I can't wait to go back again next year!

This is something that I don't say very often. As I am on a mission to see all the new places I can, I don't go back to run the same race multiple times (with the exception of a few local races). The Eau Claire Half Marathon changed that.

The race management team is spectacular and truly has the overall runner experience as their number 1 goal. Packet pick-up and the expo are well organized and easy to get through.

There is no parking at the start/finish line but they have several shuttles running from various places in town to get you where you need to be, without any hassle (my hotel was actually 3 blocks from one of the shuttle lots so I just walked there in the morning to catch the bus!)

The community support along virtually the entire course adds to the excitement of the race. You are never alone on the course but since it's a smaller race you have room to run your race and have all the support you need!!

There are a few hills along the course, but nothing that anyone should be afraid of!!

Word of advice - enjoy the BluGold Mile!! The support an motivation as you wind through the UWEC campus is spectacular!! Just take it in, and use that adrenaline to help push you through those last few miles!

Be sure to pay attention to those race photographers! There are throughout the course and you can download your pics for FREE!!! This is amazing!! I wish more races did this!!

The finish line is truly a party, and has something for everyone!! Yes, you have your usual post race food (banana's, bagels, beer, water) but this year they also brought in food trucks with additional food options for you to purchase! The fresh hot donuts were worth the 13 miles I ran to get them!

Like I said, I'll be back next year and I'm bringing friends!

You can find my full race recap here: http://crazyhamster.run/2018/05/sometimes-you-run-just-so-you-can-eat-all-the-donuts.html

We stumbled across The Backside Trail Marathon and Half as we were looking for a Sunday race following the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in Nashville on Saturday. Since it was on the way home, we signed up!

If you are a fan of big races with thousands of participants, this race is NOT for you!

The race takes place in two parks just outside of Louisville and is limited to only 150 runners - so be sure to register early! One of my favorite perks of this race is that they offer all runners to "Double Down". The race is always the same weekend as the Kentucky Derby Marathon. For anyone that is crazy enough to want to run 2 races in one weekend, this is for you!! Run ANY full or half marathon on Saturday and then come run The Backside and earn extra bling on your race medal! Crazy? Sounds like me!! Bling Bling Bling!

Packet Pick up is at Quest Outdoors, a local sporting goods store (which is also one of the key race sponsors!). Since it is a small race, packet pickup is quick and easy. Like I mentioned, the race is small, so don't expect all the fancy bells and whistles of a bigger race. They keep it simple. Right down to the timing chips that attach to your shoe! I don't even remember the last race I ran with reusable timing chips! We had the chance to meet Troy, the race director and chat with him for a few minutes before we left.

Race Day: Since the race is in April, you never know what the weather will bring. Saturday in Nashville it was warm and humid... Sunday in Louisville it was 44 degrees. I grabbed my bolero and headed to the start line!

The course starts out on the local cross country trail and then winds around to a wooded single track area. It meanders through 2 different parks and around the local gold course. If you are running the full marathon, you run the loop twice! I realized right away that this was not going to be the typical trail half marathon! It was going to be a challenge but I was ready! From the information that was sent to runners before the event, we were told to anticipate 130% of our road half marathon time to complete this course! EEK! In theory that means this race could take me up to 3.5 hours to complete!

I spent the next few hours enjoying an amazing run through the amazing trees and hills of Louisville. These were some amazing trails that I wish I could run all the time! I won't lie, it was a tough and hilly course but I was so lost in my thoughts and enjoying the area that I didn't really notice just how hilly it was... until my watch told me I was at 6 times my flight of stairs goal for the day. And I was only only mile 7!

Aid Stations: On the course there were 3 aid stations (2 which you pass twice on the half marathon course). These are EPIC aid stations! Forget the usual water and Gatorade. These aid stations are stocked with a variety of cookies, chips, pickles, soda, water and fruit snacks! Any trail runners dream come true!

Before I knew it, I crossed the last bridge and the finish line was across the field from me!

The Bling: Yes, time to get to the fun stuff!! I love unique race medals and this one takes the cake! A real horseshoe with a hand stamped medallion with the race name and year! Plus, for "Doubling Down" and running on Saturday, my horseshoe had an added charm to indicate that accomplishment!

I can honestly say that I LOVED this race! I just wish I lived closer that I could run it again!!

On a scale of 1-10, I give it a 12!!!

You can find my full race recap and more fun about this race here: http://crazyhamster.run/2018/05/will-i-ever-learn-my-lesson-about-running-the-hills-in-kentucky.html

When I signed up for this race a few months ago, I knew I was taking a chance on the weather, but I would never have thought it would end up being the weekend that Mother Nature decided to throw a record breaking snowstorm at WI! Thankfully the majority of the snow was fell to the north of Milwaukee, but that didn't mean MKE was spared! But I'll touch on more of that later!

Pre-Race/Packet Pick-up: Packet pick-up was at InStep Physical Therapy and Running Center downtown Milwaukee, in the historic Third Ward District. Getting down there is not difficult (as long as there is not construction!). There is some street parking, but your best option is the parking ramp just around the corner from InStep. Parking in the ramp is $5 for the first 2 hours, so it also gave me some extra time to check out a few other shops etc downtown.

Packet pick-up itself was a quick in and out! A quick signing of a waiver, and in just a few minutes I had my race shirt and bib in hand! I took a few minutes to do some shopping in the store before heading out to wander downtown a bit. And when I say wander for a bit, it was a short while! It was COLD and WINDY! The wind off the lake was brutal and I knew right away that if this was how race morning was going to me, I needed to start preparing myself now!

Race Morning: Since I was staying with a friend on the north side of MKE, I had about a 25 minute drive to the start line. After changing my mind 4 times of what layers I was going to wear, I headed out... in the pouring rain... towards the start line.

Parking at Eastabrook park near the start/finish line is very limited so by the time I go there at about 7:15am, the closest lot was full. I knew there was a lot they recommended parking in that was a little further out, with shuttles available, so I started heading there. Along the way, I found another lot that was just down the hill from the start line that had been opened up. I pulled in and got one of the last 5 parking spots! SCORE!

It was still raining ,but one of the advantages of driving an SUV, with the back hatch open, I had a covered area at the back of my open vehicle for my final prep! I spend the next few minutes organizing my gear, filling my flasks and packing my pockets. I was already thankful for my water and wind resistant jacket... the wind had not let up since yesterday!

This is a smaller race and there is limited area to find shelter from the elements, so plan accordingly! Many of us were huddled close to the small building in the park (I think it was a snack bar, but I really didn't look - I was just trying to stay out of the wind if I could!)

Just before 8am, they asked us to start heading towards the start line. the 10k and Half marathon would be starting soon. Both of these races start together (the 5k was starting at 10:30am if I remember correctly) with 3 waves. Most races that I have run, the different color of your bib was to indicate which race you were running. Here, it signifies which wave you are starting in, based on your estimated finish time. I had a green bib, so I was in the 3rd wave. With all the wind and rain, the start was a bit of a cluster as everyone was eager to just get going. Bib color ended up ust being a "guideline" of when you started.

The course: This course starts in the park and follows the road out to the end. Then you have a short hill up to the trail just after mile 1. The majority of the route follows this trail, with a few out and backs until it heads back into the park just after mile 12. If you want hills, this course is NOT it. Aside from the hill to get to the trail, the rest of the course is relatively flat, with one hill at about mile 8-ish that you hit just before the turn around (and then go right back up that same hill). I could definitely see this as a fast course, when Mother Nature is not throwing rain and 30+ mph wind gusts at you!

The Swag: I love the 1/2 zip pullover top that we received! It's a high quality fabric and will be added to my regular rotation! The bling? Let's just say, the half medal is the tallest race medal in all of Milwaukee!! When I hung it next to my medal from Rock n Roll DC from a few weeks ago, the medal from Brew City is easily quadruple in size! I'm all about the bling so this one is right up my alley!

As I mentioned, the course is on the trail and through the park, so the scenery is about the same throughout... trees along the trail and then the occasional highway overpass to cross, giving you a quick look at a few buildings. But I can honestly say that I was NOT really looking at scenery on Saturday!

The only snag I had with the event (weather not included) was at the finish line. I am not a fast runner, and in these conditions, I am not even a middle of the pack runner. By the time I finished, many of the 5k runners were finishing. Because your race bib color was to indicate your starting wave, those at the finish line passing out medals had no easy way to tell what distance you ran (the distance was noted in on the bib, but the font was small enough that it was not easily readable). I was first given a 5k medal and then had to stop at the second table to get the right one from the gentleman that was working as fast as he could to get the 5k medals out of their bags. When I told him I needed a half medal, he quickly grabbed one from the other pile next to him. Not a big deal, but maybe in the future, bibs should be noted better as to the distance the participant is running, instead of the wave to start!

Overall, this will go down as a race I will soon not forget! It was well run, well organized and a good flat course! Yes, I would considering running it again... but I'll make sure I have a chat with Mother Nature first!

For my full review of the race, including dealing with the wind and rain, you can find more on my blog here: http://crazyhamster.run/2018/04/maybe-i-should-have-been-a-duck.html

It's Rock n Roll.
It's going to be crowded.
But it's all about the fun!

I know from past experience that RnR races are huge! Lots of runners, crowded streets and big entertainment! This was my 3rd different RnR race, so I knew what I was getting into when I signed up. I'll be honest, I prefer the smaller races, but once in a while you just need to go big.

Thankfully the weather was much better this year. Compared to the record breaking unseasonably warm temps on race day, I wasn't going to complain about mid 60's!

Packet Pick up: A breeze!! We arrived at the expo about 2pm and there was literally NO ONE in line! We had race bibs and t-shirts in less than 5 minutes!

Race Expo: I do like the expos for the Rock n Roll races because they have a lot of stuff to check out! We spent a few hours wandering through everything and I picked up a few things that I forgot at home. We were hoping for better deals on some stuff (like shoes) but there really were not a lot of really good deal this time. Oh well, it just means I saved myself a bunch of money! LOL

Race Day: The one thing that I don't like about Rock n Roll races is the start. There are A LOT of corrals! I don't know for sure exactly how many there were for this race, but I was in 21 and I know that I saw corral numbers as high as 32 I think! There could have been more than that, I honestly don't know. The start line is set up with coral markers and runners are instructed to line up in their assigned corral. If you want to go BACK a corral to run with friends you can, but you are not supposed to move forward. Unfortunately, there is no control over this. There is no one verifying that runners are going into correct corrals. Needless to say, this leads to a very confusing and frustrating start! You have individuals who are trying to run and get into that running groove, but are not able to because there are individuals who are out there just to walk the same race. You spend more time trying to run around people or trying to navigate the crowds.

The Course: The course starts with runners heading downhill on Broadway before turning to go around the block and run back UP that same long hill, just a few blocks over! This was the start of the hills of TN! I really enjoyed this course as it runs past many of the historic buildings in town as well as recording studios and then through many awesome historic residential districts. I ran each mile as it came and never looked back!

The support on the course was awesome! Both from a spectator standpoint as well as aid stations! I loved how nearly every block as people cheering, waving signs and motivating runners. Several of the neighborhoods also got into the spirit and added to the entertainment along the course.

Finish line: Again, because of the large number of runners and spectators, the finish line area was very congested! I managed to make it through, grabbing some water, fruit and chocolate milk as I passed. I realized after that I missed the cookies! Grrr!! Cookies would have been awesome! We didn't stick around the finish line very long so I can't really say much about the post race party and everything else at the finish line.

Overall, it was a really fun race to run. Will I run it again? Not sure. I do prefer the smaller races and this one was a little too big for my liking. But that is just a personal factor, and has nothing to do with the race itself.

For my more fun from the Nashville adventure, read more here : http://crazyhamster.run/2018/05/its-music-city-time.html