#30before30 – Not your typical race

#30before30 – Not your typical race When I first started this #30before30 challenge and I was trying to come up with things to do, I tried thinking of something I would never do. If you asked me if I’d like to go running 18 months ago I would have laughed at you and said, I don’t run. Over the last 18 months I started learning to run. I know saying “learning to run” sounds funny, but I really believe it is something you have to learn. I used to think running involved moving your feet as fast as you can, I’d be out of breath and in pain after 5-7 minutes. Then I learned that you can jog at a moderate pace and if you get into a rhythm of running to music and breathing every 4 paces, it’s actually something that can be done. All this to say is that over the past 18 months I’ve been teaching myself to run. In that time, the longest I have ever gone for is 30 minutes and I never calculated my distance. So, I figured that setting a running goal would be a great thing to do for #30before30. As I was planning the challenge I saw that there was going to be a 5k race in Montreal called The Color Run. I had no idea whether or not I’d be able to run 5k but I thought it was a good goal to set for myself. I told my friend Carl about this idea and he immediately signed up and recruited a whole team of people to run with. I guess at that point I had no choice but to take the plunge. When I told my parents I was going to do a challenge and that I was going to run a race, they almost didn’t believe me. They actually came to the run because I think they still didn’t believe that I’d actually do it! The event was amazing, I have no idea how many people were there but there were thousands of people, dressed in all kinds of crazy costumes, tutus, hazmat jumpsuits, crazy wigs, hats, sunglasses and accessories. It was such a happy, friendly, non-judgmental experience, I was so happy I signed up, even before I stepped on the course. The idea is, you wear white (or at least a white shirt) and you run 5 kilometers. At each kilometer there are volunteers who throw colored cornstarch at you, so that at the end of the race you are covered in color. You can choose how dirty you want to get, there were people rolling on the floor to get more color on themselves, it was crazy! It was a beautiful sunny, fall day, it was a little cold, but perfect for a run. I highly recommend this run for anyone, whether you are an experienced runner or not, it was a great time. Check out these before and after pics!

20121108-095407.jpg

20121108-095421.jpg

20121108-095431.jpg

20121108-095446.jpg