Race Review - Run4Love

Our second year doing this one too!  We love 131 Events!  They are very nicely organized, the bling is the best around and the snacks after are delicious!  They really take care of their runners!

This one was their Valentine's race.  We did it last year and it was sooooo cold.  I was bundled up where you could only see my eyes!  This year was drastically different.  The sun was shining and it was a nice 60 degrees!  Loved it!!

It was at a new location which doesn't matter to me.  A race is a race, ha!  They always have good music pumping and give aways.  They have a couple tents promoting their sponsors and packet pick up is always flawless.  This event was no exception.

They did the count down and we were off.  I felt pretty good that first mile.  I didn't think I was going to that great really.  I haven't been running consistently .... at all.  After the first mile, I checked my watch and say a 9 minute pace.  I was like...wha--?   I typically do well the first mile then kind of peter out.  I tried to keep that pace going and when I hit mile 2, I saw it was a 10 minute pace.  Not surprising.

I raced across the finish line and grabbed my water, banana and CAKE!  It was delicious cake, I might add.

I went to check my time......what??  28.31!  That was my second fasted time ever (fastest being 28.19).  I told my husband, I need to train and push more.  I know I can get it lower.

I was pretty giddy about that time even though it was shy of 3.1.  I will take it!

So the review of the event Run4Love 5k:
Terrain - pavement
Organization - Well organized, as usual
Cost - $35
Time of the race - 9am
Overall - very nicely done, second year doing this one, always impressed with 131
Swag - a medal, long sleeve shirt (love it!), and a runner necklace for the ladies
My Time - 28.31
Race #3 (63 total to date)

Race Review - Abominable Snow Race

Who the heck does OCR events in the dead of winter.  Oh yea, we do.

We did this one last year and to be honest, I was not a fan.  It was cold, icy and just not that impressive.

Even though I was hesitant, I was still excited to start doing OCR (obstacle course racing) again.  We had to wake up at the crack of dawn to make the 3 hour drive up to Wisconsin.  It was at a different location than last year.  This year it was at Lake Geneva - a ski resort.

It was cold.  Maybe not as cold as last year but still pretty dang cold.  It was quite a busy place!  Not only were there hundreds of racers but it was a ski resort with fresh snow and people wanted to hit the slopes.  It was a little too crowded, actually.  But that can be over looked.

Outside, Coach Pain was giving his inspirational speech he gives before each wave it released.  That man could inspire the least motivated person to get up and run, I am pretty sure.

We hopped into the next wave (we were late and missed ours)....and were off.  The course this year was enjoyable.  It had some hills, had some challenging (but not impossible) obstacles and once I warmed up, the 4 miles weren't bad at all.

At the end they had medals and a teeshirt.  A lot of races give you your teeshirt when you pick up your packet which I think is dumb.  This race, you get a ticket on your bib and claim it at the end - smart!  They had a few tents, promoting products.  Of course, they had a free beer or hot cocoa at the end - I chose the cocoa.  Overall, I enjoyed it this year.  

I have been hitting the gym pretty consistently for the past 3 months and it showed.  I was able to conquer the inverted wall and a wooden rig without much effort.  An obstacle that I struggled with last year (a tower you had to climb and ring a bell), I scaled it like a spider monkey.  Sometimes you don't see the results into you are put into a situation to use them.  I can definitely tell it has made a different and has motivated me to work harder.

So the review of the event Abominable Snow Race:
Terrain - trails, ski slopes, snowy
Organization - Well organized, slightly overcrowded due to it being ski season
Cost - $49 - bought it last year on sale.  I think it was $75 on race day
Time of the race - 9am was our wave
Overall - very nicely done, second year doing this one and would do it again if at same location
Swag - a medal and a teeshirt (I liked the teeshirt this year, last year not so much)
My Time - didn't care about time on this one
Race #2 (62 total to date)