks away, so Lacy and I walked down to the buses with Meranda and dropped her off.  Then we headed back to the start line.


We still had about a half an hour before the race started so we stretched and sat near the bathrooms.  They actually opened up part of Camden Yards were the bathrooms were so we took advantaged of real toilets.  We both went 2-3 times even though we really didn't have to go.  The weather was a little cool, but it was quickly warming up.  The race probably started in the mid-50s.  Perfect weather for running.


We decided to head to the start and I walked Lacy up to the front and then headed back to my pace area.  There were no corrals, just signs with paces listed where you were supposed to line up.  I found a place in the 12 minute mile area, even though I know I am much slower then that.  I had found a nice empty space and just stayed there so I could do a few more stretches.

Right before the race started, Meranda texted me that I would be running through the zoo.  The zoo?!?  Wow, now I was really excited.  They played the national anthem and then we were off.

The race started through the inner part of the city.  We headed up one hill and it would even off and sometimes even go downhill for a little.  Then it would go up another hill steeper or longer then the last.  I kept looking back to see how many people were behind me and I kept seeing a stream of runners and then the police car that followed the last runner.  I felt like it was the balloon ladies stalking me.  Every time I got towards the top of a hill, I would look back and there was the police car.  I tried not to push it harder and hurt myself, but I was so terrified to be pulled off the course for going too slow and ruin the race for the other ladies.


I was running a 30:30 and was hitting every run interval.  I was proud that I kept up a pretty good pace, despite all of the up hills.  We ran through neighborhoods that were a bit sketchy.  Though there were a lot of people sitting on their steps and porches watching the race.  Like I do at all the other races, I wave and say hello and thank you to everyone that took the time to come out.  I very much appreciate anyone that comes out to watch and cheer us on.  I knew that the worst of the uphills would be over around mile 3, but they just felt like they went on forever.


We come up towards a park and I knew the Maryland Zoo had to be coming up.  I didn't know if we would be able to see any animals or how many.  But I just couldn't wait.


We got to a back entrance gate and they had two birds out for us to look at and take pictures.  They are Common Ravens named Rise and Conquer.  They are the live mascots of the Baltimore Ravens football team.  They are at every home game.


The next animal that they had out was the Lionhead Rabbit.  He was just a fluff ball of fur and so cute.


The next was another bird, the Kookaburra from Australia.


The last animal that they had out was a Penguin.  They actually had it set up with someone taking your picture.  This guy just kept looking at the person that was having their picture taken with him.  He just wouldn't turn around to face the camera.


So I decided to take a picture of him staring at me after our picture was done.


We ran through a little bit more of the zoo, but none of the actual exhibits were open or viewable.  All of the animals that we could see were the ones that they brought out to the course.  We exited the zoo and ran through a bit more of the park that surrounds the zoo. 

I noticed that because of being in the park and zoo and not having a strait shot behind me, I really didn't know how far back I was in the race.  I knew that I had spent some time taking pictures but I felt like I was making some good time.  There were still people around me, not tons, but enough to make me feel a little more comfortable.  Most everyone had pinned on the back of their shirts if they were running the relay or the full.  I do remember being very happy that I was only doing 6 miles instead of the full 26.  With my lack of training and only running once the 3 weeks before the race because of my knee injury I was getting tired and very happy to be about a mile from my end.

The park had a very beautiful lake.  It was starting to get a bit warm, but still a nice run.


And more hills.


And more hills.  At this point my knee was really hurting.  Hills are the trigger for my latest knee pain and I did a good bit of that.  I really couldn't wait for the end of my leg.


When I was about half a mile away from the relay exchange I texted Meranda to let her know.  She said that she was at the top of the hill.  Which hill?


I turned the corner of this last hill and I saw a bunch of people.  I knew that this must be the relay exchange.  Way down the road I saw someone waving frantically.  I thought it was someone on the side of the road to cheer for someone near me.  They were a bit away from the crowd and didn't pay too close attention.  I got a little closer and I realized that it was Meranda waving for me.  Yay!  I was done!  We had a quick hello and selfie.  She took the timing chip and I took her throw away and she was off.


I looked for some water and food, but all they had was the water station that was a few yards past the relay station.  Huh?  No water bottles to take with us on the bus back to the festival?  I couldn't believe that 'cause I was very thirsty.  They only had 2 water stations on my leg and I wanted water.  I walked down to the station and it looked like they were pouring the cups of water from gallon jugs.  There was one sitting on the table that was about a fourth full and I asked if I could take it and they said yes.  Yay, water for the ride home!

I headed to the buses.  They were using school buses to shuttle us around.  I got in and sat in the front.  There were still about 10 seats that needed to be filled before they would head back to the festival.  As we were waiting we talked to the bus driver.  He said that their instructions was to get as close to the football stadium as they could and good luck.  No instructions on the best route or what roads would be closed.  Thankfully our driver knew where he was going and got us back fairly quickly.

I went back to the festival and got my medal and food and more water.  By this point I was really hungry.  I don't eat much of anything before I run and after 6 miles and about an hour I needed some fuel.  I had about an hour before Lacy would pass the finish line so I headed back to the hotel for a quick shower.


I got back to the finish line and found Meranda.  By that time she had finished her leg and walked to the finish line.  As we were watching everyone and chatting, Lacy finished.  We both saw her but neither one of us were ready to take a picture.  Oh well.


We met Lacy in the medal/fuel area and headed towards the water.  She looked like she put almost everything on the course.  I made sure that I kept giving her another bottle of water when she was done with one.  We took a few pictures by the water and headed so that Lacy could get a massage.


Meranda and I left Lacy in good hands and headed back to the finish line.  We wanted to see Ana cross the finish line.  We knew that she was wearing a black tank top and black shorts.  Not long after, Meranda asked if that was her.  I looked, but she had already passed and all I could see was her back.  By the end of this race it was in the upper 70's, so very hot.  She had taken off her top and was running in her sports bra because of the heat.  We decided that we thought it was her and headed back to the medal/fuel area and as we were heading there we got a text saying that she was done.  It was her!

At the same time Meg was having a hard time getting back to the festival.  Her bus driver kept getting lost and it was taking them forever to get back to the festival area.  We found Lacy again (who looked much better after her massage) and Ana and Lacy went to find Meg and head back to the hotel to shower and get ready to check out.  Meranda wanted to get a massage, so I went down with her.

They were offering to do acupuncture as well as massage, so I decided to try it.  I've always been interested in trying it, but never got around to.  So I jumped at the chance.  I told her what was bothering me (at this point, my knee was fine, but my hips were stiff).  She had me lie on my back and she put the needles on a few places in my legs.  There wasn't any pain when she put the needles in.  I'm not sure if it helped or not, but she had stated usually only one treatment isn't very noticeable.


It was now after 1 and our checkout time was 2, so we headed back to the hotel to get ready to head out.  We checked out of the hotel and had Chipotle and Subway for lunch before we headed our respective ways home.

The weekend was so very quick, but it really was a lot of fun.  I wish we had more time hanging out.  This was the first time I had met Meg and Ana and I wish we had more time to get to know each other.  We will just have to do another race together then. :)

Meranda continued on to leg 2.

She passed the tracking chip on to Meg for leg 3.

And Ana took the last leg and ran to the finish line.

While we ran the relay, Lacy ran the whole 26.2 miles!

Have you ever been part of a relay?  Have you ever done any of the races in the Baltimore Festival (marathon, relay, half, or 5k)?  

I’m linking up with with MCM Mama Runs, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and My No Guilt Life for the Tuesdays on the Run linkup.

The Bubble Run (Tuesdays on the Run Edition)

This past Saturday I had done the Bubble Run.  This is something one of my friends wanted to do and asked me to join her.  We signed up for it last spring.  It's a traveling race, like most color runs, that put on the same race in different cities several times a month.


This past week I knew it was coming up and, honestly, I really was dreading it.  I just wasn't in the mood for a race, and really just wanted to hang out this past weekend and not do much of anything.  There was packet pickup on Friday and I told myself if my friend, Beverly, didn't contact me about it, I wouldn't bother with the race.  There was no way I was doing it on my own.

Friday had happened and I hadn't heard anything all day.  So I didn't plan on picking up my packet.  And then at 8 PM Friday night I heard from my friend.  She asked if I was doing the race tomorrow and I replied, "It's tomorrow?"  She said that she hadn't texted me earlier since she was in the Bahamas and had no cell service.  I really didn't feel bad for her at all.

So we made plans on carpooling and heading out there the next morning.  She was going to pick me up after her friend Ellen and be to my house sometime after 7, so I planned on being ready at 7.  The race was taking place at the Racetrack, which is across town.  As we drove there we talked about the race and wondered if it would be on the actual track.  I didn't think it would, but if it were I don't know if I'd like it as the track is banked and makes it hard on my knee.

We got to the Racetrack and found out that it was $10 per car to park.  Seriously?!?  It's not like it was limited to parking and trying to get people to carpool.  We asked the lady taking the money if it went to the charity of the race.  She said yes, but I still wonder if it really did.

Beverly had her packet mailed to her.  She got the wrong size shirt and didn't get the tutu that she ordered.  Both Ellen and I had to pick up our packet.  I showed my ID and he asked if I had the email to scan.  Huh?  Really, you can't type my name in.  He finally did when I just flat out said no.  Then they told us there was a $5 fee for picking up our packet on race day.  Gug, talk about gouging for every penny we had.  It made it feel like a runDisney race. :)  I got the shirt, headband, and tattoo that came with the packet.  I asked about the bib and he said they ran out.  What?!?  How do you run out of bibs for the registered runners?  Would we still be let into the race?


We went to the merchandise tent to get Beverly's tutu.  Apparently the extra merchandise that was being sold online was not sent to your house if you requested the packet to be mailed.  So she picked it up, but they didn't have pink, which is what she ordered.  Again, how do you run out of things that are pre-ordered?


We headed back to the car to drop things off and put on the race shirt.  I didn't want to wear it as it was cotton and it was getting hot out.  But I wanted to make sure I cold get into the starting corral without being questioned.


We headed to the port-a-potties for a last bathroom break and noticed that no one was checking for a bib.  So basically if you happened to be around and wanted to do the race, you wouldn't of had to sign up for it.


There were waves that were being let go about 5-10 minutes apart.  We just got up in line and waited our turn.  We saw two waves be let go before it was our turn.  They were letting the bubbles build up so that everyone would be able to run through them and not just the people in the middle.  Once it was filled up enough they had us go.


I have to admit, going through the bubbles were fun and it was lifting my mood.  They were soft and felt a little wet, but really was fun.  Once we were through the bubbles we had just a road to continue on.  No sight of any other bubbles that we could see from there.  Most people were walking, but we decided to run.  My friends had said that they were "out of shape" and that we all would stick together.  I told them that my peak was normally slow and I'm so far from my peak.  So I was usually about 5 steps behind them.

We came up to the first bubble color.  It was just like the bubbles from the start, but it was pink.  So we just run through and play with it and we are back out to the road of the run.  I thought there would be more of an obstacle type thing, but it was just bubbles dropping from above.


We were back on the actual course.  We were now on the field area where people park, so we were running mostly on a rocky trail.  I became even slower and even walked more of it.  At this point my friends mostly stuck with me.

We got to the second color, green.  Again, it was the same thing of bubbles dropping from above with green color to it.  We played around a little in this and headed on.  There was a water stop right after the green.  So we grabbed some water and rinsed off our hands and headed on.


We saw that there were people cutting through the field to save some of the mileage.  We were thinking of doing the same, but there was a part that we couldn't see beyond the trees that we decided to go along the path.  And of course when we got to the other side of the trees, there was no other bubble color.  We got back to the main field area and came across the third color, blue.  Not much to say about it, except same bubbles, different color.

The other two kept running and I just kinda had it with running, so at that point I just walked and let them go ahead of me.I did take a shortcut across the field while they ran the long way, which was fine with me.  We got to the blue bubbles and again just bubbles that fell from above.  At this point I was kinda getting bored of it all.  My IT Band was getting tight and I didn't want to push it and run too much more, especially on uneven trails.  So I would run a little and walk a lot.


We got to the yellow bubbles and both Ellen and I just walked through them with no playing.  Ellen said that she just didn't like yellow and I said I was just bored.  It really was getting hot at this point and doubly so with the cotton shirt on.  We knew that we were towards the end.  Beverly and Ellen kept running and there were no way I could take another short cut because there were fences around at this point.  I just let them take off and I just walked and took my time.

 

I assumed that they finished up without me so I stopped and took pictures and really was not worried about them.  And then I looked toward the finish and there they were waiting for me.  If I would have known they were gonna wait for me, I wouldn't have dilly-dallied.  The three of us crossed the line together.


We joined the after party, which really was a lot more fun then the race.  They had bubbles being shot at the crowd from both sides and you could tell the kids were having a ton of fun.  We got our finish picture.


Beverly wanted to get a "fun" picture of the three of us, so we walked into the foam and jumped around to get a fun picture.


Beverly insisted on getting a picture of me, since I had been the one taking pictures the whole race.  She was worried that I wasn't going to be in any, even though I told her I got plenty of selfies.  I stood by one of the cannons that was shooting the bubbles and the guy controlling it kept hitting the back of my head with the bubbles.  It just made me laugh as they were taking pictures of me.


We all had enough at that point and called it a day.  We headed to Starbucks for refreshments and chit chat before the fun came to an end.


My final thoughts on the race....
For a traveling race that is put on several times a month, it was very disorganized.  Running out of bibs for those that had already signed up is the most disorganized that I've ever seen a race.  I get it if you don't have bibs for those doing race day registration, but we had been registered since April.

It was a bit boring.  But I think that's a bit on my side.  I wasn't in a race mood to start with, but I also thought there were obstacles and not just bubbles being dropped on us.  The after party was so much more fun then the bubble stations during the race.

Race day add-on charges really made me feel like I was being ripped off.  Granted, I only paid $20 for the race (plus $650 handling fees), but the tack on of parking (and you couldn't park anywhere else) and race day packet pickup felt a bit over the top.

But I did have fun with a couple of friends.  I probably wouldn't do this particular race again, but it was fun to do it once.

Have you done The Bubble Run (or other traveling races)?  Have you done a race where they ran out of things for pre-registered participants that they shouldn't have run out of?  Do you get annoyed with those extra, out of the blue, fees?

I’m linking up with with MCM Mama Runs, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and My No Guilt Life for the Tuesdays on the Run linkup.