Christmas Present 5k race review

Short Version
Finished in 24:15(official time); no new PR(PR is 22:18)
Overall place:  32/292
AG(M40-44):  4/17
Overall Pace:  7:48/mile

Race #61!!!!

Overall, an excellent trail race.  I want to make special note that this race was completely free and was put on by Runnin' Gear and Rotpac Racing.  The race offered a professionally timed race, a planned 5k course on the trails, food and drink after and prizes.  How could you go wrong with that?  Count me in!

Long Version

Registration/packet pickup
Because it was a free race, all you had to do was e-mail Rotpac Racing with your information and you were registered.  They even listed the race on RunMichigan too which spread the word and posted results on there as well.

Packet pickup was the day of the race.  We got there about 8:30 since there was a line to get into the park.  Actually since it was free, all you needed to do was pick up your race bib and timing tag.  The race gave you a chip to go on your shoe.  Josh offered to drive me and my sister in law since he had a park pass which was nice.  The race was located in Independence Oaks which is an Oakland County park.

Josh before we started

They had a warming building with two fireplaces going to help keep it a bit warmer than it was outside.  It was a brisk 18 degrees with a wind chill of 8 degrees at the start.  They had the pickup arranged by last name and was all very organized.

Packet pickup

After we got our bibs, we hung out inside since it was freezing outside.  Most of the other runners had the same idea as you can see below.

Runners waiting for race

Since we had a little time, we found the Southeast Michigan Runners group there so we could get a group picture.  It's always fun to meet some new runners at events especially this group.  Another runner also asked if I was Detroit Runner.  I love when people come up to introduce themselves.  She said I offer lots of good information on my blog.  I'm happy to help!

Southeast Michigan Runners(SEMR) crew

Runnin' Gear had their sign up as well as were selling race shirts.  You could purchase a race shirt for $15 if you wanted one and they had several colors to pick from.  The picture on the top of this post is the front of the race shirt.  I didn't end up buying one but they were nice and they were tech material.

Runnin' Gear - thank you!

Selling shirts

Trying to stay warm

Start area
Before we knew it, it was time to go back out in the cold and race!  There were lots of people as you can see by the cars at the event.  I was really surprised by how many were there especially given how cold it was outside.

Lots of people

We got lined up for the start which was just an area that the race had ready for us to run.  No timing mats at the start.  The organizers basically said "go" and we were off and running so it was a gun start(not chip start).  The chip we had would help them tell us what our time was at the finish.

Runners ahead of me at start

Runners behind me at start

Course
I was really excited to run this 5k since I've not been to Independence Oaks before to run.  The race company had the runners set up to run around the lake.  The course was 90% trails and grass with a small section in the beginning and end with paved paths.

I didn't have any goal for the race.  This was just for fun for me since I just ran 10 miles the day before the race.  I was just happy to be running a free 5k race.  Given that, I still felt pretty good overall and was able to keep a pretty good pace.  It was not close to my PR pace but I was happy with the results especially being on the trails and given the hills and the cold weather.

Map per Garmin

Pace/elevation/heart rate

splits

Note: When I take pictures during the race, I don't change my pace or stop in the interest of safety(especially on the trails).   I just keep running and I get what I can get from the pictures.   Some come out better than others but they give you a great idea of what the course is like.

Course
As we started, it was fairly crowded for the first 1/4 mile.  I followed Josh for this part as he made his way through the crowd weaving around people.  The path was fairly wide(you were not on a single track) so you were able to pass people for the most part.

Crowded start

After a little bit of pavement, we started on the gravel path.  Honestly, bigger gravel is not my favorite surfaces to run on but overall, it was still fairly smooth as you can see in the picture below.  It just depended on where you were running on the path.

thinning out

As we made a turn, you could see the lake in the distance.  It was a very nice area for a trail run.

Crooked lake

We came to parts on the trail where it was closer to the lake.  This was one of my favorite parts on the course.

Beautiful even in Winter

There were also some hills on the course and the one pictured below was one of the larger hills on the course.  Don't let that scare you away - this was a fun course and not that hilly!

Some hills too

It also had a few bridges like below.  While there's not much to them, I really enjoy running over little bridges like this.

Fun part

We then headed back towards the lake to make our way around the entire lake.

Lake other side

Back on the paved path, I used this opportunity to kick it in gear with my last mile being my fastest of the race.  We even got to see Santa make an appearance on the course to high five runners.

Almost there - gotta love Guinness short in 18 degrees

Even Santa came

The last tenth of a mile took us back onto the trail and we finished on the grass back near the starting area.

Coming to the finish

Finish

Michelle finishing

Aid Stations
The race didn't have an aid stations, but remember, it was a free race and it was only a 5k so you didn't really need anything during it.  The race did have refreshments after the race.

Finish area
At the finish line, runners were socializing as they were watching other runners come in.  The bathrooms were also right next to the finish line as well.

Finish area

Bathrooms at finish

After all of us finished, we made our way back into the warming building to get something to eat and stay warm.  The race offered bananas, oranges, muffins, brownies, and cookies(including homemade cookies).  They also offered free hot chocolate.  Wow!!  I was not expecting such great after race refreshments for a free race.  Runnin' Gear and Rotpac really went all out.

Food!

More food

Frost your own cookies even

The race company even had results up by the time we looked for them and they are posted on RunMichigan.  I ended up in fourth in my age group, just 5 seconds short of placing in my age group - darn!

Results

Runners eating

Runnin' Gear owner, Paul Coughlin, announced all the age group award winners and the runners who placed even won gift certificates to the Runnin' Gear store.  Wow!  How generous!

AG awards

Then he gave away a ton of running items including gloves and women's sports bras, shirts, pants, men's shirts, jackets, shorts, and even shoes!  The runners were all pumped to try and win something.  My sister in law even got a sports bra and I got a pair of gloves that I gave to her.

Bras were flying!  You don't see that everyday at a race!

More clothes

Santa even gave shoes away

Amenities
For your registration fee of zero dollars, you received a chip timed, well marked 5k race.  You received a race bib as well as after race refreshments.  You also received an opportunity to win something after the race and from the looks of all the running stuff they gave away, many people walked away with something.

Christmas Present 5k bib

Organization
The organization was good.  Since it was run by a running store and experienced timing company, it made things go smoothly.  The race started at 9am and the park opened at 8am.  I think the traffic got backed up a bit but the race was able to get everyone in and start the race without losing runners.  The course was marked well and it would have been difficult to get lost.  The venue for the race was a good place for it given how cold it was so the organization was able to get the runners into somewhere warmer after the race.

Overall
Overall, what a great time.  First off, you can't go wrong with free!  I would have been just happy to show up and run the course with other runners.  Runnin' Gear went above and beyond and really set this up as a true 5k trail race.  Assuming they continue to do this, I know I'll be joining in on the fun in the future.  Thanks to Runnin' Gear and Rotpac for putting on this fun, free event.

Me and Paul Coughlin - Runnin' Gear owner

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

Note:  I received no compensation for this post.  All opinions are my own.

Up next.....

Tomorrow is the Christmas Present 5k.  It's a mostly trail race located in Independence Oaks, an Oakland County park.  The event is put on by the Runnin' Gear Store owner and......it's FREE!  Yes, they put on a 5k for free for runners that e-mail them and sign up.  How awesome!

Independence Oaks County Park map - SOURCE

I've never been out to Independence Oaks so it should be a nice run.  I'll give you a full report next week but it is a free race so you cannot have the same expectations as a race that you pay an entry fee for.  Regardless, I'm still looking forward to it.  If you want details on it, you will need to do it today and it's posted on RunMichigan.

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Map per Garmin - Paint Creek Trail

Today's run was cold!  It was 19 degrees with a 12 degrees wind chill at the start.  Fortunately, after a few miles, I was able to warm up and ended with a pretty good run today.  Today was faster than my usual pace but then we all need to push ourselves once in awhile.  Trieu, Kevin and I met a new runner, George, and he ran the full 10 miles with us today.  Kevin ran long yesterday so he was in for 4 miles today with us.  It was nice getting to know a new runner who's new to the area.

This was also my first run with my new Garmin 220.  I love it!  I've never run with a heart rate monitor so I was a little nervous starting with a long run but I figured what the heck.  I've heard many of stories about chafing with it but I used the DCrainmaker method and had no chafing.  It worked perfect.

Not only can I now get the typical pace, distance and splits on my Garmin, but this adds my heart rate into the picture as well as running cadence.  Considering a 180 or higher cadence is good, it looks like I'm doing just fine for that.

Pace/elevation per Garmin

Summary report per Garmin

This is the one summary I'm excited about.  The heart rate and cadence views.  Keep in mind the cadence is from the watch so I must have moved my hands differently on the down spikes.  I will say that the heart rate seems very accurate.  The spike around 18 minutes is when I was trying to catch up to Trieu and George after Kevin finished and the low spike in the middle is when we stopped to turn around.  I liked running with it so far.

The cadence is interesting to see how I'm actually running and if it's a proper cadence.  Seems about right but I need to use it more.

Heart Rate/Cadence per Garmin

Splits per Garmin

Of course, that was just my first run with the 220 but it's a good start.  I'll continue to use it over the next month and update you with a detailed review.  Right now, I'd say I'm happy I bought this.  I'm sure I would have liked the 620 model but it was $100+ more and, at least for now, the extra running dynamics are still to be determined how you train with that information.

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

Looks so nice

It looks so nice, I think I'll just leave it in the box...........

Yeah right!  I've already pulled it out, charged it, synced it with my Iphone and Ipad and did a 30 second test run so see how it works.  I'll be doing my first test run tomorrow with it for 10 miles.  I can't wait!  This thing feels half the weight of my 310xt and it's crazy small compared to it as well.  I decided to get the 220 with the heart rate monitor so we'll see how using that goes.  I've never trained with a heart rate monitor before.

For the record, I logged 5,724 miles of which 5,036 was running with my Garmin 310xt and it's still working!  I'll hope to get at least that from the 220.

Rest day today.  Yes, I"m excited about my new toy but I'll be getting plenty of miles on this in the next couple days.  I'll follow up with a post after my run.

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

Like beer? Let's run!

The first thing I want to mention is that I'm hosting a Group run for the SEMR(Southeast Michigan Runners) Facebook Group.  There is over 700 runners in the group - perhaps even some of you that read my blog.  If you have not heard of them, this is a great opportunity to meet other runners in the area.

We are going to be meeting at the Red Fox English Pub located in downtown Royal Oak.  We will start with a 5k run that I'll map out and then come back to the bar for some drinks and prizes.  Yes, there will be prizes and I'm working on them right now and I've got commitments for about 20 gifts already including a Kona Race Entry into the Kona St. Patrick's Day Run.  How nice of them to give local runners an opportunity to win an entry.  All you need to do is show up at this run for a chance to win some good stuff!

Click HERE for the event and then Join to come.  If you are not a member, join.  Even if you don't go to this event, there's lots of good advice you can learn from local runners in the group and they are always meeting to go on runs.

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I won!  I don't know what I won yet but I won!  Actually it's a Monumental Prize Pack - sweet!  I can't wait to share what I won with you.  The Monumental Marathon put on a contest for people that blogged about their event and I was the first one they picked.  I even got featured with my buddy Trieu in their newsletter.  Check it out:

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As I told those on Facebook, I took the plunge and purchased a new Garmin 220 with the heart rate monitor.

I'm hoping to receive it today and cannot wait to try it out.  I'm sure I'll do a full review for you after I've used it a month or so.  My Garmin 310xt had been giving me some problem downloading to my computer.  I reset it all and got it working again but I figured, eh, what the heck.  I don't want to be without a Garmin on my runs.  Anyone want to buy a used Garmin? lol

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I've got several reviews coming up in the next month on more running stuff and can't wait to share these with you.  I've got some new Tifosi sunglasses I'm currently testing that are incredible!  I'm reading a great new book, "100 marathons", I'm testing a new Headsweats winter hat and I have a couple other new products coming for review as well.  It should be a busy December for reviews.

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Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

Wordless Wednesday 12/4/13

As seen on my trail run last week in Stony Creek Metropark

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

November Review

So, a fairly productive November.  Ok, my miles were not as many, my yoga was less and my weights were less but I still ran a marathon.  Speaking of that, it's what caused less working out this month.  The marathon always seems to do that to me.

Here's the results:

Click to enlarge

Miles run:  111.61 miles.  Still over 100 miles for the month as I have been all year.

Miles biked:  0 miles.  What can I say?  I hate the exercise bike and I don't have proper clothes for biking in this weather.

Miles swam:  0 miles.  No excuses here.  I just don't have access to a pool.  The lakes are a little cold right now.

Yoga session:  8 sessions.  Still keeping up with this.  Even after a marathon, yoga is my best friend.

Weights sessions: 3 sessions.  I lacked on this after the marathon but should be back for next month.

Races:  3 races.  The Monumental Marathon(#5), Mustache Dache 5k(my new favorite 5k course) and of course, the Kona Chocolate Run 10k, their inaugural race.  All can be found in the race reviews section for more details.

How was your month?







Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

Living Well Montel Healthmaster Elite Review

Ok, I have to admit that I'm not the main cook in the house but my wife does make very healthy meals for the family.  A few months ago I received the Living Well Montel Healthmaster Elite for review.  Of course, this does much more than any typical blender could ever do.

Here's what I received:

Living Well Montel Healthmaster

 There are five parts to the Healthmaster including the base, pitcher, lid, cap and a tamper.

Top of base

There are timer buttons so you are able to program in a time and let it work or you can use the lower buttons to push it manually.  There is also a variable speed to it depending on what you are trying to make.

Front of base

 The pitcher is a huge two liter size which is plenty to make things for the family.

Container

Top

The cap, which is also a built in measuring cup too, is easy to remove and removable so you are able to put in the included tamper.  This come in handy when the ingredients need a little help mixing better.  Overall the quality of the product is very high and I'm sure will last for years.

mixer

Lid with removable opening

Without the plastic cap

The Healthmaster also came with a great cookbook of things to make.  These include recipes for breads, mufffins, bars, butter and spreads, coffees, deserts, dips and salsas, dressing and marinades, breakfast, fondues, frozen drinks, ice cream, juices, shakes/smoothies, salads, sauces, and soups.  It's quite impressive!

Recipes

There is also an included diet plan.  While I'm not on a plan, it's a good program for trying to lose a few pounds.

Diet plan

Instructions / DVD

So to give you an idea how this works, we made a couple recipes from the book.  The first recipe is a Hummus.  Frankly, I've never made Hummus at home but really saw two advantages to making it.  The first is that you know exactly what you are putting into it.  In this case, I knew it was all natural ingredients.  Second, it a much less expensive way to eat Hummus.  While what I made here looks like a small amount, the cost is greatly reduced compared to store bought since you can make so much more.

Ingredients for Hummus

Since I don't want to share the actual recipes, you will see all the ingredients above.  Essentially we put them all in the Healthmaster and mixed them.  The recipes specifically state the amount of time and speed that you need so it comes out right.

I took a picture of what was left over after we made it!  Verdict?  Delicious and healthy!  Actually the reason I wanted to show you this picture was to explain cleaning which I will below.

Hummus left in container

Here's the final product below in our dish.  It lasted about a day at our home.  The thing I like about the Healthmaster is that it was so easy to use and make things.  Even for me, a non-cook, could put this together.  My wife even talked about having it for our next party.

Final Hummus product

Below is a picture of the Healthmaster blending.  As you saw from the picture above, it seem that it would take a bit of work to clean it.  Not so at all!  This is really easy to clean.  All you do is put some warm soapy water into the Healthmaster and turn the speed to 8 for one minute.  It's super simple and this process gets all the food off the machine and cleans it well.  The company does not recommend putting in the dishwasher, but with this process, it's not necessary anyway.  For me, I'm all about simple.  If it's going to be hard to deal with, it won't get used so I was happy to see this.

Easy to clean

Next the family and I decided to make Smoothies.  We chose the Strawberry Banana Smoothie. 

Smoothie

Once again, all the ingredients were put into the Healthmaster including some ice, as you can see below.  This recipe only took about five minutes to make with prep and everything.  Very simple and once again, very healthy.

Large container

 As you can see below, it made enough for the entire family.  One of the things I also like is that the cookbook recipes have all the details in regards to nutrition.  I try not to eat things when I don't know how they are made.  Having this nutritional information really helps ease my mind that what I am eating truly is healthy.  In this case, the smoothie was 260 calories; 5 calories from fat.  Gotta love that!

Plenty for the family

One of the things that separates this from just a blender is it's ability to make hot foods such as soups.  You can make a soup and blend it long enough that the soup will heat up as you are making it.  Again, it really comes down to ease of use.

I really enjoyed reviewing the Living Well Montel Healthmaster Elite even though it's not an item I typically review.  It does, however, fit into anyone who is looking to lead or compliment a healthy lifestyle.

A special thanks to Jen from the blog, From Fat to Finish Line, for introducing me to another healthy option to eating.

Interested in learning more?

Go to Healthmaster Website

Go to their Facebook page.

Follow them on Twitter.

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

Note:  I received a Living Well Montel Healthmaster Elite in exchange for this review.  All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a particular opinion on this product.

Spartan Race Entry Winner!!!!

Hey - who wants to win an entry to a Spartan Race event?  Oh yeah, you guys do.  If you got in by 5pm today, you were entered in my entry giveaway sponsored by the Spartan Race.

So, who won?

A local Michigan runner this time around.  Congrats to Betsy!!!!  Betsy runs a blog called The Everyday Warrior and, if you have read her blog, you will know the Spartan race is right up her alley.  She loves mud runs so I'm sure Spartan will not disappoint.

Congratulations Betsy!  Please e-mail me with 48 hours and I'll get you your race code good for a 2013/14 race entry in the United States.

For everyone else, don't forget to watch the Reebok Spartan Beast World Championship on NBC, December 7th.  Also, remember that you can also get 15% off entry by going HERE.  Thanks again goes out to Spartan Races for sponsoring this giveaway.

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

Note:  I received a free race entry to give away in exchange for posting about the Spartan Races.  All opinions are my own.