Silo District 5K Race That I Didn't Run Recap

The medal.  It's simple and goes along with the Magnolia look - Karen and I liked it but Diane thought it was too plain.

Shirt front and sleeve detail - it's a unisex technical shirt.  I like the design and the shirt color - last year's was white, and for some reason I don't like wearing white technical shirts.

On Sunday I did not run the Silo District 5K.  This is yet another race that I signed up for and couldn't run - I'm amassing quite the collection of race shirts that I paid for but didn't actually get to do, thanks to my herniated disc.  I wish I could have run this race because the route for the 5K is really nice - I enjoyed it last year and had been looking forward to this particular race for that reason.

I passed my bib on to Jeff - yes, it's against the rules but I'm a renegade and at this point I really don't care.  This is more of a casual race because a lot of the participants are Fixer Upper/Magnolia fans who come from all over the country, and there's a lot of walkers  I told him to not win my age group and he'd be fine.  This was the first time he ran the Silo race and he liked it.  The weather was nice - overcast and fairly cool considering it was late April.  It's doubtful that we'll run this race again, for reasons I'll get into in a minute, but first, here's the details of our day.

There were only five of us going to this race, so we carpooled - Jimmymeow drove, with Karen in the wayback, Jeff and Diane in the back seat, and me in the front, reclined to keep the pressure off of my leg nerve.  We needed to arrive early enough to get our bibs (more on that in a minute), plus we knew we had to park at Baylor University and take the bus to the Silos.  I got up at 3:30 am, dressed and took my pain medicine and anti-nausea medicine, threw an extra anti-nausea pill in my purse just in case, and we were on the road by 4:00 am.  It's about 85 miles to Waco.  We made good time but had a little trouble getting to the parking area because roads were already closed for the race.  Eventually we parked and walked to the buses, where we got on and rode to the Silos.

My plan for the day was to do as little walking as possible because while I was feeling OK, I didn't want to overdo it and end up feeling horrible afterward.  That plan was thwarted when the bus stopped to let us off.  We were nowhere near the Silos!  The race crew at the bus stop told us to go down the street, make a right, walk four blocks (!) and we'd be there.  What the what?  The trolleys usually stop right in front of the Silos!  This ended up being at least half a mile, which normally is no big deal for me, but on Sunday, it was a big deal.  Jeff and I slowly made our way there - at least we had plenty of time for that walk but seriously, they could have had a closer bus stop!

Grumbling ahead:

Bib pick up is why this race has been crossed off my (and Karen's, and Diane's) list.  The organizers announced that each runner had to pick up their own bib at the expo, which was held in Waco on Friday and Saturday.  You weren't allowed to pick up bibs for friends.  Runners from Austin, Dallas, and yes, College Station were telling them that making (for us) a 170 mile round trip the day before the race to pick up a bib was excessive, especially when they weren't allowing extra bibs to be picked up.  At first they said no bib pick up at all on Sunday, but eventually they amended that decision.  After emails and Facebook posts questioning this decision, they stood firm on this, saying that you could pick up your bib before the race but you couldn't get your race shirt and swag bag until after.

I still can't figure out why they made this policy, because they allowed for one person to pick up extra bibs last year.  And every race that we've done allows this - even the big races, like Houston!  It was really irritating because that meant we had to get there even earlier than necessary to get the bibs.  And then knowing we had to go back to the tent to pick up the shirt and swag afterward added to the irritation.  They were insistent that you had to show your ID to get your bib, so when we got to the tent, I held out my ID and the volunteer said "just tell me your name, it's too dark and I can't read it" - seriously?  After all the fuss about ID?  That was the kicker to this whole mess.

I'll be honest, I had to work really had to not let myself get soured on Magnolia in general.  I really like Magnolia Market and the Silos; it's a lovely place to visit and everything there is done so well.  The race organizers, though, could have taken a page from how Magnolia accommodates their guests and made packet pickup a better experience.  At $45, this race is pretty expensive for a 5K - it's a fundraiser for cancer research which is great and why I didn't mind paying so much.  But don't make it so difficult for Texans who live in outlying areas to get their stinking packets!  It's off my list for the future.

OK, back to the actual race.  The grounds were much less crowded this year which was great for us - we snagged a coveted picnic table with a shade canopy which made hanging around very pleasant:

Jeff, Diane, Karen, and Jimmy, chilling before the race started.

This made everyone laugh:  Diane had just secured her bib to her shirt with race dot magnets when we heard a PING - one had stuck to the metal pole!  Those are some strong magnets!

Not impossible for these three.  Impossible for me, unfortunately.

It was time for Jeff, Karen, and Diane to walk to the 5K start line - from last year's experience we knew they should try to get close to the starting line because they do wave starts and it was 20 minutes before we crossed the starting line last year.  They did get in the first wave and had some time to play around taking pictures before the race began:

Cute...

And slightly disturbing, at least on Jeff's part, LOL.

Meanwhile Jimmy and I had a cup of coffee and relaxed.  There were girls riding bicycles around, handing out Target-branded sunglasses, so we got a pair, and then we also got a free Popsicle:

Neither of us had had a Popsicle in years so that was a fun treat.

Soon enough it was time for Karen to be coming in, so Jimmy went to the finish line to take her picture.  Jeff was right behind her; they both went to the tent to pick up the shirts and swag bag and then came over to the picnic table where I had been waiting:

I like it!  Jeff tried to take it but NO SIR.  He got the medal and the race experience.  I get the shirt and the bag.

Karen changed clothes and then she and I headed over to Magnolia Market to shop - I'd had my eye on a hand thrown sugar and creamer set since January, and they were now on sale so I grabbed them:

Shown with a coffee mug so you can see how tiny they are.  They might be perfect for holding my little knitting accessories - wouldn't that be cute?

...and then we walked around.  I like Karen's decorating sense - she is really creative and uses things in unusual ways that end up looking so good.  I have a long blank wall in my dining area that I've struggled to figure out what to do with, and in walking around the shop, we came up with putting a mix of large and smaller objects on that wall to fill it in while keeping it interesting.  I took pictures of some things that might work, and did buy two galvanized metal/glass vase sconces that could hold anything from seashells to flowers.  I'm not hanging them up until I have enough items to arrange, but at least now I have a starting point.

We got in the long line to check out and my nausea came on really strong.  I was hanging on, hoping to get through my purchase without having to abandon my goodies and rush outside; I made it to the cashier who rang everything up quickly and I swiped my card and signed.  Then Karen was by my side; I told her I was getting sick and ran out of the shop to get some fresh air while she stayed as the cashier wrapped everything up.  I bought a bottle of water and took the anti-nausea pill in my purse.  I was shaking and sweating and felt really horrible.  Eventually I felt OK enough to walk back with Karen to our table.  I laid on the bench and tried to recover while everyone was digging out food from their swag bags for me - because we'd gotten up so early I hadn't thought about eating breakfast and that probably didn't help with how nauseated the pain medicine makes me.  I'm irritated that on top of not getting to run - or even walk - the race, I ended up feeling crummy for a couple of hours as well.

After a while we walked to Hecho en Waco, the Mexican restaurant located just a few hundred feet from the Silos.  I got a Mexican Coke and had some salty tortilla chips to help settle my stomach; it was a very leisurely lunch so by the time our food came, I felt like eating again.  Afterward, Jeff and Jimmy headed back to the bus area to get the car while Karen, Diane, and I hung around the courtyard of the restaurant and shops.  Naturally, we had to play around with the props there:

King T-Rex.

Karen on her throne - it felt appropriate considering the big battle would be happening later that evening on Game of Thrones and she is a huge fan.

We drove back to College Station and were home by 1:00 pm - it felt so funny to have done so much and still have most of the day ahead!  Jeff hit the hammock and I hit the couch for some much-needed naps.  This was a fun adventure with our Renegade friends even with the hiccups.  Hopefully our next one will go a little smoother and not only will I not get barfy, I might even get to run the race!

Silo District 5K Race Recap!

 The medal - front and back.  It's quite large, and the center part is a spinner!

On Sunday, several of my fellow Renegades and I ran the inaugural Silo District race, which was being held in conjunction with Fixer Upper host Chip Gaines running his first marathon.  Cary, Julia, and Diane ran the half marathon, while Karen and I ran the 5K - hey, we weren't as crazy as the others...running a half marathon in May in TEXAS?  No thank you.  As it turns out, we made a good decision because Texas skipped spring and went right to summer - it got up to 87 degrees, which made for a particularly brutal race.

When we first heard about this race, we were IN - having been to Magnolia Market in Waco recently and having seen how nice everything was done there, we figured that they would put on a good race, even with it being their first one.  The race was a fundraiser for rare cancers and 100% of the proceeds went to the Brave Like Gabe foundation - Gabriele Gruenwald is a runner who was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer but not only has she continued to run, she trained Chip for his first marathon!  The entry fees were higher than usual - I paid $50 for a 5K, which is a lot, but knowing all the money was going to such a special charity helped.  My mother had a rare cancer, so any additional research in this arena is very welcome.

Waco is about a 90 minute drive from our town; we could have gotten there extra early on race day to do packet pickup, but Diane very nicely volunteered to make the trip on Saturday and came home loaded up with all of our swag:

A technical shirt - the back has the saying on it that I very nearly bought as a sign when I was at the market last fall!  The front has the silos, and if you look closely you can see the silhouette of a runner in front of them.  We also received a canvas tote bag as well as a painted burlap tote bag.  We all purchased a soft cotton t-shirt with the logo on race day as well.

On the shuttle - gotta love the photobomber!

On Sunday we woke up super early and were on the road by 4:00 am.  Diane rode with Jeff and I, and we made good time...oddly enough, there was no traffic on the way to Waco - hah!  The only hard part of the race came with parking - we were to park at one location and hop on a shuttle to the Silos.  The parking area was very dark; they had a few temporary lights set up but not nearly enough, and the people working parking detail were hard to see - only one had a lit baton, so that was a bit of a mess.  Anyway, we got ourselves parked and hopped on a shuttle very easily after that.

Once we arrived at the Silos, we found the rest of our group and hung out, taking a few pictures:

 

The green Willys makes for a nice backdrop - plus the sun was rising over the silos, turning everything orange.

It was too early to strike a fun pose for this - Diane looks happy while I have my usual look of pre-race trepidation going on.

But then I found a puppy!  OMG, this was the sweetest little guy - a four month old Corgi named Buxton.  I loved him so much.  He was like a fluffy dachshund!  Even Jeff fell for this puppy.  Do you guys think Paco would mind getting a baby brother?

The marathon started half an hour before the other races, so we got to watch the start on a jumbo monitor:

And yes, that there is Chip, wearing an old-school sweatband - and his leather tool belt!  I thought he was just wearing it for the photo op at the start of the race, but no.  That crazy man ran all 26.2 miles in it!  I can't imagine the chafing and bruising that he got - it was the real deal, and it had to have put the hurt on him.

As it was getting closer to race time, our three halfers made their way to the start line, while Karen and I, along with Jimmymeow and Jeff, walked about half a mile to the 5K start.  Along the way we got stopped by a train:

Just waiting for the train to go by...

And then we got to the 5K corral - if you click on this picture, you can see the orange start banner waaaaaaay in the distance.  

Jeff and Jimmy stayed with us for a while but finally left to go hang with Brian and Logan.  The race countdown began, a horn sounded, and...we didn't move.  Usually you start shuffling toward the front, but it took forever - seriously, we started 20 minutes after the first runners!  They announced that of the 6000 participants in the race, over 3000 were doing the 5K.  When we got close to the front we realized they were releasing everyone in small waves, which ended up being great as it never felt congested once we started.

So the race.  Being as we had a garage sale the day before, and with all the prep for it the day before that, I knew I was not in good running shape, plus six weeks of renovation craziness had contributed to my overall feeling of being worn out, plus my eating has been pretty bad.  I decided ahead of time that I'd just hold my phone and take pictures, enjoy the new-to-me town and route, and not stress about running at all.  And that's exactly what I did, which turned out to be extra good because it was HOT - there wasn't a cloud in the sky, the sun was out and shining down on us, and we were running on hot asphalt.  I ran and walked, and as it got hotter, I ran in the shady areas and walked in the sunny areas.  I still got plenty hot, but it could have been a lot worse had I forced myself to run more of the race.  Here's some of pictures I took:

 One one bridge, taking a selfie with another in the background.  I was over the Brazos river here.

Start of the next bridge.

This was a pretty one!  

The first two bridges were nice and flat, which I appreciated a lot.

Selfie with cattle sculptures at the other side of the bridge, which was part of the Chisholm Trail.

I really loved seeing all of the motivational signs throughout the race!

Mile marker 1 for the 5K - these Chipisms are very good.

My artsy shot of the Alico building, which you see in every episode of Fixer Upper (and from pretty much everywhere in Waco).

I joked to Karen, when we were in the starting corral, that my goal was to catch Jimmy Don, who was the 5K team captain.  He's the guy who does all of the metal work on Fixer Upper.  Anyway, I was heading into downtown when I saw a group of people, and realized that he was in the middle!  So I asked for a picture and walked with him for a bit - he was wearing, no joke, cowboy boots, jeans, a cotton t-shirt (you can see how sweat-soaked he was) and his cowboy hat.  He's the same in person as on TV - I was really happy to get to chat with him.

Yet another cute area of Waco - they planned the route through a lot of neat spots that I'd like to go back and check out.

More Chipisms!

Here's the much-appreciated second water station - did I mention how hot it was?  Also, look what is looming up ahead - one heck of a steep bridge.

 

But first, a little entertainment in the form of the Baylor University drum line, woohoo!

 

This hill was steep!  Everyone was trudging up it.  When we got to the top it leveled out - no rewarding downhill to run down, boohoo.  But I had to laugh when the two women next to me were indignant about that very thing - I guess we're all alike, we want our treat for making it up a hill.

Finally, the finish line!  I saw Jeff there and he got a good picture of me, phone in hand, haha.

I really, REALLY loved this last Chipism.  It struck a chord with me.

This race was so nice - there were a lot of people doing it who absolutely weren't runners, but rather, were Fixer Upper fans, so there was a different feel to it.  There were tons of walkers, lots of groups of friends, and there was a lot of chit chat and camaraderie coming from everyone.  It was much more than a 5K - it was an event.  If they hold this race again, I highly recommend it, even if you're not a runner, and even with the heat.  It was that good.

After I finished, I received an ice-cold towel, a bottle of water, my medal, a banana, and a huge sugar cookie from the Silos Baking Company:

A little heat-delirious, but happy with my medal and my cookie.  That cookie was so good!  I was nice and split it with Jeff - spectating is hard work.

A few more thoughts about this race.  While I had a great time, I know that it would have been a different story had I tried to run a longer distance.  Karen and I had plenty of time to cool down, change into dry clothes, have lunch, and even do a little shopping at Magnolia Market while we waited for our half marathoners to come in.  And the post-race party was the best - THE BEST - that I've ever been at.  There was plenty of space for participants and their friends/family to hang out - we snagged a picnic table with a canopy so we had shade which was wonderful.  But people were everywhere, relaxing and hanging out on the lawn, doing some shopping, and it made me realize how crummy most other post-race "parties" are - we weren't rushed off, we could be with our non-runners, everyone could eat and drink - it was awesome.

The grounds of the Silo District are lined with food trucks.  Jeff and I split the most amazing grilled cheese sandwich:

Gouda, bacon, and fresh basil - it was so good!

And most of our group ended up buying $8 iced teas, which sounds ridiculous until you were there and did I mention how hot it was?  You got a glass mason jar to keep, and refills were only $2, so we all went back for refills a couple times.  Jeff and I shared this - well, I drank the first one and then we shared:

It says sweet tea on the jar, but they had unsweet, which is the only way I can drink iced tea.

Cary came in, looking hot but really good!  This was her first half marathon since having Logan (she didn't get to run Houston as she was the first to be felled by food poisoning that weekend):

Logan liked his new teether!

Julia and Diane finished, and after a while, we heard that Chip was coming toward the finish line, so we went to watch him on the monitor:

He'd traded in his sweatband for a baseball hat, but that crazy man still had on his tool belt - oh, and he also wore long jogger pants the entire time.  I bet if he'd worn different clothing, he might have finished in under 5 hours, but that's Chip Gaines for you - determined to finish despite all obstacles!