Okay so it’s been a hot minute since I’ve written a blog post, but I’ve run a couple of 5K’s recently and decided to dust off the keyboard to share some insight. Also, just FYI, I was tempted to try the AI Assistant because that wasn’t there the last time I posted and it looks fancy…but the tone made me sound like a game show host and I just couldn’t do it. So here we are with my slightly unorganized thoughts since I didn’t go into this race prepared for a review.
One reason I picked this race was because some people on Instagram were promoting it and Track Shack seems pretty trustworthy so I put this one on my calendar. However, the main reason I picked this race was because it was on my birthday and it’s not too often that a running event falls on your actual birthday. And who doesn’t wanna wake up super duper early to go run on their birthday??
- Parking: The first thing I look for in a race is the parking situation. If the parking is complicated for any event in life, I’m just not coming. Luckily, they open up a parking garage for free and it’s pretty close to the event location so I approved. I also do race morning packet pick-up because I am a professional procrastinator, so I arrived a little earlier to give myself time to drop everything back off to my car.
- Race Course: The race is in Winter Park. I don’t run in Winter Park with all you fancy folks, so I was a bit surprised by the hills. They weren’t like real “hills” but since I’m used to just plain flatness where I run, I wasn’t totally prepared. TBH, I didn’t prepare really at all for this race cause I was just doing it for fun and not for a time. Otherwise, it was a nice and peaceful run through the neighborhoods. Also, is there some kinda rule that you have to be attractive to be on the Winter Park Police Department? Because I almost faked an injury at the first mile marker.
- The Weather: It’s Florida and it’s August. Take a guess.
- The SWAG: So this is really why I even started doing race reviews in the first place. Other runners were curious what you get at the end. So I actually did a take a few pics here. I was impressed by the finish line goodies and the event sponsors (Mostly AdventHealth). I don’t even know what’s in Gatorade Water, but it felt like special water. Also, LiveTrends usually gives out free plants, but there was a shipment delay at this race. However, you could have gone and picked it up a Track Shack directly a few days later.
- Post Race extras: The post race party with a free beer was a nice touch. And the DJ had high energy vibes and made it feel like a party at 8am. They also email your race photos the next day which is convenient. Note: If you’re planning to hit up the AdventHealth tent for a free massage or physical therapy assessment, be sure to get there early and get your name on the list. I was too impatient to wait in the line, but I overheard some people say they didn’t know you had to write your name down to be seen.
Overall, I thought this was a well organized race and the swag was nice. I would definitely run it again and I recommend running it if you wanna celebrate running or more importantly, your birthday! You can learn more about this race other events in the Track Shack Race Series at Track Shack.
*Sometime this week I’ll post a review of this weekend’s Battle of the Bands 5k, so stay tuned! 🙂
The Swag Mama 