Clarkston Back Roads Half Marathon and 10k Race Recap

A couple weeks ago, Ryan and I ran the Clarkston Back Roads Half Marathon & 10k and I'm so glad that we decided to do this race. It was a really chilly morning, but the gorgeous sites during the run were well worth the initial chill.

I had been looking forward to this race for awhile, but as the date approached I was reluctant since just the week before I took a really hard fall while running. The sidewalks where I run are in terrible shape and I caught my toe while running and super-manned right near a busy intersection. I jacked up my knee, hip and hands in the process, but I think my ego was hurt more than my body, as motorists stopped to see if I was ok. LOL. Anyways, I was definitely feeling the fall a few days later and it made me a bit nervous about running the 10k.

Thank goodness for running gloves! My hands would
have been destroyed without them!

The morning of the run was a chilly one, but it was a nice because this race has a later start (9:30), so it was beginning to warm up a bit and sun peeked out now and then as the race was beginning. I was shocked at how many half marathon runners there were. The start was a little confusing at first because it was difficult to hear what was going on, but after a few minutes everything was cleared up. I started in between the 9:00 and 10:00 pace, but wished that I had jumped up to a quicker corral. I think that I've been taking it too slow from the start during some races lately and it's hurting my time. I'm always afraid I'll push too hard and burn out before the end, but I think I need to push harder.

Staying warm pre-race!

Hubby pre-race! He sped ahead of me (he's faster than I)

The course was super hilly and gorgeous. We looped around the lake and at one point passed a bunch of horses that were galloping around and right near the runners. It was really a cool thing to see mid-race. As difficult as hills are, I love them during races and the challenge they provide. The course was a mix of cement path, dirt road and small trails. The runners were all great about getting over and letting runners pass and there were fabulous volunteers throughout! I was really impressed at how seriously they took runners safety and how well marked the race path was.

I felt pretty good until about the 3 mile marker and my knee started bugging me. I kept pushing through it and eventually the pain subsided some and then went away completely! I felt like the last few miles of the race passed pretty quickly, I was really happy with my time, especially battling a mild injury and for not train all that much (I got a little relaxed on the training after the Free Press Marathon). There was a fun after party with the Clarkston Union Mac n Cheese (the best in Southeast Michigan), MIP beer (which tasted great!), live music and small fires to warm up.  This is definitely a race that I'll be doing again and next time I'll likely try to do the half marathon. I really loved that it was a trail run and all the great and friendly runners that participated. I think that I'm starting to prefer trail races a bit more than road races now.

I was pretty happy with my pace and place for not being 100%. My husband, Ryan, finished 2nd in his age group! Mr. Speedy!

YUM! My favorite!

Finish line is in sight! I totally thought I was going
 to wipe out here since it was downhill!

Do you prefer trail run or road races? 

What type of races or running do you do more often?

Tri To Finish Cinco De Mayo Race Review....and Triathlon talk!

A little overdue, but life's been busy with a new infant and changing of jobs! There sure is a new normal of getting things done once you have a baby in the house...still adapting to that change. :) 

Anyways...

This past May, Ryan and I ran the Cinco de Mayo 5k Race at Swartz Creek Golf Course in Flint, Michigan. that was organized by Tri To Finish. Tri To Finish puts on events throughout the whole lower peninsula of Michigan and range from 5k's, 10k's, triathlons and duathlons. We had a great time at the Cinco de Mayo race. It was an awesome course with a few nice elevation climbs throughout and paved conditions. I especially enjoyed it because part of the course is included in the CRIM so it helped give me an idea of what to expect in August when we run that race. The starting line was well organized with the MC getting everyone pumped up for the start and the course well marked (always good!). 

This was a perfect race to get me back into the running game after taking the last year off during pregnancy and Aiden's birth. Ryan and I did really well too, so that's always awesome! Ryan got 2nd place in his age group and I got 3rd (out of 14) with time of 28:58, which I was happy about. I wish I had pushed harder at the end, but was reluctant that I would burn out since I hadn't been running as often as I had hoped and didn't know what expect with the hills. I'm really hoping to work on my pace and carve some off my time and maybe place even better by end of summer. 

Pre-race selfie!

Finish line

Awesome medals!

Age group finisher medals

After race with Aiden (Grandma and Poppa watched him). Sweet sombreros, huh? Race swag at it's best.

Overall, super fun race that was well organized. We really loved the medals, shirts and fun hats too (some runners dressed up and wore them - AWESOME). Also, had a mini-breakfast after race for runners to help re-fuel with food from a local mexican restaurant..bonus!

I'm super excited to say that I'll be racing in my first sprint triathlon EVER with Tri To Finish in September at Holly Recreation Area (which is gorgeous if you have never been there). I have a mixture of feelings of excitement and nervousness, but I'm confident that'll it'll be a great starter triathlon. I've started training for it and I'll be sure to update on that hopefully later this week or next week. :) 

Lacing up those shoes: Cinco de Mayo 5/10k Run/Walk in Flint, Michigan

Hey guys! It's been awhile!

Life's been crazy around here with a new baby and being first time parents, but it's been AWESOME! Our lives have been flipped around and everything is new and each day is an adventure. We've been so blessed with an easy and laid back baby and for that I'm extremely grateful and I'll be sure to post a baby update very soon. 

Now that things have calmed down somewhat,  I've been getting back into a workout routine. I've always had a really hard time keeping myself accountable so one of my ways to stick to it is to sign up for races and other athletic events.  I've recently signed up for my first post-pregnancy 5k and it's the Cinco de Mayo 10k/5k run/walk on May 3rd at Swartz Creek Golf Course in Flint, Michigan. 

I LOVE themed events like these. It just adds a flare of fun to the events.  Not only is there the fun run to look forward to, but we get sombreros, Qdoba at the after party, Adirondack chairs at the finish line to celebrate in and tech shirts that I'm sure are going to be awesome (tech shirts are always a thumbs up in my book). I'm still trying to figure out my outfit and am thinking that my old work shirt from the Mexican restaurant I worked at might come in handy. ;)

To prep I've been running 3-4 days a week and adding in some circuit training on other days.  Hopefully all this will help me get back to pre-baby body. ;) I'm feeling pretty good so far with the distance but my pace sure has slowed down, a LOT. That's okay though, I'll get there and at least taking steps to get back to my prior level. Part of this race course is on the CRIM route with the hills, so I'm looking forward to checking it out since the CRIM is another potential run that I'd like to do this summer. It'll be a nice practice run for early season.

As for other races I'm looking forward too...I'm taking a HUGE leap and signing up for a TRIATHLON through TriToFinish! I'm scared, nervous and excited all at the same time. I can't wait to tell you more about it and how I am training for it, but for now I've a little teething baby boy to give some cuddles too. If you're thinking about doing one, let me know! :)

If you're interested in signing up for the Cinco de Mayo run let me know and sign up here. We have a small group running right now and would love to have more join us.  

How do you hold yourself accountable for exercising? 

Do you have any fun races planned for the summer? 

Any training tips (especially for speeding up pace)? 

Run4Wine Race...you had me at wine!

This past week Ryan and I ran the Run4Wine Race in Grand Blanc, Michigan. I had signed us up for this race months ago a week after I had taken a nasty fall while trail running and sprained my midfoot (the sprain that prevented me from running for 10 weeks) and needed something to work towards and not be so pissed about hurting myself. Can I just say how glad I am to have found this race because it was AWESOME! I was a little hesitant going into this race since I spent the night before with the flu and becoming BFF's with our toilet. I'm so glad that I decided to go through with it anyways.

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

This will definitely be getting it's fair share of use. ;)

Bright pink and reflective! Ooo!

So much tasty food...not gonna lie, we had heaping plates full.
This is before it was ravaged by all the hungry runners.

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. 

Hubs and I before the race began.

Lots of pretty trees changing along the way. 

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?

My Fitness Bucket List! What's on yours?

Lately I've noticed lots of attention on Twitter and Pinterest regarding bucket lists, in particular fitness inspired lists. Seeing all of these great ideas and goals totally captured my attention and inspired me to make my own. I LOVE the concept of getting it all down on a list, goal setting and taking the steps to make it happen. There are so many things that I want to do, but the following are a few of the most important ones to me:

Run the CRIM (10 mile), Tough Mudder, run a 8k, run a half marathon, basically run MORE! - There are so many fun races that I am constantly finding more and more that I'd love to do. It's hard to narrow it down to just one or two. I had planned on running the CRIM 8k this summer but my recent foot injury might prevent that. :( Other items along the lines of this, I'd love to also run more races for causes and run a 5k in under 25 minutes.

Receive my personal trainer and CHES certification - I've yet to decide whether to go with ACE or NASM for personal training so if you have any input that would be awesome! The CHES is something that I would love to get for health education and am hoping to do this fall.

Do a triathlon! - I've always thought that this would be awesome to do and saw one this past month. The only thing really holding me back: swimming!

Go white water rafting. - Looks like so much fun, adventurous and have heard rave things about it.

Try rock climbing (non-indoor facility) - I love rock climbing indoors so super excited to do this. I've already made plans to do this over the summer in West Virginia so I can't wait! Also will notch another thing off my list while on this trip (climb a mountain) so double win!

Go paddle boarding. - Hoping to find somewhere nearby to do this over the summer. Looks really relaxing and potentially a good arm workout.

Go heli-boarding. - Terrified to do this, but so desperately want to! I love snowboarding and the extremes so this would completely satisfy it all.

Learn to box. - Learning to box would be so empowering.

Be able to do more inverted yoga poses - I've managed to do a few, but need to work on more upper body strength to get there, but will one day (soon!). This video is one of my favorites:

Amazing, right?!?!

Volunteer with Girls on the Run or a similar organization. - I love so many things about this organization. I found out about it late in my college career and was so sad I was never able to participate. The new community I have moved to doesn't have one so maybe I can help to initiate one in the area.

Motivate others to live fit and health lives. - This is incredibly important to me. I love inspiring and educating others on living and leading a healthy life. It's empowering to help people realize that they have the potential to change their lives for the better. I love that preventative health is finally coming to light and having more attention brought to it.

Aside from this list there are so many more and the list will continue to grow I'm sure. For my complete list you can check out my Pinterest board here: Fitness Bucket List. I've included on there a few that I've already completed to and hope to update it as time goes on. My completed tasks so far: Help plan a 5k, Warrior Dash, Run a 8 minute mile, indoor rock climbing.

What are a few things that are on your fitness bucket list? Do you have ones that you've already completed?