Leaving My (Running) Comfort Zone Again – Want to Come?

Last summer, I wrote this post about leaving my running comfort zone when we back to back half marathons (one on a trail!) in one weekend. Well, as you may have seen in my Q2 running round up, I settled back into the usual running/race routine – except for a muddy, destination trail run. That said, I have two events coming up in the next few weeks that are going to throw me for a loop. Plus, I have an extra entry for one of them if anyone wants to join me!

Event One:

Sole Survivor Progressive Race, July 9. Curiousity killed the cat, but hopefully it won’t kill me, Wendy, Jamie and Kathy! What is a progressive race you ask?

Here is what the website says:
All based on CHANCE… from 5 miles to 17 miles!

Stage 1: The race begins with a 3 mile race around Francher Lake.

The top 1/2 of men and the top 1/2 of women will then move on to compete for prize money! Everyone else can still run each successive stage for a chance at winning valuable prizes – but not the cash!

Stages 2 and on…: The distance of Stage 2 and subsequent stages will be determined by rolling a giant die (1/2 a pair of dice) to determine the number of laps around the lake (1 thru 6 laps). For example, if the roll is a “4″, all participants moving on to that Stage will run 4 laps.

After each Stage, the field of men and the field of women will continue to be cut in half until only 1 Man and 1 Woman remain to claim the cash prize!

So, how LONG is this race anyways?!

Depending on the roll of the die, this race could be anywhere from just over 5 miles to more than 17 miles! Remember, you may drop out at any time.

Another interesting thing is that this race is midweek and in the evening. I am a bit confused on the logistics. It sounds like if the race could be 5 miles, then there are 3 stages. I am not sure how they get to 17 or to last man/woman standing. If it is 3 miles plus 2 dice rolls, 15 would be max and 5 min. Oh and it is in Indiana! I will be sure to let you know how it turns out. And, I will heed their advice that I “may drop out at any time!”

Event Two:

Christmas in July 6 Hour Run (also hosts two free kids fun runs, 5K (Friday night), 10K (Saturday night), 12 Hour Run and 24 Hour Run) Lisle, IL July 18 and 19. Well, I have run 37 marathons, but never more than 26.2 miles at one time. Not even 26.3. Never. I always said I was not built for ultra-running and that may still be the case. If you know me, you may get the sense that I can be dared or convinced to try some pretty crazy things (see post link in the first sentence of this post, Mt. Washington recap, my first marathon and the time that I went tandem skydiving at lunch from my first job.)

So running for SIX HOURS will be interesting and will require a totally different strategy than the typical defined distance race. And, it is overnight. Kristin’s boyfriend asked if we would have to train to stay up past midnight. Touche! That could be a challenge! So why are we doing this? Well, a friend dared me. Actually, he dared me to do the 24 hour run, but I thought that would shut down my entire running calendar for the rest of the summer (and maybe more!) Since I only had a few weeks notice so I opted for 6 hours… which still may be too many!

Why else is this set of races worthwhile?

• Fun runs (kids races) are FREE and all participants will receive an AWESOME medal, a t-shir and a bib. They will have two fun runs – Friday night and Saturday night 30 minutes before 5K/10K.
• Evening races on both Friday and Saturday nights: 5K – Friday at 8:00, 10K – Saturday at 7:30 PM. You can earn your beer! And, all participants get a cotton/poly wicking t-shirt, a tech hat and a medal.
• Ultra timed events all start on Friday night kicking off with 24 Hour from 10 PM – 10 PM Saturday; 12 Hour 11:00 PM – 11:00 AM, and 6 hour 12 AM – 6 AM.
• Ultra timed events will have  no DNFs. You can run as much or as little as you like! All participants get an award plus get cotton/poly wicking shirt AND hoodie!
• Fully stocked aid station with meals served for ultras. Water, electrolyte drink, and snacks at the 5k/10k aid station.
• Wellness festival and festive environment – think Christmas lights!

The winner is Amanda F. – she is planning to try the 12 hour timed run!! Go Amanda! Still want to run? Use code ERICAFINDS10  for 10% off of online registration through 7/13.

Even better, I have one free entry to the 5K or 10K (or $65 toward one of the timed events) to give away to one lucky reader. Want to WIN? There are several ways to enter:

• Leave a comment on this post telling me Christmas in July race you would like to run.
• Like Runners4Wellness Facebook / Christmas in July 24 Hour on Facebook and Like Erica Finds on Facebook. Leave a separate comment telling me you did.
• Follow Runners4Wellness on Twitter and follow me on Twitter. Leave a separate comment telling me you did.
• Pin this post or share it somewhere. Leave a separate comment telling me you did.

The giveaway runs through Friday, July 11. I will select a winner with random.org based on comment number on Saturday, July 12th. Winner must be a US resident and the giveaway is void where prohibited. Please note: Online registration closes on July 13th, so you must claim and process the giveaway entry by July 13.

So what do you think? After writing this, I think maybe I should go back to my comfort zone and hide!

I hope you all have a happy 4th!

PS. Don’t forget my active giveaways! I have an uberfit tank, lots of Truebars and Hail Merry coupons up for grabs! Great stuff!