My number 8 in 8! Zombie Apocalypse Run

I need to do a little catching up.

The last race I posted about was the Warrior Dash that I completed in September. If you read that post you know it took it’s toll on me, but it was also an experience I wouldn’t trade!

Over the next few days I’ll be updating you on all my running exploits.

In October I found a race in Portland that looked promising. It was called Run Like Hell and had a zombie theme to it. I thought it was perfect since I always joke that before making this goal the only way I would run was if an axe-wielding zombie was chasing me. Sadly, I couldn’t find anyone to run with me, and I’ve learned that races are just more fun when you have someone to share the experience with.

zombie apocalypse runLuckily, a really good friend found another race the weekend before Halloween called the Zombie Apocalypse Run. You could register as a Zombie or a Survivor. We both signed up as survivors which meant we were given flags to wear, (think flag football,) and got a 2 minute head start from the zombies who would be trying to take our flags. My flags were gone within the first mile. BOOOOOO!

The race was great fun, many people dressed up, the race officials out on the course were dressed up in flack jackets and yelled at us as we ran by to hurry up or the zombies would get us. They also had sound effects playing over loudspeakers that ranged from helicopters to the crunching sound of zombies eating people. No kidding.
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I’m a Warrior – 1 week later!

Mud, 12 obstacles, and 3.18 miles of the most hellish hills I’ve ever seen!

Yes, that is what made up the Warrior Dash.

warrior dashOn September 11th I ran my 7th 5K of the year. It was the hardest thing I have ever done and although I hurt so bad for 2 days afterwards I wouldn’t have traded it for the world!

When I signed up for the Warrior Dash some 4 months ago, I just figured it would be a fun race that included crawling through mud and jumping over logs. Never in a million years did I realize that this race would challenge me so much physically.

I’m thankful that not only did the Hubs run it with me, but I also had several friends there as well that supported me to the end. They all finished WAY before me but stood by and cheered me on when I crossed the finish line. I will say though that I don’t think I would have finished if Hubs wouldn’t have been there every step of the way. Being in the military, he wasn’t too excited about the prospect of paying to do what he did for a living once upon a time. But, he is a good guy and knew how important it was to me so he agreed. In the end he had a good time as well.

My biggest triumph aside from just finishing was making it over the Great Warrior Wall. I don’t even know how tall it was but you make it over by pulling yourself up using a rope. I have no upper body strength (something I’ll be working on now) and I was worried I wasn’t going to be able to do it. As soon as I saw the wall a determination set in. I made it to the top pretty quickly and then started yelling and screaming because I made it. The race official was cracking up laughing and then broke the news to me that I still had to get down. :)
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Striiv for #fitness!

StriivWhile at BlogHer earlier this month, I was able to attend a breakfast that was put on by Zebra Partners and the Blogging Angels.

There were several brands and products that were being represented and each of the attendees was paired with a brand that was a good fit for them.

I was paired up with an awesome new fitness product. It was so new that I haven’t been allowed to talk about until now and thank goodness the day has come!

Striiv is this cool little device that provides an important aspect to anyone jumping into the fitness pool, it makes fitness FUN.

This little gadget, that’s about the size of a Matchbox car, is perfect for putting on your keychain, hanging off your belt, or just keeping in your pocket. I do want to say that I am teasing you about it. Striiv isn’t going to be available until the middle of October and will retail for $99. (You can pre-order it not on the Striiv website.)

Now, I don’t know about you, but making workouts fun is something I constantly struggle with when I’m working out. I find myself just going through the motions and then I begin making excuses as to why I don’t need to go workout and it all stems from the workout not being fun or not feeling encouraged. There is also the factor of instant gratification. When working out you don’t see results immediately.

So, now you’re probably wondering what is it about this device that helps with what I wrote above. Although it may just like look your run of the mill pedometer, Striiv is so much more. For starters, it really puts the emphasis on the little choices you make each day to be active.
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Running the Rails in Michigan – 6 in 6!

running the rails 5k

Waiting for the race to start

You all know about my goal to run a 5K a month through the end of the year.

When my hubs told me that we would be traveling to Michigan the last 2 weeks of August I set out to find a 5K during the beginning of the month. The only problem with this logic was the fact that the first week was BlogHer in San Diego and then the next weekend was a work weekend for the hubs. Plus, I would be spending that time getting everyone packed for our trip.

So I changed the search location and began looking for races that would be around us while gone and wouldn’t you know there just happened to be a race happening during the first weekend we were gone.

I talked to my hubs who offered to run it with me (thank goodness) and then immediately registered us for Running the Rails in Ypsilanti during the Heritage Festival.

running the rails 5k

During the race

We got to Michigan one week ago and I was not prepared for the humidity here. We went for a quick 2 mile run a couple days later and it felt like it was hard to breathe. Honestly though, I can’t blame it all on the humidity. Since summer started I haven’t been running as much as I was when the kids were in school.
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