Spent way too long trying different options to get the cyber Monday deal to work. Frustrating…read more Emailed them 3 days ago about and no response. God forbid you buy and have issues. No cs.

I was a DIRTY DIRTY girl today! I also learned what a Dirty Sanchez is (thanks to the large team…read morename in front of our group), then I proceeded to strip down to my birthday suit in the parking lot and get my ass rinsed out - so all in all today was quite an interesting day to say the least. Spring Break at the Lake was crazy! My first and I think I went about it as well as a virgin mud runner could, being the prissy beeotch that I am on occasion - I was a bit scared to totally trash my legs crawling on my knees over the rocks so I did my best to not come out bruised and bleeding - I wore shorts and the scrapes are very minimal but I can see how you can really get severely wrecked on the course and obstacles if you are going balls to the wall out there. I wore a bikini under my shorts and tank and my vibrams which proved to be a pretty solid choice. The mud pits were insane fun but nerve wrecking to me at the same time - having never experienced a mud run I am SO lucky Rich J. was there to hold my hand through almost every single pit - with drop offs in the pits, I was terrified each time we were in one (I guess I didn't want to encounter any injury that would prevent me from my real running and workouts) but at the same time it was an unforgettable fun experience. The polar plunge was crazy freezing - this way out did any ice bath I've ever taken in life - holy shit!!!!! I can't wait to see the pictures as there was no way in hell I was able to get any - I'm pretty sure the Go Pro cams hold up well out here but we didn't have ours with us today and everything else was checked in with bag check (which was well organized) - thank god! We had been there since 9A since the group packets I had paid to be mailed to us never arrived and we had to deal with same day pick up. Timed Teams in the 10A wave seemed to take forever to start - we were 10-30 which didn't start until after 11A. I'm not sure if the goal was to start in waves each minute of the hour but it didn't go off that smoothly and everyone was pushed back a bunch. The finisher medals are pretty sweet! Parking was $10 cash Customer service ended up proving to be completely useless and downright rude in the end when I reached out to them Tuesday before the race to ask why we had never received the shipment I paid to be mailed to our group. Not cool! I wouldn't necessarily recommend this exact mud run due to some of the organizational issues but I'm pretty certain I'd be up for another mud run in the future.

This place deserves more than 5 stars. I thought this was going to be an interactive video game…read moretype of thing but it was way more than that. I will 100% be back again and I will be telling all my friends about this. A truly unique experience. You really feel the true race car experience and I think you need to wear workout clothes cause I felt the sweat from trying to concentrate and control the car. The cost is so worth the 1 or 2 hour time slot. I'm sold and will be looking into a membership cause I'm addicted.

First time trying sim racing and I'm glad I chose the 2-hour Nordschleife experience - absolutely…read moreworth the $82! Even though I didn't use the full session (it's more physically demanding than expected - seriously, LOL), the experience was fantastic from start to finish. Shoutout to Jason on staff - super professional and welcoming. He guided me through check-in, helped set everything up, and even offered a bottle of water before giving me some helpful tips on handling the cars. Small touches like that really elevated the visit. For those curious, here's the YouTube link to my run - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzysPtCC5gE. I clocked in around 8 minutes from the pit, which I think is pretty decent for a first-timer!

Let me tell you something. I've had the great opportunity to race in marathons, half-marathons, 5 &…read more10 K's. I will have to say, this was more fun than those because of the obstacles and mud. I was very fortunate this was only a 5K. I'm paying for it at my age ;o) Lets talk about the obstacles. Right out of the gate your first mud pit, cold and muddy. I gained about 5 pounds of weight in each foot after that first obstacle. The hurdle of hay and cargo climb were easy. When I ran through the tires I saw a gall take a tumble, watch those ankles. Next was the wall climb which was not much of a wall. I made sure to speed up before the tunnels so I wouldn't be stuck behind people. After the tunnel crawl was the monkey bars and my first water station, thank goodness. After my monkey adventures was the plastic barriers. This was cool because staff was hosing us down with water. I hope that wasn't reclaimed water, yuck! Swinging from the ropes and doing the sludge crawl was a cinch. What really scared me was the balance planks. With my weak ankles and bad knees, I slowly walked this obstacle. Towards the finish line we go. The over under was a piece of mud cake and the grand finish was the last mud pit with were people, including myself, went swimming under the strings. Over the hill and a nice roll down, thank goodness I was done. At the end was a Mach One Tag around my neck and a B line towards the portable showers. The showers on wheels are the BOMB! Wash away all the filth. City and volunteer staff did a great job at this event. I can't wait until next year to do it once again. My finishing time was 31:47 and I ranked 94 out of 1128 participants. I'm happy I survived and I can't wait break 30 minutes next time.

I didn't think I would have so much fun getting dirty 'cause I am usually NOT down to get dirty…read more Bob encouraged me to sign up for this race with the disclaimer/rumor that some guy broke his foot last year, and I spent the last month trying to tone my body so I wouldn't injure myself, drag down Bob's race pace, or shame my own time (*see stats). I see I just need to shave off six minutes to be female numero uno! +Location: Corona air field, CA. So far from anywhere I would normally be; I spent two hours driving here from Lancaster and one hour driving to Long Beach afterwards. +Registration ($55 individual): Register online and pick up your bibs beforehand or sometime on race day. No line, practically. Registration fee included a gray "Filthy & Fit" (thank goodness it's not the embarrassing "I like getting dirty" shirt) and a nifty finisher medal with wings. +Parking ($5): Gates open at 7am. The lot directly across from the event filled up around 7:35am. There is additional parking a short walk away, but the walk is miserable after the race 'cause it's so cold! +Bag drop (free): Quick and efficient; they've got a great system going on with hanging bags on the fence by bib number. I'd recommend storing flip flops and a towel. +Waves: First wave at 8am, then every 15 minutes. The waves aren't set in stone, so we and some other adventurers snuck into the 8:15am wave. It's best to be in the earlier waves so the obstacles aren't as mud-coated. Course: Plenty of water stations around the course! 1. Mud Pit: Within a minute of running out from the start you get wet and muddy - more wet than muddy, for which you probably want to poke holes through your shoes so they can drain better. 2. Over Under Mud Pit: If there aren't a million people rocking the mud waters, go under if you can avoid getting your face muddy. I tried to go over a cylinder that was clearly too tall and slippery and fell face first into the mud water. 3. Fishing Net: It's a small net for climbing up on one side and going down on the other. 4. K-Rail Hurdles: I got up on one side, sat on top for a second and jumped down on the other. Bob freaking leaped over these like a ninja. 5. Monkey Bars: The hardest obstacle in this run: I apparently don't know how to monkey bar! 6. Everest Ramp: It's like a skateboard ramp with a rope to pull yourself up to the platform. I was scared mindless I was going to fall backwards cause I couldn't get on the platform! Then you can slide down a pole or climb down a ladder. I lagged everybody's race time by going down the ladder. 7. Spider Web: Avoid crawling by pushing the strings down to step over them. 8. Wall Climb: Wooden beams that you go up 20 feet or so and come down 20 feet or so. 9. Tires: You would do better to walk through these. My shoe got caught on almost all the blasted tires. 10. Cargo Net Climb: The net was huge! Each hole was big enough for me to fall through and crash and burn. This obstacle was okay climbing up but while going down there were multiple annoyingly wobbly people going up who were wobbling the net on my side. 11. Tunnels/Mud Pit: I made the mistake of trying to go feet first with the intention of sliding through. I got nowhere. 12. Slide/Mud Pit: If you have trouble walking through the mud, try crawling. I was having a fantastically great time crawling at the same pace Bob was trying to walk through the sludge. The last pit had painful rocks on the bottom so we had to walk instead of crawl. +Wash off and Foam zone: Rinse off your shoes and socks with the high powered water hoses and jump into the glass truck to get hosed down with scented foam soap and warm water! Samples of the peppermint soap got to come home with us. There wasn't an actual shower area or a changing area this year :( +Festivities: Bob and I got massages and some bomb food (Piggy fries and piggy sliders!) at the Bacon Mania truck. A portion of the proceeds from the run will go towards the Corona Pilot's Association at the Corona Municipal Airport to improve airport property, facilities, and operations. Other than banged up knees from crawling, blisters from muddy shoes and some soreness the next day, this is a fantastic event I would run again next year! *Stats (that probably shouldn't be so proudly posted) Overall: 114 out of 630 Women: 23 out of 323 F 20-24: 12 out of 47 Finish: 43:32 Pace: 12:27

First off... Thanks Shanon Y for inviting and having me to be your partner and letting me…read moreexperience this Color Run for the first time! Parking was crazy...Jammed pack from exiting the freeway and entering the parking lot. Funny thing is that there's no handicap parking even if you have the handicap sign. Despite the parking, I'd always wanted to experience a 5k run, however, I never thought my first would be almost everyone 'walking' when it's suppose to be 'The Color RUN'. There were blue, yellow, pink, purple and orange station (let's hope I did not forget a color) but as we went through each, some were 'running' out of color to throw because they were running low so had to use the time to 'refill'. So much for being covered with all the colors. Good thing was that there was a water station. The volunteers handed us the water as we pass by. The ONLY good thing about the run was the after party. We were pretty hyped up for that instead. Covered in lots of color. Barrels of colors were being switched so all the people can throw it everywhere. The after party was poppin! NOTE: You will def. get DIRTY. If you are planning to bring your phone, best to keep it in a Ziploc bag. AND bring extra clothes and baby wipes to clean yourself up before you enter your or someone's car. Trust me, you will thank me. Will have to see if I'll experience it again. It WAS a bit disappointing with the non running and running out of color at some stations.

Review for The Color Run SoCal 2013 held on Saturday May 11, 2013…read more BREAKDOWN: Wait long to get into parking, long walk into event, start line is always letting people go in waves, walk, walk, walk, get splashed with powder, walk, walk, smell manure, walk, get splashed with yellow powder, take pictures with your camera phones, walk, water station!! walk, get splashed with orange powder, walk, walk, walk, get splashed with pink powder, walk, you can see the finish line! Walk, wog, jog, wog some more, finish line!!! yaaay. Now what? OH! There's a DJ playing some fun tunes, they throw out colored powder packets, then everyone throws them into the air. Get freebies, go to the merchandise store, take pictures, more pictures, high five your friends, get a free air blow to get some of the dust off, and begin the trek back to you car. By the way, please take notice of a clear landmark. By the time you begin to go back to your car, cars are gone and there are lines of cars leaving and things don't look the same. The most important thing you must know about this event held at The Great Orange Park: GET THERE EARLY!!!!!!!! I cannot stress that enough! I exited the freeway around 7:15 and it took me about an hour to get into the parking lot, then another 20-30 minutes to get into the event to get to the start line. Granted, The Color Run (which I will know abbreviate as TCR) has groups go in waves, so it's ok if you're late, but if you're meeting up with friends (like I was) it's not too cool to make them wait so long for you. Plus it's frustrating to be sitting in your car trying to get in. In the meantime, make a party of it in your car. Play some upbeat music, take selfies, and just hurry up and wait. Now, as for the event itself, don't expect it to be some hardcore, awesome race. This isn't the L.A. Marathon or a 10K. It's a flippin 5K and the whole point is to have some fun with friends and get doused with colored powder. There's music going on, give-aways (I'm still upset I didn't get my free Victoria's Secret color run drawstring sack :( but I'm sure someone has to be selling one on Ebay!), TCR store, etc. Portapotty's weren't too disgusting, or maybe I just got lucky. As for the location itself, it's next to a manure plant. Yes. Manure. So during certain portions of the 5K, you got a lovely whiff of processed cow dung. Kinda gross. Also the park itself looks like an abandoned air field. The view was not scenic at all. I felt at times like I was on a march versus a fun event. It's out in the open and there isn't much to look at except each other or others running by. Thankfully I was with a large fun group and we kept it interesting. A 5K isn't too bad, but if you know you're not a fit person or the most walking you do is from your couch to the bathroom, then be prepared. You might get tired. But it's doable. I saw a woman with lymphatic condition (he legs were extremely huge) and she did it! I saw people in wheelchairs too. Lots of people went the extra mile and dressed up, wore tutus, rocked a few wigs, some wore coordinated outfits and accessories. I saw people of all ages, both genders, groups, couples, families with kids and some with babies (why?? I don't know.) I had fun. I definitely recommend going with friends. You don't have to run it, as with most 5 Ks. Running is optional. The majority walked TCR. When we saw people running, I asked "Where are they running to??" I registered early and made a team, so we all got in on the fun for $30 ! Not too shabby. I was able to pick up my entire team's packets two days before the race. Each packet came with a color run t-shirt, a bib, safety pins, a wristband, color run tattoo, directions, a colored powder packet. I would definitely do TCR again! I had a great time and so did all my friends. Next time I'll leave at 5:30 though HAHA. TIPS FOR ANY COLOR RUN: - bring your shades even if it looks cloudy - bring sunblock even if it looks cloudy - bring a slim fanny pack or drawstring sack for your stuff or leave your things at their check-in locker area - bring a large towel to sit on because the color WILL get on your cars interior (unless you really could care less!) - bring some sandals to slip on for the drive home - bring some all purpose wipes or baby wipes to clean up - bring a snack for the drive home or the long wait to get out of the parking lot

I did it :D my first half marathon, and I couldn't have picked a more magical way to do it than…read moreRunDisney's Halloween weekend at Disneyland Most of my training happened on the treadmill, which honestly taught me a lot about consistency and mental endurance. I followed the official RunDisney training program from their website and trusted the process--even when life was busy and motivation was low. Race morning was early (very early), but the energy, costumes, music, and Disney magic made every mile worth it. Running through Disneyland in the dark, then heading outside the parks with rolling hills, the heat that I did not prepare for was challenging--but unforgettable. These are the things that really helped me: 1. Enlist a buddy to do it with you. I somehow managed to persuade my oldest son to come with his mama. My son who is in his prime, who at the time just came back from officer training school (boot camp). He was jumping, singing, running circles around me during the race, yelling out motivational pep talks. It was kinda annoying and motivating at the same time. 2. Use the free pacers There are multiple pacing groups, and sticking with one helps you stay calm, consistent, and confident. It really helped to see a whole group pushing through. Being next them reminded me about Dory..."Just keep swimming... Just keep running!" 3. Arrive early + move up in your corral We arrived around 4:15 AM, which gave us time to settle in and get closer to the front of the corral--huge stress reducer. 4. Stay close to the start line if possible We stayed at a hotel near the start, walked over, and later met my hubby near the mall. Less logistics = less stress. 5. Go to the Expo on Day 1 Exclusive merch sells out fast (RIP glow-in-the-dark shoes). The expo is free, fun, and has lots of freebies. Pro tip: go again on the last day for sales. 6. Practice in your costume This is non-negotiable. What feels cute for 10 minutes may not feel cute at mile 9. I practiced in my Ursula costume a handful of times. I saw people ditching parts of their costumes. 7. Hydration is covered Water and electrolytes are provided on course. I didn't need to carry water, but some people prefer to--do what works for you. 8, Know the course You start inside Disneyland, then head outside the parks where the hills show up. Save your energy for those miles. 9. Pictures Make sure your number is visible. Photos come free with it. There a a good number of photo opp in the parks. Unfortunately we couldn't stop since we were the last coral. So we did "passing" video shots. You should practice doing this. 10. Volunteers The volunteers outside of Disney were awesome! Seeing the signs, hearing the encouragement, and grabbing the sweets helped a ton. Soak it in and it will keep you motivated I discovered that I hate running long distance. At the same time I also realized I like doing it at Disney and after the race I told my son lets do the Dopey Challenge next. Where you run the 5k, 10 k and half marathon all in the same weekend. Of course my sweet son replied, "sure thing mom as long as your paying." This race reminded me that you don't have to be perfect--you just have to..... "just keep running, just keep running, running....running". If you're thinking about doing a RunDisney race, especially your first half marathon, do it. Train smart, trust the plan, and soak in every magical mile.

Just when we were in the swing of having them back, they're gone again. With the upcoming…read moreconstruction, it was announced there were not going to be anymore races for the foreseeable future here on the West Coast. This was the last race on Feb1 as the 5k and 10k took place the prior days. From what I gather from others, this can take many years to come back. I believe this was a new half marathon course at least new to me since the Star Wars Half days. This course was very refreshing, the stretch of it on Anaheim Blvd, running past the Packing District and the Ducks ice rink. The good thing about the "out and back" parts is seeing if you can spot the "balloon ladies" if it's a concern or maybe friends who run at a different pace or checking out their fits. I appreciated the DJ's and bands out there. They brought the energy! Everything was just so cute with the "It's a Small World Theme" but maybe I'm biased because I happen to love the color purple as in the bib, medal, and long sleeve tech t-shirt. It delighted me to see several runners dressed in this theme because I'm not creative enough to assemble my own costumes. PhotoPass photo opportunities were inside the park and some at the reunion area. These digital photos are included in registration and show up in the app same day. I must say the finish line replica photo op in the reunion area was a time consumer in the hot sun. Powerade was the electrolytes on course. I was wondering how they were able to get the taste and concentration consistent to realize they were being poured from the plastic bottles. Not too much to sample or any freebies at the expo if you compare that with other major race expos. The post-run snacks are not much nor memorable unless you count that nacho-like cheese from the box. IYKYK Yes, you pay a pretty penny just to participate but only you put a value on this experience. I would say if you're a Disney fan and have the means, to just do it one time for the experience but that dream has run out luck on this coast for now.

Rocking it at Irvine Regional Park continues Rock It Racing's awesome trail racing challenge: The…read moreRock It Fall/Winter Series! Concentrating my efforts more on upon the trail this year and less upon the asphalt, I lace up--even if it means shortening my distances, even if it means muddying up a pair of Brooks, and even if it means trudging through uneven stretches of trees and bush with sometimes no other runners in sight. However, that's the beauty: getting away from the city streets and getting back to nature. Rock It Racing offers four very cool trail runs: Caspers 5k/12K, Whiting Ranch 5K/12K, Irvine Regional Park 15K/5-Miler, and El Moro Canyon 6K/10-Miler. Running at least 3 of the 4, qualifies you for the special Rocky Series Award, plus a stylish ​Rock It Racing trucker hat! I'm down! (While I've finished the Series and already snagged my very cool Rocky Series Award and trucker cap, I'll be sure to complete all four runs anyway, ending at El Moro Canyon next month.) Mostly flat, without the inclines you'd come upon at Caspers and Wilding, Irvine Park was my third Rock It race (I ran the 5-mile) and it was a blast! Like the other races, there were times when the trail narrows to single lanes, but that's part of the intrigue, part of the beauty. Navigating through groves of heritage Oak and Sycamore trees, you'll find the course a little challenging at times; however, the variety of landscape--Irvine Regional truly is beautiful!--serves, if anything else, as an enhancement to your run. I love it here.

This was my second tough mudder and I did the 10k. This tough mudder is better than the previous…read moreone I went too with the obstacles being more thought out. Easy checkin, enjoyable people, great music, and overall fun. Hydration stations and snack stations everywhere through the course as long as porta potties everywhere. Get ready to get muddy!

Crawling through mud under barbed wire, climbing over walls, swinging from monkey bars, jumping…read moreinto ice water, and running through electric shocks. Who's in? This was the third Tough Mudder that I've participated in, and I'm not exactly sure why, but I couldn't convince any of my friends to sign up with me this time around. So I hauled it over to Lake Elsinore to do the SoCal TM on my own. Fortunately, the camaraderie on the course was as strong as ever, so there was always a helping hand when I needed one. This event was held near the lake behind the Lake Elsinore Diamond. No elevation, but plenty of Southern California heat (even in November) to make up for it. When I did TM in NorCal a month ago, check-in was slow and lines were long. At SoCal, check-in went a lot faster, and the check-in and bag drop lines weren't too bad. Though my earlier start time might've also helped. TM now consists of three distances that overlap and share some obstacles: 5k, Half and Full. Only the Full has the crazier obstacles like ice and electricity. The Full course here was 21 obstacles over 9-miles. I felt like the spacing between obstacles was good, and the lines at each one weren't too long. There was an ample amount of water stations, half with food. Plenty of fuel to get you through. Plus the reward of a headband, tech tee and a Guinness beer at the end. Oh, and the showers have warm water now. Aww yeah. The obstacles weren't easy per se but were pretty doable. Any training you do will help, but you don't need to be a beast to get through the course. Unless you're doing the competitive wave, in which case we're talking about a different level of athlete. TM is a great team building event. If you have any interest in obstacle course racing, I recommend doing a TM at least once. Any joiners for 2019?

The 119th annual Hungtington Beach 4th of July Block Party will run from Friday June 30th - Tuesday…read moreJuly 4th 2023. The very first celebration was started way back in 1904, just a few years before the city became incorporated. And since then, this holiday weekend event brings about 1/2 million guests to the party from all around OC, and LA. The first day starts off with a band staged at the corner of Main Street and PCH. This section of the street will be blocked off, with signs along the intersecting streets alerting more street closures in the following days. Over the weekend there will be a parade, a 5K run and the fireworks show on the 4th of course. There will be lots of venders and food trucks, and then the bands. It's definitely a great way to celebrate the 4th at this beach block party.

I ran the Del Mar Mud Run (DMMR) a few weeks ago and after running THIS one, I can't even believe…read moreDel Mar claimed theirs was a mudrun! Unlike the DMMR- the course was natural terrain and there was a mud pit every 20'. It wasn't just muddy water, there was different textures of mud in every pit. This was also more family-oriented (vs. DMMR). There were costumes, but they were tasteful. There were more families enjoying the day together, than a bunch of young 20/30-somethings out for publicity. AND, let me not forget to add that the showers kicked ass. The DMMR had 2 people on a raised platform (15' high), with a garden hose- spraying us down. The SDMR had 2 sets of showers with water being pushed through pvc pipes (firehose-strength)- 24 shower heads in all. There was also a 'love for fitness' present at the SD Mud Run. One thing that was crazy annoying. The Kiddie Mud Run. It was the last run of the day, which is fine. But in order for the kids to start we had to wait for every last adult runner to cross the finish line, no matter how slow they were (the track needed to be altered for the kids- their mini-mudrun used the last 1k of the course). I wish (instead), the organizers would've altered the course so that the kids could start their race at the same 'Start' line as the adults- that way there wouldn't have been much waiting. It's hard to keep kids in check when they're stoked about playing in the mudpits! Overall- awesome experience! My daughter cant wait for the next one! After doing this mud run, I doubt I'll do the DMMR again. I'll stick to the Ridiculous Obstacle Cource, but no Mud Run.

This was an awesome event held on Oct 31, 2010…read more What a great course, lots of mud to go around for everyone. I will definitely be attending this event in the spring as well.

If you've run Huntington Beach at all, you know the drill, I'm sure: you'll be running along the…read morebeach's pedestrian/bike path, so you'll be sharing the road. And that's cool. I mean, part of the fun in running at the beach is the social aspect: there are a lot of strollers, walkers, surfers, joggers, other runners, beachcombers, kids, and bicyclists. Everyone's outside enjoying the sunshine, making for a great day at the beach. Running the Tiki Beach 5k or 10k, the ocean breeze in your hair, is great fun and a perfect opportunity to get some exercise. There are grass skirts that you can add-on to your registration fee for $5 (or you can bring one of your own.) There are Tiki Beach shirts included in your registration, and a great-looking tiki medal is awarded to all finishers! Get off your couch! =]

I've run almost the same route for another race, but I would say Caren Ware Events blew that other…read moreone out of the water! Super organized & filled with lots of activity, vendors, energizing warm up, & an awesome banana pancake breakfast! Part of the reason I started running is because of the running community and organizations that put together these fun events that benefit such great causes. Free parking off of Warner & PCH if you arrive before 6:30 AM (beach parking) or right at 7am in the lot right behind Jack in the Box. Will definitely run another CWE race in the future!