The Race that Never Happened

Have you ever run a free race?

Well, I haven't either! But let me tell about the one I signed up for...

The Twin Cities area Lululemons posted a link on their Facebook, and handed information out in their stores about a a race they were going to host, and it was going to be FREE!! Now, we all know that Lululemon never gives anything away for free, so my sister and I were pretty excited about the idea!

Right away the only info that was given, was a link to register, that the race was 13k and it would be in St. Paul. They only had 1000 spots for runners so my sister and I signed up as soon as we heard about it! It fit perfectly into our training plans, and it was FREE! So, why not, right?

Let me tell you WHY NOT!!

First, when scouting races to run, make sure that the company hosting the race has a clear idea of what the race is going to look like. My sister attended a special "informational" event hosted at the Lululemon store. She had many questions about the race itself, such as: what is the course, would there be water stops, and/or porta-potties along the course, would the race be timed? None of her questions could be answered by the Lululemon staff. They were however, very helpful in helping her pick out the perfect outfit for the occasion!!

Second, when registering for a race, make sure that that the critical information is given to you! Packet pick-up is a great time for race directors to hand out maps, and give information to the racers. The Lululemon packet pick-up was simply ridiculous! My sister just walked in the store, got her bib (and mine!) without being asked for an ID, asked a few questions (that again, no one could answer) and was pointed in the direction of the clothing!!

The main question you need to have answered when running a race is: where is the starting line!

No address was ever given, and this was probably the most frustrating part of this "race that never happened"! We seriously drove around St. Paul for an hour and a half looking for the starting line!! It was a beautiful fall morning, and we did get a nice tour of our state capitol, including the Capitol Building, the St. Paul Cathedral, the beautiful homes on Summit Ave, and just about ever college campus in the St. Paul area! I also was subjected to my sister's road rage, as she became frustrated with my map reading skills and tried to give me whiplash!!! I can tell you that it was an really "fun" time!!

About 30 minutes before the start of the "race", we finally found the starting line, only to be further discouraged by the fact that the only parking available in a 3-mile radius was "permit parking only"!

Translation: BIG FINES!!

There was simply no where to park! And we did not think that paying a fine, or having the car towed would be a great way to end this race!! Let alone, having to walk "X" amount of extra miles to the actual starting line!

We drove around the neighborhood for about 10 more minutes, trying to find a parking spot, and watching the all the Lululemon clade ladies (in full make-up!!) head to the starting line!

Not once did we see a porta-potty or a water stop! We were beyond frustrated, and didn't have a great feel for this "race" as we made one more loop to find a parking spot!





Coming up empty-handed, we decided to just give up and head home! Race Fail!

Our blood pressure was the only thing that got a workout today!

I guess you get what you pay for!! From here on out, I'm never going to complain about race fees!! :)



Have you ever had a RACE FAIL??

Energy Bits Review and Giveaway!

Early this summer, I first heard about Energy Bits from many other bloggers and Energy Bits' amazing social media presence. They do a great job of participating with all kinds of athletes on Twitter, and as the word spread, I was intrigued, and a little anxious. As many of you know, I suffer from some extreme stomach issues. They have been getting better, but still flare up when I eat the wrong things! (If you don't know what I am talking about, I was on a white diet for over 10 months!!) I did not really want to shell out the money for something that could cause me lots of distress! Lucky for me, one of their reps, Jonathan, agreed to send me a sample to try!

I tried the bits for the first time during a short training run. I didn't want to get to far away from home and have issues!! 

Well, not only did I not experience any of the issues common with gels,  I felt amazing the entire time! I had a really great run! 3.5 miles went by like nothing! I even felt great the rest of the day!

Yesterday, was my long run day and I decided to take Energy Bits out on another test run! I had 8 miles scheduled, the longest I have run in quite a long time, and I was NERVOUS about it! Even with all my evening-before-the-run preparations, I did not sleep well, only getting about 3 1/2 hours of sleep (due to many different issues!). I woke up very cranky and wondering if I should postpone my run. I'd had planned on heading out of the door at 6am, so I was up at 5am to fuel and get ready. I was so tired that I decided to just eat a bowl of cereal and go back to bed for an hour. I woke up at 6:30am and took my Energy Bits (30 bits) and water, and headed out the door. 

I was pretty sluggish my first mile, which is pretty normal for me, but this was really bad, I thought about turning around and just going back to bed. I kept running and in about 20 minutes I had quite of boost of energy. My body was feeling great and the miles, while not fast, were flying by. 

Mentally I was beating myself up for not running faster, for not getting enough sleep, for choosing such a hilly route, for not getting an earlier start, for the weather, for everything, but physically I was feeling AMAZING!! My physical energy was through the roof! Even though my mind never caught up, my body felt so energized and I ended up running 8.41 miles! It was great!

But what was even better, was the way I felt after my run! I wasn't dead-tired, I had more energy!! I felt awesome, and I can only equate it to the Energy Bits! Everything else was going wrong, and with the supreme lack of sleep, I am amazed at how I felt both during and after my run!! These little bits are truly one of a kind!

I’ve tried other energy supplements before, with mixed results! I have of course had many stomach issues but I’ve also never felt like I had a boost in my energy levels. Others who have reviewed Energy Bits have talked about the sustained energy they feel, opposed to just a short energy boost that many other products give.  This is due to the make up of the Energy Bit, they are 100% organicallly grown spirulina algae and loaded with 40 nutrients, Energy Bits algae tabs have the highest concentration of protein in the world (64%) and just one calorie per tab.  Worth a try, right?!

OMG! They are GREEN!

30 Energy Bits = 1 serving

YES! They are green!! and they taste like it!  The recommended "dose" of bits is 30-50, which seems crazy but they are only about the size of a small aspirin.  Energy Bits says you can chew, or swallow the bits.  Just by smelling the container, I knew I would want to swallow them, they are very strong. Much stronger than a green monster, or other green smoothie, but along the same lines. Others, who are brave enough to chew them, have claimed they get green teeth from chewing! I decided to swallow my bits, and it did not take very long, I was able to swallow them about 5 at a time.  

With my first use of Energy Bits, I was unsure if I should eat food with the bit or if I should just be powered-by-bits. I went with just the bits in my stomach, as it was going to be a short run, and I really wanted to test if my stomach will handle the little bits! 

After emailing Jonathan, I discovered that just eating the bits is perfect, and that is exactly what he does, and he is good for 6-7 miles! He suggested eating something with the bits, if you need more calories, for a longer run. Since the bits only have 1 calorie a piece, 30 bits are only providing 30 calories for your run! This seems crazy to me, but those 30 calories really do their job!! 

How do they Work?

Energy Bits are made from 100% spirulina algae.  Haven't heard of this superfood yet? I took this from Energy Bit's website, as I think they do a better job explaining their product than I could!!

     ENERGYbits® algae tabs are your answer for raw energy and health. All naturally too. With just one calorie     per tab, ENERGYbits® will stop your cravings, slay your hunger and give you a steady stream of energy all day or night. They may even make you want to leap over tall buildings in a single bound, but we think that’s best left to the guys in the red capes and blue tights.  Remarkably, our ENERGYbits® have just one ingredient, spirulina algae which is a super hero in the world of super foods. Spirulina’s nutritional pedigree is so impressive that The World Bank, NASA and Olympic athletes have all declared spirulina to be the most nutritious food in the entire world. Why? Well for starters, it effortlessly and naturally boosts your energy like an energy drink, energy bar or coffee  but without the downside of chemicals, caffeine, calories or sugar and gram per gram, there is no denser source of nutrition than spirulina algae. Research done by NASA showed that that 1 kg of spirulina had the nutritional  equivalent of 1000 kg of fruits and vegetables.  That's a  lot of groceries! But if an endorsement by NASA isn’t enough to convince you of the health benefits you’ll get from our ENERGYbits® and spirulina, consider that many International Health Organizations including the United Nations have hailed spirulina as one of the “Greatest Superfoods on Earth.” Don’t worry if you haven’t heard about this super food yet. You will. It may be virtually unknown in America but for the last 50 years, millions worldwide have taken it to improve their energy. Now it’s your turn. 

Disclosure & Giveaway

I don’t work for Energy Bits, but I was provided with a free sample. The opinions I have written are my own and I do not benefit from giving Energy Bits a positive review. I just wanted to share my experience with these, I was curious about them and I know you were probably too!  

I completely encourage you to try Energy Bits out!  And to do so, Energy Bits is giving me a sample to give to you! So, go ahead and sign up to win some Energy Bits!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Weekend of Ups and Downs!

What a fun and very full weekend!! I cannot believe how many ups and downs this weekend held for me!


Friday night was date night with my boyfriend. We kept it simple and went to our local Rib Fest. It is held in a fairy new park in Mankato, and it was the first time we had been to the Rib Fest since it moved to this location. It was fun to sample different Ribs from Pit Master from across the country. There was live music and lots of people watching (one of our favorite past times!).  I tried to watch what I ate, but I very rarely eat meat, and the ribs were so delicious that I ended up eating more than I have planned on! We ended our evening early, since I had to be up early to volunteer at the Hy-Vee Iron Kids Triathlon in the morning!

It was an early Saturday morning for me! I was headed to the Hy-Vee Iron Kids Triathlon to work at the finish line, and I was super excited! I heard about this event in early July and heard that they were in need of volunteers, it was a no brainer for me to volunteer! I just wanted to be on the "other-side" of a race, and get excited for the kids who were racing!






The whole event was a lot of fun to watch! Those kids are amazing, and looked totally professional! Even the youngest (and smallest) girl at 6 years old looked like a pro crossing the finish line!

I have to say that the event, however, was not the most organized in relationship to the volunteers! When I arrived, there was no one checking in volunteers, there was just a pile of volunteer t-shirts, and no one around! I found a shirt, threw it on and headed over to the finish line. At the finish area, there were about 20 volunteers looking confused. After some introductions, it was pretty clear that no one really was in-charge, and I took control (not really wanting to, but no one had ever been to a race or seen a finish line set up before!!), and we got the entire finish area set up. There was so many different food and drink options for the kids!!

I explained some of the different jobs that we needed, such as people to give out medals, others to take timing chips off the kids, and others to hand out food and water, and a couple to drop the finisher ribbon/banner for each child.

Finally, after we pretty much had everything ready to go, someone in-charge came over to us and pretty much went through the same info! Lol!

Soon the kids were off and we were anxiously waiting for the first finisher! My first job was to hand out medals! It was so much fun to watch the kids running to the finish with HUGE smiles on their faces! It really gave me so much joy to be watching a race -- for once!!

During the second and third wave, I got to drop the finisher banner! Iron Kids wants each child to feel special at the finish line, so we were asked to try to have every child "hit" the banner! It was great cheering on the little kids coming in! I teared up a couple of times, just because the kids were glowing with pride and joy as the crossed!! It was so inspiring!

At the end of the second wave the Minnesota Vikings' Cheerleaders showed up and took over "my job" for awhile. It was pretty funny watching the two cheerleaders try to figure out how to drop the banner, and quickly get it ready for the next child! They quickly got frustrated and turned the job back over to me and the other volunteer!

Cheerleaders taking over the finish line! Pompoms and all!

The last wave was the youngest kids, and it was so cute watching them run in! We had to hold the finisher banner so low!!

After the race finished, I helped set up the awards area, cleaned and helped take apart the bike racks in the transition area. It was a great morning! Truly inspiring and uplifting! My throat was sore from cheering and my heart was full of joy!

After a quick shower, Ryan and I decided to drive up to Minneapolis to try out an italian restaurant that we have been talking about for awhile. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon, and the food was AMAZING!! Probably the best italian I have had....ever!

The place is called Broders and has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the FoodNetwork. It is really worth a visit! After eating we went to my very favorite store: Anthropologie and I spent WAY too much money on some very cute clothes!! It was such a happy day, that I felt like I needed a little treat. :)

We also went to REI, so I could pick up my sister's birthday present: a Garmin Forerunner 10. She wanted the pink watch, and I just couldn't resist picking up the purple one for myself -- again a nice little treat!!

We called it an early day and headed home at about 5pm. Again, I had a very early wake-up call and wanted to get everything ready for my long run!

I wanted to be in bed by 9pm, since I was waking up to get ready for my 6am run at 5am (yes, it takes me about an hour to be fully prepared!) Well, things got busy and I didn't get to bed until almost midnight. Then I couldn't fall asleep, I had really worked myself up about my long run, and I think it was nerves. Well, once I got settled, the dogs started freak out.....ugh!!! They were restless and were determined to keep me up! I think I finally fell asleep after 2am.

Needless to say, when the alarm went off at 5am, I was exhausted!! I decided to postpone the run the run for an hour and try to sleep. I got up and ate a little -- my stomach does much better on a run, if I eat about an hour to 2 before I run -- and went back to bed.

An hour later, I was up and still not feeling it! Grrrr.

I made myself get up, get dressed and get out the door!! The first mile was hell! Both my mind and my body were fighting me to return to bed, but I kept going. I was really giving myself a hard time about the route I chose (super hilly!!), and the weather (HUMID!!). I struggled for about the first 2 miles and then settled into a good pace.

My body felt really great, all things considered, but my mind was just a mess, couldn't get the negative self-talk under control.

I just kept pushing and finished my 8.41 miles in 1 hour 50 minutes. I am not happy with that time, but I'll take it, I pretty much walked the entire 1st mile and probably the majority of the 2nd.

I need to give myself a break as far as time is concerned. Just like my last long run (7miles), I get so focused on hitting the right time that when I am slower I just beat myself up, which is stupid because it is just a training run!!! I need to stop comparing myself to everyone else and just be happy for myself that I got 8.41 miles in!! This is my goal for next week's long run: no negative self-talk!!

 

Today has been a pretty lazy day, just relaxing, icing my hip and shins and catching up on laundry!!

What did you do this weekend? Did you get your long run in?

Where I Run

It took me a long time to say "I'm a runner", or even to tell people "I run", mainly because I am not the stereotypical runner. I am athletic and always have been but people who just meet me would probably not put me in the category: runner.

When I tell people "I'm a runner" the question I get asked most often is "why?" or "why do you run, running sucks!" I have my general answer to that question down. It is in many ways a very boring question to ask, mainly because I get sick of giving the same answer, and it is generally the one question I am asked about running.

It is very rare to be asked, "Where do you run?", but it is a great question! It is a question that gets me excited, I want to answer this question, because I love where I run and in the back of my head, I want to convince everyone that where I run is just as amazing as I think it is!

My runs don't take me past oceans, or mountains or national monuments or even great city sights. I run in Mankato, Minnesota, heard of it? Probably not. Mankato is a small town located in southern Minnesota, about an hour away from the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

To best explain where I run, you need to know that Mankato is a town of hills, we are located in the Minnesota River Valley, so if you Run Kato, you have to know how to handle your hills!

Mankato boasts over 100 miles of paved paths for runners, cyclists and walkers. We have just about that many miles of unpaved paths as well, so when choosing a daily route, my choices are unlimited!

Mankato is a town that caters to runners (and cyclists and walkers), the paths are always being maintained and expanded. We hold 2 triathlons, a full marathon weekend, a very challenging 10k, a mud run, a zombie run, and multiple 5ks each year. We are truly a hidden runner's paradise.


While many people in Mankato choose to stick to the sidewalks in the flat areas of town, I love to get outside of the city and run on our extensive trail system. My favorite trail system has over 13 miles of paved trail traveling through the beautiful Minnesota forest area.

I love to run here in the morning, especially when it is cool and foggy. There is always a group of deer standing near or on the trail during morning runs to greet or scare the runners! They are so used to humans being on the trail they don't even move, just watch as we run by, probably laughing at our speed!

The trail starts right in the parking lot of the school I work at, and the local YMCA. When I arrive at the parking lot, there are always groups of runners stretching, some already having come back from their run, others gearing up for theirs. The trail takes runners though some residential area out into the countryside through rolling hills, past our local ski hill (note, not a mountain!), over an old railroad tressel bridge and to the small town of Rapidan.

Weekends are the best, everyone seems to have the same anxiety about their long run. This trail is so popular with runners that there are coolers and water bottles stashed every few miles (where the trail can be reach from the road) for runners to hydrate and refuel. It is a true sense of runners community, we are all out there alone, but also somehow together.

I love the sense of community our on the trail and The Red Jacket trail is my favorite trail to run, but I don't always enjoy the crowds, or the out-and-back route. Instead, I have found wonderful loops to run both from my house and from other starting points on the trail. These loops leave the paved path and give way to lonely gravel roads, long gradual (and some not to gradual) hills, and to my most recent find a unpaved lake trail.




These are the runs that I love the most, I love being outside of town, the only human for miles, surrounded by the hills of Mankato, and the vast blue Minnesota sky.

I run outside all year-long. I love the change of seasons and the best way to really experience them it to run through them. Our trails and paths are cleared of snow in the winter, and I love an early winter run through the woods. It calms my soul, as well as freezes my toes!!




I can't say I have a favorite Mankato run, I love them all. I try to hit all of my loops and trails each week, and feel bad when I have neglected a route. They all have something to offer, the challenge of hills to climb, the beauty of the surrounding area, or a sense of community.

I can truly say that I run Kato, and it is amazing!

Not Every Run Can Be A Good Run...

First, I want to give a big shot out to all of you who participated in our RunDisney Blog Hop! I hope you enjoyed getting to meet some new bloggers and were able to check out their blogs! I know I found some new blogs to follow and some really inspiring stories!! If you posted your blog, I have gotten to almost all of your blogs and have left a message! Please continue to do the same, and give our RunDisney friends some love. Here is the link to the Blog Hop:

  http://kristyrunskato.blogspot.com/2013/07/welcome-to-team-rundisney-blog-hop.html 

 it is open for a few more days, so you can still get in on the fun!! 

My training has been going really well for the past two weeks! I did my scheduled 7 mile long run on Saturday, and then ran another 3 miles on Sunday. I felt great! After my long run, I tried out my new 110% Play Harder Juggler Knickers (what a name!!). They are really awesome compression capris that have special pockets in them to hold ice packs! They are wonderful! I did not get sore or tight after my run! I love them so much that I went ahead and ordered the calf compression sleeves too!! Can't wait for them to arrive!

On Monday, I was supposed to meet my BF at the track for a quick track workout. He was running late and I decided to just use the time to run before he got there. Well, I lost track of time and ended up running 5 miles before he arrived (he was REALLY late!!). We did a quick mile workout and called it a night! Again, I felt great! The 5 miles went by so fast, and felt so great! I was so happy with my progress!

Tuesday, I decided to run on the track again, it was a cooler than Monday and I was craving the same feeling of success. I put in 3.5 easy miles, and again felt fantastic! I wanted to push for 5 miles, but I didn't wear socks in my new shoes and had a blister starting. So, I settled with 3.5, although I really felt like I could do much more! Great feeling right?!

So, from Saturday to Tuesday I had put in 18.5 miles of running and about 6 miles walking!

Wednesday was a beautiful day!! 70 degrees! What a relief from the heatwave we had last week! It was sunny and I just had to get out for a run. Having run on the track two days in a row, I decided to take my run out on the trail. This is a new 3.5 mile loop I found, a hidden gem that I never knew was there before. Half of the run is on a gravel road, and the other half loops through the woods around a secluded lake! It is heaven on the joints and the eyes!!

I started out pretty slow, just enjoying the day and the views. At about 1 mile, my stomach started cramping, and I wasn't sure if I should just turn around or run through it. I decided to just walk awhile and see what happened. While my stomach cramped through the rest of the run, I am very glad this was not me....!!!

I was think of this video the entire way!! I was able to pick up the pace once I hit the trail, but I wasn't feeling the groove I was in the last few days! Duh! I needed to rest! My legs were screaming at me to just walk, and give them a break! I ran intervals for awhile, enjoying the beauty of the trail and the peaceful quiet of the area. Towards the end of the run, I pretty much sprinted back to my car, I just wasn't feeling the run, and just wanted it to be over. Even the beauty of my route couldn't make up for the fact that I was having a bad run. I was upset with myself and doing some pretty awful self-talk. I was really down.

But then it hit me! I needed to give myself a break! I needed to take care of myself and I needed to just remember that not every run feels great! I got 3.5 very slow miles in, and that was not bad! Especially after the streak I had been running! This was a lot more than I could do last year after my injury and I should be grateful for every mile I can do, even if I am walking! After my little pity-party and building myself back up, I went home, showered and did some retail therapy! 

Punkee Love Headbands are made right in my hometown and they were having a sale at their warehouse! Yes!! I went and got 6 new bands for $50!!! This made my night!!

How do you get over a bad run?? How has your training been going?

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Welcome to Team #runDisney Blog Hop, where we have the grand opportunity to meet and connect with new bloggers, such as myself! This is a great opportunity to meet some new friends and share our training journeys before running our RunDisney races!

 Enjoy!

Rules (Not really rules but a guide):

1. Please Follow your host's blog 

I am your host,  Kristy @ KristyRunsKato and I am the first linky. 

Please leave a comment and introduce yourself!

2. Link it!

Link up your blog . Share your race recaps, your RunDisney plans, or anything that you love this week. Please, please, please, share the love and include a link back to this blog hop.

3. Spread it!

This is a blog hop after all, so hop around! Visit other blogs and say Hi!

4. Tweet it!

Tweet

Please help me to promote this blog hop by sharing it to others. 

So tweet it to show everyone where you link up on Thursdays!

6. The most important rule of them all, HAVE FUN BLOG HOPPING!

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN! ENTER YOUR BLOG HERE! LET'S START THE FUN!

I have created a button you can use for your blog to direct readers to our Blog Hop! 

  <a href="http://kristyrunskato.blogspot.com"><img border="0" src=" https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilAui_2Y6OM5ffcXfZpb9HyBD_fsZGB4AjEFxKN5f3ppF582MUKS6Z2c6IAYa7WDYsUiQE9wwZOpC1MJtcjnMDJQ6B3bYbq4qh27qgpmdhVoiXWMiStcjWhyylMdY1lUqc82kWB0wRPnU/w164-h154-p-no/ "/></a>

Race Schedule

Here are my up-coming races:


August: Team Ortho Women Rock 1/2 Marathon:

October: Mankato 1/2 Marathon (2014)

 October: Team Ortho Monster Dash 1/2 Marathon

October: TC Looney Challenge (5k, 10k & 10 Miler)

November: Disney's Wine & Dine --> Disney World

November: Disney's Avenger's 1/2 Marathon --> Disneyland

April: Big Sur

May: Pixi Dust Challenge

Do you have any races coming up? What is on your calendar? Are you running any of these races?