Time sure does fly by, doesn’t it!? I had every intention of posting a pre-race review for this race and offering my discount code for it but one thing led to another (I have two new jobs to tell you about in my next post!) and I never had time to get on my blog. Hence why it’s been awhile in general since I’ve posted. I want to start promoting the 3W Races WAAAAYYY sooner and I promise (especially for those of you that live in CO) to get the word out sooner for races I can get you a discount code for.

With that being said, yesterday I completed race #2 of the year at the Erin Go Braugh 7.77K in Westminster, CO. It was put on by 3W Races (the company I am an ambassador for) and it was an awesome event!

Also known as Colorado’s Luckiest race…because almost everyone PR’s!  Well, everyone except me…who run way faster last year! I mean, how many people run 7.77K races anyway?

I did the race last year with a few friends and had a blast! I knew I wanted to do it again and this year I went about it a little different. Being an ambassador for 3W, we have to get to volunteer for events all year-long. For every race I run with them, I try to do one volunteer event associated with each race since I get to run for free. For the Heart Throb, I helped with loading and unloading the truck. For this race, I signed up to help with packet stuffing (behind the scenes on how you get your lovely goodie bags), race day registration and after party assistance.

Before I get too into this recap, let me preface my training lack of training for the past week and half. I hadn’t run. Nope, not for a solid week and a half. Maybe even two weeks. But hear me out! I was out-of-town in snowy Vail, CO for a job that exhausted me and left no room for running. Then when I got back I was busy starting my two new jobs (previously mentioned) and was catching up on sleep whenever and wherever I could. To top it all off, the day before (Friday) I woke up after 3 hours of sleep at

4am, to stand in line for Channel 93.3’s Keggs and Eggs. It’s a free concert put on by a local radio station…the only kicker is it starts at 7am, and since it’s free and an iconic event, EVERYONE and their brother tries to get in. Hence why we waited in line since 4:30am. Then after a morning of day drinking (shhhh don’t tell) I took a nap and woke back up in the afternoon for work (which included a lovely hard workout at Red Rocks). Was it worth it? Hell YES! At concert was the Kongos, the Unlikely Candidates (my current favorite band) and the New Politics who rocked the house!

Sorry, I got distracted from my original topic…

Anyway, race morning started with me waking up at 5:30am, scrambling around my room trying to figure out what to wear because I did not prepare the night before and was unsure what the temperature was going to be race time. I finally gathered my belongings and made my way to race set up. I carried box after box and helped set up the registration tent. Then the craziness started! It’s definitely different being at a race from behind the scenes! We had gobs of people collecting their packets and shirts and only had to deal with a few angry people when we ran out of their t-shit size! One lady was super upset that we didn’t have her size (even though we promised to mail it) because she was dead set on wearing to work on monday. Lesson to all: TRY to pick up your packets at advance packet pick up!

Once that was over it was race time! The expo area was set up in a little park next to a big hotel but also right on a major trail system through Westminster. Perfect for a race!

Having sort of hidden the starting line, the race director came over the PA system. “I bet you’re all wondering where the starting line is, huh? Well, it’s not that far, but you have to wait! In about 5 minutes we are going to lead you there by Bagpipes!”

It was a neat surprise and really fun! I let my fellow volunteers know that I was going to change and head over to race. I changed into some green clothes and followed the bag pipes! I didn’t get my normal pre-race routine in, so I felt really unprepared but all week I told myself I was going to go into the race with an easy minded goal: finish. I knew it would be rough, so I just wanted to make it over the finish line.

The race started and we were off, counting down the .77 kilometers! Yes, the distance markers were in .77 increments! I loved it!

The course was lovely, half concrete, half dirt and wound along the big dry creek and marshlands. Not that there is much water this time of year.

I waved at my fellow ambassadors along the way: at the water station, course directing, and taking pictures and finally, I could see the finish line! Thank god! I was exhausted.

Let’s break it down:

Race Organization: 4/5 – 3W is always super organized! From the runners’ standpoint, it always seems perfectly planned. This time I got to see behind the scenes, and we were a little overwhelmed with packet pick up, but we worked it out! Oh yeah, I also think they should have had port-a-potties here (they usually do for their races). The available bathrooms were in the nearby hotel. Close enough for most people, but not close enough for a last minute pee for someone like me transitioning from volunteering to racing.

Cost: 5/5 – For everything you get, it is priced very well! Starting at $30 and ending at $45 race day.

Course: 4/5 – The ONLY reason I don’t give a 5/5 is because I bet this course would be 100 times more beautiful during the summer! It follows the big dry creek (yes, there’s a little dry creek in Arvada) and has a few small hills to torture challenge you when you’re feeling weak.

Post run: 5/5 – Can you say all you can eat lucky charms!? I definitely helped myself to a bowl! There’s also the normal: granola bars, bananas and water at the end. Plus you get beads as your “finisher’s medal”! There was a handful of sponsor booths including muscle milk, a local dentistry, orange theory fitness, a crossfit gym, and most importantly Skirt Sports, which is a new 3W Ambassador Sponsor. This means we get super cheap, awesome workout clothes (and a gift certificate)! I’m super excited for this!

Swag: 5/5 – The t-shirt was super adorable! Check out the picture below! On the back it says “catch me…I’m irish!” I’m totally wearing it on Monday! You also get a goodie back with all sorts of awesome stuff: granola, Sneax chocolate milk (which I actually hate the taste of, no offense 3W), a cowbell (you can never have too much), and other coupons and info.

After party:  5/5 – Right in the expo area, they have a dance contest, a limbo challenge this year and awards. Then, you head over to Que Bueno for your free beer!! I helped with the after party and gave out everyone’s free beer tickets, which also got them into the raffle!  This year, they also had a for purchase (only $10) breakfast buffet for those who wanted. I was already stuffed from my breakfast burrito (free for the ambassadors) and my lucky charms, but was told it was delicious!

Overall: 5/5 – I love this race! This year and last year were both a blast! Everything is put on so well and it’s always fun and unique from all the other races!

My Race: 2/5 – Although I love this event, my actual performance was anything but spectacular. I hadn’t run in a long time, but decided to go for it anyway – not my brightest decision because I really could have injured myself. I didn’t eat properly before because I was busy helping out with packet pick up. I didn’t get to warm up like I normal do before I race and it was so cold and WINDY! It would have been fine if it were for that damn wind! I trudged through the race struggling from time to time and sure enough that awful knee pain showed up again. I finished the race, grabbed my lucky charms and went straight to help set up for the after party. I didn’t even check my time – that’s how bad I knew I did! I did check my time when I got home, and it wasn’t AS bad as I thought it would be. But still. I wasn’t happy. Time to get back in shape!

Stayed tuned for updates on what’s been going on! Sneak previews: 1) I have a couple new jobs and one involves running! 2) I am lucky enough to be selected to run with 3W Ragnar Relays Teams, which means I’m finally filling in my race schedule!