Last year when I ran a half marathon, Heavenly thought it looked pretty fun and wanted to try out a run of her own. I immediately knew which run would be perfect for her: a Color Run! We signed up for one at the beginning of June, and the original plan was that I would train with her so that we would be able to run the whole thing together.
When I went to sign up, I knew I would be shelling out a significant portion of money. One of the huge downsides of the running hobby is that races can be so expensive, and it’s no exception when doing a specialized run like this. I was delighted to discover that with the purchase of an adult ticket ($50), two kids under age 12 could participate for FREE! Um, that’s PERFECT! The kids got their own bib, but no color packets or shirt (I gave the shirt to Heavenly).
So, we now had our tickets in hand and we were excited to train together! Well, we all know how plans change…I spent almost all of April and May bed-bound from morning sickness and neither Heavenly or I was able to train for the 5k. I knew that it would be a lot for Heavenly to walk, but we decided to do it anyways, and I’m so glad that we did.
We arrived at the start line just in time for the COLOR PARTY!!! Heavenly thought this was the greatest thing ever and Tera was so, so overwhelmed (#extrovert and #introvert). With our race packs, we had received three packets of the colored chalk. At the start line, the DJ had everyone cram together, dancing to music like a mosh pit. On the count of three, everyone threw their chalk up in the air! It was pretty cool, unless your an introvert, and then it was super overwhelming.
Finally, it was time to start the actual race! We all headed towards the start funnel, with Mr. DJ man giving instructions that absolutely no one listened. He instructed the walkers to hold back and let the runners go first, but everyone just went when they felt like it (which was first). We ended up being in the last wave to leave the start line, which was fine…because there were no timers, no clocks, no gun, no nothing that I’ve gotten used to in more competitive racing.
We finally crossed the start l line and of course my kids set off at a dead sprint. They made it approximately 200 yards before Tera began to bawl that she was tired. Oh, boy. Daddy had stationed himself about half a mile away to pick up Tera so she wouldn’t have to do the whole thing. However, we walk to the nearby park almost every day and Tera can easily go a mile on her own.
Throughout the run, they have color stations where volunteers throw the colored chalk at you. These stations were so fun and broke up the monotony of the run walk. However, I would highly advise not opening your mouth in delight while running through a color station (#chalkinthemouth)
After about half a mile, we dropped Tera off, and when we hit close to a mile Heavenly was DONE. I kept encouraging her, and she kept going! I’m really proud of her because even though she complained 98% of the time, she said she had a blast and she LOVED the color stations. We finally made it to the finish line, where they had a finish line party and all of a sudden Heavenly wasn’t so tired anymore. LOL. She got right up front, jumping around and dancing to the music and trying to catch prizes that they were throwing out to the crowd. I think she would sign up for a hundred more 5ks if it means she gets to have a party at the end (did someone say extrovert?!?)
My elbow nooks were so sweaty and when it mixed with the chalk it made this cool looking design!
In the end, the Color Vibe 5k was really fun and I’m glad I did it, especially with Heavenly. I’m so glad that they let up to two kids run for free! However, if you are into competitive running at all, this one probably isn’t for you. It was very relaxed, with kids and dogs and people of all shapes and sizes and running abilities! This is a good thing, but it was almost too relaxed for me. There was no clocks, no timers, no gun at the start and no direction at the finish. There was one water station and everyone stopped at the water station to drink their entire cup of water, then turned to keep running. It was so bottlenecked by the water station that I couldn’t even get a cup of water. Basically, if you aren’t sure you are a runner or ever want to do a race– this one is perfect for you! It’s laid back and FUN and there is no pressure to perform in a certain way at all. If you have done racing/running before, this one might drive you a little crazy how laid back it really is.
So glad you and Tera and Heavenly were able to do this ❤ together!
I love the picture of Tera’s hair.
Looks like it was fun! How do you get home after one of these without creating a mess all over your car seats? I’d probably forget to pack something to cover the seats with. 🙂
Well, in the expert’s cases, they bring towels along to put over the seats! In our case, we used what we could find in our van…a picnic blanket and a roll of paper towels to cover the seat!