Get Messy! 10 Tips for the Color Run

If you see me running around your neighborhood, I’d like you to call the police because there’s a good chance someone is chasing me.  I am not a runner.  I envy people that actually have the ability to lace up their sneakers, throw their headphones on and go for a leisure 5 mile run. I’m getting shin splints just thinking about it!  My 8-year-old daughter does an amazing program called Girls on the Run, that teaches them about self-confidence and girl power while training them for a 5K.    At the end they complete the 5K with an adult and she chose me to run it with her.  After that first run she said, “I think we should do the Color Run…you know…since we’re runners now!”  Hahaha…yep…runner…that’s me.  So on a rainy cold day in the summer of 2015 we laced up our sneakers and had the absolute best time doing this run.  Here are 10 tips about this amazing race:

1. JUST SIGN UP! Stop thinking about it and just fill out the registration form and throw the date on your calendar.  Done!  Signing up is half the battle!
2. GET INTO IT.  Wear white and lots of it!  But don’t stop there…make yourself some t-shirts with your team name on them.  Our team name was created by my then 6-year-old…Live Free or DYE.  Pretty creative for my little NH girl! We saw people in tutus, funky hats, and some very creative ways of staying dry.
3. GET THE WHOLE FAMILY INVOLVED.  This race is such a bonding experience because anyone can do it.  I did it with my 6 & 8 year-old daughters and my mother-in-law.  It’s such an incredible memory that the girls will always have of doing it with their grandmother.  But not all family members can come…there are no dogs allowed so the pup has to stay home.
4. TRAIN TOGETHER.  We did a few runs together and it is a great way to promote good health habits by focusing on physical activity.
5. GET MESSY!  Embrace the mess! This is one of the only times where the messier you get the better.  At about every mile you will go under an arch that will have lots of spectators ready to douse you with a color.  Every arch is a new color and it gives you something to look forward to. At the end there is a color party where you get a color packet and can celebrate with your own color explosion. Our Color Run ended with gold glitter…a little girl’s dream!!!
6. ALL ABOUT THE PAINT. It is actually not paint.  It is really colored corn starch that is said to be non-toxic and 100% safe. Even so, you may want to close your mouth as you run through and wear a pair of sunglasses to keep it out of your eyes.
7. ENJOY THE FREEBIES. The registration packet includes a white Color Run t-shirt, some fun tattoos, your race number, a wrist sweatband, forehead sweatband, and some goodies from sponsors.
8. TOWEL: You’ll want to keep some big towels in your car for after the race so you can sit on them and not get paint all over your car seats.
9. CAMERA/PHONE: Since you’ll want to get some pictures along the way and at the end, you’ll want to bring some kind of camera.  If you put your camera in a plastic bag you can take pictures without having to take it out.
10. HAVE FUN!  There’s a reason people call it the Happiest 5K on the Planet!  Enjoy it and stay for the after party to celebrate your success!

Look at these cuties all nice and clean….

Messy and HAPPY!!!

Have you ever done the Color Run?

What did you think?  Any other tips you can think of?  Can you suggest any other fun runs your family can do together?