Race Recap: Run Like Hell 2014 Half Marathon

Terrapin Events Run Like Hell!  was held on October 26, 2014.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Run Like Hell! since it was my first race ever.  In 2011, I signed up for the 5K with a zombie theme.  And despite the debacle with last year's experience with the train and delay, I wanted to give the race another go.  After all, the course was rerouted just to avoid that pesky Amtrak.  Trimet and general traffic however, could still cause possible delays, but I didn't have any issues with that.

This year's theme was "Under The Sea".  My friend Dayna wore a lifeguard uniform with a shark attacking her arm.  

I did not finish the race in time to participate in the costume contest, but I did run into a couple of runners who were the actual Titanic boat!  Catching up to them before they left the party was the complete highlight of the event and made up for my lack of competing in the costume contest...  I was dressed as a ghost of a Titanic passenger.  

I ran the race hollering now and then "Where are the life boats?  There are supposed to be life boats?!"  And at the aid stations I would request champagne because "I'm in first class."  Unfortunately I think my joke got lost in translation and I came across as an asshole instead.   I hope not.  When I did finally cross the finish line, my friend Dayna hollered "The life boats are here at last!"  (or something like that.  I was delirious.)  

Course:
This year, the half marathon went down Terwilliger instead of climbing up it and then looping back down it.  

Most of the climbing was done at the beginning and then a nice run down.  Terwilleger is slanted and causes my IT band to scream and my hips to ache.  This time around had me really contemplating my strength training routine.  

The Amtrak train rumbled by us and came to a stop on the track, but our paths did not cross.  Runners did have a Trimet MAX track to cross, but when I arrived, the MAX was moving on.  I had no issues with being stopped by traffic whatsoever.

At around mile 6 1/2 the half marathon joined with the crowds in the 5K and 10K run.  That was a lot of fun to see so many costumes, the fresh energy for just starting their race and the renewed spirit I had to see the crowds half way through my race.  Around mile 7 1/2 I came upon the "musical mile" that is 12 blocks of 12 unique Portland bands.  I was a little surprised by how few were playing when I ran by.  One banjo player was playing on her phone.  Oh well.  There were some really reat bands out there as well and loved the musicians who were playing.  Thank you!  

Race Theme:  "Under The Sea".  There were quite a few mermaids, but a lot more jelly fish and "kraken" creatures than mermaids.  Some of my favorites were the vintage divers with the huge helmets and the sea creatures they had running with them.  I saw someone wearing a fishing net with all sorts of shells and seaweed caught in her net and someone dressed as a crab and scuttled most of his 5K.  I think he deserves a medal for that.

Course Support:  There were five aid stations offering water or an electrolyte drink.  I didn't see any gels or goo or the like, but I always bring my own anyway.   There were plenty of porta potties and lots of friendly volunteers.

Race Beneficiary:  Molly's Fund

Race Perks:  The half marathoners recieved a finisher's medal that was also a bottle opener.  The design features a Kraken (or is it just a giant octopus?) descending on a cemetary.  The medals were also for sale before and at the event ("for the bottle opener aspect") to anyone for $12.  Terrapin reported on their facebook page that there was a miscommunication and a box of medals did not make it to the finish line... creating a shortage of medals for finishers.  If this is the case for you, please send them an email.  

I also received a rusty orange tech shirt with the same logo as the medal on it.  I am a fan of Halloween and love it.  

After the race, runners received hot (vegetarian) chili (THANK YOU!) and 2 free beers or soda if you prefer.  Live music was entertaining at the finish party and lots of vendors with free samples of various products.

You'll see me at this event again, but I hate to get there and the party is winding down.  I missed the costume contest and that was a bummer for me.  So, unless my strength training vastly improves for my hips to handle the crazy slant in the roads and my speed improves for a faster finish time, I think I'll stick to the 5K.  It was my first 5K ever, anyway.  

2011 "Umbrella Corporation" zombie

Do you wear costumes at any theme races?  What distances?  

Race Recap: Beat The Blerch

On Sep. 21st, I made the trip to Carnation, Washington to run "Beat The Blerch" half marathon.

This inaugural event, slated for Sept. 21st sold out within 30 minutes, while also crashing the servers for the registration site.  This left many disappointed since the park capacity could not also hold the entire fanbase for the cartoonist and race director, The Oatmeal.  Soon, a wait list was created and more permits obtained to offer another race on Sept. 20th.  Word on the street is that the race is hoping to expand to the east coast and somewhere more "central" such as Colorado.

If traveling wasn't an option (or the race just simply sold out too quickly), a virtual race kit was available for purchase.  This wasn't merely purchasing a medal and printing your own bib.  Oh no.  Not when dealing with The Oatmeal.  He goes all out.  Virtual kits included swag such as Blerch stickers, a blerch magnet, cupcake flavored lip balm, snacks of some kind, the medal and a bib.

Wait. Wait. Wait.  What is a "Blerch" you say?  Check out his comic here:  The Terrible & Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances.

Race sign I saw at the start gate of my Sunday race and a picture of The Oatmeal in a green inflatable suit running his second half marathon in 24 hours.  Bottom, me and The Oatmeal and me with a Blerch volunteer.

I arrived midday on Saturday, and missed packet pickup on Friday.  This was disappointing because Matthew Inman (The Oatmeal) was going to be there to sign autographs and would have advanced copies of his new book, "The Terrible & Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances".  But, I wasn't running until Sunday, so I ventured to Seattle to pick up my sunday packet and head over to Carnation to watch the end of the Saturday festivities.  

Not only did I luck out and the line was a "short" (45 minute wait), but I also got a doodle of a blerch in my book and showed him the picture of "the Blerch" that I am running from.  (Since the blerch is defined as a version of his former self that he is running to avoid.)  After standing in line, the family and I unloaded our car and headed to our campsite.  This was the absolute best way to do a running event like this.  To fully enjoy the entire festival type environment, wake up and just walk on over to the race.  No parking, no commute time.  When the kids were tired of waiting for me, they could head to the camp playground (within sight of the Start/Finish) and have a little picnic or a cat nap in the tent (because I am THAT slow).  Anyway, we unloaded the car and set up camp and walked back to the race.  The last runners had not yet crossed the finish line.

Over 6 hours was on the gun time clock, and we were still waiting for at least one runner on the course.  A volunteer shouted that the last runner was on the home stretch and we all cheered enthusiastically.  He was awarded a DFL cake (bottom left picture) and we soon realized that he wasn't actually dead last.  There were still two other runners on the course.  The Oatmeal headed out (after having ran the half marathon earlier that day) and went in search of the last two.  They had befriended each other and were working towards the finish line.  The Oatmeal ran them in to the finish and allowed them to cross first.  They were each given a DFL (Dead Friggin' Last) sheet cake.  This was the cake on the course... and it was very very tasty.  It was hard to just eat one piece at the aid stations.  Maybe I didn't refrain from gluttony on my race.  Anyway...  

A race is sometimes only as successful as the heart put into it by the crew and the volunteers.  The volunteers were clearly putting all of their heart and energy into this.  

Volunteers offered Magical Grape flavored beverages, as well as sports drinks, water, cake and Nutella Sandwiches.  Bananas and potato chips were available as well.  

 The volunteers were out on the course to help direct runners where to go, offer encouragement, have food and drinks ready for runners entering their aid station and making fresh Nutella sandwiches if they were running low.  Other volunteers wore Blerch costumes and offered advice such as "Slow down Captain Speedy Pants!  You don't want to get hurt..."  "This is a beautiful day in the woods, take it easy and soak it all in.  No one will know if you walk."  "Take a nap with me on the couch."

And there were couches on the course to help with this temptation.

The course was mostly packed gravel and dirt roads with about a half mile in the beginning and end that was larger rocks and not as packed.  I don't remember reading about the terrain other than it was "nearly flat".  It was not exactly flat as it gain an elevation of 300 ft in 6.5 miles and then the half marathon turned around to descend that gradual climb.  I heard that the terrain got a bit more difficult for the Full distance.

Besides the aid stations full of sugary treats (as well as water and bananas), the fantastic volunteers, seeing The Oatmeal (autographs and photos) and watching him run, seeing him go out on the course to help his runners, there were other great race perks as well....

Race photos will be FREE for participants to download.  Free.  I can't tell you how many times I have looked at a race photo, wanted it and wished to frame it for my running wall.... but it was too expensive.  Also, each medal and shirt for the participants featured the distance you ran and not the others.  

Results were instant and available here.  

Though the race was a 10K, Half and Full Marathon, only your distance was celebrated on your medal and on your long sleeved shirt.  The shirt was a half zip, long sleeve with thumb holes.  No sponsor ads or logos... just "I beat the Blerch Finisher" and the distance and location.  

The medals had the distance below the sash The Blerch wore and had different colored ribbons.  Unfortunately I did not get the picture of the 10K medal, but the award for the top finishers in their age group was carved in wood with an emerald green ribbon.

The event was so much fun and you could tell a lot of thought went into it so it could be a fun and successful event.   Matthew never grew grumpy, even after the third day of doing autographs for lines that were hours long.  A friend had to leave to go back home (long car trip) so I offered to take his book to have signed and I figured I'd stand in line to have my bib signed.  I secretly hoped to ask him to draw an unflattering picture of me in my blerchy form, or being chased by a blerch... etc.  However it became clear that he was signing everyone's merchandise or bibs with his autograph and giving it back.   After three days of this, I bet he was getting pretty tired of doodling.  Signing would get pretty tiresome alone.  At this point, I was in line for over 2 hours.  The day before it had been 45 minutes.  ...I should've had him sign my bib too the day before.  Oops.

The person in front of me had a large pile of books and he signed every one of them without complaint or requesting the fan/runner pick two or three of them.  He had a good attitude with everyone.  When it was my turn, I asked if he would also include the dedication on my friend's book, but refrained from any more requests or doodles.  I'll have to ask next year.

If there is any complaint from me, it would be that, besides the Disney (mostly "The Little Mermaid") soundtrack on repeat, it would be that peppered in with the songs to shows most children at the event knew and were singing along to ...there was also Sarah Donner's song paying tribute to The Oatmeal's comic about The Motherfucking Pterodactyl. (click to listen to it when you are NOT at work.)  Of course my kids have heard worse... it's just that on repeat for several hours with a catchy tune is going to have embarrassing consequences as we work to deprogram them from it.

No race can be perfect, and this was pretty close.  

Did you run "Beat The Blerch" in Carnation or virtually?  Will you be attending next year?  i hope to see you there.

Race Review: The Oregon Marathon and Half (in the heart of Oktoberfest!)

Race recap from the Oregon Marathon and Half on September 13, 2014.

I know that not every event can be a fantastic experience... therefore at some point or another there will be an event that just isn't so great that makes the other ones shine.  At no fault (or very little fault) of Uberthons, this even just wasn't the shiny, awesome, amazing one for me.  Why?  I was so undertrained.  

 I hadn't had much of a long run since July...  I knew this was setting myself up for a miserable time, so I went into it with no expectations for a PR, my only pace expectation to stay ahead of "the sweeper".  I went into this event to have fun, wear a silly costume for 13.1 miles and enjoy the company of my fantastic sole sisters who were willing to hang back with me (and my misery happy-go-lucky pace).

The fantastic women who ran with me.  Andie is in a wheelchair that requires someone to push it, so we all took turns to help her cross her first half marathon finish line.

Despite some of the setbacks I had placed on myself, the race was a great event with very few issues.  The course was beautiful and started in the cool of the day.  The day did heat up rather quickly though, but this (of course) is not to the fault of the race directors and the weather was pretty accurately predicted by our local meteorologists.  

 One request I have seen is that marathoners would like to start even earlier to avoid the heat. I felt bad for some of the finishers coming into the home stretch and were clearly exhausted by the heat.  Uberthons had plenty of aid stations fully stocked and lots of porta potties on the course, and there were opportunities along the course that a friend/family member could meet their runner to provide additional support and emotional encouragement for their runner.   (You would need to drive or bike to that location, as there was not spectator shuttles running on the course, but it was spectator friendly.)  Did I mention that one of the aid stations offered fresh watermelon and salty pretzels?  THANK YOU!!  What a great treat while trying to make our way to the finish.  It was ice cold and delicious.  

I also heard some complaints about the gravel sections of the race course... however, this was not a surprise that there would be gravel.  The information was provided on The Oregon Marathon webpage.  I can not at this time imagine what it is like to run 26.2 miles, nor the agony that may ensure for having some gravel stretches... but I think it is fair to point out that it is in the course description and runners were given the opportunity to either train for it or skip this event and avoid the gravel all together.  The half marathon course had no gravel.

There were some issues for me on the half marathon course towards the end.  It seemed that after the 11th mile, the volunteers were also exhausted by the heat and not giving as clear of directions as I would have liked to have for where to turn or where to actually run.  Which side of the road was I supposed to be on?  A friend ran back to mile 10.5 (after finishing her half marathon!) to help us take turns pushing Andie's wheelchair toward the finish.  Without her knowing where to go, I would not have been so confident about where we were going.  As it was, we had our choice to share the street with traffic or share the sidewalk with other Oktoberfest patrons walking at their own pace and unaware of people hoping to run by unobstructed as fast as they can.  That was a little frustrating.  We ran in the street for awhile, but it seemed that there were no "runner on road" signs and we better get back on the sidewalk.  

I never felt unsafe, I just wasn't sure which spot I was supposed to be on (or sometimes which side of the road to be on).  When we passed the 6 mile mark, we ran into one of the race directors (Darwin) helping runners to safely cross the street.  It was so encouraging to see him.  He is always full of good humor.  I heard he was "all over" the full marathon course as well and it helped encourage my friend to see him popping up here and there out there to cheer people on.

When we got to the finish line, we got to finish on a brand new track at the high school.  It was great to finish on the softer surface and it was easy to muster up the last bit of energy and run in with all your heart when so many are there cheering for you.  The announcer called our name over the intercom as we passed through the finish chute.  I'm a narcissist and love that.  I admit it.   

Some of my running buddies hanging out with Darwin.  Check out the serious hardware for this race!

The bling for this race is some serious hardware!  If you aren't prepared for the weight of it, it could knock you down when the volunteer puts the medal around your neck.  I might not be joking here.  

The beautiful medal features the Mt. Angel Glockenspiel, a man in lederhosen and a woman in a dirndl... but the best part?  There is a pinback on the medal that can be removed so you can wear a piece of your bling all the time.  Under the pinback is a mug of beer inside the state of Oregon.  How cool is that?!  Pretty neat. 

My team was awarded the use of the VIP tent for having the largest team.  Unfortunately, this was not clearly marked "VIP" and was also used for the "non VIP" runners to claim their banana and sample larabar.  We quickly ran out of shade waiting for our marathon team mates to come in.  I would recommend putting the VIP members behind the tent (in the shade) and put the bananas and things for everyone up front (backwards from the setup that actually happened).   That wasn't a big deal to me... there was a bit shade, cold towels and juice... my issue was that our VIP gear check turned out to be our bags strewn on the ground and chairs for us to dig through to locate the bag with our bib number written on it.  I felt that wasn't very secure and relying a little too much on "the honor system".  A friend of mine who ran with me never did find her gear bag (with an expensive coat in it) and would be out of luck all together if she had decided to check her phone and keys.  At least she still had those items with her so she could go home?    

After the race you could claim your post race Oktoberfest packet within the festivities and partake in the activities there.  Packet included a bracelet into some of the beer halls with live concerts ($10 value)  and two vouchers for food at the plentiful food carts ($10 value) and $10 in token for beer or wine.  Very generous packet, especially given the price of the race... however I have heard from numerous friends that they didn't even know about the packet!  Oops.  Again, that info was available on the website but sometimes there is just too much info to sift through?  I'm not sure.  I happened on a link called "last minute news" and read through that.  Posting the link on my facebook page did not ensure that all my friends were aware of it.  Someone made a good point that mentioning it at packet pick up or even making the Oktoberfest packet available at packet pickup would have been helpful.

To get to Oktoberfest you could walk (just under 1 mile) or hobble... or wait for the shuttle.  We wandered all over, interviewing every runner, spectator and volunteer we could find and no one knew where the shuttle picked up.  Signs would have been helpful.  We waited in an area that appeared to be full of busses, but there was also a tournament of some kind going on for the kids at the high school... so we decided to hobble over to the party.  On our way, we ran into Randy (one of the race directors) who was driving the shuttle.  Oops!  His van was full, and he offered to come back around to get us, but we didn't meet up with him again.  (We hobbled off course to look at the festivities.)    

Overall, there may be a few things that could change to make the event run a little smoother, but it is a great race organization, beautiful course, well supported, great price and value with great swag (shirts were very pretty too) and friendly volunteers and race directors.  I would absolutely run this event again.   I do feel that the positives outweighed any of the negatives, though I do hope my friend is able to recover her lost gear bag. 

Race recap: The Color Run (and how it compared to my "Color Me Rad" race last summer)

Do one color race, and you've done them all.... right?  It might seem that way, but some of the bells and whistles one race venue offers might not match up to what they can deliver and one race company certainly may do things differently than another.

Back in June 2013, I ran Color Me Rad.  It was my first gimmick race with a fun theme and untimed.  It was also the first time I convinced my husband to run a race with me (or run at all) and we took the kids with us through the fun.  My kids have been hooked on running events, training runs and races ever since.... just as long as i push them in the stroller.  

Anyway, I couldn't help but think of that first experience when I ran The Color Run on Sept. 6th.  I thought both events were fun, but there are definitely some differences worth noting, depending on what you have in mind.

Color Me Rad Cons:

• Located in Vancouver, Wa. with congested traffic into event venue. 
• The waves through the start were pushy and hard to get into the start.
• There were so many bandits, it really frustrated me that I paid over $50 per bib and people walking down the street (smoking cigarettes) were jumping into our race and joining for free.

Lots of color!

Color Me Rad Pros:

• The after party was a LOT of fun!  The DJ was good at making it a party atmosphere.
• There were costume contests with swag for prizes.
• Lots and lots of swag being thrown at the crowds.
• Everywhere you went, there were free packets of color for the finish party to throw in the air.
• The lines for the photo booths were small.  There were several booths the opportunity to have your photos taken.
• There were at least 5 color stations within the race and color was generously applied to participants.
• Color stations were more than dry corn starch.  Some color was applied by green bubbles through a large bubble machine and color cornstarch water from large spray bottles.  

Believe it or not, these people have gone through 4 color stations...

The Color Run Cons:

• There were only 4 color stations and all were cornstarch in dry form being squirted through a pull top water bottle.
• Volunteers were very stingy with color.  I got completely through the first color station when I asked "Do I get color too?" when someone sprinkled a little on me.  Blue did not stay with me until the finish line.
• Most of the race is on gravel.
• The race only hands out one or two color packets and most participants threw that at each other shortly after leaving the finish chute.
• The after party at the stage was small.  The DJ tried to encourage people to throw powder in the air but not many had any packets remaining.  They need to give more out.
• The lines for the two photo booths were too long to deal with.  More photo booths needed.
• If you were going to get any free swag thrown at you at the start line, you had to be right below the DJ.  If you caught it, you had to carry it through the race.  Save the swag for the after party/stage and throw more color packets at the beginning of the race.

The Color Run Pros:

• Traffic seemed well negotiated and parking plentiful.... however we took public transit.
• Crowds were a lot larger, but waves were very well organized.
• Someone was in a unicorn costume!  Awesome dude!
• There was some pre race zumba to dance to
• Post race you could stand in line to have someone blast you with a leaf blower to get color off.
• A sponsor brought a 360 degree camera booth.  That was super cool (but the line too long for this mama with young kids).

You can see how much color I had on when I left Color Me Rad vs. how much color was on me at The Color Run.  I think it's fair to see which race venue I would choose if I do another one of these... 

Have you done a color themed run?  Were you disappointed or did you enjoy it?  

Race Review: Dogathon Fun Run

Dogathon Fun Run on Aug. 31st, 2014

at Bella Organic Pumpkin Patch and Winery

Beneficiary:  Oregon Humane Society

Participants for this event were large and small and the event had a little bit of something fun for everyone.  This is the first time I had been to an event that wasn't just "dog friendly" but doggie participation was encouraged.  It was so much fun to see so many different K9 companions.

Packet pickup was the morning of the event.  Start time for runners was 10am and walkers an hour later at 11am.  I admit that with two young kids in tow (without a running stroller to keep them moving forward at a good pace) that I queued up at the back of the 10am wave.

I think it would be safe to stagger the walkers 15 or 20 minutes after the runners, but an entire hour will make for a long event for those waiting for the walking event to start.

It is hard to believe that this is only the second year for this event!  It went off without any complications and was so much fun.  Goodie bags at packet pickup included a bag for dog owners to clean up after their K9 running/walking buddy should they go potty on the course, some doggie cookies, a cookie for the runner/walker, your race bib, a cotton t-shirt that is pretty darn cute and besides some coupons and ads for the event host (Bella Organics) a voucher for a plate of (two) pancakes.  

The start and finish line was located in the main courtyard of the farm, near the farm store.  Course map was a complicated looking drawing with lots of loops on a dry erase board.  I had my doubts about it.... but the course was very clearly marked with volunteers at every turn or fork in the road to help direct the runners and walkers. 

The course was extremely beautiful.  The dirt road were soft dirt and in many places there were deep ruts from large farm equipment and trucks.  This would not be ideal for a running stroller, but I have been through worse with my behemoth stroller and saw some stellar moms councouring the trail with their strollers.

There were several aid stations providing water.  I forgot to turn on my garmin, so I can't tell you how close or far they were, but I can tell you that as soon as Bugaboo would whine "I'm thiiiiiiirsty."  There would be a water station!  Dogs enjoyed large wading pools full of water for them to take a dip or a drink from.

It was a hot, sunny day.

My only complaint would be that after about 2 miles in the course, my husband had to make a shortcut to rush Bugaboo to the bathroom.  Though i suppose there aren't many 5K races that need to put a porta potty out on course.  I think it was just over 2 miles, because when they went off course and back to the farm, Squeakers and I kept on walking for 15 or 20 more minutes and just as we crossed the finish line, my hubstud and Bugaboo crossed within 2 minutes of us.  

At the finish line, we cashed in our vouchers and enjoyed two HUGE pancakes dripping with strawberry sauce and strawberries and then whipped cream on top.  A band played some fun, jazzy tunes and if you wanted other food, wine, beer or beverages, the farm's food court was open along with other fun events such as the children's maze, activities with Radio Disney and other farm activities (such as picking blackberries or riding on the farm's "cow ride").

For more information the website for the event is Here.

I'm glad we found this event and proud of my family for getting out and trying (even if the hubstud and I ended up carrying the kiddos for a great portion of the "race").  I just wish the event was also when more berries were in season.  I always seem to miss the strawberries and blueberries.  

Have you done a "pet friendly" race?  Do you run with a K9 companion?  

Race Recap: The Inferno

Race Review for The Inferno Obstacle Race on Aug. 30th, 2014

This race was held in Salem, Oregon and offered free camping for all participants in an open field with one portalet and no running water.  Event parking (whether camping or not) was $10.  I had commitments on Friday that left me unable to take advantage of the free camping, but my friend Mariah was looking forward to that (and less of a commute on race day).

Have I told you how much I have been looking forward to this race... and at the same time dreading it?  (Race Preview with more details here.)  I have no upper body strength and working out really hard was not going to give me huge biceps in 6 months.  Maybe I need a personal trainer?  At any rate, I still can't muster a proper push up or a chin up on a bar and wasn't looking forward to scaling tall walls or trying to cross monkey bars.  Even more humbling was searching on google for some hints to what obstacles I might be facing... I find an 11 year old girl rocking some of the 2013 obstacles at a promo event in downtown Portland.  Check out this girl and how much she rocks!

I have seriously got to work on my upper body and core strength because this girl makes it look easy, and there is no doubt about it that this event is NOT easy and not for the faint of heart. 

You can walk around any obstacle that you feel you can not safely perform with a penalty of doing 30 burpees.  Mariah, who is a total beast and "accidentally" ran in the competitive heat and may have "accidently" won for the overall female division said she felt like she did 200 burpees.  There were some obstacles that were unavoidable and had to be completed in the competitive heat.  

Some of the challenges you might face at future events:

• 200 meter open swim.  This was off a dock and an out and back swim.  If you can only tread water, you can take the 50 burpee challenge for skipping it or throw on a safety vest and start floating.  It isn't that bad.  No sea monsters.  
• Lots of walls to scale.  Some with ropes and some without.  Seriously lots of walls.
• Tires hanging from ropes to swing from.  It's like monkey bars only it isn't... and it's a lot harder.  It's fun at least... but get ready to do some burpees.
• Monkey bars with some of the bars vertical instead of horizontal. 

There were many more, but I don't want to give away The Inferno's secrets.  I will tell you that with some of the challenges that required carrying heavy objects and flipping big 'ol tires, at least there were some options to choose a size/weight that was appropriate to your individual strength level.

Training for an event like this does require some upper body strength, some good core, did I mention upper body strength? and some cardio.  It wouldn't hurt and only help to have a team of friends, or make friends in line at the porta potty to run with and help each other over some of the many walls to scale.  

Above all, go in it to have fun, challenge yourself and be safe.  Some of the volunteers to monitor the penalties were more on "the honor system" than to stand over you like a drill sergeant.  Do what you can and move on to the next challenge.  There are a lot of them.  

After being in a race that involved wasps, I really appreciated that The Inferno closed an obstacle after a participant tossed a log onto a nest and was stung several times.  I heard she finished the race and was "okay" but I know that those suckers hurt.

Serious beast.

Finishing this event is a huge accomplishment and a true test of your inner beast.  The medal is pretty awesome and it is a fun event.  If you participated, there was a great opportunity to sign up again for a significant discount, but if you missed out.... stay tuned to The Inferno's Facebook page for any upcoming information and possible discounts.  

What is the toughest race you have completed?  Physical or emotionally challenging?

Race Recap: The Joe Dudman 5K

Race Recap:  The Joe Dudman 5k on June 21, 2014 

June 21st fell on a beautiful, sunny Saturday this year and also marked the first day of summer.  As the longest day of the year, several races were going on in my area during the morning and into the evening.  

So many choices.... where should someone kick off the celebration of summer and go run?

Well, the answer was simple for me.

I spent my morning at The Joe Dudman 5K.  This was a small community event (just under 70 participants) and a once in a lifetime race.  After all, how many times do we get together in the racing community to throw a 5.0K race in honor of someone's 50th birthday?   I haven't spent time with Joe outside of saying "Hey, good job." at local races, but it was important to me to be there for such a milestone for such a great guy.  You can catch up on some of his adventures on the Run Oregon blog.

That morning, I hung out at the packet pickup table and helped runners check in before they went out to warm up for the race.  There were athletes of all levels represented in the audience from those who hadn't run much (or at all, like my dear husband) and some who were new to the idea and this was their first race.  However, the great majority were strong athletes vying for the prizes for the top three finishers in the Overall division and the Masters division.  (Don't believe me?  52 of the 67 athletes finished the race in under 30 minutes.  Don't worry.  I wasn't one of them.)  One participant was a 6 year old and I hope that my kiddos will want to run with me (instead of ride in the double wide behemoth stroller).

We started the race by singing "Happy Birthday" to Joe and then counting down until the race began.  And everyone was off on a strong start!

Joe with his prize for a great race, (upper right corner) me with my mug and cupcake and (below) my husband securing the behemoth stroller to the roof of the car.... because my stroller is the size of my car.

The course was laid out in a pretty and quiet business complex in the Beaverton area and then over to the Fanno Creek Trail and back again, starting and ending near the ADAPT Training building.  The course was fairly flat and I enjoyed the foot bridges and trees in the paved trail part.  My kids shouted "YIPPEE!"  everytime we crossed a bridge.  

Before the race, an Adapt trainer lead the group in some dynamic warm up stretches and after the race, participants were invited to checkout the 9am class for free.

Funds from the race were donated to the American Cancer Society, and about $500 was donated.
Participants were given a pretty blue mug donated by Run Oregon blog and I happily filled mine up with half hot chocolate and half black coffee, donated from starbucks.  The race had lots of fantastic donations and raffled off some free race entries to some local races, socks, "Thera pearl" recovery hot and cold packs, tech shirts and much more.

 There was a cupcake bar that participants could pick out a chocolate, vanilla or red velvet cupcake and coat it with chocolate, vanilla or cream cheese frosting and then top with various candy choices.  How cool is that?  If anyone wonders what to get me for my birthday?  Throw me a race party with a cupcake bar.  ;-)

Race Recap: Get A Clue Scavenger Hunt

Race Review:  Get A Clue Scavenger Hunt
Sat. June 14th, 2014

Welcome to Canby, Oregon for the "Get A Clue Scavenger Race"!  I wasn't sure exactly what to anticipate and had some guesses, but I wasn't ready for this....

I am completely hooked.  Do we have to wait a whole year for another one of these?  It was so much fun and less intimidating being in a smaller town while tracking down clues, asking local non racers for assistance and popping in and out of the local businesses for clues and tasks to compete for points. 

 

We met at the fairgrounds and approximately 27 teams of 2 to 5 people gathered until it was time for the team captains to form a circle.  In the circle we held up our hands in the air holding our envelopes with the list of clues and destinations we each needed to locate.  We all counted down until the appropriate time we could tear them open and dash off to the first location with our teams.

Maybe we dashed off a little too quickly.

The list of destinations was not in a particular order, or maybe they were.  The were certainly NOT listed in order of who was closest and which were near each other.  This takes some strategy and planning to determine which locations would be best to hit first.

I'm not exactly map savvy and I was really grateful to Kelly with Run Oregon to give me the tip about where streets had NW in front of them and where to locate the streets with only N. or S. and where the SE streets could be located.

I certainly didn't plan as well as I should have, and after a really long trek to one of the clue destinations, I begged a passing team for a piggyback ride.  They laughed and said they were going to ask me the same thing (even though they were running faster and passed me).  As he flew by, he commented that they had ran a total of 8 miles!!  Talk about a long run day!  I didn't turn my gps watch on (and meant to) but I'm pretty sure with my lack of planning and backtracking, that I was one of those teams that covered 6+ miles.  I do know that after sitting for awhile, I was bow legged and sore for the rest of the day.

Some destinations would give you another clue as your reward for locating them.  This clue would lead you to yet another destination not on the original list.

Other destinations had fun challenges to do on site, such as maneuvering through a "hot lava" maze or building a certain project out of legos.  

My awesome team mate balancing through the "hot lava" maze.

After completing each task, teams were awarded cards with numbers on them.  These were our "points" which we turned in before the designated ending time.  Teams were also trying to keep an eye out for special "bonus items" hidden throughout town.  Each team could collect up to two items and redeem those for extra points.  Those items can be found here.

All teams needed to check back in at our start point by 11:30am.  Teams that checked in late, were docked one point for each minute or were disqualified if more than 10 minutes late.

Points were tallied up and the top three teams with the most points were awarded the "golden shoe" medals and all teams were given raffle tickets in the number of how many points they had earned.  We could then place our raffle tickets in drawings for various prizes donated by local businesses, many of which were the good sports who hosted clues and challenges for this race.

An event like this is made successful by all the generous support of the local businesses, and I got to know Canby a lot better.  My team mate and I did a lot more walking around town and some window shopping after the race with the various businesses who were open that morning.  I don't think we actually left Canby until 3pm.  I think this is a race that the local businesses will want to support and be a part of!  

Jennifer and I getting to know some of the businesses in Canb while completing challenges.

I know now what I'd do differently next time, and I'm pumped to give this another go!  I might not place in the top three, but I want to finish this with all the challenges complete next time!  In the two hours I had to do this, we didn't quite get through our list.

Next time, Canby.  Next time.

Check out their website here and facebook page here.

Race Recap: Helvetia Half Marathon, 10K and Kids' Dash

Race Recap:  Helvetia Half Marathon and 10K and kid's dash. June, 7th, 2014.

It's hard not to compare this race to Hippie Chicks Half, because both are put on by Better Series events, they have the same start and finish line and were 26 days apart.

2,055 racers participated in the half or 10k distance for Helvetia (while 2,287 were at Hippie Chick.  It seemed like the Helvetia Half was a lot smaller, but when looking at the numbers, there isn't a big difference.  Maybe there were less people there for support, like family and friends to cheer?).

There were some vendors offering samples before and after the race and allstate was giving out cowbells...  We got our cowbell.

After the extremely quick bagcheck, I met with some friends before the race for some photos and then off to get Bugaboo and Squeakers ready for the kids' dash.  

Hippie Chick's Kids' dash had us run through the finish gate and off the field and down the sidewalk, (watch out for cars turning into the event parking lot!) and around the corner to who knows where for how long.  Bugaboo had started crying because she was clearly one of the youngest and the racers ahead were all gone.  She didn't want to go anymore and I wasn't going to force her.

I didn't know what to expect at Helvetia.... but I was looking at the kids' dash with trepidation.  At least it was Free?  

We queued up at the finish gate again and this time it was a nice lap around the stadium track.

No traffic.
Cheers from all the people finishing their warm up or hanging out for the race to start.
One lap.

 Bugaboo told me her legs were "too short" when we started, but I told her "Mama is gonna run with you.  I'll stay with you."    And she seemed to ease into her race and have fun instead of worry about not finishing it.

Squeakers was the youngest runner there and refused any help with her race.  She is approaching 20 months in age (very independent)  and she ran the 1/4 mile herself hollering "ZOOOOOM!" and carrying her cowbell.

Apparently people on the sideline cheered "We need more cowbell!" and she'd stop to ring it for them.  It goes without saying that the announcer broadcasted that the kids' dash was over and Squeakers was still out on the course.  She rounded the corner and I screamed and cheered like a proud mama and told the announcer "Here comes my baby!" and he got on the PA for everyone to cheer her in.  She got to the end, got some photos with her sister, awarded her medal and took off for a second lap.  Dad had to reel her back in.

The kids' who participated got a meal voucher for The Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant and a medal.  I was so excited for them and thought about the pride on their faces with their medal during my race.   They got the same medal that I would get when I finished.

A friend of mine ran the 10K and was also thrilled and surprised when she was awarded her medal at the finish line.  The website explains that there are medals for all half marathon finishers.  What a nice treat for all the racers.

Ribbons and mugs were given to the top three male and female finishers in each age group.

The webpage explained that pace groups would be provided by Team Athena, but I looked for a pacer and didn't see any.  (At Hippie Chicks, the Team Athena pacers were easily marked with a sign at the start line with their pace and wearing a helium balloon tied to them while running.)  

The course is hilly, and I admit that I have not been doing hill training like I should be... but I found the course extremely beautiful and the hills were a fun challenge.  The race is billed as one where we "leave the city behind" and we really do.  Hippie Chicks had some pretty farm views and fields of clover, but for Helvetia, we travelled North of Highway 26 and passed the Helvetia Tavern and The Roloff Farm along our route.

  

The half marathoners passed through rolling hills, steep hills, winding roads and back to the Hillsboro Stadium.   We passed by llamas, horses, fields of clover, fields of grass, Christmas tree farms, farms selling produce, a quaint little white church and cemetery, through a shady forest full of ferns and chirping birds...  IT WAS AMAZING!

3rd half and 6th race in 26 days... I finished slow.  But i finished! 

Between the two races, I know where I'd put my money.  Despite there being less pre race vendors and freebies, the race not having pacers or perhaps the post race food being located beyond the gate where alcohol was allowed (thus needing to find a safe place to put my beer to go get my burger)... Better Series went above and beyond to correct the problems that occurred at Hippie Chicks.  They did a great job at more organized and taking care of the issues from Hippie Chicks in the 26 day period.

There was plenty of water and water stations, porta potties were set up prior to the event (instead of during the event), the kids' dash was more realistic and safer (by staying on the stadium track and not crossing the event parking entrance), the post race food was amazing (Helvetia Tavern donated veggie and beef burgers), there was plenty of water after the race and the medals were much better.  I even saw a race photographer at the finish line and a couple out on the course within the first few miles.  

Will you be there next year to "leave the city behind"?  I'm curious, have you ran this event in the past?  How was it different (if at all) from past events?  

"Adventure is out there!" Running in costume at Portland's Starlight Run

Starlight Run 5k on May 31st

The race takes place in the evening on the streets of Portland, OR.  We run the "Starlight Parade" route just before the actual parade begins.

It's a fun and zany parade with some of the Portland Rose Festival floats altered to light up for the night time parade.  The Starlight Run is like the opening act for a big concert... the run is no small fare with over 7,000 registered runners and completely zaney as well.

The Starlight Run is an untimed event... the clock ticking though for runners to finish before the start of the parade.  Most runners run in some form of costume, whether it be a tutu or fun shirt or some other crazy design.  Those hoping to participate in the costume contest need to report to the band stage (at the start expo/party) at 6:30pm and the race starts at 7:45pm.  (The Parade afterwards starts at about 9pm.)
 
Race registration is $19.00 for 16 years and up with a free meal ticket on each bib for The Old Spaghetti Factory (up to $10.50 in value).   The race beneficiary is Legacy Health Rehabilitation and Therapy Program when participants make a donation during their registration process.

The Rose Festival's theme this year is "Making Memories" and dressing up as the characters from the movie "Up" seemed like a perfect match for the race and festival's theme.

I can't remember whose idea it was... but I was very honored to be invited to be in the gang!  I took on the task of becoming "Carl" and true to my fashion, started scouring the thrift stores for clothes and items to reuse.

  

Carl's head is made from a styrofoam cooler and other styrofoam pieces from the recycle bin.

After locating some overly warm pants at the thrift store and a brown flannel shirt for a suit jacket, I stole borrowed a white dress shirt from my husband and completed the look with a homemade "Ellie Badge" and bowtie.  Sandy is a very talented woman who designed and completed the "Dug" (dog), "Kevin" (bird) and "Russell" (wilderness explorer scout) costumes.  Check out the detail on "Russell's" backpack:

complete with candybar with a beak shaped bite.

And here is my costume after some paint over the styrofoam and some felt glued on for hair.

However, my completed costume is not complete without the group...

Picture credit to Waz-Mix Pix

So here is my amazing group at the beginning of the race.  Check out the detail on that house!  Complete with a garden hose near the front door and details like sky printed tights.  Way to go Mel!

Despite the warm weather and the bulky get up, I would do it all over again in a heart beat.  It was so fun to see all the different types of costumes and themes.  My favorite with the "making memories" theme was a couple who were dressed as an actual photo album.  Very creative!

We didn't win the costume contest, but enjoyed mingling with the other runners and being asked about 200 times to stop and pose with people to have our picture taken with them.  Clif Bar got a few pictures with us.  I felt like a movie star.... okay, I was dressed up as a movie character.

Some of our fans were the Girls On The Run group

There are an estimated 150,000 spectators for the parade and we ran in front of them.  News stations and parade announcers announced in their microphones for the spectators that the characters from the movie Up were approaching.  Kids screamed for our high fives and adults screamed "SQUIRREL!" for our hyper dog to get excited over.  It was so much fun.  Waluigi  stole my cane mid race and when Mario was unable to peg him with a turtle shell, my faithful dog, Dug, ran ahead and retrieved it.

Before long, I saw the mile 3 mile marker and shouted through my head gear "I have never been so happy to see a mile 3 marker!" to the laughter of my team mates.

We all stayed together and finished together hand in hand.  I hope we can do this all together again next year!!

Photo credit to Waz-Mix Pix

From left to right is me as "Carl", Sandy as "Kevin", Mel as "the House", Rod as "Russell" and Maryalicia as "Dug".  (You can follow some of Maryalicia's adventures on the Run Oregon blog, Sandy at Runsilly.com and Mel at CostumesOnTheRun.Blogspot.com.)

A little extra about race day preparation:
With the costume done and a day to spare, I needed something more to do.  I'm a last minute person... so to keep my hands busy and to drive myself crazy with a big project with a deadline, I decided to make more "Ellie Badges" ...

I made about 15 of them to pass out to my friends and a few extras for some of our biggest fans.  I think after my friends each go one, I had about three left.  I gave them to the parents of some of the youngest kiddos and they were all so thrilled.  Click here for the web page with the best directions and pdf file for the logo.  An extra step that is very helpful is removing the safety pin clasp/head to place the bottle cap on.  By doing that (with the clasp/head secured again) the bottle cap is secured to the pin and not going anywhere when the pin is opened.  That, and, that's how it is in the movie.

Finally, this was a race with no bling and as a bling whore... I couldn't have that.  So I got on the net, looked up a Rose Festival logo and changed it to say "Starlight Run 5k"  "Making Memories" and "2014".

I sewed a ribbon into a loop and laced each "ellie badge" on to the ribbon.  The "grape soda" logo was glued inside with a high gloss coating applied to both sides.

I regret not making some for the two husbands who stayed with our group on the run.  They were vital and just as much part of the group despite not having costumes.  My huge head was not very race friendly and it was impossible to see or hear.  Often a small child would dart out in front of me and I wouldn't know it... potentially tripping over them and taking us both out!  The two guys quickly became my "spotters" checking on me (as it was a hot day made worse my physical exertion under many layers of clothes and a styrofoam head) and helping to direct me so that I didn't trip over anyone and hurt them or myself.  At one point my shoe actually came untied!  I have never had a shoe come untied during a race... and it had to be this one.  I didn't realize it and when a team mate pointed it out, one of the guys came to the rescue and tied it for me.  I actually couldn't see my feet and it was pretty cumbersome to get my head on and off.  So big thanks to Tim and Brian who helped keep the group together and safe and without incident!   

And if you have no idea what the movie "Up" is, here is a short clip from the beginning of the move.  "Up" just celebrated it's 5 year anniversary of being released in theaters.

This is the best four minutes of Pixar's cinema history... Life, love, struggles, happiness every emotion wrapped up in this little clip. The whole movie itself is a fun and heartwarming piece of art.  At least I think so...

The only time I had run with someone for an entire race was a couple weeks ago at the Hippie Chicks Half.  It was so much fun to run with such a large group of people!

Have you ever ran with a large group of people from start to finish?  Ran a parade route?  Ran in a crazy costume?  Tell me about your experiences!