Race Recap: Billy Goat 5K 2012

The Billy Goat 5K, a fall trail race at James Baird State Park in Pleasant Valley, NY is probably my favorite 3.1 miles ever.  It's hilly, rocky, sometimes muddy and definitely challenging.  Also, race registration includes a super comfy long-sleeved colored t-shirt.  This year it's maroon and I'm loving it.  This Sunday was a picture perfect fall day: sunny and a cool 60 degrees.  Dad and I arrived early and did a quick warm-up jog before lining up with the other 150ish runners.  The start line doesn't have corrals or signs...just a white line painted in the grass between two orange cones.  Hello, "small town" running.

The race starts out with a short flat stretch until you enter the woods, where the fairly narrow path follows a steady uphill, so it's tough to get past anyone.  Every year I've done this race, I've been frustrated when people take off fast from the start line only to slow down or WALK once the uphill climb starts. And this year was no different. UGH.  When will people learn?  I just want to shout "Move out of my way so I can dominate this crazy climb!"  As expected, this first mile killed me.  I kept my head down, which is smart on a trail run anyway so as to keep your footing and avoid twisting an ankle or tripping over a root.  I spent most of the race talking to myself, repeating "breathe" on the uphills and "slow down" on the downhills.  I also had the new Florida Georgia Line song "Cruise" stuck in my head, which I sang to myself during the few flat stretches. 

I didn't see the second mile marker and wasn't wearing my watch, so pretty much had no idea how fast (or slow) I was running.  I knew that last year I finished in 34:01 (a solid 10:57 pace!) so I guess the plan was to beat that.  I really didn't have super high hopes for a race PR for a few reasons.  First, my running has been lacking this month (especially for the last two weeks since the SI Half).  Also, I've done exactly no hill training.  But I gave it my best and really enjoyed pushing myself the whole race.  There's something so great about running in the (mostly) quiet woods, just focusing in on your own body, breath and heartbeat. 

At Mile 3, I exited the woods and gave it my all for the last tenth of a mile to the finish.  And my official finish time was 32:45!  Boom.  Not fast by any means, but I still feel great about it!

And Dad? 

He once again kicked my butt and finished in 27:00 flat.  What the heck?! He is just getting faster with every race this year.  I'd watch out though, Dad--one of these days I'm going to catch up!

The Billy Goat 5K had 165 finishers this year, and as always had great organization, volunteers and post-run snacks (the donuts won't get my seal of approval, but bagels & apples were great!).  See ya next year, Baird Park! :)

Race Recap: The Color Run NYC

In case you haven't heard (or aren't yet sick of hearing...) this past weekend was The Color Run NYC.  The Color Run is labeled the "Happiest 5K on the Planet", where at each "K" runners get splattered with a different color powder (corn starch).  

Since this fun run is super popular, TWO race days were offered...which both sold out within 48 hours of registration opening.  Only two of my planned "team" made the cut-off and we opted for the Sunday race.  

So...on Sunday, my alarm clock went off at 5:30am.  I woke up to this:

Wake up, Mom! It's time for The Color Run!

We got on the road at 6:15am, knowing we'd have to deal with race day packet pick-up and anticipating traffic!  The Color Run continued to warn about the ridiculously long lines we'd be facing if we picked up our numbers the morning of the race.  Ya know, because there were 10,000 runners each day. Well, I guess we were a little overly zealous because parking was a cinch and packet pick-up took less than 5 minutes.  Way to over exaggerate, Color Run.  

We had over an hour to wait for the start, so we had some free time to pose for fun free pics! The Chevy Spark tent had a fun photo op with cute props! You probably can't see it, but my sign said "Ummm we like color...Ummm we like running."  

So fresh and so clean, clean.

And that killed a solid 5 minutes.  So we headed to the start around 7:45 and ended up in the 2nd corral.  Groups took off every 5 minutes, which was an effort to keep congestion down.  Because this is not a timed race and most "Color Runners" are just doing this for fun, the corrals were not divided by pace and it was a mix of runners, joggers and walkers.  I was shocked that despite the thousands of people, congestion really wasn't a problem.

At about 8:15, Team CT took off and ran-walked our way through all 4 color stations: yellow, red, blue, and pink! 

Clockwise from top left: yellow, red, blue, pink!

The course was an out and back with a water station at the turn-around.  There was a DJ at the start and right before the half-way point which added to the fun of the race.  The volunteers at each color station had squeeze bottles to squirt us with the designated color.  I do have to say that we definitely had to slow down and walk directly by a person to get color on us.  We each also had a packet of color with us that was meant to be used at the post-race "Color Festival".  A few people even preemptively opened these packets to add extra or different colors to each other during the race!  This was probably a good idea because when we were finished with those 4 color stations, we just looked kind of blah.  I kept seeing orange, magenta and bright purple colors, which looked the most fun...yet were missing from the race stations! 

So after our sweaty 3.1 fun was done, here's how we looked:

The End Result.

We grabbed our post-race fuel...more water, KIND bars (my fave!), Yasso frozen Greek yogurt (no relation to Bart) and Fuze (not a fan).

Mmm Greek Fro-Yo!

Finally, we headed to the post-race color fest!  Essentially, this was a mosh-pit in front of the DJ stage and every few minutes finishers toss their color packets into the air and paint each other.

Pretty colors!

And we took some more fun pics of course!

Hooray for Color Run!

Apparently there were "blowers" to help runners get rid of excess color before heading home.  We didn't see these, but no worries!  I'm always prepared and had read up on tips in advance.  I brought blankets and towels to protect the car, baby wipes to clean ourselves up, a change of clothes and bags to wrap up our rainbow colored gear.  

[Side note: to any runners thinking about doing a Color Run:  You can't go into this being competitive or thinking it will be like a normal 5K.  It's advertised as a fun race to do with fun people, and that's exactly what it is.  It's not timed.  And more importantly, most people don't have any sense of running "etiquette".]

So am I going to do this race again?  Probably not.  I definitely had a blast being silly with my "team" (shout outs to Stephy & CT!) and I'm all about events that gets people active while having fun.  But I think I got my fill of color fun for quite some time!

Next up: NYRR Back to Football Run on Thursday!

Have you done a Color Run? Thinking about doing one?  Running the Back to Football 4-miler? Tell me about it!

Checking In

It's halfway through July! Can you believe it?! Well, back before 2012 started...I set out some goals for this year.  I didn't make too many, and looking back I think that's because I was being cautious.  I was nervous to aim too high and fail.  Or worse, reach for too much and get injured.  I had started setting monthly goals for myself as well, but quickly fell off with that.  Oops.  So let's at least check in with my goals for the year and check my progress.


1. Set a new 5K PR.  Aiming for under 28:30. CHECK. I killed my old 5K PR at the Valentine's 5K race, finishing in 26:50. Boom.

2. Run my first half marathon. Check! You can read here about my first (definitely not last) adventure of 13.1 miles!

3. FINALLY take a spinning class. Check. Earlier this year I had a Living Social deal for NYSC so I took a few spinning classes. 


4. Complete another FUN run. Check! Just a few weeks ago, I had the best time at the Rugged Maniac race.  And in August, I'll be doing the NYC Color Run! Woo!

I did say "fun" run, right?

5. Run a race for charity.  Check. In April, I ran the Run for the Wild 5K to raise $ for the Wildlife Conservation Society.  I'll admit this isn't exactly what I had in mind when I said I wanted to run a charity race, but it'll do.  

And my non-fitness goal for 2012?

1. Graduate from my internship & GET A JOB! Halfway done. Internship is complete, job not so much...I'm working on it!!!

So I pretty much met all of my goals for 2012! I should be super excited, right? Eh, I am.  But really I'm feeling like a baby for not aiming higher.  I've been listening to my body and taking it easy when I need to, so I don't anticipate getting injured anytime soon.    So I'm going to step up my game and make some new goals for the rest of the year!

1. Run half-marathon #2 this fall.  I'm currently contemplating the NYRR Staten Island Half (Oct 7th).

2. PR in the 10K distance. Not sure how this is going to happen since I'm not signed up for (or even thinking about) another 10K this year, but I want to improve my time in the dreaded 6.2.

3. Step up to the plate and run the 25K Turkey Trot with my dad.  Talk about scary! I dread the 5mile course I've been doing each year because of the insane hills that I am not used to.  Can I survive 15+ miles of those hills?  I'm thinking if Dad can do it...so can I?! Might not be the case, but let's give it a shot!

4. Get my butt in the pool and "learn" to swim.  I know how to swim, but if I want to do a tri next year (and I do want to...) I need to swim well.  


5.  (Non-fitness related)-Pass the RD exam and GET THAT JOB!


How are you doing on your goals for 2012? Anything you want to add now that we're halfway through!?

Rugged Maniac Brooklyn: Race Recap!

Last Saturday was the Rugged Maniac race in Brooklyn.  For the last few weeks, NYC has engulfed in this intense heat wave, and Saturday was no exception.  It definitely didn't help that the race was taking place at the Aviator Sports Complex in Flatbush (AKA an big open space with no shade).

Mud-free and ready to go!

Our heat was scheduled to start at 10:45am, but we were ready to go early so we jumped in with the 10:30am group.  Oops!  We heard it was about 17 obstacles over the 3.1 miles, which to me meant that the stretches of running in the insane heat couldn't be too long. Wrong.  The first 2 miles contained a few of those obstacles, but the majority of the craziness came in the last 0.75 mile.  

Check out the following photos for a preview of the muddy mayhem!

Muddy slip-and-slide!

This is why they call it rugged...

Get me out of here!

Mud crawl

Dad and I with our tires..

FINISH LINE!

The results. 

This race was a challenge for sure.  You can simply tell from our chip times, than the 3.1 miles took us almost an hour!!! Dad and I did the RunAmuck race last year, and this was definitely harder than that run.  There was a lot of ladder climbing, but other than that the obstacles were interesting and fun.  The Rugged Maniac website says to assess your ability to complete each obstacle as you approach it, and you may skip anything you determine that you can't do.  The only drawback to skipping an obstacle? You aren't eligible to WIN the race.  As this wasn't an issue in our case, I have to admit I did skip an obstacle.  I assessed that I was not able to get my short little legs to scale those 7-9 foot walls.  Good thing our time wasn't really eligible to win anyway! Ha!

Muddy and happy!

We certainly are maniacs!

All in all, an awesome day.  I'd definitely do this race again and would encourage others to sign up for this or any other obstacle race! It's an amazing way to challenge yourself and have a blast! 

WCS Run for the Wild

This past Saturday was the Run for the Wild at the Bronx Zoo, a fundraising event for the Wildlife Conservation Society.  I love races like this for so many reasons! For one, it's held at a cool location.  Who doesn't want to say they got to run around a zoo?  Also, it's for a good cause.  I'm not great at math but if there were ~5,000 runners/walkers, who each raised a minimum of $30...that means the event raised at least $150,000 for the endangered lions and other wildlife! Awesome.

The run started at 8am, so I met up with Dad and my sister-in-law bright up and early.  It was 40degrees (feels like 33!), which pretty much made this the coldest race I've done since January! Crazy! 

Me, Dad & the SIL

The race itself wasn't much of a "race".  It wasn't timed and was really meant to be a "fun" run.  Even if we wanted to really run it, we couldn't have.  The course followed the walking paths of the zoo, so it was only about 6 feet wide at any given point.  Combine that with lots of people lacking any running etiquette, and there was no way we could get through the crowds to race.  But that's okay, sometimes.  It was still a nice run on a beautiful day! It was really cool to be run 3.1 miles surrounded by giraffes and zebras.

Oh, and my two cousins ran too! This was their first 5K run and they killed it.  I'm so proud! 

Congrats, ladies! What are we running next?! :)

I do have to say, this race wins the award for best post-run fuel! (I don't know who gives that award out, but the Run for the Wild deserves to win it.) Seriously, they had mini bagels (sesame, poppy, plain, cinnamon raisin), muffins, Greek Yogurt, Odwalla bars, bananas, apples, water AND Powerade! No joke! 

The best perk of this race (besides the finish-line snacks) was the entrance to the zoo for the rest of the day. I had a blast spending the day with my family and lots of furry friends.

Hi, friend.

We saw gorillas, bears, elephants and lions (oh my!).  And it's a good thing we ran for those lions, because they look too tired to do it themselves... 

So if you're looking for a stress-free 5K that guarantees fun with furry friends...the Run for the Wild is for you! 

Thumbs up for saving lions!

Valentine's 5K Race Recap

I woke up this morning to a chilly, windy day.  24 degrees, feels like 13...with around 15mph wind! This is really the first race all winter that I've even had to think about the cold.  Although I was hoping it would motivate me to run faster! :)

I threw on my Under Armour cold gear essentials and headed down to Prospect Park. 

I've said it many times that I love running in Prospect Park.  Although some parts of the loop are a little hilly, I think the park itself is beautiful and really makes for a great course.  Once again, kudos to the folks at NYCRuns for putting on a fantastic race for a sweet $21 race fee. 


There was a little confusion about where the start line was because they didn't lay the mats out until 10 minutes before the race started, and there were no mile markers, but who cares for a 3.1 mile race? The course started on the West side of the park near Center Drive and followed a counter-clockwise loop of the park to the finish at the 15th street entrance.  


My legs felt a little tight from a nice yoga workout yesterday, but I felt comfortable enough to push my pace a bit.  Maybe I just wanted to finish faster because I was cold and it was windy.  I definitely got distracted because there were lots of puppies playing in the park toward the end, because before I knew it I was crossing the finish line.  With a new 5K PR!  Of course, I forgot to stop my watch right as I finished, so I think my "official time" will be a little faster, but 26:53 is still awesome for me!  In case you're wondering that's a 8:39 pace.  :)

new 5K PR

My only complaints about the race involve other runners.  First, so many runners were wearing their race shirts during the race rather than waiting until after they've "earned" it.  This drives me nutty! It definitely is a nice long-sleeve shirt but come on! Also, about half-way through I almost fell dodging a huge loogie from a girl in front of me whose Mizunos I was admiring.  Now I have NO problem with spitting and I do it quite often on runs, but I make sure to move to the side and check for fellow runners around me before doing so! That girl may have some nice shoes, but she definitely needs to bone up on her running etiquette.  
I digress....Back to the positive stuff!  At the finish line, they handed out red carnations to all women runners, which was a very cute touch.  

I'm not much of a girly girl, so my first thought was "carnations are cute and all, but where's my bagel?"  Lucky for me, there were plenty of bagels and hot chocolate back at race HQ. 

that's better.

All in all the Valentine's 5K was a great race and a fabulous start to my day!  I'll definitely be back for more races with the NYCRuns crew.  

sweet long-sleeve race shirt!

Now it's time to relax and do some internship work before Sunday "family" dinner! 
Have a great week everyone! :)

Billy Goat 5K Race

Yesterday, my dad and I ran the Billy Goat 5k, a trail run that goes through James Baird State Park in Pleasant Valley, NY.  This was my first trail run and although it was challenging, I enjoyed it a lot! I had been warned that the course was essentially 1.5 miles uphill followed by 1.5 miles downhill, but the up seemed to go on much longer.  I have to admit, I think I preferred the uphill sections, since sprinting downhill is not my favorite. Running downhill is a constant fight against gravity and a lot of pounding on the knees.  Trail running is challenging because you have to keep your eyes on the ground to avoid all the rocks, roots and puddles. 

In the end, we finished with a time of 33minutes 30seconds, placing 100th out of 125 runners.  It was definitely not the fastest time, but I felt good, am proud of us for running and will definitely do it again next year!

Now it's time to break in my new clean running shoes...happy running!