Lessons Learned from my first Color Run!

On Saturday, I participated in Burlington's Color Run 5k. The charity chosen was Chill VT, an organization dedicated to providing "THINGS TO DO" for at-risk youth. When I was growing up in Vermont, there was never anything to do. No youth centers, no activities beyond sports or skiing and many kids chose to simply get into trouble, for lack of better ideas.

I signed up for the race to participate with my daughter, Riley, 5 years old. I fully expected her to walk for at least half of the race, so I didn't properly prepare. I typically run a 5k once a week on the weekends that I don't have my kiddo, but I've been slacking for the last couple of months. We got all decked out in colorful attire:


It was a lot colder than we had originally planned on (we're talking going from 90s to 40s in a week!) so we did what we could and I quickly purchased a long sleeved shirt for Ri and long socks and such for both of us. I tried to explain to Riley that when we went through the color zones, she needed to keep her mouth closed. I think that freaked her out a little, plus the amount of people and such that she decided as we were lining up for the race, that she didn't want to participate. She stood off to the side with my mother to watch.

It was then that I realized that without my five year old by my side, I had no reason NOT to run the whole thing. WHOOPS, guess I should've trained a bit!

I did okay, running most of it and taking quick walks (who knew the fairgrounds had hills!) and I finished in about 34 minutes. I had read a lot of blogs about the run, so I knew to bring water, baby wipes, and other stuff to clean myself up before getting in the car.

Because it was so cold, I also didn't participate in the after party and gave my extra color packs to some very happy runners!

Also because it was so cold, I didn't sweat hardly at all. I think this prevented the color from really sticking to my body. With a quick wipe to my face and hands, I was good to go for the rest of the day and after a normal shower, I was completely clean (albeit, my left armpit is still slightly tinted blue!).

Overall, it was a really great experience. A little boring since I ran pretty much alone. I was expected to dance through the color zones with an ecstatic five year old, but I felt a little silly going all out by myself. It's definitely a run to do with friends or other people.

Now that Riley knows what to expect, I think she will be more than happy to participate next year! And I'm looking forward to it again! Here are some pics that I downloaded from Flo Foto and one more that my mom took at the end!!!