4 on the 4th and Festivities!

Over the years, a "staple" race for me has been our hometown 4th of July race. I've missed a year or two here and there due to injury or being out of town but for the most part, I've run this race every year. Despite my new hamstring injury this year, I still decided to do this race with a plan of "taking it slow". Besides, I had a Triple Crown medal at stake here and after having run the Athletes Corner 3 miler back in March and the Contraband Days 5 miler in May, I knew I HAD to do it, even if that meant walking the entire thing.

Somehow, a race recap from the Contraband Days 5 miler (from May) never made its way here, but during that race, I ran/walked the entire thing with a few friends due to our Relay for Life event the night before. Going into the 4 miler, I knew if I could just get to mile 3 by run/walking with my friends again, I would make it...and make it I did!

 

It was a hot one (as always) for the race, but the sun was hiding behind a cloud most of the time which made it bearable.

My dad was so generous to come out and watch Brayden while we ran. He used to come out to cheer me on by himself but now, he has a buddy to visit with!

Jason was working nights, so he sadly missed the entire day. Whomp whomp. 

This course took us down the lake, out and back. They also had PLENTY of water stops and gatorade, too!

The miles seemed to fly by for me as we chatted and before I knew it, we were almost finished. About .2 miles from the finish line, we passed Brayden and my dad. Brayden started crying because he wanted me, so we ran the remainder of the race together. He LOVES going for a run with mom! Sweet boy!

(Side note, I wouldn't have minded running this race with him but I'm super glad I didn't. After taking his stroller, I could really feel my hamstring pulling for just those last 0.2 miles.)

Triple Crown!

They've offered this option for the past several years and I've only done the full set twice so far. I'm glad they change the medal from year to year, too!

Kona Ice was out there for a frozen treat after the race. I wasn't going to get one, but when I saw "Lavender Lemonade" on the list, I knew I had to try it! The flavor of this one was amazing and reminded me of a Violet Lemonade from the Flower and Garden Festival at EPCOT. I love having little tastes of Disney at home!

After breakfast and showers, we headed over to my friend Kim's house for a lunch time BBQ! All of the food was delicious!

That evening, my community hosted its first ever "Red, White, & Boom" event, complete with fireworks. We had SO much fun! My parents came with us to enjoy the evening and we had a great time!

There were food trucks from vendors in our community which was fun as well as jump houses for the kids.

Side note, when I saw these matching shirts at Kohls in the spring, I knew I had to have them!

Brayden LOVED "driving" the firetruck and playing on the slide. He also really enjoyed the fireworks!

At last count, I heard over 4400 people were in attendance which is huge for my small-ish community. We usually go to the larger event located in the nearby town for the 4th, but wanted to support our community on its first year and I'm so glad we did! We were also home by 9:30 since we didn't have near as much traffic to fight. Score!

My friend Kim was there too and we had fun hanging out with them! In all, it was a great day!! Happy birthday, America!

What did you do for the 4th?

Summer Running Plans

Races in the summer here in Southwest Louisiana are not plentiful, and for good reason. Unless you are able to wake up early before the sun rises or go out once the sun is setting, your chances of getting in a decent run will be few and far between! However, there are still a few (random) opportunities for races during the summer and I'm going to take advantage of at least one of them!

4th of July 4 Miler

This is one I've run almost yearly for a while now. It's hot, it's sunny, it's crazy, but it's so much fun! A couple of friends and I are also participating in the Triple Crown again this year, so we will receive a medal for completing all three races of this series (the other two races were earlier this year). I am definitely looking forward to a fun day with friends!

Orangetheory

Even though I leave a nasty mess, at least this one is inside with AC and fans! Apart from a few Saturday long runs, the majority of my workouts will be taking place at Orangetheory this summer!

Wine & Dine Half Marathon Training

With the Wine & Dine Half Marathon at the beginning of November, training will have to begin sometime this summer. Although it's going to be a hot one to train for, this race is going to be so much fun and I'm really looking forward to it!

...and that's about it! I knew there's not much going on around here this summer, but it's still going to be a great one!

What are your summer running plans? 

Today, I'm also linking up with KookyRunner and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics!

4th of July Race Fun

When you think of a memorable race experience, what do you think of? For me, I think of our local 4 miler on the 4th of July. It's always hot, always has a good turnout, always hot (did I mention that already), and it usually brings around a good story or two to share.

I've run this race six times so far (this year will make seven) and each experience has been incredibly different from the previous.

I ran this race in 2009 with my sister in law and oddly enough, I formed this blog just a couple of weeks later! Happy 9th blogiversary to my little corner of the world!

The race that year was my third to date and her first ever! I had just began running in January of that year and she followed suit not long after. Every time I think about this race I giggle. It was freaking hot, we walked a lot, and were some of the last ones to cross the finish line. The course even "re opened" while we were on it and we were asked to push to the sidewalks by the officers. My oh my how far we've come!

In 2010, I had a broken foot and missed out on the race, but I was back in 2011 and so was Kayla! This race turned out to be much better than the last and I ran it with a few of my "super hero" friends! We had a blast!
 

 

After coming back from my initial IT Band injury in 2012, I attempted to beast mode this race and literally threw up after crossing the finish line. Thankfully, a trash can was nearby. Never beast mode when it's 100 degrees outside, people. Learn from me.  

In 2014, I way overslept and a text from my dad woke me up..."hey, are you here?" I've never jumped out of bed and gotten ready for anything so fast in my life. Ever wonder what it's like to be inside the mind of a runner? Well, check out this race recap and wonder no more! 

For 2015's race, several friends of mine and I decided to complete our area's "Triple Crown" - a series of races that falls between March and July. We also received a special medal for doing so! Participating in all three races with them was so much fun!!

 

 In 2017, I ran this race and knew I was going to majorly bomb it. Well, as a HUGE surprise to myself, I actually ran very well and somehow achieved a 30 second PR! I was incredibly shocked to say the least!

What does 2018's race have in store? Well, here's a new one for this year - there's RAIN in the forecast! We shall see what new and exciting experiences Wednesday has to bring! 

Are you running a 4th of July race? How far is your distance if so? Have fun and have a Happy 4th!

It's the Tuesdays On The Run Linkup with Erika, Marcia and Patty. 

2015 4 Miler on the 4th Recap

This past weekend, I ran a 4th of July 4 Miler in my hometown! It's a yearly tradition that I've missed twice since I began running - once because I was recovering from IT Band issues and again because it fell on the weekend of my grandfather's funeral.

This time though, our area was offering a special medal for running their 3-race series which began in March and continued through July! All four of us began the journey together and we all completed it together!

The night before the race, I laid out all of my clothes and accessories - after last year's fiasco, I wanted to make sure i was prepared! (By the way, stay tuned this week for a special review/giveaway of non-slip headbands from KatieDid Productions!)

Thankfully, I woke up with my alarms and made it to the start of the race with plenty of time to spare! YAY!

As the race began, I felt great - I knew it was going to be a great morning and it felt as if everything just "clicked".......until my skirt began to give me fits. You see, this sparkle stars running skirt is a slip on - one that doesn't have bottoms attached. I'm dumb and forgot to pin the skirt to my compression shorts (like I ALWAYS DO). Therefore, the skirt kept riding up the entire race. I know it wasn't riding up terribly far, but it was enough to make me uncomfortable.

This course was out and back and on the two miles out, I felt great and my pace was on target. They had plenty of water stops and even included a few with gatorade.

On the mile back, I felt as if I gave this race everything I had in my tank - it was hot and humid, the sun was beating down with very little shade, and my legs felt very heavy. I kept asking myself, "are you SURE this is all you got?" and yes, I know without a shadow of a doubt that it was. I just couldn't give anymore.

My friend and his wife stood at the finish line and handed out high fives as runners came through...I loved it!

As I approached the finish line, I saw my PR slowly tick by. Four seconds off. FOUR.

I wasn't too upset about it, though. I mean, you seriously can't PR every single one. I went out, had fun, and got some miles in with friends on the 4th...what more could I have asked for?

My husband captured this picture of me after crossing the finish line...teeheee!

After a little recovery, I went out in search of my Triple Crown Medal!

Triple Crown complete - Athletes Corner 3 Miler, Contraband Days 5 Miler, and 4 on the 4th!

After my friends crossed the finish line, we had fun with the podiums! 

Then exhaustion took over!

After hanging around for a few minutes, we decided to have breakfast at a local diner! It was so good! The french toast was like powdered sugar overload!

I appreciate my husband and dad for coming out and cheering us on during the race! It was great having them there!

Following the race, we spent a little time at  a co-workers house for a 4th of July party!  I took to Pinterest for dessert ideas and I love the way it turned out! Thanks, Pinterest!

Love this patriotic Mickey flag from Walgreens!

On Saturday night, we had my parents over for BBQ. We also had Star Wars mac & cheese...just because. 

 After dinner, we drove downtown to see the fireworks. We also met up with Kenzie and her family again!

Such a fun end to a fun day!

Does your area have any 4th of July celebrations? Race/Parade/Fireworks, etc?

2015 Contraband Days 5 Miler

This past weekend, I ran the Contraband Days 5 Miler which is part 2 of our area’s Triple Crown series. It’s been a few years since I’ve run this race – first my IT Band issues popped up, then I was out of town last year. I was excited to run again because this race draws a lot of our area’s “elites”. It also happens to follow one of my favorite running routes!

What’s Contraband Days, you might ask? Well, our area holds a festival each year, to celebrate the legend of the pirate Jean Lafitte. It’s rumored that him and his “crew” hid out on the waters of the nearby Contraband Bayou and buried treasure in it’s many small islands. Therefore, we hold a festival to celebrate all things pirates! Sound like fun? Yeah, well…I don’t really go to the festival, I just run this race. :)

What does one wear to a pirate themed race when the humidity is at 100%? Normal running clothes. Arrrghhhh!

Since I haven’t run this race since 2011, I was excited to do so again. I knew that the addition of a medal for the triple crown series would draw a larger crowd this year, but I don’t think anyone was prepared for said crowd.

This line was for packets and bibs pickup and I thought it would never end. I definitely didn’t think the race would start on time! I don’t know how they did it, but they got the line down super fast and the race only started about 5 minutes late!

Packet pickup wasn’t offered before this race because there was a mishap with the bibs (they didn’t arrive in time). I can’t even image how the race directors felt (I tried to put myself in their shoes)…I heard they were scrambling to make bibs happen for this race. As it was, my handmade bib was on HP photo paper! Hah!

Ah well…most of the bibs worked! I say “most” because the ones on cardstock didn’t stay at all with the heat and humidity. I’m sure it’s a lesson learned for everyone (myself included)!

Kenzie, Melissa, and I!

Ready to run this thing but first, let’s take a group selfie!

Even Madame and Mr. Jean Lafitte himself came out to kick off the race!

What’s a pirate without a cap gun? :) Off we go!

My goal was to PR in this race – my previous time from several years ago was 46 minutes. I knew I could do it, I just had to keep around a 9 minute pace. The humidity was pretty thick, but the clouds overhead kept the sun away (thank goodness)!

My one complaint about this race is the lack of water stations. With a 5 miler in May in Southwest Louisiana, you have to stay hydrated. The first and only water/gatorade stop wasn’t until mile 2.8. It wasn’t a stop we hit twice on the course, either…it was one and only one stop.

As I approached the stop, I heard a guy yelling “Gatorade”. Well, I didn’t want gatorade, I wanted water – so I kept going to the next girl who I heard yell “water”. I said “water” as I approached her and she shuffled the cups around in her hands and I just grabbed a cup from her. As took a sip and began running again, I noticed that I didn’t have water, but I had gatorade. What the heck? That’s when I realized that water was in clear cups and gatorade was in red cups. OK that makes sense to me now, but what the heck?! I also then realized that she was holding both water and gatorade in her hands. I can’t think logically like that when I’m running – my brain is mush when I’m running and I’m only focused on finishing with a certain time. Oh well…again, lesson learned for me. Always pay closer attention. Thankfully it was only a 5 mile race and water was about 2 miles away. This is where my hydration belt would have come into play, but I despise wearing that thing. Sad but true.

Also, pretty much none of the people I was running around stopped for anything at the water stop. I mean, I can do that for 5K’s but nothing longer! I was in awe!

Anyway, the race was great despite the lack of water stops and I was able to keep a decent time.

This guy juggles during the entire race EVERY year! Now that’s talent!

There I am! The KT Pro tape didn’t start to come up until right at 4.6 miles (I know cause I checked). That’s progress, y’all!!

My goal for this race was to finish in the 42 minute time range. Even though my watch says 43:18, the official time released yesterday afternoon was 42:43 (not sure how that happened). Still a PR either way, I’ll take it!

I was also #31 out of 175 to finish this race and I came in 4th in my AG! Pretty proud of myself!

My awesome BRF Heather came out to cheer me on! So excited to have her there!! :)

After the race, we grabbed breakfast at our local favorite diner which was delicious as always.

We had a great time despite the few mishaps. I know how difficult it is to put on a race and I’m thankful for a group like Lake Area Runners who puts on so many for our area!

Can’t wait for the third part of the Triple Crown series – 4 miles on the 4th of July!

How was your weekend?
Do you carry water with you during a race?