July 5K- The Color Run!

 

Before color.  The girl in the background looks thrilled to be there.

This was my first Color Run!  I did a Powder Run in April, which is kind of the same concept.  I could not believe all of the people there.  We opted to run the early morning wave, at 9am.  The weather was perfect.  I met my sister and nephew in Des Moines (about 2-2 1/2 hours for both of us) Friday night.  We checked into our hotel and went to Fongs Pizza to carb up a little.  Fongs is this fantastic pizza place in Des Moines, IA.  It used to be a Chinese restaurant, and it still has the Asian  flair.  Many of the pizzas are Asian inspired.  Like Crab Ragoon pizza?  THE BOMB.  We headed back to the hotel.  Bloom took a swim and then we hit the sack. 

You know whats awesome about this race?  There is no time.  Everyone is there to have fun.  Local bars had beers for sale outside.  I didn't get as colored as I thought, which is okay I guess.  I am hoping to do this race every year.  Hopefully the tutu trend dies.  Like soon.   

Bloom waiting patiently to start.

Aftermath.

Not as much as I hoped, but it may have covered a few of the bacon-wrapped tator tots I had after.  :)

June 5K-Race for the Cure!

 I absolutely love this race.  Due to working 3rd/all-weekend shift I have not been able to participate the last two years.  This is a 5K my sister and I have been doing together for a long time.  My nephew Bloom loves to run, so this year he came with us.  I remember pushing him in a stroller for this race about seven years ago, and now he run along with us!

As I have said before when my sister and I go together we just walk so we can catch up.  We walked the 5K in about 50ish minutes. 

This race is a lot of fun with all the bands and spectators that come watch.  We always walk thru a Hispanic neighborhood and they always decorate their outside, have music, and cheer the loudest for everyone.

It was a good time...felt good to do it again!

We're usually pretty silly together

Stretching out before the race!

Race for the boobies...in a singlet?

After race treat...Reuben Rolls!

May 5K-The Furry 5K!

This race was totally cute.  Kind of a clusterfuck, but cute.  The Furry 5K raises funds for the Cedar Bend Humane Society, which is our local animal shelter.

The race took place on Mother's Day morning, and I did it with my two besties from work.  Pictured with me is Darrin and his dog Dakka and Ben with his new Beagle, Jake.  Darrin is quite the go-getter, so about five minutes into the race, he and Dakka took off.  Jake was around three months at the time, so Ben and I just had a stroll.  Plus we didn't want to deal with the leash craziness ahead of us.

The weather was great and we didn't step in any poop, so all was good. 

Reuben dressed for the occasion.

One 5K a month? Why not four?

 April was a busy month!  For some reason I signed up for not just one, but four 5Ks.

The first one I did was the Fools 5K.  Trekman Racing is a local company who puts on quality race events.  They also sponsor our roller derby team!  I really liked this race.  The course was in one of the state parks.  Very pretty, but it was freezing that day!

I liked this race because they line participants up by their average mile time.  So slower ones like me, started in the back.  I normally do anyway, but there are a lot of people who start where they shouldn't.  My goal was to finish under 40 minutes, and I finished in 39:21.

 The next race I did was the Stomp Out Sexual Assult 5K.  This race raised money for a local domestic abuse agency.  The course was on a golf course, and with huge hills and frost, this was not so fun.  I don't remember my time exactly, but I believe it was 45ish minutes.

 My next 5K was the Powder Run, put on by our local community college.  I walked with one of my roller derby teammates and one of her friends.  In the picture with me is Abby Long-Legs.  Her and I started derby together.  Sweet girl she is!  It was on a Tuesday night, which is a little strange.  It was very cold, and a lot of the race was in an open field.

There were three color stations, and dirt and worms to eat at the end.

 The last run I did was the March of Dimes.  This was a 4.5 mile walk.  The Push-Up Brawlers were asked to be involved.  We had a team put together to raise money and walk the race.  Thanks to my awesome family and friends, I was able to raise over $600!  It felt really good to do something like that. 

Pictured with me is Abby Long-Legs, Desmo, Little Desmo, and Occupational Hazard.  The weather was lovely that day.











It may be a little excessive to do four 5Ks in one month, but if they are for a good cause, I figured I could spare a couple hours out of my day. 

St. Patrick's Day 5K!



Kiss me, I'm Iowish.



I'm Irish and my family has always made a huge deal about St. Patrick's Day.  I go to my sister's every year because there is a huge parade (the only bi-state parade in America) and you can drink green beer right on the street.  My sister and nephew ran the family 1 mile run, and I did the 5K on my own.  It was pretty chilli out for being mid March.  The course was a nice flat run downtown.  The atmosphere was awesome with the crowd, Irish music, and seeing orange, white, and green flags flown everywhere. 

I finished in just over 38 minutes....10 minutes faster than my January run.










The next day we soaked up the soreness and booze with some tasty corned beef and cabbage.
 

Favorite.



February 4 Miler!

So yes, I suck at keeping my blog updated.  I take a lot of pictures for it and have things to say, but I just never take time do it.  So my apologies!

Remember I had a goal at the beginning of the year to do one 5K a month?  So far I am on track!

We had a very mild winter in Iowa, so the run in Febrary wasn't as bad as one would think.  Down in the Quad Cities they have an annual Chili Chase, which consists of a four mile run and at the end they have some awesome chili to chow on.  My sister and I did it together.  It was nice to be outside and not freeze our asses off.  We finished in just over an hour.  When my sister and I do races together we typically walk so we can talk and catch up, with out sounding like we're dying or having sex.

Oh yeah...another perk is beer at the end. 

Coors Light is more tasty than a medal.