Wanted: A Day of Ridiculousness

This weekend's event couldn't have been more crazy. My friends, S & J, and I did something impulsive and signed up for the Bubble Run 5K a few days before the event. S needed some ridiculousness in her life right now, so I agreed to do it with her and J said "I can't think of two other ladies I'd rather do this ridiculous event with." And so it happened.

S, me and J before the bubbles

I think that if they has for feedback, we all would agree that starting a 5K at 9am on a blistering 90 degree day is NOT ideal. Granted, we didn't have to wake up super early, but still, I would have preferred it to start at least an hour earlier. Of course, we loaded up on sunscreen. Standing in the sun for an hour (with no trace of shade) before the run is definitely the way to get burnt. Luckily we were smart.

It was very exciting once it actually started. Crossing the start line looked a little like this.

A bubble-y start

Normally I don't like to get my clothes wet if I'm not wearing a swimsuit, but this was a god-send. Walking through the wall of bubbles was so refreshing. I really wanted to just turn around and stand underneath the bubble machine. But that would cause a traffic jam and I'd probably get pushed.

There were more of these bubble stations (pink, green, blue, yellow) strategically placed throughout the 5K. Pink was the first and we came out with it all over our clothes, body and hair. It was awesome.

Me and J with pink shoes!

This definitely wasn't a competitive race as there were no timing chips, but I saw it as a race to what little shade there was on the course. "Let's run to the shade," I suggested. And then we walked slowly in that before braving the sun again.

Green wall of foam

If you were wondering what it looked like walking through the bubbles, now you know. And then you come out with it all over, which is pretty cool (pun intended).

J is a little green

You would think that they'd have more than one water station for races that are on super hot days, but it's hard to predict what the weather will be like when you're in the planning stages. A lot of people were pouring the water on their heads to cool off. I just drank 2 cups. I'll just run to the next bubble station. Blue.

I think the best part about this one was that I got to see parents push their kids in strollers through the foam. They came out with a stroller full of bubbles, no children in sight. This one woman had to shovel out the bubbles to free her kid!

Lost baby

Found baby!

Surprisingly, the kid wasn't crying. I think he actually enjoyed it.

And then there was yellow. So many people had been going through there, the bubble wall was non-existent. There was a pile of bubble, but the wind was pushing it out of the machine to the right, so unless you wanted to wait for people to walk through that side... 

Mellow Yellow

but somehow we managed to still come out with yellow on us, if only on the feet.
 

S has yellow feet

Crossing the finish line, we entered into a bubble foamy awesomeness party. Which is where we hung out for a while to cool off from the sweltering heat.

S and me cooling off

Me and J standing in the bubble wall

drowning in bubbles

Best bubble bath ever!

Even though my feet were swimming in my shoes, my clothes sopping wet, and my body dyed with color, the question I ask myself is, would I do this 5K again? For sure.

A hot mess, but loving it!

A Message For Jennie

I know I've been a little lax on my updates and I need to catch you up on the outcome of Relay, but today I want to spread a little love to my friend, Jennie Grimes. She was feeling a little down today and I thought this post would lift her spirits a little. Her mets (metastatic cancer) friends are losing their battle one by one and it's taken its toll on her. I just wanted to let Jennie know how much she's loved.

My dearest Jennie,

You are an amazing woman. I'm not sure you realize how much you mean to everyone, especially to me. You make me want to fight harder for things; to not let my own disease dictate my life. I want to live life to its fullest; to not worry so much about what will happen, but what can I do right now and make this day amazing. 

My butterfly fundraiser to fight this horrid disease was a success. Your butterflies are here in San Diego. You are flying endlessly with them. This video is for you. 

With all my heart,

Deb

Last Chance Butterflies

My Relay for Life team is doing amazingly well! I'm so proud of us. We are in 3rd place having raised $1,751. We've had 2 team fundraisers in the last couple weeks. And working on another one. Not sure how much we raised during the froyo fundraiser, but with Rubio's we were able to raise $33.67! Thank you to everyone who came out!

We have another one coming up next week at Souplantation. Let me know if you want to come out and support us and I'll email you the flyer to bring in.


There's still time to get in an order for butterflies. The deadline has been extended until Sunday, April 15th. I received a nice influx of butterfly orders after my post about my friend, Jennie Grimes. She has some very supportive and amazing friends. I'm excited to release the kaleidoscope of butterflies in her honor from everyone!
If you'd like to purchase a $6 butterfly in honor or memory of your loved one(s), please go to my Relay fundraising page, and leave me a note with how many butterflies you'd like and for whom they are. I will make sure that each one is labeled with your love ones' name.

They will look like this when I get them.

 And as I open the envelope, the butterfly will stretch its wings and fly off into the San Diego sky.

It's a beautiful sight. I'd like to try and take video this time. Last year, it was a little overcast, so the butterflies hung around a while before warming up and taking flight. Though it was great because there were many photo opportunities with them.

I hope you've all had a great week. Don't forget to donate. Save a birthday. Cancer Sucks!

My First 5K of the Year

5:00am came way too early. I really would have rather hit the snooze button indefinitely, but I forced myself out of bed. It's been a while since I've had to get up that early. So glad that I laid everything out the night before so I could pretty much just roll out of bed and put on my race clothes.

The race started at 6:45am which is really early for a 5K. Generally they are more around 8/9am. But my friends and I made it there without a morning coffee. This race, the Hot Chocolate 5K, sold out with 7,500 people. When we lined up, you couldn't even see the start line.

Start line is around the corner and up the hill

Making our way up to the start

I have to say, the workouts that I have been doing the last 30 days or so, seemed to have helped with this race. Though my face was completely flushed at the end, I survived. The course was filled with hills. I definitely didn't expect that. Though I shouldn't be completely surprised; it is downtown with some crazy hills.

Beautiful San Diego morning (downhill)

I did beat my 5K walking time by 3 minutes. It's not a lot, but it's an improvement since my injury last year. Once I'm given the OK to run again, I plan to work on getting a 5K PR from running. Last time I tried running a 5K, I think I finished in 44min. I've been working out now, so I know that I can do better. I can't wait for that day to come. But until then, I'm walking.

2011 Iron Girl 5K time: 55:26
2012 Hot Chocolate 5K time: 52:58
2012 Iron Girl 5K time: TBA in October

Thanks to my girls, Cristal and April for walking with me. They could have run, but instead chose to walk with me. That's my support system. They are awesome. And after the race, we indulged in some Ghirardelli hot chocolate and fondue breakfast.

In line for our finishers breakfast

Breakfast of champions

Me and the girls

The rest of the day I plan to relax. Take a nap and veg out.

Workouts begin again tomorrow morning.