A Little Motivation to Run

Hey everyone!

I've been completely preoccupied lately so today I will leave you with a little running motivation!

So... What do you run for?

Get out there and Run! (The weather is NICE)

Provo Halloween-Half Pictures!

Here they are, the Provo Halloween Half pics! 

What a fun race! It was so nice to talk with everyone and to actually meet a few Greensole Runners!

Anyway, I thought I would share these pictures I took, so everyone could see how awesome this race is and how awesome all of our events are!

Come out and have some fun with us!

So the day started off with waking up at 4:00am (Ugh! But awesome! Never is it easier to wake up so early as race days!)

All bundled up because it's cold

 We got dressed and hit the road for our trip from SLC to Provo, Utah.

4am traffic

Once we got to the Provo mall, we parked and boarded our bus to take us to the starting line! (No waiting this year for a bus. Way to be Provo Halloween Half for stepping up your game this year.)

This is the heated tent when we first got to the starting line.

Our green soles trying to stay warm in the tent. (It was cold)

My hat was stolen by my running partner who was even colder than I was.

After which, he proceeded to fall asleep on the ground. 

Meanwhile, the pre-race festivities (costume contest, etc.) heated up, and the population of Sundance at 6am was rapidly increasing!

So, we got up and decided to get ready!

Zombies! Not quite as professional as when Max did my makeup... but we worked with what we had. (In this case, two males with very little experience in the area)

Now, we left the warm tent to brave the cold and line up for the race! But the sun was out now, and here is our gorgeous starting line!

Our first green sole runner meet up!

And our second! 

Way to be, guys! Here are our shoes again next to the guy's crazy green shoes!

Absolutely beautiful start! What a race! Wish you all could have been there with us!

And we're off! The race starts... cold... in the snow... in the shade... and downhill! (Awesome start, but COLD!) It was also very slippery and gravely; it felt a little dangerous. No injuries that I know of though.

Once we got on the main road, we were able to speed up to a normal racing pace.

 I will say this: running downhill in the shade certainly inspires you to run a little quicker to try and get warm. Unfortunately, this did not help my poor fingers, which were cold until at least mile 4.

This was our first time checkpoint. Because we were in the first wave, we had to run at least 8 min/miles or we would have been cut off to wait for traffic to pass.

Now on the main road. Sunlight just teases to come out and warm us. Although, at this point, I'm feeling pretty warm. Just my hands beg for the sun.

The sun entering the canyon(!) as the first aid station pokes out around the corner.

Switching from road to trail!

Now we are fully in the sun... My hands are happy.... But, it starts to get a little hot maintaing a race pace. But I'm on track to finish sub 1:30, so I don't want to slow down.

Exiting Provo Canyon and heading toward the park where we will finish!

The trail was alongside the road until we finally turn up toward the park at mile 13!

The back side of the finish! (I couldn't bring my tired self to take a picture as I was finishing... Forgive me.)

Me and my pacing buddy Crazy Tom. We had a great race!

How did my makeup hold up? Well.... am I scary?

The near-empty finishers' area right after I finished

But it did not stay that way for long. What a party!

The Greensole Runners at the finish!

It was an awesome race! And we hope to see you all back out for our next events! 

Our next event in Utah is the Color Me Rad 5k in St George, Utah!

Come get blasted with color with us!

-GSR

Halloween Half Picture coming soon

Hey everyone! The pictures from the Provo Halloween Half are coming soon!

Until then, how about we get out there and go for a run on this beautiful day!

I believe in the run.

-GSR

Race Expo!

Hey guys!

RACE DAY TOMORROW!

Halloween Half! Woot!

OK, so I'll keep this short and sweet.

It's been cold up here in northern Utah recently... In fact, SNOW!

So this is shaping up to be a cold race!

But that does not mean that this is going to be any less awesome of a race!!!

Check out the awesome expo!

And a little Costco carbo-loading!

So I'll leave this blog a little bit short so we can get some sleep for tomorrow's race!

I can't wait to go party with all the runners! Especially those of you Greensole Runners!

Plenty to talk about tomorrow!

-GSR

Run SAFE

Today is the day of the Halloween Half EXPO, so I'll be sure to take lots of pictures!

Get excited!

If you're not running this race with us, well, then get excited about one of our future races!

I failed to mention this yesterday, but we do have a number of events coming up... depending on where you are located!

Nov 10th in Utah, we have the Color me rad 5k in BEAUTIFUL St George!

Nov 3rd in Houston, we have the Run in the Park 5k!

And Nov 4th in Chicago, we have the Hot Chocolate 15k!

Look at all these amazing events we have coming up! So, no matter who you are or where you are, get out there and support.

Greensole Running! Run because we can!

I am absolutely filled to the brim with excitement about all of this! 

And you should be too! We are going to have a blast!

This is why we run!

OK, now to talk a little more about our "Not-So-Rules" of Running!

Thus Far...

The Greensole "Not-So-Rules" of Running are as follows: 

1. Run WARM

2. Run EQUIPPED

3. Run HUNGRY

And now, introducing:

4. Run SAFE

Yes! Maybe not the most flashy of rules... but one of the most important. This is one of the only rules that could literally save your life!

So here's how we run safe!

1. Make yourself visible

This is from my run last night.

Now what do you see?

LIGHTS! Why? Because it's dark and they are bright!

This is what we go for as runners... Visibility!  We want people to see us so we don't get hit (and so they see our cool green soles). To do this, we need to make ourselves visible.

Wear light colors when running at night and reflective material if you have it. A lot of running shoes will be reflective in the dark... check if yours are!

Also, it never hurts to stick to the left side of the road when running. It will make you more visible to oncoming traffic.

Other important tips:

2. Stay hydrated

It is never, and I mean NEVER, a shame to stop and get a drink! These are good breaks when you need them! I take them all the time!

3. Stay connected

Let people know when you leave for a run. 

Carry your phone if you can.

Carrying ID with you is never a bad idea either.

These are all to keep you safe in emergencies.

I personally have known a young lady to have fallen repeatedly *cough you know who you are* on her morning runs and hurt herself. She dosen't run with a phone, so if she ever got seriously hurt, it might take quite some time to receive help.

Our phones are amazing tools nowadays and can hold our music. Make friends with yours.

So go out there, and run safe! 

And come have fun with us at out upcoming events!

Get Excited!

-GSR

Run HUNGRY

Is everyone excited for the Halloween Half?

I know we are!!!

We have been very busy the last few days getting Greensole Running up and running, and I apologize for the sporadic posts. We are all volunteers here, so I'm sure you can forgive and understand!

Now back to the fun stuff!

Online registration for the Provo Halloween Half has officially closed, so if you didn't register, the only option you have now is to register at the EXPO. This costs more, but it is still an option if you're heart is set on it.

However, feel free to start registering for our next event THE COLOR ME RAD 5K in St. George Utah.

This race will be a amazingly colorful 5k and a whole lot of fun, so come out and join us!

Now, where were we with our Not-So-Rules of Running?

1. Run WARM

2. Run EQUIPPED

so we introduce... 

3. Run HUNGRY

Some cini rolls I made earlier. Make a great run snack!

And no, don't actually run without eating... but rather run to eat and eat to run!

Yes, that's right, both!

Run so we can eat all that tasty food!

And eat good food so you can run more!

What we're eating is just as important as how much or how far we are running.

We should be eating enough carbs to fuel ourselves and enough protein to build muscle after a run.

Try this next time you run:

Before your run (30mins to 1 hours): Eat some carbs. Bread, sugar, fruit, oatmeal, rice, etc.

RUN

After your run: drink some water and have some protein. Meat, protein shake, eggs, milk, tofu, beans, etc.

You may feel better and see your progress improve faster.

Try it out!

Lace up and get running!

-GSR

Run EQUIPPED

How are your runs?

Seriously let us know! Comment below! We want to hear from you!

This blog is about community and support! We would love to hear your thoughts, dreams or anything else you want to talk about!

OK, so back to business!

First, I would like to remind everyone that this Saturday is the Provo Halloween Half Marathon! It is going to be so much fun! I would encourage you all to register, come out, and run with us! 

Get going! The expo is Friday!

Are you registering yet?

Oh, did you need another link? Here

OK, cool. Now we should be good.

Onto our segment of the "not so rules" of running!

So far we have:

1. Run Warm (aka warm-up)

Now we will introduce:

2. Run Equipped

Well, actually, yes!

What we mean by this is make sure you have the appropriate gear for running!

What is good running gear you ask?

1. Shoes! (Very Important) The best way to handle this is to head down to a running store and try a bunch on! If you find a make and model you like, BUY IT! It is very hard to find perfect running shoes! Now, in the future, you can buy online and know what you're getting!

Green soles are preferred. ;)

2. Socks. Wear something synthetic. Cotton socks are OK, but once you run in socks with synthetics, it will be hard to go back. My personal favorites are blends. Costco has some awesome (and cheap) ones!

3. Shirt. Again cotton will do, but it is not your best friend. Especially for long distances, you will want something synthetic! (Register for a race. They almost always throw in a shirt like this.)

4. Leggings. I personally prefer the kind with a built in liner so no undergarments are required. But, again, this is up to the runner and personal preference.

5.Misc.
Good headphones that stay put (I desperately want to try BOSE IE2's, but as of now, I'm making due with some cheap ones)
MP3 player (light is better)
Water bottle (if you want it)

This gear will do two things for you:
a) It will keep you comfortable in your runs
          Good running gear means less injuries, less chafing, and more comfort!

b) Give you a little more motivation to run
           We all like new toys, but what we like even more than new toys is showing them off to other people!

So, go buy a new piece of running gear for yourself.

After all, you deserve it! You're getting healthier here!

It will keep you comfortable and give you another reason to lace up!

Or better yet, do you know what's a great way to get new running gear? Register for one of our events and get cool swag! And you can shop around at the expo!

Let's get ourselves outfitted! Let's have fun with Running!

-GSR