The Biggest Loser RunWalk 10K Recap

Hello all. Hope your day is going well. I just wanted to share all about the lovely race I did last weekend.

A few weeks ago, Girls Gone Sporty's Laura Williams (http://www.girlsgonesporty.com/) shared with the GGS Ambassadors that she was in contact with The Biggest Loser RunWalk series (http://www.biggestloser.com/fitness/partners/runwalk-race-series) and they were looking for ambassadors to join them in their new race series and blog about it. Being a fan of the show...and races...you better believe I signed right up. :)

Not too long after, I received an email from them and they said they would love to have me participate in the inaugural Austin race and gave me a coupon code to cover my registration fees. Holy moly...I was so excited.

Here's a little secret:

 This is the first thing that has been given to me because of my blog and my affiliation with Girls Gone Sporty and I am still so excited. It makes me feel like I just got a blogger promotion. Lol.

My daughter went to packet pickup with me Friday night and it was super organized for a new race. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. They had 2 previous Biggest Loser contestants there speaking on stage. I did not get a chance to listen to them (bummer) because the child and I had a million errands to run that night.

My daughter is a Girl Scout (and I am the troop leader,) and we had our first cookie booth scheduled the morning of race day. Luckily, the other two moms in our troop understood how awesome this opportunity was for me and let me drop off Natalie & the cookies at the booth before the race and took care of her until I was able to pick her up after. (Thank you Shannon & Angie!) 

And, yes, I see the irony of my daughter selling Girl Scout cookies while I was running a Biggest Loser race, but alas...I haven't talked the Girl Scouts into selling fruit. Yet. ;-)

The reason I race is the girl on the right :)

After I left the cookie booth, I picked up my best running friend and we headed to the race. She wasn't even running it. She just volunteered to go stand in the rain for moral support and to hold stuff for me. Many of the photos in this post were only possible because she was there. Love her!

We arrived at the race in the nick of time. Here is a pic of me being goofy before I turned around and ran to catch up with all the racers who had already started. 

(I spy #sweatpink laces!)

Pretty sure I was the last one to cross the starting line. I ran as fast as I could through the swarm of 5Kers & walkers to catch up with my fellow 10K runners.

The race had many inspirational signs throughout. Some of you may know I have a small obsession with inspirational quotes. To me, they were little reminders of how far I've come and motivation to dig a little deeper.



The race was in a county park I had never been to and I loved the trails. It was a really gray, drizzly day, but for me, that is the perfect race weather. And the scenery was beautiful. I am used to running in my neighborhood in the city, so this was a treat.

Around the halfway point, I saw my BRF Susan (http://soozind.blogspot.com/) cheering me on. She is wearing a pink jacket & holding my blue race bag. I took this pic right before I threw my sweaty sweatshirt at her. I am truly a great friend. ;-)

I ran most of this race. I took a few walk breaks, but not many. I really felt great. It was one of those perfect runs. The only thing about the race that was a little stressful is the fact that it wasn't marked well. I almost went the wrong way twice. There was a 5K & a 10K going on at the same time and the signage wasn't entirely clear. I talked to others after the race and some of them were pretty sure they made at least one wrong turn. I'm certain they have heard about this (because I told them) and I am certain they will make steps to improve this in the future.

The race had a variety of runners of all fitness levels. I was so excited to see them all out there. I cheered on everyone I ran by. I thanked all the volunteers that I saw. I was in a super good mood for the whole race.

That being said, I'll admit, I was really was happy to see this sign. Can you read it through the fog & drizzle?

Mile 6. :-)

  

I ran by some volunteers who said, "Better fix your hair...the finish line is right around the corner." Of course, I replied with, "What?! Are you telling me my hair looks bad?", and we all laughed. I love nice volunteers.

Then I took off. I was happy to see Brandon Brickley from Camp Gladiator with the microphone. He is seriously the nicest trainer I have ever met. Seeing him this day spurred my return to boot camp yesterday, so thank you Brandon!  

And then I smiled. And hydrated. My Fit Foods was at the finish line, so Susan & I each got a complimentary bowl of what I'm pretty sure was Good Morning Sunshine (https://www.myfitfoods.com/products/good-morning-sunshine). 

And then I admired my medal...

And all the other medals...

We wandered around after that and ran into previous Biggest Loser contestants, Dan & Jackie Evans. They are the national spokespeople for this race series. They seemed really nice. And they laughed at my jokes, which is always a bonus in my book. Of course, I am really funny, so it's understandable. :-)

After the photo op with the semi-famous people, we wandered over to check out the race results and what do you know?! 

10K PR!!! 

I was super, ultra excited!!!!

So, all in all, it was a truly fantastic race. Take The Biggest Loser, add in two of my Austin faves--Camp Gladiator & My Fit Foods--and it was just a great morning. I am passionate about continuing my restoration, and helping others in the process. I am thrilled that I got to be a part of this inaugural race. 

A big, huge thank you to Girls Gone Sporty & The Biggest Loser RunWalk series for this opportunity.

Me with my medal & PR face

Disclaimer:

I was given free registration for this race in exchange for this post, but the opinions & excitement expressed are my own. :)