The Hangover Run Virtual 5K

Just finished my first virtual run.  In an effort to complete 13 races this year and because the weather is so awfully hot outside, I decided to sign up for The Hangover Run.  I ran this race on the treadmill at my convenience.  It was actually quite nice.  

Emily's Race Time:  36:52

The race is based on the honor system.  You sign up, complete the race on designated dates, submit your race time and photo (optional), and after the race closes your medal is sent to you in the mail.  Proceeds go to support a charity.  Simple enough!  I may do more of these races in the future.  

Rhythm & Blues 5K

On February 10th, Nick, Kellie and I ran the Rhythm & Blues 5K.  There were several bands scheduled to play along the course, but the weather threatened, so many of the bands canceled.  The course had several inclines, so music along the route was a great way to keep me motivated.  

After our race, there was a half marathon.  While snacking on post-race goodies, we became spectators of the half marathon.  It was fun and entertaining.  The course made three laps, so we were able to watch the front runner and cheer for him.  


Official results for Rhythm & Blues 5K held on Sunday, February 10, 2013: 
Emily's Official Time:  34:06
- 525 of 1174 finishers
- 67 of 159 females aged 30-34

Nick's Official Time:  30:20
- 296 of 1174 finishers
- 36 of 62 males aged 30-34

Color in Motion 5K

Color in Motion 5K was my first "color" run.  I have to say I was a little disappointed that it is advertised as a 5K, according to my Nike watch the course was a little over 3 miles.  That aside, it was a pretty fun run.

The race started at 9am.  We got there early so we had time to walk around.  They had heats every 5 minutes, we chose to run in the second heat. At the starting line, there was a dj playing music and tossing promotional items into the crowd.  There were a few overzealous runners, who used their color packets prior to the race.  We were able to remain clean until right before the race began.  

There were 4 color stations along the route:  red, purple, red green.  There were a few uphill spots along the route, which made me glad we've been running on a pedestrian bridge during our workouts.  I saw several people with strollers, pushing little ones.  I was surprised how many people were running with kids.  

At the end of the race, the route narrows to about two people wide.  There were plenty of people cheering at the end.  Kellie and I finished the race together, she caught me on an uphill.  By the end of the race, we were pretty "colored".

We ran with a few friends, and met up with one another at the post-race party.  

The post-race party included the dj playing music and sponsors handing out more goodies.  If you didn't have enough color from the race, the dj encouraged the finishers periodically to throw their color which created huge clouds of color!  And if that wasn't enough color for the color enthusiasts, there were buckets of color scattered throughout the dance floor.  

Once you had all of the color you could handle, there were two "blow stations"- two guys with leaf blowers that will blow the color right off of you!  

ABB 5K

The ABB 5K was an incredible experience; it is held in conjunction with the Houston Chevron Marathon.  This was my second 5K and I was hoping for a little better results, but the fact of the matter is I completed a 5K and I am proud of that.  There were 3183 runners, so the streets always seemed a bit crowded.  I felt like I couldn't keep a steady pace because I was slowing down due to the person in front of me or I was having to speed up to pass people.  The weather was approximately 70 degrees and humid, very humid.  The roads were wet, which means some spots were pretty slick.  Although rain threatened the race, it held off, and I was very grateful for that.   

The picture below is me and Kellie after the race, showing off our finisher's medals.  

Official results for ABB 5K held on Saturday, January 12, 2013. 
- Official Time:  36:07
- 1812 of 3183 finishers
- 133 of 262 females aged 30-34
- 856 of 1826 all females

Rudolph Run 5k

Well, Nick and I completed our first 5K!!!  It was incredible!  The weather was cooperative and the festivities were fantastic.  The race left me feeling like I could do anything in the world.  Of course, I have plenty of pictures to share.  

The Rudolph Run 5K website encouraged us to dress in costumes.  And you know there was no way we were passing up this opportunity.  Kellie and I dressed as snowmen.  

I even convinced Nick get into the Christmas spirit.  

Originally, Nick and I were going to run our first race together.  But once the race started, I told Nick to go ahead and run at his own pace.  He finished a few minutes before me and had enough time to get the camera and snap a few photos as I finished the race.  

We waited for Kellie to finish her first 10k.  Here she is approaching the finish line.  

Afterwards we walked around,  and got a few pictures with Santa.  

Unbeknown to us, Kellie and I were entered into the costume contest.  (Because we had awesome Snowmen costumes, of course!!)  We had no intention of entering the contest, the race coordinator chose the contestants as we neared the finish line.  The little girl in the photo won the contest.  Congrats to her (even though she didn't seem very thrilled about it)!

And here we are showing off our finisher's medals.