Race Review: Sweet Home Milwaukee 5K

This would be what I would consider an entry level 5K for beginner runners. Or, as in my case this year, a very good opportunity to PR your 5K time if you’re in the market to do so. The weather this year was quite chilly. How chilly you ask? Low 30s and later that day it snowed. On April 27. Gotta love Wisconsin weather, haha! So here are the details of this year’s Sweet Home Milwaukee 5K!

Expo Quality: Not really an expo per se. You pick up your packet at a local running store, Performance Running Outfitters. They give you your bib and some fillers in your bag along with your t-shirt. The one cool benefit of having packet pickup there is if you need or want to check out some new sneakers, you’ll be set.

Race Management: Lots of contact leading up to the race, even a final email on the Thursday before the race informing runners that a decision would be made early if inclement weather were to arrive sooner than predicted. Great atmosphere at the race with music and the emcee keeping everyone awake and chuckling before the race and after the race.

Parking/Access: The race is held on the Milwaukee Lakefront at Veterans Park, which has a decent amount of parking spaces and then street parking is also available in the area. I had no trouble getting a spot and it seemed a lot of people had no trouble with the street parking.

Course Scenery: The race runs along the lakefront so you have plenty to gaze out at as you complete the 5K. Also, you’re running through the park so all spectators can cheer you on from all the picnic tables that are spread about.

Aid Stations: One water station a little beyond the one mile marker point (via your own tracking since there were no actual mile markers on the course). Both sides of the course had tables with volunteers handing out water.

Elevation Difficulty: None. There is zero elevation hence why it makes for a nice starter 5K for someone.

T-Shirts/Swag: You receive a long-sleeve cotton t-shirt and a pretty sweet medal that doubles as a bottle opener. You also receive a free beer ticket which this year got you a brew from local brewery Third Space Brewing. You also get a ticket for a free Bloody Mary at local restaurant Stubby’s Gastropub. At the finish line there was water, a banana and apples.

Overall: The weather notwithstanding I enjoyed the race. Yes, I have some bias since I set a PR for myself in the 5K distance but the communication was good, the swag was good for the price and course was nice to run on. Also, they had a food drive being put on by the Hunger Task Force that was connected to a raffle. You could donate items of food or a monetary donation. I would definitely consider doing this race next year. The weather has to be better, right? Haha!

 

Hope you have enjoyed this review and happy running!

Orange Mud Transition Towel and Seat Wrap Product Review

Disclaimer: I received an Orange Mud Transition Towel and Seat Wrap to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

I have to start out by saying that I’ve seen people use these before at races and I was very excited at the opportunity to test it and review it. With high expectations, it has not disappointed me at all. 100% has served its purpose for me, with still more chances to be used in the future. I’ll start with the basics first. It’s 30″ by 60″ in size and made form Terry cloth, cotton. So soft. It uses an impact resistant polymer clip that attaches to laser cut belt when you are using it as the transition towel. And if you think about getting one for yourself, it comes with a 1-year warranty. Now for the awesome uses of the Orange Mud Transition Towel and Seat Wrap.

Nothing worse than the post race or post workout changing towel falling or constantly slipping off your body as you attempt to get out of sweaty clothes into something more comfortable. The transition towel makes this easy and risk-free. Simply wrap it around you and use the clip to attach to the belt loops and you’re all set. And don’t feel scared that it will fall off even if it doesn’t feel like it attached properly; I double and triple checked after wrapping it around me the first time because it seemed like I hadn’t gotten it to be secure. Such a great product, I even fooled myself! Makes changing a piece of cake.

(photo courtesy of Orange Mud’s website)

The best use, for me so far, has been the seat wrap option that it provides. Wow. Awesome. Perfect. Much needed! This probably got me more excited than it should have but I hate hate hate dealing with sweaty workout clothes, especially after going hard at the gym, and then sitting in my car and bringing the smell into the seat. Ugh! Sure, just put a regular towel in there but then you need to change it out over and over. I found that the Orange Mud Transition Towel and Seat Wrap lasts longer and the smell fades as long as you air it out some. This is been a great addition to all the running gear I own. It’s simple but so useful and needed.

And it was relatively easy to attach to the car seat. Simply zip it up and wrap it around the headrest of the seat, drape it down and over the chair and when you sit down, it stays put.

(photo courtesy of Orange Mud)

One more benefit to the transition towel/seat wrap: it’s most simplest use of all. When in a bind or if  you’re just forgetful, it can be used as a….surprise, towel! Soft material and very effective at drying you off, as you would imagine it would be. No fibers are left behind on your skin and after you use it for that you can still wrap your seat in it if need be.

Washing it was no problem either. Wash in cold water and dry cool. Boom. Done. Simple. You shouldn’t wait to have one of these yourself. And I have a code right now for you to use. Go to the site for Orange Mud, place your order and use code “OMTRX” to save 15% off. Don’t wait!

Any questions, please feel free to ask! And happy running as always!

How I Fuel Long Runs

Disclaimer: I am an ambassador for Honey Stinger and their products.

 

Now, even though I am an ambassador for Honey Stinger, the HS Hive, I do actually enjoy their products and feel that they work best for me. That’s the biggest key right there. It isn’t as if I haven’t tried multiple options that exist in the refueling industry and it took some disappointing experiences to land on the one company who made products that agreed with me and my body.

I love Honey Stinger’s gummy gels. Just like a fruit snack and they don’t have some weird aftertaste. Great for a sugar boost and Vitamin C. I know a lot of folks prefer other brands, Gatorade gels come to mind, but my experience with those in particular have never been good, especially in the middle of a race. Upset stomach. Substance all over my hands making them sticky and nasty on a hot day. Not so good aftertaste hanging around while you run which is also unpleasant. And Honey Stinger doesn’t just provide gummies for a carb boost for those long runs.

These organic waffles are really good. A little dry if it’s an extremely hot day and you don’t want dry mouth but water helps solve that issue. And delicious flavors too! The one pictured here, vanilla, was OK, in my opinion, but the real treat is in their honey waffle and ginger waffles. Damn good and, just like the gummies, they give you some serious boost and uplift when you might be dragging in the latter stages of that long run.

There are a lot of options out there and you deserve to sample all of them. Like I said, what works for one may not work for another. But I must suggest giving the Honey Stinger products a shot. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

And, just out of curiosity, what is it that you use in your long runs? Please comment with your choice; I love to see and hear all the options out there!

Happy (long) running!!

The Unexpected Setback

Injuries. Sometimes they are from overuse of a joint or muscle. Other times they come about from a random accident while out on a run; something that is unavoidable or, maybe, you are trying to avoid something. And then there is the absolute bizarre injury. You know, the one that is embarrassing to share with others. The one that occurs just as you are starting to train for a major race in the future. Yeah, that happened to me recently and it sucks.

This past weekend near the end of a friendly wiffle ball game the freak of nature hit me. It’s the end of the game, I’m pitching and there are two outs. There’s a foul ball. I go to retrieve it. I pick it up and head back to the pitching area (this was front yard wiffle ball action, lol). On the way back, I step down onto where first base is; unfortunately, first base had pushed itself to a section where it covered half walkway and half lower garden area. I step down full body weight while wearing my Birkenstock sandals and, wow, was there pain. There was a sound that came from my ankle/foot area that can be described as twine or rope being stretched across a log. I immediately fell down, writhing in pain. I am positive this would not have been as bad had I simply been wearing some sort of stable footwear. But I wasn’t and now here I am three plus days later not being able to do anything active on this foot. No Sunday morning run. No Tuesday post yoga run. No elliptical machine. And by the end of the day at work, my foot is begging to get out of my shoe and have some ice on it. Sigh.

Patience is not one of my strong suits but I need it now more than ever. I am hopeful that only a couple more days stand in the way of me being able to run again. I hate not being able to run, hell, even walk at a faster pace. Instead, I am gimping along. I know it isn’t some big worldly problem. It’s really minor in scope. But dammit, I have a major marathon to train for and this piddly preventable setback is not good.

OK, that’s all I have to vent. Hopefully all of you are injury free and enjoying the beautiful weather out there to get in some runs or stretching or whatever exercises please you the most.

Happy Running!

Shady Rays Product Review

Disclaimer: I received a pair of Shady Rays Signature Series sunglasses to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

I am a runner with light blue eyes that suffers incredibly from any bright light. It can be sunshine. It can be bright clouds on an overcast day. Or the worst: bright sunshine blaring down on fresh white snow. Wow and ow, does it ever hurt my eyes. So sunglasses are a need on almost all of my runs outdoors. Of course, rarely can I find glasses that don’t slip. And if they don’t slip, typically they are not the best at protecting my eyes. Because let’s be honest, that is the real point of wearing sunglasses, especially when be active outdoors. Let me introduce you to Shady Rays, the answer to both of those issues.

No slipping off the nose on runs. They look pretty good, in a fashion sense. And they protect the eyes exceptionally well with their polarized lenses that provide 100% UV ray protection. These shades are also salt water proof, so no worrying about your sweat leaving nasty permanent marks anywhere on the frames. And they are also shatter-resistant.

Another reason to love this independent sunglass company? They stand behind their product with a Lifetime Craftsmanship Warranty and Free Replacements if Lost or Broken. All you do is pay the shipping fee and they will send you a new pair! Awesome!  Want one more reason why your purchase of a pair of Shady Rays sunglasses is a good idea? Each order placed with them provides 11 meals to fight hunger through Feeding America. One million meals provided so far and counting. What’s not to love here?

This company provides a quality product that performs well when out and being active. They back up their product with a great replacement policy. They give back to the community through Feeding America with each purchase you make. All reasons for you to make Shady Rays your next choice in sunglasses. But how about one more reason. RIGHT NOW, if you use the code “BIBRAVE” when you order 2 or more pairs of shades, you can save 50% off your purchase. How about that! I used it myself already.

Three pairs of sunglasses for less than $70. Don’t wait. Get yours today! And if you would like to check out more reviews of the Shady Rays shades, you can with my fellow BibRavePros.

Vanessa

Ben

Lisa

Lissa

Logan

And you can look cool in them too, hahaha! Any questions or thoughts, feel free to share or ask!

Happy Running!

Run Madtown: What You Need to Know

Disclaimer: I’m promoting Run Madtown in Madison, Wisconsin as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews!

So, here we are. Only several hours away from you competing in either the 5K or 10K and maybe the half marathon the next morning. So, this post is all about the things you need to know about your Memorial Day weekend in Madison. Obviously, first things first, you need to pick up your packet. The following is a screenshot of the website. After that will be links for the three highlighted “here” mentions.

http://www.mononaterraceparking.com/index.php/map-directions/

http://www.mononaterraceparking.com/

http://www.cityofmadison.com/parking-utility/garages-lots

Now when getting your packet, make sure to check out the awesome expo and the exhibitors that will be presenting there for your pleasure. The following is just a listing and not the links to each exhibitor.

So, after all that excitement, you will be ready and prepped for your races. But you will want to know where and when to be for the start. For the twilight 5K and 10K, that will be here:

Run fast and finish strong so that you’ll feel pumped and gigged for that half marathon the next morning! And after you wake up, have that coffee/energy boosting drink and get geared up for the half marathon, you’ll want to head here:

I hope you have a successful and fun run, no matter what race you are participating in. Make sure to enjoy Madison; it truly is a great city that offers a lot of good times. And be sure to hydrate!!! This weekend is looking like a scorcher out there!

Happy running!!