Race Review: Color Me Rad 5K, St. Louis Edition

Pre-race, clean and "tattooed"

Post-race

Shades that were given away and post-race "Larabar"

Best part - nice shirt

First off, let's get the disclaimer out of the way - I was provided with one free entry to the Color Me Rad 5k, location of my choice.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have never done a color run before.  I wasn't sure what to expect.

You know what?  I used to write for the government, so let me give you my bottom line first - at least for the St. Louis edition of Color Me Rad, I would consider attending this again on a free entry only and if I had someone running with me.  Would I pay $50 for it?  Absolutely not.  I am hopeful that other locations have much better experiences.

1. Probably the biggest issue - where was the color?  I did get pretty coated at the finish, but the 4 previous stations barely got me, and I made sure to run right in front of the "bomb squad".

2. No motivation on the course - this was truly a "fun run" in that it was untimed, but seriously, we were at a raceway, with speakers everywhere, and rarely could you hear any music, because it was only being played at the start/finish area.  There were about 10 spectators.  It was just boring.  At first I thought, is this just boring because I am alone?  So I imagined what it would be like if I had a friend there, and no, the answer was still the same.  It was just boring.  Longest 3.1 miles of life.  Greatest highlight - seeing a 4-year-old running alongside his mom.  Super cute.

3. Where was the Larabar? - I double-checked just now, but the race info available online for St. Louis clearly lists Larabar as a sponsor.  As I was driving to the run, 30 minutes from my house, I realized that I had my giant cup of coffee and forgot to grab a banana.  Fantastic.  But, it's okay, I thought, because they will have Larabars.  If you are a fan of these scrumptious bars, you can imagine the disappointment when arriving at the finish to get your tiny Costco-brand granola bar (for the record, I'm not hating on Costco - I was just really disappointed when I thought they would have Larabars).

4. Sunglasses - I did completely appreciate that we were provided with fun shades to wear - otherwise I was planning to run to the Dollar store and grab a throw-away pair that could just get ruined but still protect my eyes from the alleged onslaught of colored cornstarch.  James is now enjoying his new shades.

5. Best part - The momento shirts are really nice.  For one, they weren't unisex, so they actually fit really well.  And two, at packet-pickup, one of the volunteers said that they were running small, and allowed me to try mine on in case I needed a different size.  Mine fit fine, but I thought this was really nice - most of the time, race shirts are unisex, fit women terribly, and are usually too big, and plain white with some graphics.  So, good job to the powers that be at Color Me Rad for at least making a nice momento shirt.

So - there you have it!  I have definitely paid less money for better races, with better snacks/swag.  In fact, I can't think of a single 5K that I have ever paid more than $20 or $30 to run.  As I said, run it again for free, and with someone?  Sure!  Pay for it?  No way.  I'm sorry, Color Me Rad, St. Louis just wasn't awesome.  I'm guessing it was a low turnout, and other cities are probably different.

Happy Monday everyone!

Fit Friday - Let's Build Some Muscle! ... a peek into my "lesson" plan....

Happy (early) Friday morning!

I have to tell you, I am never up this early.  As I am beginning this post, my clock reads 5:42am.  Even with a child, I am never up this early.  Trust me, I know how blessed I am in this area!

But alas, I knew that as soon as I was attempting to plan out my Friday, something was bound to change.  No complaints here - I'm happy to have another class to sub - but it does make for an early morning if I want to have any kind of relaxation time to myself.  Today will be busy and physically demanding, but I am thankful for it.  And this "early" aspect is nothing - next month I will do two Wednesday mornings that require me to get up around 4:30am, and then beginning in September, my Fridays will consist of a 4:30am wake up to teach at 5:15, followed by teaching again at 8:15.  Am I crazy?  Maybe.  I think I'm mostly excited to have guaranteed work!

I already had one class to teach on my schedule for this evening, but with the surprise of adding one for this morning, and one for tomorrow morning, I decided I would share parts of my plans for my attendees.  Each class involves strength training, so here is what I have put together - not all moves will appear in all 3 classes, but I promise if you want to work your entire body with a little of this and a little of that, this is for you!

You will need a step (or box, anything you can step onto, at least 4 inches off the ground), hand weights, and a mat.  Spend at least 5 minutes warming up.

step-ups with bicep curl - 8 each leg
single-leg deadlift with single-arm overhead press - 8 each leg/arm
step-ups with hip extension and bent-arm lateral raise - 8 each leg
Repeat 2x

tricep dips with single-leg lift - 16 (8 each leg if lifting leg)
pushups / chaturanga pushups - 16 total, any combination
pec deck - lateral raise into rotation, close arms, reverse sequence - 8
Repeat 2x

squat series - 12 weighted squats, 12 squat presses, 12 squat pulses
squat with one leg on step, weighted - 8 each leg
speed skaters, weighted, slow movement - 8 each leg
Repeat 2x

Plank Series (from FitSugar)
plank mountain climber - 1 minute
elbow plank with donkey kick - 30 seconds each leg
plank walk - 1 minute
side plank with leg lift - 30 seconds each leg
birddog - 30 seconds each side
Repeat

Chris said that his muscles are burning just hearing my notes... we'll see what the class thinks.  That squat series is my favorite though!

What about you?  What's on your agenda for Friday?  Workout?  Rest day?  Whatever your plan, I hope you're getting ready for a great weekend!  And don't forget, if you're in the St. Louis area, check here for a discount code for the Color Me Rad 5k and join me there this Sunday!

Thankful Thursday - Life Isn't Slowing Down!

And that's a good thing!

Of course at the forefront of my list of things that make me thankful is the successful closing on our first house yesterday!  Our final walk-through the day before went well.  We met the sellers, whom we had spoken to only in email, and they seem like very sweet people - and what a small world, they are moving to a part of Florida that Chris and my-laws lived in for a while!  Closing itself was smooth yesterday, only taking about 20 minutes.

It is amazing to think that we own a home now.  And to really put things in perspective, when we moved here last year, we casually said, let's have a place by August 1, this size, and this price.  God delivered on every single detail.  Actually, He went slightly above because we wanted a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house, and we got a 5 bedroom, 3 bath house.... all in our price range, something that I told Chris was looking fairly impossible.  I told him we needed to scale down our search and be more "realistic."  Jeez, oh ME of little faith!  How many things has the Lord carried us through and delivered us from, and yet I think He couldn't/wouldn't deliver on something so minor as a house!

Work is still exploding for me.  Now, to someone who is used to working a full 40-hour week, my situation wouldn't seem so explosive, but for me, it definitely is!  August is becoming fairly full, and I was just offered a regular weekly class beginning in September - that is an amazing start!  This week I've been attending a few more classes to get ready to teach them next week, and with each class I have attended, my confidence has grown, not in a cocky way, but in a I-can-totally-do-this way.

I'm also very thankful for what is happening with UrbanChurch.  In under 2 months, we will begin the first of many outreach efforts, and will be partnering with Gateway180.  If you are in the St. Louis area (or even if you're not) and you want to be part of something life-changing, get in touch with me.

I think that about sums it up for me this week - your turn!  What are you thankful for today?

Discount for You to Be Rad!

Hey friends, if you want to join me at the Color Me Rad 5k this Sunday, July 28, you can treat yourself to a discounted entry by using the code "rosegold" when you register - that will get you 20% off the registration fee.  So go get registered!

Who's Rad? I'm Rad!

Just a little tidbit of exciting news for today!

Thanks to the wonderful people at Blogportunity.com, FitApproach.com, and ColorMeRad.com, yours truly will be participating in the Color Me Rad 5k this coming Sunday!

What exactly is Color Me Rad, you ask?  It's probably the definition of a TRUE fun run, in that it is untimed.  Here is what the good people of Color Me Rad have to say:

"After 5K of color bombardment, we guarantee your outlook will be brighter, your boyfriend will be more affectionate, your girlfriend will be less needy, the hair on your head will grow back and the hair on your back will fall out, your black and white TV will turn into 720p HD (I know you were hoping for 1080, but we organize races, we're not miracle workers), and your gray outlook will turn green like a spring morning.

You’ll start off with a shirt as pure and white as your grandpa's dentures and you'll soak up enough color while running to change your skin tone forever.  You'll wind up looking like a pack of skittles – just make sure not to “taste the rainbow.”
So cast your DYE and get red in the face from Color Me Rad, and not from the embarrassment of passing up on the run of a lifetime."

Needless to say, I'm pretty excited!

And Color Me Rad isn't just in St. Louis - it's all over the country!  So for more information, you can find Color Me Rad on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.  Check it out!

I would love to see you there!




 

Tasty Snack Tuesday - Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Can you believe this recipe is clean-eating approved?!

And would you believe that I actually like this better than the store-bought stuff?

I'm telling you, it's awesome.

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

raw hazelnuts - about 2 cups
1/2 cup, or to taste, raw cocoa powder
1/4-1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons skim milk (or milk of choice)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Add hazelnuts to your food processor and pulverize until you have a fine crumb - it will look like wet sand (and its okay that there will be some skins in there).  Add the remaining ingredients, tasting along the way, until your spread is as thick or thin as you would like, and is as chocolatey and sweet as you would like.  Store in the refrigerator.

You know what would make this even better, that I did not even think to do - toasting the hazelnuts!  Of course!  You could spread them on a baking sheet and place in the oven for a few minutes at 350 degrees F (I'm just guessing here).  Keep an eye on them so that they don't burn.  You should just be getting a lovely toasted aroma.  This should also help the skins come off if you don't want them on there.  Then allow them to cool for a few minutes before processing.

I dare you to make this and tell me it is not awesome!

Sunday Runday, the First Week of #Clean30, and Trains!

This week was so busy and the next few weeks are not going to be any different.  But you know what?  I'm so okay with that.  I'm not someone who readily embraces change, but this change is good, and I'm loving it.

I met some great people at work this week - some very sweet instructors who made me feel so welcome.  I also met some people who made me feel far less than great.  The wind in my proverbial sail was completely ripped away on Friday evening.  BUT, it has since made me more determined to do what I set out to do in my fitness career - share my passion with others and help change lives for the better.

I took a full 2 days off after such a crazy week - it used to be rare for me to take even one day off, let alone two!  I have since learned how important rest is.  I'm very happy that I took that extra day, yesterday, to let my body really recover.  I think it paid off because I went for a short run today, a couch-to-5k run, and it was great!  I took James in the jog stroller and Bailie on the leash and went out to a local park that I am really disappointed I have only just now checked out.  Such a nice place.  There were so many runners, walkers, and cyclists out, and the temperature was just shy of 80 degrees, so it wasn't too terrible, even with the humidity.

I'm just shy of completing the first full week of my #clean30 challenge, and I'm excited to tell you that it has gone really well so far.  My absolute favorite thing right now is my fruit, honey, and Greek yogurt mixture that I shared in this post.  It is so refreshing!  I really haven't felt deprived of anything, and I haven't missed certain "old" foods.... Now, talk to me in a couple of weeks when it's Food Truck Friday and I am trying not to partake.... I might not be as pleasant about this then.

Finally, we took James to the Transportation Museum yesterday, which is all about trains!  You would think that, due to James's intense love for all things Thomas the Train, he would have been in Heaven, but NO!  Just the opposite.  He seemed to enjoy the small train ride we went on, but when it came to actually getting on the train exhibits and walking through them, he wanted nothing to do with it.  Maybe seeing the trains up close and in real life was overwhelming, or maybe the fact that the heat and humidity were horrendous yesterday made it less fun.  But, here are a few cute pictures, just because I love showing off my little guy:

Well, friends, time to get ready for another busy-but-great week!  I am beyond excited for this week... we close on our house (can't wait to share pictures with you!), I start subbing a few classes, and life is just all around awesome.  I am humbled at the amazing things happening in our lives, the things happening in the lives of those around me, and supremely grateful for the privilege of experiencing it all and witnessing the Lord at work.  God is good, and God is faithful.

Enjoy your Sunday!