Groovefest 2012 Run for the Music Quarter Marathon

  

On Saturday, June 23rd, I completed my first quarter marathon.

(Psst...it's not much longer than a 10K, but calling it a "quarter marathon" sounds a lot more impressive!) 

It was an accomplishment that wasn't supposed to happen, but a last-minute change of plans made it possible.

There's a saying in General Aviation:  Travel by small plane is great when it doesn't matter when you get there.  The reason for that is that small planes are highly affected by weather, as are their pilots.  My husband Mike is a VFR pilot, meaning he's trained only to fly by sight, not by instruments.  So, if the weather is bad, our journey may be delayed or cancelled entirely. It requires a "go with the flow" mentality and the ability to quickly find other exciting things to do.

Our original plans for the weekend were super fun.  We were going to fly from Vegas to the airport in Camarillo, California, where they were hosting a 5K obstacle race entertainingly called Mudapalooza. Our pilot friends Gary and Elaine live in Camarillo and stow both their planes at the airport.  They, along with Mike, were going to enjoy VIP spectator seats at the event so they could all watch me make a fool of myself in style.

The California coast is generally socked in with fog in the morning, which doesn't seem like a big problem.  Just land there in the afternoon, right?  Um, not quite.  Vegas has its own weather challenges.  At this time of year, it gets very hot very fast and stays that way most of the day.  Wind is also a factor.  Those gusts aren't just potentially dangerous; they also make for very turbulent flight.  Keep your vomit bags handy!

Bottom line: between the heat, the wind and the cloud cover on the coast, we couldn't get ourselves to Camarillo safely or comfortably by air.

Mudapalooza at Camarillo was out, but we weren't giving up on finding adventure somewhere else.

Cedar City, Utah, is only an hour or so north of Vegas by DA40, versus the two and a half hours it takes to reach Camarillo, and there's no fog.  The deal was sealed when I learned that there were still spots available in the Groovefest Run for the Music Quarter Marathon.  This 6.6-mile race included a half-mile underground segment with disco balls, glow sticks, and music.  Oh yeah! DISCO BALLS!! 

Race day kicked off with a missing shuttle bus driver, causing us to start the quarter marathon about 20 minutes late.  Then came news that the dirt-packed entrance to the underground portion was flooded and tricky to navigate.  I didn't mind; I got some mud in after all!  The disco balls were miniaturized and scarce, but they dimly lit our paths as groovy 70s singles echoed in the concrete corridor.  It was nifty catching glimpses of colorful graffiti while running through the darkened space.  The tunnel opened onto a pretty two-lane path set through green hills on the right and gentle slopes with rooftops on the left.  The scenery was so pretty, such a nice contrast to the desert vistas in Vegas.  There was even a live musical duo strumming guitars toward the end of the race.

It was a great race.  I earned another one-of-a-kind medal - a CD imprinted with the Groovefest logo - to add to my collection, and I can now say that I've run underground and with disco lights!

Tips for a Mud Run Newbie

Mud Runs are all the rage right now, and it's easy to see why.  They're fun, challenging, frequently involve costumes, and come with free beer at the end.  I was hooked after I did my very first event, the Muddy Buddy, here in Vegas in 2010. 

As cool as they are, mud runs can also be intimidating.  You have to sign a death waiver, after all, when you do the Tough Mudder!  To combat those start line jitters, Active.com has compiled a nice list of 13 Tips for Mud Run Rookies.  With practical caveats like "don't jump feet-first into the mud pit", you'll be ready to frolic in the pile of tires with a thousand other people.

Check it out and sign up for a mud run today!

Chillin'

One of the best parts about doing a race is the down time afterwards, enjoyed with the ones you love.  After my Groovefest quarter marathon in Cedar City, my husband and I, along with Sadie, our Boston Terrier rescue, snapped up a seat on the sidewalk outside The Grind Coffehouse to sip iced lattes and watch the world go by...or just listen. :)

Being art-venturous

     

It takes courage to put paint to canvas.  That bright white fabric tempts us with endless possibilities, yet terrifies us with the possibility of making the wrong choice.  Of course, nothing is irreparable in paint, but it feels like it is.

Moving you past fear - and into the creative vibe - is the goal of Social Paintbrush.  An evening at Social Paintbrush is a fusion of friends, fun and painting.  Art becomes accessible as well as time to hang out with your peeps.  Social Paintbrush features simple but impactful artworks, designed and taught by local artists. Techniques are met and mastered with ease, and teachers give gentle pointers when a student veers too far off course.  Generally, though, students are delightfully left to their own devices to make the painting their own.  One of the best parts of the evening is walking around to see what everyone else has done. 

I attended my first class in May, by myself, and found it to be a warm, welcoming environment, and I loved the piece I created.  Back again in mid-June, my very good friend Becky came with me.  We had a blast!  I brought homemade fudge to share with the group and received plenty of praise for my cooking, if not for my artisitic skills. :)

Being adventurous goes beyond physical activities. It's important to challenge your mind, too.  Social Paintbrush does just that, with the bonuses of a masterpiece you can take home and bonding with your pals.

Getting my crazy on at the Mad Mud Run

My first obstacle race of the 2012 season was the Mad Mud Run on April 21. This is an annual event, but it was my first time doing it.  At 4.5 miles long, it was more than 5K but not as intensive as the 10-mile Tough Mudder I had done in May the year before.

Besides the nice "in between" distance, the event was also close to home, in the master-planned community of Providence.  The course went through Knickerbocker Park; with its play areas, dog park, baseball field, and jogging path, it converted easily to the various challenges of a mud run.  Participants were encouraged to bring new or gently used books for Spread the Word Nevada, which provides reading materials to students in need.

My husband put a video camera on me, to capture all the action, but it felt awkward.  I'd worn one at a couple of other strictly running races, and the bobbing was irksome and uncomfortable.  I decided to forego it at the last minute.

The obstacles in this race were the easiest ones I've ever done, like weaving through agility poles and crossing a balance beam that was barely off the ground.  However, that doesn't mean the race was easy for me.  This race started three hours later than most other races at that time of the year, and things were already starting to heat up.  When the start gun sounded at 10:15 a.m., it was in the 90s. 

I was about a mile and a half into it when the goosebumps started, followed by nausea.  I had never had this happen before, so I wasn't sure what was going on.  Thankfully, I was running with fellow Girls on the Run coach Karen, who is also a personal trainer.  She quickly recognized the signs of heat illness and admonished me to walk.  It was humbling to have to walk so much of the course when I'd earned my bad-ass badge at more difficult events. Karen was so gracious, sticking with me the whole time, even when she was feeling fine.  She and her friend, who was also running with us, kept up a pleasant patter, and we ran when I felt up to it. 

One upside to the situation was that I was thrilled to reach the mud pit at the end.  It was quite possibly the most refreshing mud pit I've ever crawled through!

Bucket List: Flying Trapeze!

Sometimes you have one adventure planned, and another one presents itself totally unexpectedly.  It's adventure nirvana!

This happened to me back in November 2011, when I was in the Malibu area for the Spartan Sprint, a 5K obstacle race.  My husband Mike and I were exploring the Santa Monica Pier, the day before the Spartan, when we happened upon the New York Trapeze School.  I literally squealed with delight when I saw the board listing class times.  Doing the flying trapeze had been on my bucket list forever!

I had just enough time to dash into the shopping district to buy some yoga pants and return to begin class.

Can you imagine fulfilling a lifelong dream surrounded by neon lights and a ferris wheel, while the sun sets on the California coast?!  It was a magical two hours.  The staff was amazing: Dean, who cinched my belt and helped me dismount; Morningstar, who reassured me on the platform and instructed me in how to grab the bar.  Everyone was informative, helpful, funny and good at what they do.  I did a reverse knee hang AND a catch.  It was terrifying and then mind-blowingly awesome.  I love, love, loved it and definitely plan to do it again.

Devil Dash - Running Like Hell in the Merry Month of May

More and more obstacle races are coming to Vegas and environs, which is a-okay in my book.  My travel budget is tight, and I have limited leave available.  So, I want to do as much as possible close to home.

The Devil Dash is an adventurous 5K running race.  I call it "the holistic run from Hell".  Obstacles are themed after the 7 Deadly Sins.  You test mind and body to conquer Satan’s Tower, Plunge into Hell’s mud pit, leap through Dante’s Inferno Rings of Fire & more in the swelter and gritty grades of Bootleg Canyon. If you survive, you get to knock back a brewski in the Beer Garden of Eden.

With the devil headwear, costumes, and loud music, it was a tremendously fun morning, and I look forward to doing it again next year.

Earning My Ride in the Dirty Vert

  

Desert Dash is a scrappy little adventure race group in Vegas, which focuses on unique and unusual events.  They are known for their funky, signature medals, called "woodles". 

Partnering with Flightlinez Bootleg Canyon, Glenn and Dana, Desert Dash's founders, created an inspired outing in late April in which you ran and/or scrambled up Red Mountain in Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City and then took four ziplines down. Plus, 50% of the registration fees went to the Boulder City High School Student Success Fund.

The beauty of it, besides the gorgeous views, was that you could pick whatever route you wanted.  You could run the longer, easier mapped-out route.  Or, you could chart your own course, scrambling up the single-track mountain bike trails.  I decided to control my directional destiny, going short and steep.  The effort paid off; I took second place in my heat!