Color Me Rad 5K

What the heck is that you ask? Well, it's a run of 3 miles where at certain points in the run there will be a colored paint-powder that will burst on your white shirts and all over you as you run through! 

I found this by accident when I was looking for runs to run before I leave my place of duty here and move to another location. This will be my last real run here. It makes me sad to leave because I really like it where I live and I will be farther away from everything and everyone I care about.

So, once again, I digress....

....the run is awesome! I started a team called "Shut up and color" after one of my old First Sergeants who made that the company motto when we all came to the position of attention.  He was funny!

The team has a couple people so far, I hope to get more! So far, it is me, my son, one of my co-workers and hopefully a few more before the race!

I'm so excited about this race! I can't wait to see the outcome! I was going to take my son out on a run with me today to see how far I could get him to go past 2 miles but the rain has made its pending doom on our plans.

Trust me, we will run again, probably tomorrow night!

So, for now, here is the link to the run so you can see if it's coming soon to your neck of the woods...It will be coming to Nashville soon so when I move to the area I'll definitely be doing the run again there!

http://www.colormerad.com/

Disney Marathon Part 2

So, the saga continues!


The Disney Marathon has been part of my yearly vacation ritual and I'm hoping that after I PCS we can still do this with ease. 


I usually book my timeshare and then the plan begins. This would be the second year I ran, but this time with one of my besties! She is becoming an ultra-athlete...I'm still pretty much a couch potato but I've been getting out more.


Anyway, the race is always the first weekend in January. YEP, right after New Year's! Can't beat that! What a way to start off the year!


So, the journey begins. I pack the car with my son and all our stuff...food, luggage, his homework, games and stuff to keep him busy and we drive south to meet up with my friend in North Carolina. Once we get there, we unload all our "stuff" and spend the night with her so we don't have to make the 12 hour trip in one shot!


The next morning...at the crack of dawn...before the birds are awake, we get up, get ready, pack her car with all our "stuff" and then off we go. Usually we stop to get coffee and water. We begin the 8 hour track south to Orlando full of excitement and anticipation. This is a great way for us to talk about life, love, disgust and anything else the moon and stars sets in sight for us to discuss.


Well, after 8 hours of driving...sometimes more with stopping and eating...we arrive to the Marriott Resort. We unpack..blah blah blah and then we of course eat!


This particular year added a little bit of misery to our trip when it came to the weather. It just so happened that when we arrived, it began to turn cold and then the cold factor multiplied times 10! It became miserable but we tried to have as much fun as we could. 


Saturday arrives and it's time to prep for the run in the morning making sure we had what we needed for several hours of pounding pavement.


Let's see what we had...hmm...

Appropriate clothes               Check

Gel Packs/Goo/shot rocks     Check

Number bib pinned on          Check

Hair ties and lip balm            Check

Socks and shoes ready          Check

Ok, so it looks like we are prepared for the run and to enjoy the scenery! Lovely! 

Well, we wake up in the morning and.....

...OH what a surprise we woke up to!!! 

It was 28 degrees Fahrenheit! BELOW FREEZING!!! In Orlando of all places! The mainland's version of swaying palm trees and 60 degree weather in the winter and it's BELOW FREEZING! How insane is that!


Not to mention that we woke up at 0300 to get our stuff together, get in the car and go to Epcot where the race begins. We have to get there early so that we can park and beat the other 20K runners that are running.


So, we arrive in the stillness of night and we begin walking around trying to find a way to stay warm. We realized there was a VIP tent! Would have been good to know that ahead of time, we could have gone in there to hang out, drink coffee, eat a small breakfast so we weren't famished by the noon finish! 


Nope, we didn't know, extra cost that doesn't bother us now! You have to pay to go inside and get treated like...well...like a little running princess! There are massage therapists in there (a little extra cost) there's coffee, water, bananas...the runners dream tent awaiting our arrival...ahhh but we didn't know about it until that dreadful cold weather we had.


Now, every year, we go ahead and save up a few extra dollars so we can enjoy all the comforts of a running princess prior to the start of the race. Makes getting up so early to get there a little more bearable!


But, I digress..


Well, we begin the run and what a sight! The race starts with an incredible firework display and the announcers are really entertaining! Off we go, we run through Epcot and under the "Ball" but before that, we pass the Christmas tree...it's enormous but left up for this occasion and it's really a beautiful sight.


Ok, we now continue to run around Space Mountain and then onto the next parks on the course. We get to run through all the parks and I think running through Animal Kingdom was the hardest because it's right after the trail of nothingness and toward the end of the run. After Animal Kingdom we hit the boardwalk which is a sight for sore legs at this point! It's the path the Epcot, the last 5 miles of the course! Of course this is the best part! After 5 plus hours of running, it's time to see the finish line!


So, we run and eventually we find the first water point but OOP, don't run through it, it's slick because the water on the ground has frozen to it and well, it's a serious runners hazard! One slip and you are potentially injured enough to be taken off the course and nope, not going to let that happen! Especially after the first year's episode with the previous running buddy! Nope, not happening!


So, the race is complete, we are freezing, it has only warmed up to 34 degrees. Not much more than freezing. 


We head to the tents for bananas and water then off we go. We find my Disney friend and my son. She has been kind enough to keep him while I run a couple times. She's such a cool friend.


We met up later that night for drinks and dinner but my li'l guy falls asleep and cuts the night short. It's always nice to see her and catch up.


So, after a few days of Disney and eating, we make the trek home with nostalgia of the week that is now behind us...funny thing, the day we leave the weather begins to warm up and 55 degrees feels like a sauna!


Stay tuned for part 3 of the Disney Marathon Saga!


Keep running!

Geocaching Adventure unfolds.

Let the Geocaching begin!!!


Easter Weekend was filled with some outdoor activities, one of note would be our geocaching adventure. It was a lot of fun but some disappointments awaited us during out search for these little hidden treasures.


It was a beautiful weekend! I couldn't have planned it better! My brother, his son, my son, my partner in crime and of course myself embarked our journey through the urban trenches. 


I laid down the rules of the game...go to the first geocache site first, once you find it, take a picture and go directly back to the base camp...in this case, base camp is the front porch of my humble abode. The one who wins gets, are you ready for it? Oh yeah, bragging rights! That's it folks! Don't expect anything fancy here! Just a good laugh, good exercise and a good time! 


So, once the rules were defined, we set off in two teams. Team one, my brother, his son and my son...my son is quite the navigator even though he's only 9. Team 2, my partner in crime and me.  


We followed the GPS on the iPhone and jogged to our first destination, lovingly named "Walk the dog" by the geocachers who placed it there. Let's just say, the name certainly fits the destination. The destination was snuggled in a small ravine on a slope behind a house. The vegetation was getting thick as spring has taken hold but not thick enough to provide a huge challenge. When we got to the location, behind the house, there were some dogs who lovingly made our presence known...so much for giving it away to Team 1! It took us probably 15 - 20 minutes to find this little container with a few little trinkets inside and a pen to scribble our named on quickly. 


As I'm writing our names, the pen surely did not want to write, Team 1 appears just as I'm tucking the container back into it's little tiny hiding place. Darn! Now they found it! I made it too easy for them. Had we been a few minutes faster we would have not given away the spot. That's ok though.


Team 2 (me and my partner in crime) headed back to base camp to link up and start to point 2, "The wall of green". We waited and waited only to find out that Team 1 went on to point 2 without coming to base camp. So, off we ran! 


As we were all looking forward to finding these geocaches we began to realize that the geocaches were not there. How is that possible?! Well, come to find out, the people who placed them there placed them where the landscapers would think it was garbage and throw it away. So off to point 3 we went...this point too ended in disappointment. There was no geocache there either...attack of the landscapers part 2! Both places had been neatly manicured and there was no sign of the geocache being there anymore. 


I have to say, even with 2 missing geocaches and a little miscommunication, we had a blast! We actually got in some good exercise and enjoyed our time together! 


Stay tuned for the rest of the story!

Adventures of Geocaching fitness

So, I've caught the bug thanks to a dear Louisiana friend of mine! I've heard of this a long time ago but I never did attempt this BUT...my dear friend has taken photos of his excursions and I love to take photos too! So, as I combine photos and running...why not combine all three?!

We can make it a running geocache scavenger hunt with pictures, oh yeah what a funfilled family event that will be! Then, we can come up with little prizes for the first to find the geocache. The catch is, when you find it, to prove you found it, you have to take a picture of it! Totally cool! Well...ok, let me slow down a bit here. I'm getting ahead of myself!

Ok, now I'm back down from my cloud and have pumped the breaks on my excitement so I can devise a plan of maneuver here.

Why don't I try this geocaching thing first and then, once perfected or at least I become a little more of an expert, not a novice, I can begin to create my geocaching fitness regime. Of course, let us not forget the photography, that is a must for any occasion...

...well...

Almost any occasion!

Here's the plan for my first adventure. Those involved, with the exception of my partner in crime here, are completely unaware of the adventure we are about to embark on.

My brother and his son are coming in for Easter weekend and my plan is to have a competition between teams of 2+

My brother and his son against me, my partner in crime and of course my son.

Ohhhh...I cannot wait! The weather will be perfect and the adventure will only be the icing on the cake for this geocaching extravaganza we intend to do!

Stay tuned for more on this!

Until then, have a happy, healthy, fit Easter Weekend! 

A Root Beer Kind of Day!

Today was the day that ended the day! Well, if you don't understand what I mean, let me explain.  The last two days felt like one long one and today was its ending. Sadly, I must admit I have run only once in a week...it was a good run, a run in Chicago along the boardwalk and yes...for those of you who have never been to Chicago...it IS the windy city! I froze like an icicle. 


Anway, I digress...Today I actually felt the wrath of two things:

1. I did not run but once in a week and that can make for a lazy day and...
2. the last two days felt like one long never-ending one. 

Both of which led to my desire for a drink!...

...no, no, no!...

Not the alcoholic one that creates that woozy feeling that makes you feel all comfy cozy, but that sugary, carbony goodness that gives you no other response but mmmmm  mmmmm mmmmm!!! It's the other yummy beverage with the word Beer in it! Yep, Root Beer! 

So, of course the exhaustion I have felt has led to drinking root beer. For the better part of the day I ate pretty well until now! I just can't resist stuffed crust pizza. So, I ate about a piece and a half.  

We'll, it's almost Easter and I'll be eating again...and, I will run. I have a 4 day weekend coming up! No excuses!