Mom Works It Out by Angela Gillis

Race Recap: Rock n Roll Denver 5k

I received a Tour Pass to run the Rock n Roll Marathon series races this year.  The races may be free, but my opinions are my own.

I am catching up on my race recaps.  I am starting with Rock n Roll Denver 5K and Half Marathon.  I had such a great time running this race.  I have run this race a few years back but I don’t think I took time to really enjoy the experience.  This time around, I was all about having a good time and just looking around.

Rock n Roll Denver 2017

I did have a remix weekend of running the two days.  I did the 5K on Saturday and the half marathon on Sunday. Two races and three medals were the bling I took home for the weekend.  My first stop for race weekend was the expo to pick up my race day packet and get some merch.  The expo was a little small but I got what I needed.  We didn’t really spend that much time there because like I said it was small.

Rock n Roll Denver 5K Recap #RnRDen #RockNBlog #sweatpink #webeatfat #runchat

Click To Tweet

The 5K on Saturday started at 9 am in downtown Denver at Civic Center Park.  It was nice to have the race start so late.  There was no waking up super early and it was just very easy that morning.  The weather was cool, but it was a nice change from the Texas weather.

Untitled

There was a nice size crowd of people running the 5K that morning.  Everyone seemed really excited to be there.  My running had been put on hold due to Hurricane Harvey and the aftermath so I just wanted to have a good time.  The goal was just to run.

Untitled

I enjoyed running through the downtown tree line neighborhoods.  The route was hilly which didn’t give me hope for the half, but I had a great time running this beautiful course.  This was one of the best Rock n Roll 5K courses that I’ve run this year.

Untitled

I finished the 5K in 39:40 which was a surprise to me because I did it faster than I thought I would. Getting back into this running thing has been humbling so any amount of progress is welcome. My goal was the have fun and not freeze my tush off. I didn’t even check my time until long after the race and was greatly surprised.

Untitled

The rest of the day was spent exploring Denver. I may have walked 3 miles round trip for some Voodoo Donuts.  Remember, it’s about balance.  But it’s not like I can eat Voodoo Donuts every day.

Untitled

I also had a salad from Mad Greens, which is one of my favorite restaurants, EVER.  But honestly, I just wanted to rest up for the next day and enjoy some time with Baby G.  The half marathon recap is next.

Giveaway: Keep a cool head with Headsweats

Giveaway: Keep a cool head with Headsweats

Disclaimer: I am a Headsweats ambassador.  The views about this product or solely my own and not influenced by the company. It’s your chance to win a Headsweats hat or visor.  The only hats/visors I wear are Headsweats.  I don’t know what it is about this brand but it feels light on my head and collects my sweat like no other. I can’t think of one run that I’ve done without a Headsweats hat or visor. That’s a lot of running, right? My closet is full of these hats and visors and I want to share this great product with…

View Post

Giving up on THE goal

Giving up on THE goal

I’m not going to bury the lead today.  I’m not going to run the Chicago Marathon.  This is the post I’ve been struggling to write for the past two weeks.  This is the reason I’ve disappeared off social media.  This has been a huge source of sadness in my life. It’s like I gave up or something.  But I came to a point where I just physically couldn’t do the training. It makes me sad because this was a goal I set for myself.  I was running for the charity (Action for Healthy Kids) that I love and I still must…

View Post

Global running day confession

Global running day confession

Happy Global Running Day! It’s the day where the entire world celebrates running and goes for a run. It’s been a long day and that is why this post is late. I didn’t think I was going to be able to get any miles in today but I made it work. I got those miles in late, so now I’m wired and not sleepy at all. That’s no good because I have to get up early to teach my class. Y’all know that I love running and I could share the reasons why I love running with you but you’ve…

View Post

Tips for new runners

Tips for new runners

It’s about time for me to get back on my blogging game and provide some useful information. Right now I’m about to start my marathon training for Chicago so running is on my mind. Plus, I feel like I’m starting all over again so this is the time for me to share tips for new runners since I feel like a new runner…again. 1. Build your base. It’s easy to get super jazzed about running. It’s easy to get caught up in comparing yourself to others. You have to put all of those things aside and just build your base…

View Post

Race Recap: Run Houston! Minute Maid Park

Race Recap: Run Houston! Minute Maid Park

Yesterday I ran the Run Houston Minute Maid Park 10K in Houston. This was a race I was planning to do but didn’t sign up for until this week.  I’m being cautious about all of this stuff, but these races are a good excuse to throw myself into mileage.  I will use time as an excuse not to run longer so the races for me to make it until the end.  This race was the second in the race series.  I’ve never run any of these races but I’ll get to that later. I woke up early to squeeze into…

View Post

Rock n Roll Dallas Weekend Recap

Rock n Roll Dallas Weekend Recap

This past weekend I ran some races, faced some fears and regained a few parts of myself in the process. This weekend was my first big challenge since having Baby G three months ago. It was a good weekend for me and I’m nothing but positive with moving forward. A few weeks back, I found out I was accepted as a Rock n Roll race series ambassador through the Rock n Blog program.  This is something I have been chasing for awhile (3 years) and it finally arrived on my doorstep when I had really given up hope.  I just…

View Post

Five Things Friday: finally blogging edition

Five Things Friday: finally blogging edition

I feel like I’m sneaking to blog.  It’s in the wee hours of the morning but I need to get this in.  Last week I made the mistake of blogging about nonsense and then the baby woke up so I didn’t get to finish the post.  It’s sad, but I’m already wasting time.  Let’s get with it: Running.  I’m starting to get back into it.  I’ve gone back to it and things are so much better. Granted, I’m a wee bit slower (like almost 4 minutes a mile slower) than what I use to be, but I’ll get back there.…

View Post

Post Valentine’s Day Things I Love

Post Valentine’s Day Things I Love

I dropped the ball on my Valentine’s Day blog because I was wrapped up with other things. I might have subconsciously avoided blogging about it too because I don’t really care for Valentine’s Day. It’s been a day that has been HORRIBLE for me so I try to stay clear of it all together. But I did have the best Valentine EVER which made this the best Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had! I do hope that everyone had an enjoyable Valentine’s Day filled with lots of love. I thought I would take the time to talk about some of the…

View Post

Enjoy your Thanksgiving

Enjoy your Thanksgiving

It’s Thanksgiving week so that means family gatherings, football and lots of food.  Enjoy your day and don’t sweat the small the stuff.  This should be a day to celebrate and should be stress-free. My day started off with the Turkey Trot.  We all walked the 5K. I’ve written about Thanksgiving in the past and posted healthy side dishes.  If there are healthy options at your table then eat them and enjoy them.  If you feel like you need to provide those side dishes, then eat up and enjoy them. I just want everyone to enjoy the time.  I feel…

View Post

Chicago Marathon Weekend

Chicago Marathon Weekend

I’m not a bad blogger, I promise.  I’m just a pregnant woman who moves a little a bit slower than normal.  Honestly, I usually work on my blog at work but our internet at work has been horrible the past month…it takes me all day to my work and there’s no time for blogging.  Long story short, I’m still here. This past weekend we traveled to Chicago for the Chicago Marathon.  Obviously, I didn’t get to run for my charity this year, but Willie did.  I’m sad to say that he didn’t finish the marathon.  I’m proud of him for…

View Post