COLOR RUN WINDSOR, CANADA - AKA MY 1st 5K

COLOR RUN WINDSOR, CANADA

It was a blast! Drove there the nite before, picked up my race packet from an awesome person (THANKS KATHY!). Decided to drive down to the packet pickup to get an idea of what the run will look like and to scope out some parking for the run day. Saw some of the setup going on.

Running Flat organized the race and I must say for the largest run Windsor, ON has ever had, they did a fabulous job, over 11,000 people registered. The race course was scenic along Riverside Drive and the Riverfront path. Just one of the many things I miss from my time living in Windsor.

Scenic Route along the Detroit Riverfront.

Ren Cen. - Detroit, MI - view from Windsor, ON

Considering these are the vats they
colored powered was stored in. 

I'm happy I wasn't on the cleanup crew.  

As for being the Happiest Store on the planet, I thought that was Ikea. :) I guess this is a pretty close second.

ColorRunStore

On the way back to the car, I noticed a few people got excited to try out their color packets. It was hard not to use them. Also the parking enforcement people were out in full force giving tickets. Glad, I mooched a parking stub off the person leaving next to me.

Color Powder

Here's the view of the starting pit before people filled it.

Empty Path

My race packet.

I was number 42225. YIPPIEEE!!! I'm one of 11,000. :)

1:11000

Posing pre-color....

Goofing around.

Pre-party with some Zumba. Check out that GIANT Mountie!

Stage - Preparty

The Run-icorn leading the Conga line to the starting gate.

RUNICORN!!!!

The starting hatch.

Sea of White waiting to get this thing started. Finnaly I get to start at 9:35am.

Throughout the course they had some cool signs like this to encourage you and perhaps to stop to get a photo.

YIPPPIEE!!

Yep, you did sweat a Rainbow!

They didn't have a I Heart Turquoise. 

The run took us through the Odette Sculpture Park and many were caught posing with the sculptures. 

Chasing the naked man.

The After-party ROCKED! IT was so much fun. Got to go up on stage and see the huge crowd gathered and the beginning of the color throw after party, how cool does this look? As you can see Detroit peeking out from behind the banner.

Pre-After Party Color Bombs.

Finishing Banner photo!

Me and the Run-icorn post run.

I forgot that when you mixed all the colors of the rainbow together you got black? That's pretty much what I became. Black.





Time to head home and try to get cleaned up. I'm tired. Now that I have traveled over 10K.  Yep, that's my fancy pedometer I'm using. 10.13km or 20255 steps. Take your pick. Started about 9:35am and Finished at 10:25am. Not crazy fast, didn't run as much as I had hoped to, but with the warm weather, the occasionally stopping for a photo op and the huge crowd, I still feel accomplished for FINISHING my first 5K.

Yep I finished.
Yep, today I traveled 10K on foot
to do a 5K. 

Yes I had a FANTASTIC TIME! Thank to The Color Run Canada.  Thanks Running Flat for hosting a great event! Thanks to the new friends I made on the route.

OK. Now is the Time

Ok. Now what? I got what I asked for. I'm a little scared right now. A little excited too. So I am excited to share with you that I was chosen. Chosen for what you ask? Well chosen from #FMRMC of course. Ok, I know what you are thinking, "What in the World is Michelle talking about now?" Let me explain... 

Me in March 2013 at a friends wedding.

A few weeks ago, someone I follow on twitter retweeted a call for overweight females who are up for a challenge. And not just any challenge a CRAZY HUGE challenge as I care to refer to it as. Well I had a secret goal earlier this year that I didn't even come close to achieving that I shared with maybe two people. (Please don't be offended if you weren't one of the two, it came up in a conversation which I had no intention of sharing). So onward. It now doesn't matter what it was. I didn't do it. So now I saw this challenge to spend a year preparing for a (GULP) marathon. You know those things "athletes" do? That up until I saw that tweet I had no intention of even considering. Well, I thought about it, considered it. Wondered if I could even do it. Doubted that I could do it. I read the organizers blog with some of the details, located here. I emailed for an application, still thinking I must be going Crazy to even consider this! I spent some more time thinking about why I can't do it and finally decided, to give it a go and apply. I did. Today after lunch, I discovered I was CHOSEN. AHH!!! Yippie!! AHH!! Can you see the emotions? 

So there is a group of 15 overweight female from around the world. Mostly, from the US, & the UK, one from India and Portugal and me from Canada. Who, over the course of the next year try to run our butts off. 

• So if you follow me on twitter, you may see me referencing #FMRMC. This is what I'm talking about. 
• If you want to see how it's going, I'll be posting here on this blog at least once a month to let ya know what's going on. Now, it maybe more often depending how things go.
• If you want to join me in any capacity whether cheering me on, going for a run or maybe even doing a 5K alongside me or at the same time, drop me an email or a Facebook message, I may even be willing to travel to your city to do this. 

Now, for those of you who know me well, know that this isn't exactly my "thing." Well people change.   Or perhaps people try to change. Please do me a favour, don't ask me about the "M" word (marathon which is 26.2miles or 42km) for a while. At this very moment where I am shocked I have committed to giving this my best effort, doing this, it seems so distance (in duration & length & time) and well a little un-attainable, you know one of those lofty goals people come up with. But you also know what? If you don't set crazy goals, hey, you'd still be sitting on the couch. Wait, maybe you are still on the couch… well, get up and do something!