Badass Dash Las Vegas Race Recap

This past weekend I ran the Badass Dash for the first time at Sam Boyd Stadium.  I ran 2 other Badass Dashes a few years ago, both were at Silverton Casino and they were lots, so I was looking forward to checking this race out.  I ran with a team of 4 others, 2 girls and 2 boys, plus me! The Badass Dash is a 7K (4.4 mile) obstacle course adventure race.  

We had a 9am start time and by then it was pretty warm outside and we were ready to get started.  Unfortunately, they don't stagger wave start times the way Spartan Races or larger marathon events do.  So, there were hundreds of people lined up for the 9am start.  They couldn't let all hundreds of us go at the same time since that would cause major congestion on course, so they let us go about 50 at a time every 5 minutes. It worked out great because there was no bottlenecking at obstacles however we waiting in the sun for almost an hour and that was no fun. I would suggest they give us staggering or wave start times, so we don't have to just wait in line for so long! That would help us prepare a lot better and we wouldn't have to wait an hour in line! 

The Badass Dash is not intended to be a super intense race like the Spartan Races or Tough Mudders.  They are geared towards having fun and are a great introduction to obstacle course races.  They have over 40 obstacles, from super easy to difficult, throughout the course which is nice! I felt like the walls were challenging but also achievable for most, so that was a big plus!  Being in a stadium, I was totally expecting the stairs to be part of the race, and boy did I feel the burn on those! Once we got through the up and down of pretty much the entire stadium stairs + all the ones outside, they set up the last 10 or so obstacles in the middle of the field.  I really thought that was pretty neat and totally different for me, since I haven't ran a Spartan Stadium Sprint yet.  Lastly, they cooled us off with a fun car wash/spider web obstacle before crossing the finish! 

Once my team was finished, it was then time for the kiddos to race! They were running with their friends which made it super fun for them.  Both Diego and Elysse did the 2K (1.2 mile) Kid Dash.  Remember those killer stairs I mentioned? This was also part of their race and I am so proud that they pushed through on those! The rest of the kid obstacles were also all in the middle of the stadium.  They did most of the same last 10+ obstacles we had during our race as well.  All 4 of them finished strong and had a great time, even if they did complain a bit about the heat! 

I would totally recommend this race if you're new to obstacle course racing and even if you are an OCR junkie! It's challenging and fun :) Go out there and give it a try.  You just might surprise yourself :) 

2017 Spring Break in Southern California

I know, I know, it is almost summer and I am just now sharing our spring break getaway! But, better late than never and I've even got some tips on how to get away on a budget ;) 

We have a busy summer coming up and we'll be traveling in June & July without the kiddos (woop woop!) and our family vacation to Portland, OR is also in June.  The in-laws will be visiting this summer as well for a few weeks, which means we'll be getting away with them on some day trips too.  What I'm getting at with all of this is that we've been saving our pennies for this summer! But, we also love to travel and it had been a few months since we'd gone away as a family and I think we all needed a change of pace and a change of scenery!  So, this spring break we planned some fun local activities during the first part of the week, including a sleep over with friends, and then we took off on Friday morning to Southern California! 

We were really trying to keep this trip as budget savvy as possible, so after a yummy lunch at Porto's Bakery and Cafe, we made our way to  The Getty Center in Los Angeles.  After living in in Vegas for over 8 years and visiting L.A. countless of times, this was our first visit to The Getty.  It's been on my list of places to visit for awhile, but I just wasn't sure if the kiddos would be interested in the art when they were younger.  Even now, I was skeptical that they wouldn't enjoy it but boy was I wrong! They loved seeing all the paintings, sculptures, and the gardens.  They especially thought it was so cool to see some paintings by famous artists that they'd actually heard of, like Claude Monet! The Getty is located on a beautiful property, with several buildings and gardens and water features.  To get to the center, we had to take a tram up the hill to where there are amazing views of the city below.  The best thing about The Getty? It's free admission. There is a parking fee of $15 but it's totally worth it! We spent about 4 hours there and could have probably spent more time if it hadn't closed! 

After our visit to The Getty, it was time to make our way through the L.A. Friday afternoon rush hour to our hotel.  We were staying in Ventura, CA because Saturday was another family first for us, Six Flags Magic Mountain Amusement Park! This was another thing we've been waiting on the kids, especially Elysse, to be tall enough to ride most of the rides.  To save money, we purchased our tickets online a week in advance.  This proved to be the biggest saving on admission tickets.  Our hotel, Hilton Garden Inn Valencia, was also located across the street from the park and provided a shuttle to and from, saving us the $25 parking fee! 

Being spring break, we were fully expecting the park to be busy and it was, but not so much so that we couldn't enjoy our time there.  We also met up with my sister and her family and another family we're friends with, so it really made it for a fun time for the kiddos.  They really enjoyed being able to ride the rides and hang out with their friends.  Amusement parks are not my favorite thing to do on trips for all the usual reasons: they're crowded, long lines for rides, and bad over-priced fast food. But, aside from the Disney theme parks and Legoland, the kiddos hadn't been to an amusement park with big roller coasters and had been wanting to go.  It worked out great and I'm so glad we went with a group of friends and family to make it even more fun! 

Sunday was our last day in SoCal before heading back to Vegas, so the kids spent the morning in the pool and then we made our way to Malibu Beach.  We couldn't come all the way to California and not at least see the ocean! The best thing was the fruit carts on the side of the road that make your bowls to order! So delicious!! Our time in Malibu was quick, we ate on the pier at the Malibu Farm restaurant.  I highly recommend it! Then we walked along the beach for a bit before the long drive back home. 

This trip was much needed for us!  It was a quick getaway from our routine, we saw the ocean, ate some yummy food, got cultured at The Getty, and screamed so much on roller coasters we woke up hoarse the next day! Yup, a seriously well-rounded and diverse trip for our family.  

I know it's late, but how did you spend your spring break? 

3 Tips for Finding Motivation to Run or Workout

I've been pretty generic with my blog posts lately.  I've mostly been keeping my posts about race recaps and family vacations.  The truth is that, I've been lacking motivation lately.  We moved across town this summer and as anyone who has ever moved can tell you, life got hectic and all structure and routines went out the door.  Yes, it's been 9 months and I still can't get back to my regular routine!

Actually, I realized early on that my regular routine needed to change.  Where my kiddos rode the bus to and from school each day, I am now driving them to and from school and they each attend different schools now.  This has really altered my daily routine and shortened my work-from-home workdays significantly! With my shortened workdays, soon came the .."do I work or workout? Laundry or running?" Yea, I know that it's not about having the time, it's about making the time. Blah, blah, blah! But, the truth is, I really liked my old schedule.  It worked so well for me and the idea of having to figure out a whole new system has been daunting.  I started trying different options, making myself new schedules, but the motivation was still not there and I wasn't sticking to it.  Well I finally said, enough is enough.  I've feeling sluggish and not to mention, fluffy and I know it's due to the lack of regular exercise. So, I've slowly been implementing some tricks to get me back to running and working out regularly! Here they are!

1. Get it done early! If I tell myself I'm going to go for a run after lunch or after I check my emails, or before I pick up my son, the chances of me actually going for that run are slim.  I'll end up getting wrapped up in work or making up excuses and I won't go.  It's pure self-sabotage! I know not all of us can workout before work, so my tip for those of you who have to do evening workouts is to do it asap.  If you can go straight from work to the gym or out on your run - do it! Once you walk in to your home, life starts to happen and it will be much more difficult to go back out. 

2. Make plans.  Once I make plans with someone, I can't bail on them.  I'll make myself go on the run even if I'm not motivated to run.  I've also joined a local running groups on facebook and they frequently post group runs throughout the week. I'll rsvp for the run that best fits my schedule and make it a priority.  So, next time you don't feel like running or working out, contact a friend and put it on the calendar!  I'm sure you'll keep your plans with them and it'll be a great run together :)

3.  Sign up for a race.  This one is huge for me and I know I've said it on here before.  Training for for races keeps me on track even if I lack the motivation.  The race date isn't going to change and I don't want to show up unprepared, so I'm going to make sure I get my runs in!  If you're looking for a challenge, sign up for a race, anything that'll challenge you, 5K, 10K, half, full, trail, obstacles, whatever scares you a little bit and will make you work!  BONUS: Sign up with a friend ;)

I'm signed up for the Rock N Roll San Diego 5K and Half Marathon, plus the Rock N Roll Seattle Half Marathon both in June and the Napa to Sonoma Half in July! YIKES!!! Yup, I need to get my motivation back up and get ready for these fun races coming up! 

What do you do to get yourself out of a motivational funk and back on track with your running? Let me know in the comments! I could use all the tricks you've got! XO