Running a Half Marathon Relay

Tomorrow Ryan and I will be racing in the Elk Grove Half Marathon Relay.





I've never run a half or full marathon relay, but it seems like there are some good benefits of it. Some reasons I see to run a 2 or 4 person relay are:

1) If you are working up in distance, a relay would allow you to enjoy a longer race without having to run the whole event.
2) A relay could give you a chance to run faster -- of course you could do a shorter race on your own like a 5k or 10k  -- but it's another option
3) To race with other people! Even though you aren't racing next to the person the during the race, you get to have teammates who are counting on you. Plus, running with friends is awesome.

At the Running of the Elk race tomorrow, Ryan will be running first for 7.5 miles, and I will be finishing up the second part of the race (5.6 miles). We are looking forward to racing a little faster than our recent half marathons, especially since we feel like we have been improving on our paces recently.

The last few days have been busy because we had a friend in town. Thursday we went out to the opening night of the River Cats (local minor league baseball team), and Friday we checked out a bar called the Pour House.

{turned out to be a nice night to watch some baseball after the rain cleared out}

{yeah, this bar was awesome -- the booths had taps right at the table!}

Tonight we are looking forward to getting to bed earlier in preparation for the race. I'll keep you guys posted on how it all goes down tomorrow! My goal: hold around an 8 min pace.

I know a few of you have run the longer large team relays based on my last post, but have you ever done a half or full marathon relay? What did you think of it?

Don't Stop: Nuun HTC Application

Since I started running two years ago, I have really surprised myself with how far I could go (a marathon!) or how fast I could run (a 1:50 half?!). Plus, I think things are only getting better! I'm feeling so much more confident in my running ability, and I have joined an amazing community of people by starting a blog about my experiences with training, racing, and staying fit.

Last August I loved reading so many bloggers' recaps about running Hood-to-Coast with Nuun. It seemed like an unbelievable experience! Making new friends, and simply having the time of their life. This year, Nuun is looking for 20 new female bloggers to take on the 199 mile relay from the top of Mt. Hood to the Coast in Seaside, OR. Because of this, I decided to take a leap and put together an application. Can't get in if you don't apply, right?

I have seen a bunch of application videos from other women applying, and I have to say they are amazing and so creative! It would be amazing to run a relay (which I've never done before!) with a group of incredible female runners/bloggers for an awesome company that can truly keep us moving (through their power of hydration)!

With that, I invite you to enjoy my application video about why I would be the perfect addition to the Nuun Hood-to-Coast relay team.

Okay, okay... I know I'm not the best dancer (Slumbee and Waddles have me beat, as you can clearly see), but you probably can't help but laugh at my moves, and I still love a good dance party -- especially on a road trip or in a big van with a bunch of other sweaty runners.

Nuun, I hope you like my moves and silliness enough to invite me to join you on this awesome adventure!

Have you ever run Hood to Coast, or another relay? Ryan and I have been thinking about relays for a while now, but need some more running friends!

PS. You still have time to put in an application if you are interested. The deadline was extended to Sunday 4/7 at Midnight! You can check out more of chatter on twitter by following #nuunHTC

100 Miles

A week or so ago, I mentioned that Ryan has type I diabetes. To help raise money for this cause and for research to find a cure, we will be riding in the Tour de Cure. 

The tour de cure is a bike ride to bring awareness of the disease and fundraise for the American Diabetes Association. There are rides all across the country. Each location has a few different distances to allow for people to push their limits but also ride something that they are capable of. 

This year will be the fourth year Ryan and I have participated in the Tour de Cure in Napa Valley. This year it will be taking place on May 5, 2013. We will be riding the 100-mile route! A bunch of our friends will be joining us on the tour, riding one of the various distances (10, 25, 50, 80 or 100 miles). Funds raised through these events are used to fund research for a cure, information to help prevent diabetes, advocacy for those affected by diabetes and public awareness activities.

We have had an absolute blast participating in the Tour de Cure. The Napa Valley tour has stunning scenery, and is simply such a great route. The other nice thing about it is they have a bunch of rest stops to refill your water bottles and get some food. Besides the ride, we like to make a whole weekend out of it by going to Napa on Friday and enjoying the area Saturday before the ride on Sunday.

One of the other awesome things about this event, is people who ride and have diabetes (either type I or type II) are celebrated as a Red Rider. This promotes a community among those with the disease, and is nice to see who you are really riding for! Red Riders wear a special red jersey with this logo to be recognized.

So, this is our next big event to train for! Last weekend we did a tough and hilly 45-mile training ride with our friend Josh. Most weekends for the next month, we will be getting out on some longer rides. I will also be trying to bike one day per week to campus to get some extra miles in the saddle.

To find a tour in your area, check out: http://tour.diabetes.org

If you are interested in donating to the cause and supporting my efforts to stop diabetes, please visit http://main.diabetes.org/goto/klipscomb and click on "Donate to Kristen" to make a donation in my name.

Have you ever done a charity walk, run or bike ride? Before the Tour de Cure, I had also done a few walks for Multiple Sclerosis and Relay for Life.