Kids At Play 5K

For an inaugural race, this was impressive! 

Lots of sponsors present, lots of activities and lots of love for the two children this race honored and the Emergency Personnel that worked so diligently during the tragedy that took their young lives. 

Event coordinators description states:   

Run will raise funds in memory and honor of the two children that were killed in the dirt collapse; Chloe Arwood and James Caldwell. It will also be in honor of the rescue workers at both East Lincoln and Denver Fire for their efforts on this call. All money raised will be divided equally between 

• Long Shoals Christian Academy
• Catawba Springs Elementary
• East Lincoln Fire Department
• Denver Fire Department

Among the many sponsors was a photographer who donated her talents and took wonderful pictures, allowing for free posting and downloading after the event.  

Nothing but good things to say for all involved. 

I was running on 2 hrs sleep for this race.  I signed up early after a friendly invite in hopes of running with several friends from that area.. for various reasons, they all had to opt out last minute and I tackled this course on my own and was glad I was able to be there.

The race had a late start due to packet pickup (race day only) and announcements.  We headed out at 8:20 AM for a circular subdivision run with moderate hills and an extended distance.  The course was actually 3.5 miles.  I hope they work that out for next year as many runners rely on accuracy to measure their progress.  As a result, my timing seems a little high for a 5K in comparison to recent results... that's only due to distance not to effort.  Whew!  I feel better!  #happinessis

T-Shirts were unisex Gildan Cotton and were oversized - great to sleep in or do yard work. Post race amenities were water, bananas, oranges.  There was a rock climbing wall provided by the National Guard and a Blood Mobile on site for donations.  Parking was free and directly at the Start line - provided by your friendly neighborhood Food Lion.  Local news covered the event in an effort to show community support for Chloe and James. The pre-race included a moment of silence and a balloon release to allow class mates a chance to remember their friends once again.

Beautiful ceremony, great race!  Hope the event continues to grow. Peace to Chloe and James' families and loved ones.

CHIPTIME:  48:17   (3.5 mile course)

127/160 Overall

15/18 Age Group 40-49 Female

Course Record:  21:22 M  26:57 F

RESULTS by Racing Toes

Pictures by Made You Look Photography 

Greek Festival 5K

I was dragging this morning.  Really dragging.  I honestly did not want to leave the comfort of my pillow to head out at 6:45 AM for a 7:30 AM race.  But I persevered.  My current commitment to workouts and weight loss is serious. It's a NO EXCUSES regimen with workouts 6 days a week.  This morning I remained on target.

My timing was not a PR but it was consistent.  For those of us who walk/run for completion not competition, this was a really good day.  Weather was perfect, course was flat. The graph looks hilly but the actual total climb on was only 93 feet and was spread out over the entire course.

All amenities were as they should be and crowd turnout was about 489 for 2013.  Once again, a decrease from prior years - 557 in 2012, 729 in 2011 and 900 in 2010.  It's a progressive decline in a sport that is consistently increasing in participation, which is why I make mention of it.

This race is part of the RFYL GPX Series and should have a stronger turnout and higher quality of amenities / awards.  It also has a scoring system with points based not only on race results but on number of races ran and bonus opportunities.  The "incentives" are written into the design of the series but this year I confess I am slightly disappointed. *begin rant* 

I have foregone many local races to stay on track with the GPX series only to have my results either missing, inaccurate or not recorded at all.  It's a lot to ask of any participant to sign up for 9 races over the spring / summer, forsake their Saturday mornings and other race opportunities to remain within a series and then fail to accurately track the most important components.  

A result gone askew once isn't that big of a deal considering the number of participants but multiple errors point to poor management and lack of trained personnel.  I currently am missing two scoring components from the GPX (two months waiting for the correction) and lost a PR on one of the few 4 Mile races in the Charlotte area because of multiple chip issues at a particular RFYL race - I was given a finish time after the fact, most likely an estimated gun time or close to it, but the actual chip time would have been a PR - we all wear our Garmins for this very reason, therefore it's not a supposition but a known fact creating the disappointment.  

I've been a faithful fan of RFYL since the beginning of my running history.  I hope to remain a fan as well as a participant but, at present, that hinges on restoring quality and professionalism to the Event Marketing group.  Best wishes to the RFYL staff as they endeavor to work out the kinks of expansion and growth in their retail efforts and diminishing participation in their race efforts.  

I would not deter anyone from participating in a RFYL race.  I did enjoy the course and was thankful for amenities and a friendly crowd. If you race casually or sporadically, a series may not interest you.  These races can still be ran individually without affecting the series and there is no requirement to register for multiple events simply because a race is within a series.  

To their credit, RFYL does listen to comments and extends a great deal of effort in responding to all.  Their race group offers some of the best routes in Charlotte and because of them, Charlotte now has a very competitive race calendar year round - in all forms - trails, long distance, and triathlons being offered by multiple race organizers throughout the year.  It's a growing community filled with lots of positive change. *end of rant*

The Greek 5K had few vendors out this morning.  I parked at 7:20 AM and had a short walk to the START line.  It was good to see Great Harvest Bread once again and 102.9 on site.  The free tickets to the actual Greek Festival, which begins the weekend after Labor Day (part of registration), were not included at packet pick up.  There were given out post race.. if you asked.. and if you knew to ask.. and where to pick them up at.  The Festival is a wonderful event that I've attended several times and look forward to again this year.  Lots of great food and shop-ortunities while there.

Happy Trails to all !

CHIP TIME:  44:14

Blue 5K

Today was a good day.

I shaved 2 min 7 secs off my PR.

Today was a good day.

Hard to feel my excitement in those words but it's there.  I'm updating my blog at 2:30 in the AM, smiling while typing, realizing the 'mad dog workouts' I've been doing the last two months are beginning to break through the barriers I've been hitting the last 5+ years.  If you read my blog (see: About Me) you know I've had a few obstacles along the way.  I ran this race at 212 lbs this morning and STILL got an improved score. My personal trainer informed me today that while I'm not seeing the results in pounds right now, she is seeing it in inches. So it's working, it's really working.  The weight will come  in due time and it can't get here soon enough for me!  Enough of that..

This race was downhill for the first 1.5 mi.. and then we paid for it.

You can see in my splits that I took extreme advantage of the first mile and half and it paid off.

The course was pretty straightforward - a rectangle beginning and ending at Panther Stadium.  I parked two blocks up in the metered parking (free on weekends) and walked straight to the start line.

I am amazed at the results, considering my current weight, but also grateful knowing the end (goal) is in sight.  The third mile was more walking than the other stretches but even at that, a 13:06 mile is a HUGE improvement for me.  To anyone reading that has faced physical health challenges along this road, don't be discouraged. No matter how long it takes we will get there, one step at a time.

The Blue 5K had 325 participants this morning, a significant drop from previous years - 2012 / 699, 2011 / 692, 2010 / 979.  Sad to see the drop in participation for any Run For Your Life event but at present this is a growing trend for their Event Management group.  

Sir Purr was present as well as the Panther cheerleaders.  Lots of fantastic volunteers along the route and the water stop was fully functioning this morning when I reached it at the 1.5 mile marker.  Really grateful for today's lovely ladies cheering on runners and volunteering their hearts out!

Very few vendors at the race today, but then this is a big day for the Panthers. First preseason game is Aug 9th and their annual FanFest Celebration is today beginning at 3:30 - different from prior years whereas the FanFest began directly after the race event.  

This years shirt was solid black with the Panther Logo on the front and ALL vendor and race info on the back.  Brand was TulTex, 65% polyester, 35% cotton. Definitely a keeper!

I didn't stay for awards although I hear they include Panther Jerseys. I headed out for a Power Workout with my Personal Trainer followed by a well deserved afternoon in the pool!  

This is most definitely a race worth attending and I hope to return in 2014.

CHIP TIME:  39:27