Grandpa's Run for the Walleye Race Report

This past weekend I ran Grandpa's Run for the Walleye 5k in Crosslake, Minnesota. It wasn't my best race ever, I wasn't over the top impressed with my results, however, I am thrilled to say that I did it. I am happy because my time is better than it was last year at this same race.

It is a well organized race and they seem to have their stuff in a group - they also have a big kid's race for the different age brackets. One thing that always annoys me with races is when they allow same day registrations to bump back the time of the race, start when you say you are starting. I know you want to get everyone you can registered but start when you say you are going to start.

This race is the first race in a three part race series - The Crosslake Run Series.
The next race is the Crosslake Dam run in August and the last race is the Crosslake Moster Dash in October.


Do you like to run 5k races?
Do you have a favorite race?

Crosslake Monster Dash 2012 Review

The Crosslake Monster Dash was the third and final race in the Crosslake Run Series. The only option for race distances was a 5k, which given that this race is at the end of October in northern Minnesota it makes sense. If the weather was nice sure one could run other distances but with the uncertainty of mother nature, one never knows what could have happened and a 5k is do-able in almost every weather condition. I was pretty jazzed about running this race because I knew that those of us who had run all three races: Grandpa's Run for the Walleye, Crosslake Dam Run, and the Monster Dash got a medal, which makes it a two medal week (one last Saturday for the Fargo Mini Marathon, and the Crosslake Run Series) - I love earning medals. I also have a great appreciation for the fact that this race is close to me so I don't have to worry about driving a crazy distance in order to get to it. I love the races in Fargo but they always involve staying overnight in a hotel and driving several hours to get to them.
The race registration was very well run and fast. There was a lot of people in costumes! The race began five minutes late and was a wonderful course. I have to give props to the volunteers of this race, they were all very helpful and attentive. They were also very positive and cheered everyone on! Thanks be to God for great race volunteers. The course was also well marked and easy to understand where we were suppose to be going. It was a fabulous course with a few very small hills.
The door prizes were awesome and it seemed like a lot of people got prizes they ranged from t-shirts to gift cards to hotel stays! The race shirts were awesome long sleeve shirts that were not totally obnoxious. All of the Crosslake road race series participants got a medal for completing the series.

Fargo Mini Marathon 2012 Review

Fargo Mini Marathon's Running Reformers

         This was the first year of the Fargo Mini Marathon, this race took place of the Oktoberfest run that had usually took place in mid-October. The race was moved to south Fargo and began and ended in the Scheel's arena. The race seemed well organized from the start & packet pick up was a breeze. The shirts are wonderful athletic shirts rather than cotton we got the same Asics bags that they use for the Fargo marathon in May.
     The race took off late due to massive amounts of problems with traffic and being able to get to the arena on time, I was thankful our hotel was super close to the arena making getting there a bit easier. There was three races: 5k, 10k, and a half marathon. There was also a kids race at noon. The half marathon began last. The course was interesting to say the least, some of the volunteers were phenomenal and some of the volunteers were less than helpful. The race was a little hard to figure out because it felt like we kept running through a ton of different housing communities, all which looked the same and were to a certain degree switchbacks. There was even a few times that we got on paths that felt like we were running through people's yards. It was good but interesting to say the least. The wind blew strong and hard as there is very little to block the wind out there.
      There were moments that I wish I had a camera with me because seriously there were arrows on the ground pointing in all three directions, thank God I run mid-pack and didn't have to try to figure out where I was going, I definitely would have gotten confused and turned around. I am not certain if I liked this year's route better than the old one, I know change is always hard, but this course felt so strange to say the least. Although I am sure I'll get use to it and as the neighborhoods develop a little that will help so then there is not construction workers and trucks everywhere. Despite the crazy route, I was happy to have set a new personal record. I am certain that for me any given race is about 75% mental game and 25% physical game. I have to keep overcoming the mentla game that sometimes gets the better of me.
     I always love getting the medal placed around my neck at the end of a race and the runner's high that follows. Ahhh how wonderful - gives me reason to run. Overall I was satisfied with the race. The Running Reformers ran well for sure, we came in with three personal records and a fourth good run. I am proud to be a running reformer. The post race food was slightly strange, it was cookies, chicken noodle soup, bread, and peanut/candy corn mix. I missed the bananas and Cass Clay chocolate milk. I love racing with friends for sure!!!!
     I am jazzed that this week is going to be a 2 medal week, this coming Saturday I get to earn my Crosslake Run series medal as well. I am running the Monster Dash 5k in Crosslake on Saturday, should be wonderful. This race also has me jazzed and re-excited about training for the Tinkerbell half marathon this January in Disneyland!

Crosslake Dam Run Review

Crosslake Dam Run 5k or 10k is race number 2 in the Crosslake Run series. I wore my run series shirt and was entered for extra prizes. One thing that I have loved so far about the 2 races that I have run in this series is that there are quite a few people but it isn't at the overwhelmingly large race size yet. I do enjoy some of the big races that I run, however there is something fabulous in the simplicity of some races too! The people who have organized these two races have been spot on and the details have fallen together wonderfully.
I will admit that I was a little confused when there was not an address given for where registration and the start of the race would be, it said it would be in the town square north of the business district, and I am not all that familiar with Crosslake. My fears were gone when I saw all the beautiful signs directing me where to go.
Before the race was chilly (which I prefer over the wicked hot weather we could have had) and I was slightly concerned about rain. I felt bad for the race organizers with about ten minutes to race time a ton of people showed up & were upset with them for having a line to pick up bibs. I am not certain why they thought they could show up at the last minute and still make the start on time.
Thankfully for the late comers the race organizers delayed the start about ten minutes for all these people. The start was about a half a block from the registration and finish line.
The race went well for me, there was a 5k and a 10k race, the races were well labeled and there were a few individuals standing at the splits to direct people. On the 5k race there was a water station about half way through, which was plenty.
I was happy with my time in the end which is good, I needed a good run. They do door prizes and prizes for those who come in the top of the age brackets. Part of the perk of running the race series is you get entered into a bonus prize pool with some decent prizes. I won a free car wash from the race series prizes, I would guess about half the people who were in the race series got a prize.

Crosslake Run Series & Grandpa's Run for the Walleye Review

Sweet run series shirts: Nike Dryfit! I am impressed

Run for the Walleye shirt and the run series shirt

    I am running in the first ever Crosslake Road Race Series, I was excited when I somehow stumbled upon the series. It is three races: Grandpa's Run for the Walleye (July 7), Crosslake Dam Run (August 4), and Crosslake Monster Dash (October 27). It is looking like it will be a fabulous series. I am thrilled that it is super close to where I live, so I don't have to drive far and the price was super, particularly since when registering for the run series you get a Nike dryfit shirt, that was a pleasant surprise.
    This past Saturday (LOVE SATURDAY RACES, since I can only run Saturday races due to my call), was the 15th annual Grandpa's Run for the Walleye. The race was very well organized and they had a run for little kids ranging from 0-10, they ran in 2 year blocks (0-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10). The kids looked like they had a marvelous time running. All the kids who ran also go some sort of a prize for running, a ribbon and something else (sand pail and shovel, bubbles, etc.).
    The 5k run was great, I am a little disappointed because I missed my goal time by about 58 seconds. I got trapped while on a narrow part of the trail running behind a group running 8 wide without an option to pass right towards the end. But it was a marvelous run, they had water stations well spaced out and it was a gorgeously warm day to run. Crosslake is a beautiful place to run for sure.
Note to self:
 -at the end of a race don't get stuck behind large groups of people
 -hold your head up you ran well and almost met your goal
 -continue to rotate the music on your ipod you loved the new music to run to
              -not every song is intended to be run to