Race Report: Snowbird (Rainbird) Challenge 50k

The Snowbird Challenge is the sister event (exactly the same style, including event site and all) to the Carolina Reaper Challenge that I participated in over the summer. Whereas I did the marathon relay in the summer event, this one I went all-in for the solo 50k.

Basic summary:

Run a ~2.6 mile loop starting every 45 minutes. Do this 12x to complete the 50k. 

When I signed up, I was thinking this one would be super cold and my challenge would be staying warm in between loops. Turns out the challenge of the day was RAIN and not cold!

I arrived and set up my chair and tote with the group of Spartanburg runners who had a huge tent/table collection. We got a pre-race photo of everyone while we were still smiling and dry. 

The first lap set off at 8:00 am and I made a conscious effort to keep at an easy pace despite the excitement of being out on the course. The first 3 laps were all intentionally held back vs. what I could have been running. After the first 3, I decided I'd just run what felt good for the rest of the event - as fast or as slow as I wanted to go. I was also fully expecting to be walking laps by the end but spoiler alert, I didn't walk once!

Green: feeling strong but holding back
Light blue: feeling strong but not holding back
Dark Blue: things feel hard now, just keep going
Orange: time to finish this thing!!

We got 5 dry laps before the rain moved in and boy did it not stop. Everything was completely soaked, huge puddles along the course, not a dry stitch of clothing to be found. I had started out taking my shoes and socks off after every loop so that my feet wouldn't be trapped in sopping wet shoes all day and risk blisters, but I gave up on that after about the halfway point because I couldn't be bothered to take my shoes on and off. 

I was able to eat pretty well throughout the race and kept a shockingly consistent pace... really expected to fade and be walking towards the end but surprised myself by keeping going, and felt pretty good doing it!

Very moist

Finishing in the downpour

Very wet and tired Sparkle City runners

I managed to snag 1st AG award despite starting out in about 6th place in my age group. Technically there were 2 others in my age group who were faster, but they ended up being 2nd and 3rd overall female, so that meant I got the honor of being top for age group awards. Super pumped with this race despite the crazy conditions! Looking forward to trying my luck in the heat this summer. 🔥

Race Report: Greenville Track Club Run Downtown 5k

This was a cold one! Historically this has been a chilly start, and 2024 was no different. It was in the mid-20s on race morning and the event organizers even had indoor spaces + space heaters placed around the start/finish area to help combat the freezing temps for participants. I definitely bundled up more than typical for a fast race, but it was necessary. We had a great group of Milliken runners for the corporate shield team, too. 

Lots of cold little Milli-runners!

I did about a mile warmup jog to get from the car to the start line. Wasn't planning on going for a super fast time so wasn't overly concerned with getting super warmed up, just enough to get the legs moving. 

The first mile took us from the Peace Center over to Unity Park. This was my slowest mile of the race since I was just getting warmed up really. Felt OK but knew it wasn't going to be a PR day. 

Mile 1 = 7:20

Got to Unity Park and knew it was going to just be a big loop up one side and down the other (kind of) - this part was at least flat, but felt very long going all the way through the park on the Swamp Rabbit Trail. This year's course is very different from the course in the past that had stayed the same for many many years. 

Mile 2 = 7:08

Last mile had a little bit of climbing, but I'd studied the course map enough to know what was coming. It was really just the climb from the trail up River Street to get to Main that was a kicker, and I knew once I turned onto Main Street it was time for the final push (downhill!) to the finish.

Mile 3 = 7:13

Finish line!

Age group award!

We stood around in the freezing cold, finding as much sunshine as possible, and the team collected several age-group and team awards. We gathered for a team brunch at Coffee Underground after the race which was super fun! 

The one with the 10-Mile Ruck

Monday

Did: 1.5 mi run + 3.7 mi ruck

Quick morning loop in the neighborhood before work, then rucked 30# on the 5k course during lunch at the office. 

Tuesday

Did: 6.22 mi treadmill run

Ridiculous winter thunderstorms all day made for a treadmill speedwork session in the morning at work. Haven't run on a treadmill in quite some time, but felt pretty good overall. Speed segments of 2mi, 1mi, 0.5mi, 2x 0.25mi and an overall sub-8 pace for the 10k run. 

Wednesday

Did: 2.3 mi pup run + 2.5 mi pup ruck

Took the pup out for a couple miles on the trail after dropping off D at school. She seems to love running, which makes me sooo happy!

Got out for a ruck with pup in the afternoon, 30# pack through the equestrian park trails nearby.

Thursday

Did: 5.12 mi @ 8:39/mi

Early downtown group run again, chilly but nice morning! Really enjoying seeing these folks again semi-regularly. :)

Friday

Did: 2 mi pup run + 60 min Power Vinyasa

Morning pup run in TR after the school drop-off routine. She gets so silly and bounces around, and then won't jump up into the car. 😂

"Mum... halp."

Got out for a midday hot power vinyasa class at Soul Yoga that was super sweaty and good!

Saturday

Did: 3.7 mi @ 9:33/mi run + 10.15 mi ruck @ 18:10/mi moving average

Started out the morning with a ~30 minute run with friends from Swamp Rabbit Cafe. Had a short break for some coffee and a scone, then set out with John for a ridiculous ruck adventure. Had 20# plate in my pack, plus water. He had a 30# plate in his pack. And then we brought a 40# sandbag to carry between us for the planned 10 miles. 

Ran into some fans as we were getting started 💜

We set out heading north on the Swamp Rabbit with the goal of Furman as the turnaround point. That way there would be no short-cuts allowed! I took the first shift with the sandbag that we lovingly named "Little Bitch". Carried her for a mile then threw her onto the ground. John took the next mile, then we team-carried her for a mile, switching sides every quarter mile. John got these attachments called Ruck Loops (https://www.instagram.com/ruckloops/) that go on the ruck straps as well as on the sandbag and man, what a difference they make!! Great way to relieve the shoulder stress from the pack as well as enable different kinds of grips on the sandbag handles. 

Me with Little Bitch on my back. 

I have to say, carrying that thing for a mile made the miles with just the pack feel SO amazing and easy! 

About 3 miles left to go and feeling good! 

We finished out the last mile with 1/2 mile each on a solo carry and man did it feel great to throw that thing down at the end. I was surprised to not be absolutely dying by the end - yes it was hard and the shoulders were feeling it 100000% but I recall feeling much worse after the 6- or 8-mile distance rucks I'd done. 

Post-ruckin' beers were well-earned

This ruck was absolutely a confidence booster for me! Feeling good for the big event in Savannah... 3 weeks!!

Sunday

Did: 6.28 mi run (last ~2 with pup)

Ran to the park in the afternoon to meet the fam, and picked up the pup once I got there for another couple of miles. It was sunny but breezy, but felt nice. Legs were pretty tired but not as bad as I expected them to be!

Hello 2024!

Monday

Did: 5.2 mile mountain bike, 30 min strength, 1.9 mi ruck walk, 1 mi run

Started the year off with a bang - 4 different workout activities! Didn't really intend to do all that much, but had plenty of free time so why not. First thing was a family mountain bike ride at Yo Mama's House trails. Such nice trails and time in the woods!

Saluda River views

In the afternoon, I did 30 mins of strength training with the sandbag (from the GoRuck WOD on 12.30.23)... this one was tough but not as bad as the 12 Days of Christmas.

Afterwards I took the pup on a ruck walk for about 2 miles with the 30# ruck, and finished off with just 1 mile around the neighborhood (for the streak!).

Tuesday

Did: 4.2 mi ruck hike + 6.2 mi run

Got out for a last vacation day hike with D and the pup at Blue Wall Preserve. Never been there before but it was so nice! Really well maintained trails, pretty views, and not too crowded. 

He was trying to look mad but kept laughing...ended up looking adorable.

Blue sky!

"It's warm right here."

Pup + waterfall

lunch break!

I did my 10k around the neighborhood in the late afternoon and ran just about every road in the neighborhood. Missed a few tiny sections but was hard to get without lots of overlap/doubling back.

Wednesday

Did: 1.2 mi run + 60 min Power Vinyasa

Oh boy do my legs need a break! Work from home day today, so took the opportunity to go to a lunchtime yoga class which felt so nice. I guess I haven't been to a Power class in a while - more upbeat music and such, and wasn't sure I was in the mood for that at first, but it ended up being a great class. Had done a short loop around Unity park beforehand to get in the daily streak run.

Thursday

Did: 5.1 mi @ 9:02/mi avg

First day back in the office since the holidays, so met the early group downtown and had a lovely run in the darkness. Ran with a few folks I haven't seen in a while which was nice. I do miss these runs and need to do more of them - I've been lazy and running from home much more than I used to and I need some fresh scenery!

Friday

Did: 2.4 mi pup ruck + 8.65 mi @ 8:20/mi 

Lunchtime pup ruck with 30# around the neighborhood, then decided to get out for a long-ish run at the end of the day since the Saturday morning forecast looks yuck (cold rain). I started out super strong, finished the first 5 miles averaging under 8 minute pace. Then things kind of came unraveled after that with stomach issues and I had to seek out several restroom stops to make it back to the car. Even with those issues I still managed to keep the paces sub-9, and was quite thankful to get to the car. 

Saturday

Did: 1 hour sandbag workout + Hare of the Dog 2-mile run

Spent some time with the sandbag in the basement doing a workout I made up on my own. I wasn't sure how long it would take or how tough it would be, and I don't think it was as hard as the Xmas workout I did last week, but still was a solid session!

In the late afternoon, I took Ivy over to Double Stamp Brewing for the Hare/Hair of the Dog 2-Mile run. I wasn't sure what to expect since she has never really run before, so I was totally planning for a nice run/walk along the out-and-back course on the trail. Boy, was I wrong! We started running and she just wanted to chase down everyone in front of us! It was a little chaotic with the crowds of people but she did well once things thinned out. She basically ran the entire way, stopping only for a couple of pee and poop stops. 

Difficult pre-race selfies

Start line!

Finishing!

Post-race - so proud!

She and I managed a 3rd place age group finish (mine, not hers) with a time of 17:11 🥰🐾

Sunday

Did: 2 mile run + 60 min Vinyasa yoga

Took a loop around Unity park before a great yoga class at Soul Yoga.