Beat the Blerch

A while ago Charles introduced me to the Oatmeal. The Oatmeal is a website featuring comics by Matthew Inman. They are genius and slightly inappropriate at times. One of the comics is about running. I cannot do it justice by trying to explain what it is about, but you can read it here. One thing it features is a character called the Blerch.

They created a race called Beat the Blerch (which you'll now understand because you have read the comic). The race had several options: 5k, 10k, etc. Well, Charles talked me into the 10k. (What was I thinking???? ) I told myself I had plenty of time to train for it. I know I can physically complete a 5k and with some training how much worse could a 10k be. In a perfect world, I would have trained hard. In my world, I trained barely.

BUT... I did finish the 10k...with a LOT of walking. But I completed it! The course was through downtown Sacramento which included running over the Tower Bridge which is an icon of the state capitol.

The best part of this particular race is the aid stations offer cake and Nutella sandwiches. That is the only reason I agreed to this darn thing in the first place. And let me tell you, it was amazing. If every race fed me cake, I would be one happy runner.

Gotta start training

Charles shared with me a great cartoon about running. It's called The Blerch and is so funny! It's about this guy that started running basically so he could eat whatever he wants. The Blerch is a fat little cloud that follows him around trying to convince him to stop running. You have to read it whether you love running or absolutely hate it (I fall more in the latter group).

In November, there is going to be a 10k race in Sacramento that is called Beat the Blerch. Charles convinced me that we should do it. You know how he convinced me? The race will have cupcakes and Nutella at the aid stations. I will do almost anything for cupcakes and Nutella.

I am not a runner. I mostly walk whenever I do go out for a "run." But to complete a 10k without being exhausted at the end I know I'm going to have to do a bit of training. Ugh! But it did give me a good excuse to buy some new running shoes. Charles uses RoadRunner.com to purchase many of his running shoes and I found a pair that I liked.

Now the hard part...running...

A college town: Chico

A couple weekends ago Charles and I headed up to Chico for a night. It's not too far from us and is a great town. It is home to Chico State and has a great college vibe. Even though Chico is nothing like Rock Hill, home to Winthrop University, it made me miss college.

While in town we saw some of the sites. We visited an old covered bridge that is now part of a little park. It was a gorgeous area. We also visited the Gold Nugget Museum in Paradise, CA which is next to Chico.

The next morning I participated in a 5k while Charles ran a 10k. It was called the Almond Blossom run since it ran through almond tree fields. It was a beautiful day and I did pretty well (for me). Charles came in 1st in his age group!

He requested a picture with his two tickets to Paradise...what a weirdo :)

Love on the Rocks

This weekend Charles and I participated in the 2nd annual Love on the Rocks trail run. There was a 5k option and a 10k option. Guess who did which race? If you guessed that I participated in the 5k and Charles completed the 10k then you would be correct!

The theme is a fun one. They have several team options--couples, groups of friends, family...all focused on love. At the end of the race, they were offering vow renewals. There was even a couple that came up from Los Angelos to get married afterward. We didn't stick around to watch, but what a fun idea!  

My time wasn't that great, but several parts of the trail were very rocky and tough. Plus I'm not a fast runner and ended up walking most of the time.

Charles finished before me and came back to meet up with me as I was coming up to the end of the race. How sweet!

Jamba Juice was one of the sponsors and gave out little cups of juice. Yummy!

Charles on the other hand finished 1st overall! He's so fast.

1st Overall male and female

Another medal to add to the collection

Afterward, we enjoyed brunch at Mom's. Yummy!

Race Bib Display

Now that Charles is an avid runner, he has amassed quite a few race bibs. I knew he needed a way to display them. I first visited Etsy because I was thinking about just buying one. I found several that I kind of liked, but I could not find the perfect one. I often get an idea in my head and cannot find exactly what I am imagining. Then I decided that I could just make one! It was pretty easy.

What you will need:
- piece of wood. Mine was purchased from Hobby Lobby and measures 12x24. I'm not sure how thick it is, but you'll probably want one thicker.
- chalk paint
- wooden letters
- paint for the wooden letters
- wood glue
- hooks
- hanging accessory

Paint your board with several layers of chalkboard paint.

Paint your wooden letters. I chose the word RUN. If you browse the bib displays on Etsy you can get some other word ideas. Instead of wood letters you could use vinyl or hand paint your word(s).

Glue the letters to your dried chalkboard.

Figure out the spacing for the bibs. Most of Charles' bibs matched. The ones that had wider or narrower holes were re-punched so I would not have to use multiple pairs of hooks.

Screw the hooks into the board. My board was a little thin so we could not screw them all the way in. It worked out fine, but if you are particular you will want to purchase a thicker piece of wood.

Attach the hanging accessory to the back. I picked the kind that looks like a saw. I have no idea the official terminology for those.

I used chalkboard paint so Charles can record his fastest times for each kind of race. We have not bought any chalk yet, so mine is simulated in the picture above.

He received the ribbon display as a gift. And the two shadow boxes display items from his first two marathons.