Tag: 5K

• See Jane Run

  Posted at 6:41 AM by Brittany, on July 21, 2014

  A few weeks ago I won a giveaway for a free race entry from P’s blog. Hands down the best giveaway I’ve ever won. I thought I “should” run the half marathon because it’s the distance I’ve raced for the last two years, but I decided to run the 5K. Best decision of the week.

  

  I hadn’t run a 5K “race” since April 2012, and to be honest 5K races really aren’t my thing these days. I don’t usually have a desire to spend $$ on a 3 mile race, but this run was a nice change of pace.

  Everything about this race was on point. Everything.

  It could have been because of my delicious breakfast brought to you by the lady Siren of Starbucks (Komodo Dragon drip coffee-black as night), and a vegan/gluten free pumpkin ginger muffin from The Flying Apron (a local/new to me company I am obsessed with!)

  

  

  THOSE GINGER PIECES!

  It could have been because this was the first race I didn’t stress about arrival/time(MY GARMIN DIED ON ME so I didn’t even use it for the run)/weather/fuel-the joy of a short run means minimal everything.

  

  It could have been the amazing location, with some of the best views I’ve seen on a run. We ran by the water for 80% of the 3.1 miles.

  

  

  See that concrete?? That is the running path. HELLO WATER VIEW!

  It could have been the atmosphere that was overwhelmingly positive, supportive, and full of fun activities. Such as a chalk board to write why you run, a post race photo booth, and posters for spectators.

  

  My addition to the “I run because” board. I run for food, and for a healthy life…full of food.

  

  Bottom right…someone had a different idea. Valid reason…

  It could have been the girl I focused on staying with, whom I thanked after for helping me run my new race PR. If I wasn’t running the half I told myself I had to push it for the 5K. Come to find out, having me on her tail pushed her as much as me chasing her pushed me. Win.

  

  It was so hot out, I was a legit hot mess…this photo booth was very forgiving of my sweaty face.

  It could have been the immense sense of independence and power I felt in running another race among 100’s of other women. I totally choked up while reading the “motto” of this race.

  

  OR it could have been the swag bag full of food I got after the race, along with a glass of champagne and a chocolate coconut bar. I’m not a fan of champagne, or any booze really so I only drank a few sips.  My post race treat was to come later, another C word…take a guess.

  

  I got a medal…for a 5K! This NEVER happens..too legit.

  

  I’m normally a chocolate cupcake connoisseur, but this carrot vanilla cake from the heavens was so.damn.good. After the race/stuffing my face with this cupcake beauty I wandered the area and then ended up heading to Green Lake for a few more miles.

  

  I will definitely do this race again, but next year I would like to run the half. If you have a SJR event in your area (two in CA, one in WA, and one in KS) I HIGHLY suggest you run it. There were even a few men!

  

  OH-and for all you number lovers, my official time was 28:25 (9:09 pace), which is 1:33 faster than my previous race PR. I say “race PR” because I’ve run 3.1 milers on my own time that were quicker. My best EVER in general was at a 9:01 pace. SO CLOSE to sub 9min/mi.

  Also, I’ve not run under 9:30 miles in months, this was indeed a push.

  Q: What was one of your proudest accomplishments from last week?

  

  | 41 Comments Tagged 5K, Gluten Free, Race, Run, Seattle, Vegan

• Running For Doughnuts Makes You Run Faster

  Posted at 5:48 PM by Brittany, on April 29, 2012

  There is something “off” about people that wake up at 5am to go running. Fortunately for me, I was never really “on” in the first place. This morning that’s exactly what I did, I awoke at 5am and headed to Seattle to get my run on. My running partner had to attend to more important things, so this was my first solo race. I was a bit apprehensive about going alone, but it turned out to be a smooth day. 

  Smooth flow number one – Timing. I arrived an hour and a half before race time. This ensured zero lines when picking up my race packet. 

  

  Smooth flow number two – Parking. Arriving early means prime pickins for parking. I was literally parked 30 seconds from the starting line. 

  Smooth flow number three – First to use the biffy. Ohh this was a real treat. A brand new outhouse, ready for me to destroy. An hour and a half driving in the car was more than enough time to brew my morning…what rhymes with brew..

  Smooth flow number four – Starbs across the street. I was able to walk to Starbucks, get a coffee, feel the crack caffeine sink in, and use the biffy a few more times before the race.

  The smooth morning continued as I laced up my shoes with my sweat pink laces, and I headed off for a walk around the lake. 

  

  I awkwardly asked for my photo taken, it was almost like asking Santa for an unreasonable gift..it’s just..awkward. 

  

  If you look closely you can see an adorable vein protruding from my neck. This was obviously due to the caffeine stuffing its way through my blood stream. Bring on the shakes! You’ll also notice a small chunk missing from the bottom left corner of my race number. 

  

  If you thought I waited until after I ran to get my free doughnut you are out of your mind. I was not going to wait in a line and get the bottom of the barrel doughnut, I wanted first picks. 

  

  Post race I only took one bite out of that horse hoof. I had an upset stomach so I decided I wasn’t going to eat the whole thing. DO NOT fret, I gave it to someone else. NEVER waste! I still got my celebratory bite, and that was all I needed.

  Speaking of upset stomach, yesterday I had similar tummy issues and I only ate a bagel and a protein bar. I was sure my run today would be affected due to this. I could only muster a few bites of a sandwich this morning, and a few sips of water. During the run I felt sluggish. My chest hurt, and I wanted it to be over. Come to find out, I managed a PR and ran the fastest 5K to date. I ran 3.12 miles in 29:58, a 9:36 pace. I ran a race on this very same course two months ago and my time then was a minute and 34 seconds slower. I’ll take the improvement! I only wonder what my time would have been had I fueled properly. 

  Although I wasn’t hungry for a doughnut (blasphemy!) I went to Mighty-O’s to get myself a vegan sugar fix. 

  

  I figured there is no way to justify buying a dozen doughnuts for yourself..so I settled on 5 mini’s. 

  To sum up this post, today I ran my first race alone, I ran for doughnuts, I ran faster than past races, I christened a port-o-potty (seriously this is a big deal), and I survived the streets of Seattle without getting hit by another car. I think my post title pretty much says it all. I’d say it was a successful day. 

  Q: Best post race treat you’ve received, or if you’ve never completed a race what WOULD you run for? Few things can beat a free doughnut…except maybe a free cat. 

  

  | 43 Comments Tagged 5K, Donuts, PR, Race, Running, Sweat Pink

• New Digs

  Posted at 6:17 PM by Brittany, on February 10, 2012

  If you were to tell me a year ago that I would end up running more than I bake, I would laugh in your face. I started running to challenge myself with a sport many people steer away from. As I’ve increase my mileage I have realized my beloved five fingers aren’t going to be enough for my longer runs. With that said, I buckled down and bought a pair of running shoes. 

  

  I had my heart set on the bright blue and green pair of Brooks, but when I found out the running shop didn’t have a single pair of Brooks in my size, I opened my mind to something else. I tried on at least 5 pairs of shoes before buying the first and ugliest pair I had tried on. 

  

  My immediate thought when I put these on was, “these look like old lady shoes.” Despite the hideous yellow and grey, these shoes felt the best..or so I thought. I ran a couple miles in these and while I was running they felt fine, but then when I was walking around after my run I felt as if my foot was folding into the inside of the shoe. I am new to running shoes like this so I don’t know what I should be looking for. My feet are comfortable in the shoe, and while running I felt ok..so I am torn on how to decide if I love them. These weren’t cheap and I want to be sure I love them so I can get some serious mileage in. 

  I want this shirt to go with my new shoes.

  

  Somebody beat me to it…

  Q: All you running babes out there..how do you know when a shoe is perfect for you?! 

  

  | 24 Comments Tagged 5K, Race, Running, Shoes

• 5 Reason 5K

  Posted at 5:33 PM by Brittany, on January 3, 2012

  Sunday morning I awoke at 5am to set out on the journey of completing my second 5K race. I was out the door by 6 in order to catch the 7:20 boat across the water to Seattle. It was cold, windy, and dark. Little did I know that the weather would turn around to be something wonderful. Instead of boring you all with every last detail of the day, I will sum it up to 5 key reasons as to why it was a great run.

  Reason 1: Location–The park where the course was set had scenic paths and the trails were twisty. The last stretch of the run was along the water. 

  

  I assume we looked something like this.

  Reason 2: Chili–Post race, everyone was given a bowl of hot chili. Vegetarian chili was offered, and the line for the meatless option was three times shorter than the line for the meat chili. We walked up to get our bowls and waited less than a minute. 

  

  Reason 3: Free Loot–Along with the free chili, we snagged free coconut water(s), fruit,  and baby Lara Bars. 

  

  Do not be fooled by this photo..I grabbed at least five more handfuls of the Lara mini’s. 

  Reason 4: Unique race–Most races don’t have a wet and dry option. Choosing wet meant I signed up to run the last few hundredths of the race sopping wet. I took a detour into Lake Washington for the Polar Bear Plunge. I swore my body weight doubled after pulling myself out of the lake to finish the run. 

  

  After..

  The plunge took the breath out of my lungs because the water was so cold. Though the dive into the lake was refreshing, I felt slightly immobilized when I could no longer touch the ground. 

  

  Swim around the end of the line, dunk your head, and run out of the water.

   Reason 5: A friend-Having someone next to me made the time fly by. They grabbed my arm when I felt like I couldn’t swim, and they trotted to the finish with me dripping wet. 

  I finished 3.17 miles in 32:43. The pace was nice, and the weather was ideal. Sunshine and blue skies. I would most definitely do this run again. 

  The chili feed was not enough for my cheetah appetites so I ended up getting some more grub.

  

  

  Another piece of wall art to continue the collection.

  Q: What is the most unique race you have done? Definitely this one..jumping into a lake was fun. 

  

  | 26 Comments Tagged 5K, Race, Running, Whole Foods

• Just Keep Running

  Posted at 7:49 AM by Brittany, on December 4, 2011

  It’s official, I am in the running club. I have finally run my first “race.” Yesterday I participated in my first 5K. I woke up to have an energetic breakfast of skittles, cake, and coffee..but my mom said that wouldn’t be a very wise option. So I had pancakes and eggs instead. 

  I got to the event early to see all the people and booths along the streets. It was 40ish degrees so we had to go back to the car to thaw out a few times..but you’d never know we were shaking in out boots..OK I was shaking in my boots and was whining inside like a little girl. I couldn’t let my cold bones show with all these children around..they would surely point and laugh at me. 

  

  Pre race snap shot. I of course looked like this after the run too, but not really..more like a wet rat that was excited after finding a scrap of cheese. My cheese was obviously finishing the run within my goal. I wanted to finish 3.1 miles in under 30 min, and I finished in 29:13. PLUS there was some incline for at least half the race..me and hills are not friends but I suckered through it. 

  

  Let the running number collection begin! 

  

  Post race (and post shower) I rocked my new t-shirt and headed out to eat some salad mountains. 

  

  Two salad mountain faces and 4 breadsticks later I was in the most rewarding food coma. Fun fact: I hate when anything other than salad touches my salad..the plate is reserved for salad and salad toppings only aka lettuce’s, veggies, cheese’s, and croutons. Other salads like pasta salad and potato salad must have separate plates or containers. Otherwise I get angry and smash through walls. 

  My plan of running one race a month is still in play. I want to make a dress out of all my running numbers and wear it everyday to high end parties and jazz clubs. 

  Q: Do you care if your food touches? 

  

  | 31 Comments Tagged 5K, Fun fact, Manfriend, Running, Salad mountains

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• BRITTANY- Self proclaimed minimalist "granola" striving to maintain a balanced, healthy life with good food, long hikes, strong relationships, exploration, lots of broccoli, and laughing like it's my J.O.B. Currently living and working in Germany, join me on my adventures abroad!
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