When we pulled into the parking lot it was already packed and we made our way up to to pick up our race pack. I couldn't believe it when I saw that there was 800 people signed up for the race and more signing up the hour beforehand. I have to say there was some sweet swag for this race and especially for the cheap sign-up (we paid under $25 each).
Included was:
-Sweet New Balance shirt
-Custom wine glass w/logo
-Buffet dinner (we ate LOTS..bonus in my book)
-One drink ticket (wine, beer or pop)
-Tons of wine tasting (wish I had felt 100% to take advantage of it more)
-Cover band
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| This will definitely be getting it's fair share of use. ;) |
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| Bright pink and reflective! Ooo! |
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| So much tasty food...not gonna lie, we had heaping plates full. This is before it was ravaged by all the hungry runners. |
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| Wine, wine, wine...yum! Definitely going to Fenton Winery & Brewery to pick up some wine. |
First off, I really liked the course. The 4 mile run was on the golf course, with lots of rolling hills which was a nice extra challenge and a wicked wind (freaking 30-35 mph gusts was just lovely). There were a few spots where the sprinklers were that posed some potential hazards and an excess of goose poop to navigate around though. Ryan and I split up at the beginning since he runs quicker than I and I tend to bonk out if I try to keep his pace (someday I'll get there), but was able to find a couple other runners to pace myself with.
The after party was great too with lots of BBQ fare foods to nosh on, lots of wine samples, bands and a pretty fun group of people. I really wish at times that we had more friends that were into fitness events because this would have been a group event to have a group of friends to run with.
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| Hubs and I before the race began. |
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| Lots of pretty trees changing along the way. |
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| At the finish line....before the race. Like how we're color coordinated? Totally not planned. |
All in all, we had a great time. We hung out a bit at the end and enjoyed some wine samples and the band, but unfortunately I wasn't feeling the best still so we kind of ended the night earlier than planned. Ryan came in 7th place in his age group and I came in 8th so I'm pretty happy with that since I hadn't ran in about a week and also wasn't feeling that great after praising to the porcelain god the night before. This year was the first time they've done this run and I really hope they do it again. I was amazed how well it was put on for such a large crowd and first time event.
What's my next race? I'm not sure yet! There are a couple of fun Halloween ones (Headless Horseman Run in Howell) that we may do if we are able. I'd like to work my way up to a 6K soon, but not sure how that'll work since winter is coming up and I don't know how I feel about winter running.
Do you have any races coming up? Do you have any tips about running in the winter?
Great job, Amber!! Sounds like an awesome race and a nice course. Congrats to both of you on your age group places! Looks like some great race swag, too...always a huge bonus.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what my next race will be...I'm probably taking most of this month off to (hopefully) let my hamstring heal. We'll probably find a 5K or 10K or two to run between Halloween and the holidays.
Running in the winter can take a lot of getting used to, but it has become much more tolerable for me the last couple of years. The biggest things for me are layering properly (which is an ongoing battle) and finding plowed sidewalks/parks/trails, etc. to run. And it often comes down to just sucking it up and getting out there. I can't run very long on a treadmill, so it's mostly outdoor running for me in the winter.
It really was a great time!
DeleteIf I can keep up the running in the cool weather I'm thinking about signing up for a few more...we'll see how my asthma handles the cooler weather.
I hate running on the treadmill...I won't do it. I get bored and feel like it's not nearly as good as a workout either. I just feel awkward (which I'm sure would get better if I did it more). I'm going to have to play around with some layering options. It will be interesting to see how much is plowed around my area since we just moved here this summer. I hope they keep the sidewalks cleared!
This run sounds awesome!! Bummed I'm not closer to take advantage. I'm not sure how I feel about winter running either. I've only been running since this past spring so this will be my first year doing it. Hoping I can power through so I don't lose the progress I've made this year, but we'll see.
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