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Dirty Dash, Eugene OR. 2012 |
The Dirty Dash was my first 5K and my very first race!
That's me and one of my best friends Brandi who is completely and totally responsible for my race addiction! Thanks allot! ;)
Brandi is my main running inspirationer's (new word I made up, us ENG majors can do that) she opened my eyes to this world of 5K's and Half-Marathons! She has done the RunDisney Half's and I can't wait to be so lucky :)
OK, about the race!!
First, I had no idea what this was about. I thought it would be running and like 1 or 2 mud pits. So i'm really glad at that time I was training to be in a fitness competition cuz it's kinda tough for a first 5k.
It's an obstacle run. The first part was climbing over some pretty massive hay bales, giant mud pit, hurdles which I fell over one and landed on my back haha! There's a pic above of me on a hurdle and it might not seem like much but the mud caked onto your shoes and the mud everywhere makes it super slippery. We went around the last one. Then wall climbs where you use a rope and climb up and over a wall, this was the hardest I thought. The rope was caked in mud and the mud on the wood was so slick! And my slight fear of heights kicked in at the top...awesome. Then you crawl through a tunnel, some monkey bars, some more log hurdle things. And we forgot to get the over 21 ID bracelets (don't forget to do this!!) cuz they had beer at this point...:( ah well. Then we got to the rope wall which wasn't tough to get over it was the wait to get over it! This was the only point where we ran into traffic. Then another mud pit, and the finale before the finale was a giant inflatable water slide which had no water...so we ran/bounced our way down and was kinda bummed they had no water. The finale was two huge mud pits which i belly dived into both! Look for photographers at this point! Got a cute pic! Then we took our awesome pic with the white background which is above.
Overall I love this 5k! I wouldn't recommend it for those that can't climb over obstacles...you can walk around them though :)
Tips:
-wear tight shorts mud will get up there. And a tight sports bra.
-wear crap shoes! I bought mine at TJ Max for $20!!! steal of a deal. They are for hiking which meant they really collected mud making your legs super heavy and getting over obstacles slippery. Don't recommend hiking shoes....:/
-wear goggles if you have contacts or wear glasses. People splash mud!
-get early to enjoy the vendors and finish in time to take fun pictures in your mud clothes!
-bring extra clothes for the end, THEY HAD A BAG CHECK!!!!
-showers at the end but oh man the water is sooooo cold!
-arrive early parking was a pain, long lines mixed with anxiety is no good
-bring money to buy stuff! They had allot of cute clothes, gear, etc.
Overall:
I love this 5K! Bring friends it's very fun! Not good for trying to make that PR time though in my opinion. Just have fun with it! People around you will be just goofing off and enjoying themselves so if you are highly competitive this might bug you. I will do it again! And again!
That's me and one of my best friends Brandi who is completely and totally responsible for my race addiction! Thanks allot! ;)
Brandi is my main running inspirationer's (new word I made up, us ENG majors can do that) she opened my eyes to this world of 5K's and Half-Marathons! She has done the RunDisney Half's and I can't wait to be so lucky :)
OK, about the race!!
First, I had no idea what this was about. I thought it would be running and like 1 or 2 mud pits. So i'm really glad at that time I was training to be in a fitness competition cuz it's kinda tough for a first 5k.
It's an obstacle run. The first part was climbing over some pretty massive hay bales, giant mud pit, hurdles which I fell over one and landed on my back haha! There's a pic above of me on a hurdle and it might not seem like much but the mud caked onto your shoes and the mud everywhere makes it super slippery. We went around the last one. Then wall climbs where you use a rope and climb up and over a wall, this was the hardest I thought. The rope was caked in mud and the mud on the wood was so slick! And my slight fear of heights kicked in at the top...awesome. Then you crawl through a tunnel, some monkey bars, some more log hurdle things. And we forgot to get the over 21 ID bracelets (don't forget to do this!!) cuz they had beer at this point...:( ah well. Then we got to the rope wall which wasn't tough to get over it was the wait to get over it! This was the only point where we ran into traffic. Then another mud pit, and the finale before the finale was a giant inflatable water slide which had no water...so we ran/bounced our way down and was kinda bummed they had no water. The finale was two huge mud pits which i belly dived into both! Look for photographers at this point! Got a cute pic! Then we took our awesome pic with the white background which is above.
Overall I love this 5k! I wouldn't recommend it for those that can't climb over obstacles...you can walk around them though :)
Tips:
-wear tight shorts mud will get up there. And a tight sports bra.
-wear crap shoes! I bought mine at TJ Max for $20!!! steal of a deal. They are for hiking which meant they really collected mud making your legs super heavy and getting over obstacles slippery. Don't recommend hiking shoes....:/
-wear goggles if you have contacts or wear glasses. People splash mud!
-get early to enjoy the vendors and finish in time to take fun pictures in your mud clothes!
-bring extra clothes for the end, THEY HAD A BAG CHECK!!!!
-showers at the end but oh man the water is sooooo cold!
-arrive early parking was a pain, long lines mixed with anxiety is no good
-bring money to buy stuff! They had allot of cute clothes, gear, etc.
Overall:
I love this 5K! Bring friends it's very fun! Not good for trying to make that PR time though in my opinion. Just have fun with it! People around you will be just goofing off and enjoying themselves so if you are highly competitive this might bug you. I will do it again! And again!
Color Run, Portland OR. 2012
My second 5K! And again with my sidekick Brandi!
The Color Run was so fun! So amazing! So colorful! And so dusty!!!
This was at the Portland International Raceway, a good 2 hour drive for us and we left sooo early because we also had to wait in line to get our packets before the race! This made me so nervous! But the line for the packet pickup wasn't bad at all, you just get the last boring colors and they run out of things like sunglasses and other swag freebies!
They didn't have as much vendor booths as the Dirty Dash, less merchandise and the worst of all....NO BAG CHECK!! :O whaaaaaaat!!! And we didn't know that...so Brandi's backpack had a fun time with us haha!
The route was good, it was pretty packed so walking was pretty much a must half of the time since you would be jogging in place. I don't recommend this for trying to make a PR time. People are also just goofing off and being silly so if that will bug you then I don't recommend this!
But the throwing of powder was good! You have to stay to the sides of the course and chug along to get powdered since the people are mostly on the sides, this means slow traffic! But you can always roll around on the dust on the ground which people did haha! And just try to get the volunteers attention when you get close to the color section, I would be all "Hey!! I need some more yellow!!!" which meant a good amount!
The powder doesn't stick crazy good so take pics soon as you get color on you because it will fade! I brought my Iphone for the whole thing and hid it in my sports bra between pictures which kept it clean until this one lady literally opened my shirt and dumped powder down my bra/front. Who does that?! Ugh it only gave me a rash and potentially ruined my phone no big deal.
Tips:
-wear white! And if you plan on brining a camera which why wouldn't you?! hide it well...a sports bra works only so well until a crazy lady dumps powder down your shirt.
-i didn't wear eyewear and was fine, the volunteers don't aim for your face but next time sunglasses would be good
-the powder will come out of anything
-i tried the vinegar spray solution to keep the color and it kinda worked....
-bring $! Had some fun clothing items
-limited vendors so bring snacks and no bag check!!!! wear a fanny pack haha!
-expect to go slow through it at times so if you plan on running the whole time....good luck
-have fun and bring friends!
-we didn't get the professional pictures at this one, the line was insanely long so prepare for that
Overall:
This was a blaaaaast!!!! The no bag check was annoying and getting to the Raceway via Metro was kinda a pain, it was super packed and we had to wait awhile making this almost an all-day event! Wear eyewear! Bring something to protect camera/phone. Any fitness level will enjoy this 5K! Just have fun and don't take it serious!
The Color Run was so fun! So amazing! So colorful! And so dusty!!!
This was at the Portland International Raceway, a good 2 hour drive for us and we left sooo early because we also had to wait in line to get our packets before the race! This made me so nervous! But the line for the packet pickup wasn't bad at all, you just get the last boring colors and they run out of things like sunglasses and other swag freebies!
They didn't have as much vendor booths as the Dirty Dash, less merchandise and the worst of all....NO BAG CHECK!! :O whaaaaaaat!!! And we didn't know that...so Brandi's backpack had a fun time with us haha!
The route was good, it was pretty packed so walking was pretty much a must half of the time since you would be jogging in place. I don't recommend this for trying to make a PR time. People are also just goofing off and being silly so if that will bug you then I don't recommend this!
But the throwing of powder was good! You have to stay to the sides of the course and chug along to get powdered since the people are mostly on the sides, this means slow traffic! But you can always roll around on the dust on the ground which people did haha! And just try to get the volunteers attention when you get close to the color section, I would be all "Hey!! I need some more yellow!!!" which meant a good amount!
The powder doesn't stick crazy good so take pics soon as you get color on you because it will fade! I brought my Iphone for the whole thing and hid it in my sports bra between pictures which kept it clean until this one lady literally opened my shirt and dumped powder down my bra/front. Who does that?! Ugh it only gave me a rash and potentially ruined my phone no big deal.
Tips:
-wear white! And if you plan on brining a camera which why wouldn't you?! hide it well...a sports bra works only so well until a crazy lady dumps powder down your shirt.
-i didn't wear eyewear and was fine, the volunteers don't aim for your face but next time sunglasses would be good
-the powder will come out of anything
-i tried the vinegar spray solution to keep the color and it kinda worked....
-bring $! Had some fun clothing items
-limited vendors so bring snacks and no bag check!!!! wear a fanny pack haha!
-expect to go slow through it at times so if you plan on running the whole time....good luck
-have fun and bring friends!
-we didn't get the professional pictures at this one, the line was insanely long so prepare for that
Overall:
This was a blaaaaast!!!! The no bag check was annoying and getting to the Raceway via Metro was kinda a pain, it was super packed and we had to wait awhile making this almost an all-day event! Wear eyewear! Bring something to protect camera/phone. Any fitness level will enjoy this 5K! Just have fun and don't take it serious!
Susan G. komen race for the cure, eugene or. 2012
I did the 5K for this race, I went by myself because I just wanted to run alone, and it was this race that really got me hooked the races and inspired me to do my first Half-Marathon.
This was a good race, very different from the "fun-runs" I did previously but this one meant more. Running and being apart of a race for breast cancer just opened my eyes to how important races are.
When I went to pick un my bib number and swag bag they had vendors selling all kinds of pink-ribbon themed items. I bought a sweater, a pin and a rubber bracelet and a woman asked me how much I want to donate for a 1$ rubber bracelet and I said 'I dunno...20 bucks?' they lady was so shocked and said are you serious? I thought she was saying that's low haha! I told her I just work part time and don't have allot of money, she was like 'no! no! 20$ is allot people normally donate 1$!'
The morning of the race I woke up crazy early to take the free shuttle to the event, which I think myself and maybe 20 other people did the free shuttle since there was I guess allot of parking! Good to know....But the route was along the Pre's Trail by the Willamette River, which is just a lovely place to run, some of it's on a paved route and some on dirt paths. It was also raining that day! Not un-common in Oregon :) It was nice though they had a few different ways you could participate in this event, if you didn't want to go you could "sleep in for the cure" and just donate money, they also had a 8K, and a 1 mile walk, and then a survivor/memorial walk as well. They had vendors, music, all types of running gear and local radio stations came to DJ and other goodies.
Tips:
-look at the parking, I didn't need to take the free shuttle service
-bring water protective products for music
-wear pink! :)
-good race to be alone so if you want to set a PR time then this is good, wasn't too crowded and easy to get to the front of the line if you are a fast runner
-have different levels for all fitness types
-bring $ the vendors are good!
-family oriented, you can do the 1 mile walk with parents and kids I believe
Overall:
This was a great race, I felt allot of community atmosphere, allot of people cheering along the side-lines. Family oriented and a fast run! Good for doing a PR. I think the Susan G. Komen are races I will do every year, the money goes to great causes and it's lovely to support something that has affected so many lives including people in my family and friends.
This was a good race, very different from the "fun-runs" I did previously but this one meant more. Running and being apart of a race for breast cancer just opened my eyes to how important races are.
When I went to pick un my bib number and swag bag they had vendors selling all kinds of pink-ribbon themed items. I bought a sweater, a pin and a rubber bracelet and a woman asked me how much I want to donate for a 1$ rubber bracelet and I said 'I dunno...20 bucks?' they lady was so shocked and said are you serious? I thought she was saying that's low haha! I told her I just work part time and don't have allot of money, she was like 'no! no! 20$ is allot people normally donate 1$!'
The morning of the race I woke up crazy early to take the free shuttle to the event, which I think myself and maybe 20 other people did the free shuttle since there was I guess allot of parking! Good to know....But the route was along the Pre's Trail by the Willamette River, which is just a lovely place to run, some of it's on a paved route and some on dirt paths. It was also raining that day! Not un-common in Oregon :) It was nice though they had a few different ways you could participate in this event, if you didn't want to go you could "sleep in for the cure" and just donate money, they also had a 8K, and a 1 mile walk, and then a survivor/memorial walk as well. They had vendors, music, all types of running gear and local radio stations came to DJ and other goodies.
Tips:
-look at the parking, I didn't need to take the free shuttle service
-bring water protective products for music
-wear pink! :)
-good race to be alone so if you want to set a PR time then this is good, wasn't too crowded and easy to get to the front of the line if you are a fast runner
-have different levels for all fitness types
-bring $ the vendors are good!
-family oriented, you can do the 1 mile walk with parents and kids I believe
Overall:
This was a great race, I felt allot of community atmosphere, allot of people cheering along the side-lines. Family oriented and a fast run! Good for doing a PR. I think the Susan G. Komen are races I will do every year, the money goes to great causes and it's lovely to support something that has affected so many lives including people in my family and friends.
eweb run to stay warm, Eugene or. 2012
My very first Half-marathon!!!!
I ran this "by myself" which you are never alone...but not with a friend. Just me!
The proceeds for this race went to families who can't afford there heating bills.
You might notice my run log is pretty short, only 2012 dates and 2 5K's...well, I just started in the year 2012! Actually about May 2012 and this was in November, not much time to train so I took it slow.
I finished about 2:20 (with a pee break and I can't jog and drink water so each water station I had to stop, drink, then pick it up!)
This was a great Half-Marathon and a great beginning one! I really had no clue what 13.1 miles feels like, I ran about 6 miles 4 times a week and it wasn't bad soooo it's just a bit longer! I didn't do a practice trial of like 10 miles or 9 I just went with it.
The day of the race my parents took me and waited for me to finish as well, which support is always so nice to know someone will be there waiting for you smiling.
When I was waiting to start I didn't drink or eat anything I was just empty minded, and then I saw a familiar face. For privacy I'll call her Tanning Darling, I worked at a Tanning Salon for a few years and I saw this lady come in almost everyday. I knew her name, what bed she liked and the amount of time, she never said much to me but we smiled and I liked her, nice, sweet and simple (and now i know how she has such a great body!). But before the race I saw Tanning Darling, and we both beamed at each other and that just made me so happy to see her face, a face I see so much just in a different place.
I also was standing across from a girl younger than me, I think just out of high school (I was 26 in this), and she told me this was her first Half and I told her it was mine too and we talked a little and then it was line up!
I placed myself in the middle of the crowd and focused on my music and stretching and telling myself 'you can do this!'
And off you go! Around mile 3 I saw that girl just out of high school double around and head back to the starting line. And I thought that you have just begun! And to not stop! Was I saying it to her or me?!
Mile 6 goes by, mile 8 and I start to see less people and all I can think is omg...don't be last! People where passing all shapes and sizes but I didn't stop! Passed a girl throwing up and I thought 'whew! not me!' and it was at mile 10 where my knees, hips and toes said ok stop now! But nope! Chaffing, blisters and numbness and I didn't stop, didn't walk, just slowly jogged as one old ladies speed walk was faster than my pace haha! (by now the 5K' are in our mix and I envied how they where smiling as I passed mile 12).
And then I finished. Heard my name, was given a medal and saw my parents.
I did it!!! I did something I never knew I could do or even thought about 6 months ago and I did it!!
Tips:
-good shoes! go to a running company Eugene Running Company is great! They will measure you, watch your stride etc. don't be shy!
-wear good underwear...i didn't. ouch!
-dress like it's 25 degrees cooler, i brought a jacket which was dumb
-even if you walk halfway you are still achieving a goal and giving to charity!
-practice running while drinking haha!
-practice makes perfect
-having someone waiting for you is nice but i run solo allot!
-go to the bathroom before on the course the lines can be long
Overall:
EWEB Run To Stay Warm is a great Half! Scenic course and if you need to stop and turn around there are many opportunities to do so. Lots of water stations and bathrooms along the course. I recommend this Half for newbies and veterans! I would run it again!
I ran this "by myself" which you are never alone...but not with a friend. Just me!
The proceeds for this race went to families who can't afford there heating bills.
You might notice my run log is pretty short, only 2012 dates and 2 5K's...well, I just started in the year 2012! Actually about May 2012 and this was in November, not much time to train so I took it slow.
I finished about 2:20 (with a pee break and I can't jog and drink water so each water station I had to stop, drink, then pick it up!)
This was a great Half-Marathon and a great beginning one! I really had no clue what 13.1 miles feels like, I ran about 6 miles 4 times a week and it wasn't bad soooo it's just a bit longer! I didn't do a practice trial of like 10 miles or 9 I just went with it.
The day of the race my parents took me and waited for me to finish as well, which support is always so nice to know someone will be there waiting for you smiling.
When I was waiting to start I didn't drink or eat anything I was just empty minded, and then I saw a familiar face. For privacy I'll call her Tanning Darling, I worked at a Tanning Salon for a few years and I saw this lady come in almost everyday. I knew her name, what bed she liked and the amount of time, she never said much to me but we smiled and I liked her, nice, sweet and simple (and now i know how she has such a great body!). But before the race I saw Tanning Darling, and we both beamed at each other and that just made me so happy to see her face, a face I see so much just in a different place.
I also was standing across from a girl younger than me, I think just out of high school (I was 26 in this), and she told me this was her first Half and I told her it was mine too and we talked a little and then it was line up!
I placed myself in the middle of the crowd and focused on my music and stretching and telling myself 'you can do this!'
And off you go! Around mile 3 I saw that girl just out of high school double around and head back to the starting line. And I thought that you have just begun! And to not stop! Was I saying it to her or me?!
Mile 6 goes by, mile 8 and I start to see less people and all I can think is omg...don't be last! People where passing all shapes and sizes but I didn't stop! Passed a girl throwing up and I thought 'whew! not me!' and it was at mile 10 where my knees, hips and toes said ok stop now! But nope! Chaffing, blisters and numbness and I didn't stop, didn't walk, just slowly jogged as one old ladies speed walk was faster than my pace haha! (by now the 5K' are in our mix and I envied how they where smiling as I passed mile 12).
And then I finished. Heard my name, was given a medal and saw my parents.
I did it!!! I did something I never knew I could do or even thought about 6 months ago and I did it!!
Tips:
-good shoes! go to a running company Eugene Running Company is great! They will measure you, watch your stride etc. don't be shy!
-wear good underwear...i didn't. ouch!
-dress like it's 25 degrees cooler, i brought a jacket which was dumb
-even if you walk halfway you are still achieving a goal and giving to charity!
-practice running while drinking haha!
-practice makes perfect
-having someone waiting for you is nice but i run solo allot!
-go to the bathroom before on the course the lines can be long
Overall:
EWEB Run To Stay Warm is a great Half! Scenic course and if you need to stop and turn around there are many opportunities to do so. Lots of water stations and bathrooms along the course. I recommend this Half for newbies and veterans! I would run it again!
Eugene Holiday Half, Eugene Or. 2012
My second Half-Marathon and last race for the year 2012!
This one was tough no lie!
A month after my last Half mixed with Thanksgiving and Christmas food and goodies will bog anyone down! But, I finished it!
This time I felt a tad more prepared, wore better underwear, and used allot of deodorant to create a barrier on my skin for blisters which worked! Got less. But forgot to trim toenails super short...I still have a bruised toe nail haha!
The main motivation to finish this was this massive looming black rain cloud that we where literally run towards, I kept looking at it thinking 'beat the rain, my phone will die!'
This race had less water booths and bathrooms, which I finished at about the same time as last 2:23, which it felt allot...lot longer.
The course was tougher too not in terms of incline or anything but there was a stretch of road where we left the bike path down Greenhill Rd where there is like 3 inches of road to run on so we all had to single file down this stretch while massive trucks drove by. Kinda scary. But the scenery is lovely! We finished the race literally 2 miles from my home so i'm familiar with the area and know how pretty it is with green acres of farmland, cows, sheep and horses just watching you jog on by. Less runners participated in this one than my last Half and the ones that did seemed to be pretty experienced! Although I did see some speed walkers, not far behind me by the way. They had good food and drink vendors at the end and that was awesome! Pizza and beer! Although by the time I got there all the water was gone and I was so thirsty and drinking beer just didn't sound good so I drank coffee which also wasn't good when your dehydrated. I was a little cranky at the end basically haha! Oh and during this Half I saw this amazing runner whiz by me I assume turn around at the end and then come back, he did a full marathon (if not more) for fun! I applauded him as he passed by me again as my Christmas cookie bum trotted along ;)
Tips:
-Prepare yourself for less water booths, volunteers along the path, less bathrooms
-running on very small amounts of street in single-file
-if you're doing a PR for this half the single filed route might make that tough
-bring your own water, they had cliff shots and cookies along the route
-bring your ID if you want beer at the end!
-the personalized bib was really fun! I did my gladiator name Emilious!
Overall:
This was a lovely route along the country, good for experienced runners, possibly bad for PR times due to small running spaces that can be hard to pass people. You will be jogging on a part of the road where people drive 55 mph so be careful! Try to beat the rain and enjoy the food and drink at the end.
This one was tough no lie!
A month after my last Half mixed with Thanksgiving and Christmas food and goodies will bog anyone down! But, I finished it!
This time I felt a tad more prepared, wore better underwear, and used allot of deodorant to create a barrier on my skin for blisters which worked! Got less. But forgot to trim toenails super short...I still have a bruised toe nail haha!
The main motivation to finish this was this massive looming black rain cloud that we where literally run towards, I kept looking at it thinking 'beat the rain, my phone will die!'
This race had less water booths and bathrooms, which I finished at about the same time as last 2:23, which it felt allot...lot longer.
The course was tougher too not in terms of incline or anything but there was a stretch of road where we left the bike path down Greenhill Rd where there is like 3 inches of road to run on so we all had to single file down this stretch while massive trucks drove by. Kinda scary. But the scenery is lovely! We finished the race literally 2 miles from my home so i'm familiar with the area and know how pretty it is with green acres of farmland, cows, sheep and horses just watching you jog on by. Less runners participated in this one than my last Half and the ones that did seemed to be pretty experienced! Although I did see some speed walkers, not far behind me by the way. They had good food and drink vendors at the end and that was awesome! Pizza and beer! Although by the time I got there all the water was gone and I was so thirsty and drinking beer just didn't sound good so I drank coffee which also wasn't good when your dehydrated. I was a little cranky at the end basically haha! Oh and during this Half I saw this amazing runner whiz by me I assume turn around at the end and then come back, he did a full marathon (if not more) for fun! I applauded him as he passed by me again as my Christmas cookie bum trotted along ;)
Tips:
-Prepare yourself for less water booths, volunteers along the path, less bathrooms
-running on very small amounts of street in single-file
-if you're doing a PR for this half the single filed route might make that tough
-bring your own water, they had cliff shots and cookies along the route
-bring your ID if you want beer at the end!
-the personalized bib was really fun! I did my gladiator name Emilious!
Overall:
This was a lovely route along the country, good for experienced runners, possibly bad for PR times due to small running spaces that can be hard to pass people. You will be jogging on a part of the road where people drive 55 mph so be careful! Try to beat the rain and enjoy the food and drink at the end.