My second time participating in The Chili Run and the weather gods were not working in our favor. It was steady rain for the entirety of this event - which wasn't exactly the best weather, but hey - I'd much rather it for a 2 mile race than a longer event.

Packet pickup was quick and easy, as is always the case with the Good Day for a Run events. They had two pickups scheduled ahead of time at our local RunningCo., as well as race day pickup. They really make it easy for runners of their races and that's something we all appreciate.

The race began at 10am - hooray for a late start time! Because of the rain we stayed in our car until the very last second, which you're able to do because parking is right next to the start/finish of the race.

I have an injury (broken arm) so rather than racing, it became an event that I planned to run and finish. My husband and I stuck together for the hilly two mile out and back. The first male finisher crossed the finish line in 11:13 and the first female finisher at 13:19.

The real fun comes after the race, where you get a bowl of chili (with a vegetarian option), and a beer. The after party takes place at Carolina Blue and winners are announced then. I believe that there was an ugly sweater contest as well!

Due to the space of the restaurant, they have to cap the race so it's fairly small. Good Day for a Run has two of these races, one in January and the other a few weeks later and they always sell out.

It's a fun local event. Every year they do something new and different for the swag - this year it was The Chili Run beanie hat. It's a well run race that's always a good time!

The Light Run is a fun run co-sponsored by local running pals Good Day for a Run and MEAN GUY Running. The run is not timed and winds through the streets of Pitman, New Jersey. The course is not closed and runners have to obey pedestrian laws. Every turn was clearly marked with a sign and cones and there were a few volunteers out on the course to wave runners in the right direction as well.

The swag was an ornament (this year's is pictured) and a really great experience with a fun after-party at nearby restaurant, Carolina Blue.

No aid stations, per se, but there was water available at the check in table. The volunteers were also visible, so if anyone needed help, they were available.

We circled around the streets of Pitman, oohing and ahhing at the houses we saw along the way. There were so many pretty ones! It's a great way to go "sight seeing" and the scenery can't be beat.

During the second half of the run, we went to the piece de resistance, the Hagerty Family Christmas Lights. In its 32nd year, a family sets up an entire yard (and a few neighboring houses) with movable dolls, sheds filled with Christmas magic, reindeers, and even a Santa stop! I wasn’t expecting to see Santa there since it was a Wednesday but I guess there was a bit of magic in the air because he was there. Naturally we grabbed a selfie!

The cost for The Light Run? A mere $12 and if you’d like to, a donation of a toy at check-in that goes to local charities: the Robin’s Nest and The Kids Caring Foundation. I’m pretty sure it sells out every year because who could resist a deal like that?

For more pictures/video, please feel free to visit my blog post: http://www.scootadoot.org/2017/12/15/the-light-run/

The Run the Vineyards series, put on by a Good Day for a Run, is a favorite of mine. So much so that I often volunteer for their events. They're local to me and it's a great way to give back to the running community. After volunteering at a few events through the summer/fall - I decided that it was time to run and this 5k at Auburn Road Vineyards worked out well with timing in my schedule.

With over twenty Run the Vineyards events, this race series has their races down to a science when it comes to preparing and having everything covered for their runners. They keep the races manageable for the locations in terms of field size and parking.

There was an option for packet pickup at the local running store (Mullica Hill Running Company) but just as easy is day of pickup, which is what I opted to do race morning.

The weather wasn't looking fantastic for race morning and for a brief moment I even considered just skipping the event, as you run through vineyards, dirt trail, and on paved road. However, I had a friend that I was meeting up with and I'm not really one to let a little (or a lot of) rain scare me away. Thankfully, while overcast, the rain showers moved out for the actual race.

This is the third year this race has been run and it begins running through the vineyard (vines on both sides/grass) which leads to a dirt road. From what I understand the course was slightly different than the previous two years. I asked a few people who had run the race before and they liked this course better. We had the opportunity to run through two sections of vineyards, which was neat! There was a water station in the middle of the race, which we passed twice in case more water was necessary.

The photographer knows exactly where to station himself to grab shots of the runners and (my favorite) they're FREE. He roams through the runners before and after the race, as well as capturing great shots during the event.

The t-shirts were long sleeves tech shirts although this series has a variety of options when it comes to shirts. I've gotten tech t-shirts, tanks, and long sleeves from them - depending on what race and what season I'm running. As you cross the finish line there's a bottle of water offered to each runner, a KIND bar, and the Run the Vineyards wineglass. The results are immediately emailed to you, as you cross the finish line.

On each race bib there's a tear-away ticket for wine from the host vineyard, putting the wineglass to good use right away! I went with the Good Karma red blend from Auburn Road vineyard. My friend and I grabbed seats inside near the musician, ordered a cheese plate, and enjoyed the morning after the run. Run the Vineyards is always an occasion - it's never rushed, it's really easy-going and relaxed (after the running portion, of course). We got to watch the awards given out to overall winners (a bottle of wine and a medal), and age group awards (medals).

Overall, a great time, as usual. I'm already signed up for the 5 miler in the spring!

More pictures/thoughts can be found here: http://www.scootadoot.org/2017/10/11/race-recap-run-the-vineyards-destination-enoteca/

If I had to sum up this race in a few words I'd say: gorgeous and hilly!

Thankfully, I get to be more wordy here because there's really so much more to be said about the Run Inspired 10k.

The 2nd annual Run Inspired 10k in Winterthur, Delaware was held on October 15, 2017. The race benefits Operation Warm, which provides winter coats for children living in poverty. It's a great cause and one that I was happy to support.

The start and finish were in the same location, and was surrounded by the "race village" which is where the Finishers Party was held. Bib Pickup could be done on Friday or Saturday at the Delaware Running Company or (as I opted to do) day of at the Registration tent.

At the bib pickup I was given my race bib, a long sleeved poly-blend women's cut shirt, and a drawstring bag.

Parking was in a field, on a hill, overlooking the race village. There was also premium parking available a bit closer to the race village. It didn't look that much closer to me so I don't know if I'd opt in for that in the future. The only issue was this year's weather was rainy prior to the race, leaving the grass wet... which made for wet socks and shoes. Not ideal, but thankfully I prepared ahead of time.

There were 747 runners/walkers during this race (the 2016 inaugural race hosted 1,397 participants) and the management encourages both runners and walkers to participate.

Corrals are self-seeded with paces up to 10 minutes and then a "walkers" corral. A suggestion would be to extent the running corrals even further, as I know many (such as myself) employ the run/walk/run technique. The course was a bit tight at the beginning of the race and spreading paces out a bit further might assist with that.

As for the course, it was absolutely gorgeous! Hosted at the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, there was beautiful fall foliage and many things to look at along the way. From reading a previous review here on BibRave, I knew that the course would be hilly (something that those from the area wouldn't automatically assume because most of Delaware is flat as a pancake). It was definitely a challenging course! I took advantage of the flat portions and the downhills as much as possible.

The volunteers stationed along the course and at the water stations were fantastic and encouraging. There were smiling faces everywhere. A portion of the course (1.5 miles) is along the road and it was clearly marked off with police officers directing traffic. I felt very safe.

The last push of the race is uphill (I wasn't at all surprised!). It would have been very easy to be disheartened but my family was waiting for me and I could see them cheering. I usually don't bring my family along to races because I fear they'll be bored but there was a great Finishers Party set up and things for them to do while they waited. I returned to find my younger son's face painted and my older son "tattooed". They also loved winning prizes at the Operation Warm tent.

As I crossed the finish line, I was given a medal and then walked through the chute to grab water and get a good amount of snacks! They had popcorn, chips, soft pretzels, cheese curls, lemonade, and iced tea. It was a great spread, especially for a 10k!

Each finisher also got a drink ticket on their bib with their choice of either beer or wine. I opted for the Dogfish Head Namaste.

The Finishers Party had food trucks, a musician, beer garden, vendors, and more. It's unfortunate that the weather was overcast because had it not been, I think we would have stayed longer. After sipping my beer and enjoying a few songs from the musician, we decided to pack it up and head back to the car.

Emails and communication were great leading up to the race. I saw many posts of Facebook; I would have loved to see more on Instagram and Twitter too.

Overall, it was a great morning and a race I'd consider returning to in the future! It was most certainly inspiring and Operation Warm is a worthy cause!

For more pictures, feel free to swing by my blog post: http://www.scootadoot.org/2017/10/18/race-recap-run-inspired-10k/

I ran the Rock 'n Roll Philly race back in 2012 as my third half marathon. I haven't been able to work it into my schedule since but was very excited to return this year!

Rock 'n Roll weekends always start with the expo experience, followed by the race. The Philly Rock 'n Roll Health and Fitness Expo was held at the PA Convention Center in Center City on both Friday and Saturday. Runners are able to pick up their bibs, t-shirts, and other assorted race goodies.

I arrived when the expo opened on Friday. Getting my bib was no problem however, I was surprised (and a little disappointed) to find out that the race shirts had gotten held up in transportation. The kind volunteer at the shirt table provided several options: wait until they expected them at 2pm, come back the following day, or pick up the shirt the day of the race. I opted to pick up the shirt at the race, which was not a problem.

Race management sent out an email regarding this at 11:15, which was too late (in my opinion). I was already in the city at the time, having traveled there from my home in South NJ. I wish I had known about it earlier because I would have changed my plans and attended the expo on Saturday. Not a huge deal but it did sour my mood for the rest of the expo. I realize that this is definitely the exception rather than the rule with this race series.

Besides the shirt snafu, the Rock 'n Roll race management knows how to host a great expo. Since they're such a big racing series, they have the flow of the expo down to a science, leading attendees from one section to the next with plenty of signs and helpful volunteers. If you aren't able to make it to the expo, you can have a friend pick it up. The friend is able to pick up two packets for "free", after that there is a $20 charge per packet. There is no mail option, but with more races having that option, it's something I know many would appreciate.

This is the 40th year that this race has been run, having been known prior as the Philadelphia Distance Run.

Saturday morning were the 5k and 10k races. The 10k distance was newly introduced this year; I had many friends who ran and had a positive experience.

Sunday morning it was half marathon time. Philadelphia is about a half hour drive from my house/nearby train ride. I chose to take the train and walk a mile to the start line, which is my standard mode of transportation for Philly races. Easy peasy! I always aim to get into the city about an hour before the start of the race (although I was in corral 21 so I knew I would have plenty of time!).

Once I arrived I tracked down where I needed to go to get my race shirt. Since I had a hydration pack, I decided to stuff it in there (rather than check a bag).

Rock 'n Roll's race village is huge and there's plenty of things to do and see both pre and post race. I wandered around a bit, chatted with plenty of people and seeing fellow BibRave Pros. Philadelphia's Rocky Steps (aka the Art Museum) is always the backdrop of big races in Philly and this was no exception.

The first 5 miles of the half course have to be my absolute favorite. I love running in Center City and the energy is always terrific. From about mile 3.5 to 5 is an out and back stretch along Fairmount Avenue, which I love because you can see the other runners and the cheering from people along this stretch is fantastic. Very motivating!

The second part of the course leads you along the Schuykill River on Kelly Drive, across Falls Bridge, and back the other side of the river on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The miles seem to stretch here and while the scenery is picturesque, this is where I wish they would stack the bands and entertainment. I appreciate everyone who was out there, including the band who changed the lyrics to The Indigo Girls "Closer to Fine" to "Closer to the Finish Line."

I knew I wasn't going to break any personal records during this race so I enjoyed, took my time, and had my phone out nearly the entire time to take many pictures and videos along the route. I made a friend during the last mile that I had been leapfrogging with from mile 10 and we finished the race together, which was really nice!

The medals for this year were money, baby! The half marathon medal was Ben Franklin with a sweatband on his head 13.1 bill. Too funny!

Immediately after the finish line, they were handing out water and a sports drink. Directly after that there was ice cold chocolate milk, which hit the spot! They were also giving out ice cold RnR towels, which was perfect on my neck. There were snacks directly after but unfortunately, juggling everything became a bit of a challenge!

Post-race celebration included the band Big Head Todd and the Monsters (never heard of them before but they were entertaining). There was also a beer garden but I completely forgot about it until I was walking back to the train station. Whomp, whomp.

Fun way to kick off fall racing in Philly!

In need of more pics/video? Swing by: http://www.scootadoot.org/2017/04/03/birthday-race-recap-philly-hot-chocolate-15k/