What I Learned From The Color Run

My teenage daughter runs cross country every fall. Before the official start of the season, she decided to participate in The Color Run with a girlfriend. She'd been looking forward to this for weeks, but deep muscle strain in her foot forced her in a "boot" and on the couch for two weeks. No race for her.

The ticket was non-refundable, so I had it transferred in my name. I figured I could walk it. I couldn't find a friend to join me on such short notice. My hubby agreed at the last minute, but registration had closed. Thankfully I was able to register him when I picked up my race packet!

We didn't get as much color as many racers--we opted not to join the color explosion after the race!

Did my husband want to run this 5k? No. He took one look at the shirt, headband, and temporary tattoos and blanched. He wasn't a happy camper. I tried on my gear, at which point my daughter forbade me from wearing the headband. Naturally, I wore it anyway.

Race day came Saturday morning. I'm a little spazzy so I insisted we leave over an hour early to get a parking spot. When we arrived downtown, we missed our planned parking lot, got a little chippy with each other, drove around, and finally parked. Our neighbors parked there too! A quick round of picture-taking ensued before we headed to the starting point.

The first thing I learned was people take their attire seriously. Tutus, striped socks, colored tights, pigtails--you name it--runners had their happy clothes on! Everyone wore the headband. Yay! I fit in!

The next thing I learned? A good friend warned me not to do the pre-race Zumba. I mean, it was early, cold, and we were preparing to run a 5k. More exercise? No thanks. :)

I left most of my belongings in the car, but I needed my phone in case our kids had an emergency. Wish I would have thought to slip it in a plastic baggie, though.

As the start time approached, my hubby and I joined the crowd in the street. We whooped and yelled with everyone else. Our plan was to walk the entire thing, but most participants started the race running. We opted to alternate between jogging and walking.

We loved the low-key vibe. After the initial surge, most people walked the course. And having colored powder flung at you? Pretty fun! Music blared throughout the race, and it was really cool to see the gorgeous architecture in downtown Toledo.

Five kilometers flew by. Yes, my legs grew tight from lack of stamina, but my hubby and I were proud of ourselves for pushing through and running roughly half of it. After we crossed the finish line, we met up with our neighbors again and took pictures. I'm so proud of next-door neighbor (and good friend!) for running the whole course! Yay, Debbie!!

The biggest thing I learned from running The Color Run? How fun it was to do something new with my husband. We both had a blast. We even enjoyed the "happy" clothes and paint being tossed at us. This was hands-down my favorite date in years. I can't wait to do it again next year, and this time, we're training for it!

Have you ever run a 5k race? If yes, what did you like about it? If no, would you consider running one? 

Have an amazing day!

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