So I'm not a runner and people don't seem to believe that since I played college soccer. Yes, there is a lot of running in soccer, and yes, I played soccer pretty much for 20 years straight....but I did not like the running part of it. It's masked by chasing a ball and trying to score. When it was conditioning, I dreaded those days at practice! But I was always in good shape due to soccer but never a 'runner' by any means.
So Jen, called me out on facebook one day and dared me to sign up for The Color Run. I was like "well great! now I have to sign up" so I did along with Jen, Nicole, Kristen, Lisa, and her sisters. I was excited about it just from the girl time aspect of the run. The weekend before, we got together and made tutus to run in. Glitter was EVERWHERE!
The run was September 28th at 9:00 am. B and the kids were going to come, but after we talked logistics, we decided it would be best if he stayed home. I'm glad he did because there were so many people and so much 'color' that our kids would have gotten lost or dirty. Kristen came to pick me up and we met everyone at Nicole's house. I ended up riding with Lisa (and Kristen & Nicole) so the ride downtown was fun.
The actual race part itself wasn't bad at all. The weather was great and cool in the shade. Our group of 7 started out together and then Lisa and her sisters feel behind because they needed to use the bathroom. We were 4 strong until about the 3 km and Nicole/Jen slowed down and I tried to keep up with Kristen. Kristen was a machine and I had to keep telling myself not to stop so I could stay with her. We didn't want anyone running alone. Every km, there was a color station. We had been through blue, pink, yellow, and the last one before the end was orange. Once we got to orange, I knew the run was almost over so that gave me some energy. I needed those little milestones to help get me through the run. Right before the finish, there was a hill and I saw Kristen start to slow up so I stretched out my hand and told her to come on....she did and we finished together! I think it took us a little less than 40 minutes to finish the 5k. My goal was to run without stopping so I accomplished my goal.
Once finished with the run, there was this big dance party in front of a stage with music. The DJ would lead everyone to a 'color rush' every few minutes and then all you could see was colored smoke. I did not go into that 'mosh-pit' but Jen, Lisa, and Nicole did. They were covered when they came out in all the different colors that it looked brown all mixed together. They said it was fun (and crazy).
Overall, this run was so much fun. The girl time, the weather, the colors....I can see why it's called "The Happiest 5K on the Planet". It's hard not to be happy when you are getting colored as you run and you see people with strange and funny costumes. I'd do it again in a heartbeat and that means a lot coming from a 'nonrunner'!
Overall, this run was so much fun. The girl time, the weather, the colors....I can see why it's called "The Happiest 5K on the Planet". It's hard not to be happy when you are getting colored as you run and you see people with strange and funny costumes. I'd do it again in a heartbeat and that means a lot coming from a 'nonrunner'!
