Race Review: The Great Pumpkin Run 5K Tough Pumpkin Challenge

Disclaimer: I received free entry to The Great Pumpkin Run 5K (Lansing) race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

When signing up for The Great Pumpkin Run 5K, there was an additional option of the Tough Pumpkin challenge. This is where you select a pumpkin and carry it with you the entire race. Those who finished got an additional medal to go along with the 5K finisher's medal. There were small, medium, and large bins of pumpkins to choose from. Because I got to the race early, I had plenty of pumpkins to choose from. I went with one of the larger ones (turned out to be 13 lbs!). I wanted to make sure I earned that Tough Pumpkin medal.

Picture of the 13lb pumpkin, Linus, I carried with me the entire course.

The weather was great for a race. It was cool, but not cold. This was a welcome change from the recent heatwave from a few days ago. The course was through the woods and trails at Uncle John's Cider Mill, in St. Johns. There was one small hill near the first mile that was challenging to run up while carrying Linus. After that first mile, I worked hard on finding all the different ways I could carry the pumpkin. I carried it by the stem with both hands, holding on to it with both hands, carrying it on each shoulder.

Picture of myself taken during the race.

After crossing the finish line, I received by 5K finisher's medal and my Tough Pumpkin medal. I still had to carry Linus with me back to my truck. I had to make sure I had both hands available, so I could get a gallon of Uncle John's Cider and 1/2 dozen donuts. Freshly made apple cider is something I can't pass up!

This was the first race I've run that isn't the traditional road race. It was fun trying something new. Even with the struggle of carrying Linus with me the whole way, I wouldn't have changed anything. If I run this race again, I might even try a larger pumpkin!

Tough Pumpkin Challenge

"Disclaimer: I received free entry to The Great Pumpkin Run 5K Tough Pumpkin Challenge as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and checkout BibRave.comBibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!"

This Saturday (9/8) will be one of the few times I'm not running a "traditional" race. I usually stick to running races where all I need to do is put my toe on the line, run (follow the people in front of me), cross the finish line. It's easy!

When I heard about the Tough Pumpkin Challenge, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do something different. It's running a 5K while carrying a pumpkin. The idea behind it sounded really fun! I know I can run a 5K. I've done MANY of those before. This gives me the opportunity to break that mold.

Since the beginning of August when I was able to get back to running again, I've been training and thinking about this race. I've been putting in a lot of miles, so I know I can cover the 5K distance. Because I'll have to carry a pumpkin with me the whole time, I've been putting in some extra time at the gym. Kettlebells make great substitutes for pumpkins. I've been lifting those with both arms to help make sure I've got enough strength to carry the pumpkin with me.

I'm looking forward to crossing that finish line and getting the Tough Pumpkin medal to go along with the 5K finisher's medal. That medal will definitely stand out and look great with my other race medals.

The hoodie all runner's are getting looks awesome and is a welcome change from having a tech shirt. The hoodie has a winking pumpkin on the front. Very cool! I will be wearing this hoodie a lot this fall. Might as well look good and stay warm at the same time!

This race will be held at Uncle John's Cider Mill in St. Johns, Michigan. This is about 20 minutes north of Lansing. There are many fun activities after the race for you and your family to enjoy. There are tractor-pulled hayrides, a corn maze, jumping pillow, free win and hard cider tasting (for those 21 and older), gemstone mining, and of course, APPLES and APPLE CIDER!

There is still time to join the fun. Use this link to register today! ow.ly/jN9E30kWxVZ

There is still time to register and join in the fun on race day. Register now! https://t.co/mJCDgxJ262

Coming Back From My Recent Injury (part 3)

With the new confidence my knee was starting to loosen up, I hit rehab with even more focus. I knew I could get my knee back to running condition again. I had to still be really smart about how I did it though.

At the gym, I was still riding the exercise bike for 10-15 miles. I changed up the speed and distance to not only help keep my mind engaged (riding a bike indoors is more challenging for me than running on a treadmill), I also wanted to throw different things at my body. Some days I would ride to see if I could keep a consistent mile pace going. Other days I would do intervals and see how many fast miles I could do. 

After each ride, I would finish up the workout with stretching and using my buddy Mr. Foam Roller. There were at least 5-10 different stretches I would do, all with different focus on my legs and lower back. I knew just targeting one area wouldn't really be beneficial. Using the foam roller was a bit painful (it almost always is). I made sure to roll slow and multiple times over the front, side and back of my legs. It wasn't easy, but I know it helped.

Not being able to run was starting to get to me. I hadn't run in a few weeks and my knee was slowly making a recovery. Was I greedy to consider running again? Should I be content with being able to walk normally again and be thankful I didn't have to have extensive physical therapy or surgery? I told myself to focus on getting through each day and keep working on getting my knee back to 100%. The answer to these questions will get figured out soon.

The Great Pumpkin Run 5K Tough Pumpkin Challenge

"Disclaimer: I received free entry to The Great Pumpkin Run 5K Tough Pumpkin Challenge as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and checkout BibRave.comBibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!"

This fall, I will be running a different kind of 5K race. I'll be running a 5K race while carrying a pumpkin with me throughout the race! I rarely run any "non-traditional" races, but when I heard of the unique challenge as part of The Great Pumpkin Run 5K, I knew I had to be part of it! I love the idea of having to carry a pumpkin with me and trying to still run a race.

The race will be on 9/8 at Uncle John's Cider Mill in St. Johns Michigan (20 minutes north of Lansing). 

Register today! The Great Pumpkin Run 5K - Lansing, Michigan

Coming Back From My Recent Injury (part 2)

Next up, I started going to the gym and riding the bike to help keep my cardio up, get the blood flowing and help bend/flex my injured leg. I know from previous physical therapy experiences, riding a bike is generally ok when dealing with a knee injury. I hit the bike on the days I would be running to help keep up my routine and really be focused on getting my knee better. After each bike ride, I would take some time and stretch. Another thing I learned from physical therapy, though one area may be injured you may need to target areas around the injury to help with recovery. I made sure to stretch my quad, IT band, hamstring, and Achilles. It was a bit tough because at this point I couldn't get my leg to fully straighten. It was discouraging to have this problem, but I knew I had to keep working at it in hopes to loosen things up and help my knee.

Since I couldn't run and was biking it, I did take advantage of this opportunity and participated in my first ever bike event. I was part of this year's Ability Tour in Lansing. I rode the 30 mile route. This would be the farthest I've rode before. I knew I could do it, if I was smart. I had the same mind set as taking on a new running distance - focus on finishing and not on the finish time. I did finish and it was a lot of fun. There were some challenging hills along the way, but I was able to make it up them without having to walk my bike up. My knee was doing really well during and after this event. I could tell it was starting to loosen up and play nice. It was just being really stubborn! 

Coming Back From My Recent Injury (part 1)

I believe I'm back at getting some miles in again. I was out for all of July due to a knee injury. It wasn't my left knee, thankfully. This was my right knee. I injured it while playing with my lilgirl. I knew something was up with my knee when I woke up and I couldn't straighten my leg and it felt like there was a vice around my knee.

First logical step - no more running miles. I've tried to follow the 'if you can't walk normal, you aren't running' logic. I don't want to cause further injury, so that first week I didn't do any running or go to the gym. During the day, I would take an extra walk around work or walk during my lunch to try helping my knee. After a few days of this, I wasn't seeing any improvements and was concerned there might be something more going on with my knee. I went to Urgent Care to get an x-ray done. I know an MRI would have been the most optimal, but at least an x-ray will help. The x-ray didn't show anything and they sent me home with a knee brace. The results from Urgent Care helped jump start my rehab plan. I was going to throw everything I learned about rehabbing a knee at it and see what happens.

Next up...(to be continued)

Headphones Journey

Disclaimer: I almost always listen to music during a workout. It helps me keep focused during my workouts and helps get me energized when I am struggling.

Here has been my journey with the different types of headphones used and what I thought of them.

The headphones I started out using were the on-the-ear headphones. These worked for me to listen to music, but it wasn't the most comfortable. The headphones had a tendency to slide off my ears during a run. They would also get wet from sweat, which made it uncomfortable after a while. It was also tough to get them to fit well over both ears.

It wasn't until a few years ago I started to use earbuds. The ones I started with were Apple earbuds that came with my iPod shuffle. These worked for me to listen to music, but they kept falling out of my ear during my workout. It was difficult to change the volume and change songs during my workout. I moved on to use the Apple EarPods with the mic. These solved the problem of changing the volume and songs during my workout, but still had the problem of them falling out of my ears during my run. I decided to try Yurbuds. These were very similar to the Apple EarPods with the mic, but they had a rubber piece over each ear bud that helped 'lock' the ear bud into your ear so they wouldn't fall out during the workout. I still had problems of them falling out of my ear or having to adjust them during my workout. It was less than a year when the ear buds started cutting in and out while a song was playing.

Recently, I moved on to Bluetooth earbuds. I knew I wanted to go wireless. It made things easier during my workout. I didn't want to have a wire slapping me during my workout or be constrained where I put my phone. I tried the Altec Lansing sport headphones. These worked for the most part. The problem I kept having was the ear buds kept falling out in my ear and they would slip out of my ear during a workout. I was also having problems where the Bluetooth connection would cut in and out with the phone less than a few feet away.

Over the past year, I've been hearing more and more about Aftershokz headphones. These headphones aren't your typical over-the-ear headphones or earbuds. Aftershokz uses bone conduction to guide vibrations to the inner ear to deliver sound without covering or having something inserted inside your ear. Many people were talking about Aftershokz and how they don't cover your ears or have anything to put inside your ear.

A few months ago, I finally purchased a pair of Aftershokz headphones. I'm glad I did! These have been the best pair of headphones I've worn. It definitely lives up to the hype! I've worn them indoors, outside in the heat, and even in the rain - never had any problems. I'd highly recommend purchasing a pair.

Aftershokz Trekz Titanium Wireless Review

Aftershokz Trekz Titanium Wireless Review

Problem: I wanted wireless headphones that:

• Didn't have any parts that could fall out or off the headphones
• Didn't fall out of my ear during my workout
• Had good sound
• Easy to operate while working out

Review: I was a bit skeptical about how well the Aftershokz Trekz Titanium wireless headphones would work. I already had a lot of questions.

• Would it be easy to pair with my cell phone?
• It was really easy to pair with my cell phone. I had it paired within a few minutes of getting them out of the box.
• How long does a full charge last?
• I didn't keep track of how long a full charge would last. I know I made it though 4 workouts without it losing power. (my workouts are generally 1-2 hours long). Aftershokz claims the battery will last 6 hours.
• Does it take a long time to charge?
• I found it doesn't take long at all to give them a full charge. After using them for 4 workouts, I plugged them in to charge. They were fully charged again within an hour. 
• How difficult is it to power on and power off?
• The power button is easy to find on the right side of the headphones. I was able to power on and power off while I was walking.
• Is it difficult to change the volume level up or down during a workout?
• It was really easy to change the volume level during my workouts. The volume buttons are on the right and are really easy to find without looking for them.
• How difficult is it to change songs?
• This one was a bit tricky. I knew there was a larger Multifunction button on the left that was easy to find that had a lot of different functions. The manual says that single button can control play/pause and skip to next song. I kept getting into the phone options when I was pressing the button.
• With the speaker on the outside of your ear, how clear would the sound be?
• The sound was actually really good. I found it can vary depending on where exactly you have the headphones positioned. If you have them positioned right on your cheekbones, you get a better overall sound experience.
• Would I still be able to hear everything around me while a song is playing?
• I didn't have the headphones playing at a really high volume and I was able to hear the song playing really well, while still being able to hear everything around me.
• Would the headphones stay put during the entire workout? What about when I was sweating?
• I was surprised at how well the headphones stayed put. They never slid down my head while I was running. Even more surprising, they stayed put while I was stretching. I thought they would slide off while I was in downward dog yoga pose.
• Would I be able to wear a hat at the same time and be comfortable?
• I was able to wear a hat and not have it interfere with where the headphones were. It didn't matter if I had my hat on forward or backward. The headphones didn't move from the original position before I put my hat on.

Verdict: I really love the Aftershokz Trekz Titanium Wireless headphones! They give me the wireless connection to my phone I was looking for. I haven't had any problems of losing connection with my phone during my workout. I really like how they rest on my cheekbone and don't have to have anything covering or inserted within my ear. I can hear songs clearly during my run and still be able to hear everything around me. I highly recommend getting a pair!

*NOTE: I did not try the phone features. I only wear them when I am working out and I don't take any calls during my workout.