Win A Chance To Run The Inaugural Craicfest 5k With Me!

Annddddd the winner IS:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats Shimmy!!

If you didn't win, but still want to party with me at Craicfest 5k - use code WOMS to receive $8 off your registration!! Sign up HERE.

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Beer. Dancing. Music. Friends. Celebrations.

What could those words possibly be describing? Besides my normal Tuesday night.

(Note: We all know that is a big fat lie! But thanks for laughing along!)

I'm actually talking about two of my favorite events: a Cambridge 5k race AND St. Patrick's Day!

Team Slumbrew at Cambridge 5k's Yulefest 5k 2013

And for the first time ever Cambridge 5k and St. Patrick's Day are teaming up for...

Craicfest 5k on March 16, 2014 at 9:30am! :)

WAHOO!!!!

It IS t-minus five weeks until we don our favorite green apparel.

For those that don't know, Cambridge 5k is a running series here in the Boston area that organizes "unique handcrafted running events that are super-fun!" And I can attest to that. I completed all five in 2013 (four with Team Slumbrew).

The now six-part series is a combination or road and trail races geared for all running levels. Every race is a good time capped off with a giant dance party, while enjoying local craft beers.

Somerville's Own Slumbrew

The Cambridge 5k series is the brain child of one of my favorite race directors, Eddie. He really cares about the participants, the local community, as well as the overall race experience. He is open to thoughts from runners and we all appreciate him for that.

So now that we all know how much I love the Cambridge 5k series and Eddie, it's time to talk about the newest race ... and get to the giveaway!!

The newest addition to the series will be the Craicfest 5k on March 16, 2014 at 9:30am.

The details:

Join us on St. Patrick's Day weekend for a unique 5k road & trail race through DCR Northpoint Park, followed by an amazing party hosted by CambridgeSide Galleria!

Get in the spirit and wear your GREEN! Or even better, run the race in your best Irish-themed outfit and you could win some serious prizes in our costume contest!

Registration includes a great C5K race shirt + free food & beverages at the post-race party featuring an awesome mix of Irish alternative & hip hop hits!

Who can pass up a 5k race, dance off AND post-race party with local craft brews? I KNOW I will be there.

I'll make sure you have a BLAST!

So can do you want to join me ... for free!

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So here’s how to enter to win your free entry into the inaugural Craicfest 5k:

The giveaway will run from Sunday February 9 (8am ET) through Sunday February 16 (8am ET)!

The winner will be selected and announced on Sunday!

Yulefest 5k with Team Slumbrew

My favorite race of the Cambridge 5k series is the last one: the Yulefest 5k in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Ma.

Feel free to read the 2012 race recap HERE.

Yulefest 2012

Yulefest was my second to last race in 2012 and would also prove to be my second to last race in 2013. Interesting.

I had the honor of running with Team Slumbrew for the second year in a row.

Note: I did NOT run the race holding the tree! ;0)

The 2013 team would be even more special than the 2012 team. Why? Because one of Slumbrew's founders, Caitlin, would be making her first race appearance. Yay! :) I love seeing new runners born.

I wanted to allow plenty of time for members of the Slumbrew team to pick up our SWEET team jackets that I set up shop in front of City Sports in Harvard at 8:30am.

Aren't they amazing?

After handing out jackets to our 37-person team, it was time to get my wristband so that I could enjoy the post-race party! Eddie (Cambridge 5k race director) did a great job having plenty of staff on hand checking IDs and handing out wristbands. It took me about a minute to get myself all hooked up.

Before I knew it it was 9:15am and time to head over to the Yulefest starting line. It was the same course as last year, which was comforting. I have been nursing the ball-of-foot pain in my right foot so it was nice to know what to expect over the 3.1 mile race. I knew I wouldn't be putting up a PR, but as always I would be giving it my 100%.

I need to send a HUGE thanks to my girl Kim (friend and fellow Slumbrew runner) for hanging back and running the race with me. I knew I was slowing her down, but it was great to catch up and chat. Kim and I had run the Boston's Run To Remember Half and Freedom Run 5k together in May. If you don't remember she got hurt during the half, but pushed through and finished the Half and then finished the 5k about an hour later. One of my heroes and good friends. :)

But I digress...

I knew my foot felt off from the beginning so I wanted to run conservatively. It would be a steady run through the streets of Cambridge. Kim is also running the Boston Marathon in 2014 so it was great to talk strategy and fundraising ideas while we ran.

Eddie is an amazing race director and has fostered a great following in the local running community so I ended up seeing a bunch of people I knew along the course. A great way to stay motivated over the three miles. I cheered on fellow Slumbrew teammates, high-fived folks in some outstanding costumes and just enjoyed the atmosphere. Plus, I knew there was some yummy Slumbrew beer waiting for me at the Finish Line. :)

As we approached the final 1/4 mile, I told Kim to run ahead. I thought she could still make a PR, but I messed up the pacing math in my head. Oops. It was great to see her speed off in front of me.

I ended up posting a 24:47, good for a 7:59 min/mile pace. I finished 327th out of 1,467 overall. I will happily take top 23% with a bum foot.

The frustrating thing about facing this foot injury is that the rest of my body feels amazing. You know what I mean? It is tough to tell my head and the rest of my body to slow it down and to reel it back in all because of my stupid right foot.

But, I have to think in the long term and the races I have in the future so it is OKAY to sacrifice a time in the present for my long-term racing/running career.

And hey I can't be upset that as my running has progressed my "this feel comfortable" pace is around an 8 min/mile pace. The me that started with a 12 min/mile pace is doing cartwheels over this fact.

Now again I love running with team because as I came to the Finish and crossed there were a small group of Slumbrew-ers there yelling my name.

As more folks crossed, we decided to move ourselves to a spot just before the Finish so we could cheer on the rest of our teammates, especially the folks finishing their first ever race.

Thanks Jamie for this photo!

Gosh I LOVE cheering people on at races. It just makes me so happy. I love seeing people push themselves and accomplish things they never thought possible.

After we finished cheering on all of our runners/walkers, it was time to head to the post-race party and celebrate!! Plus stretch for the always epic post-race dance off, a Cambridge 5k series tradition.

Isn't that one sexy team? I am so proud to be a part of it.

It really has been a great experience being part of a team like this - meeting new people and sharing a love of running and beer.

Amy and I post-race

I was just a little excited over Caitlin finishing her first race!

Since it is December and it was getting chilly, the wife and I headed to Davis Square (Somerville) for lunch at Joshua Tree. Joshua Tree happened to have Slumbrew Porter Square Porter in bottles so I kept the theme of the day going. ;)

The Cambridge 5k series has quickly become one of my favorite local Boston running series and you can bet I'll be back for 2014.

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Have you run a Cambridge 5k race? Do you love to celebrate a race with a nice local brew after?

Oktoberfest 5k

I have a confession to make. I, Dani Holmes-Kirk, am a Cambridge 5k race series addict.

That's right. I feel safe to admit that here to all of you.

The race director, Eddie O, is one of the nicest and most-dedicated folks I have met. When he asks for race feedback, he actually wants to know and you know what implements change. I tip my hat to him for that.

Eddie is persuasive. He is the man who got me to participate in the Freedom Run 5k less than an hour after finishing the Boston's Run To Remember Half Marathon.

So when Eddie invited me to participate in his Oktoberfest 5k on Sunday, October 6th of course I had to say yes. Twist my arm sir! Twist my arm! ;)

I headed to Jacob Wirth in Boston on Thursday (October 3) to pick up my bib/shirt...

... and get photo bombed apparently! :P

On Sunday morning I woke up for the race and it was raining. Oh yay! Well rain or shine I run so I got into my usual Slumbrew gear, which I wear to all Cambridge 5k races, and the wife set off to drop me at the run.

Since Slumbrew wasn't actually pouring at this race's post-race party, we didn't have an official team. What was this Slumbrew captain to do pre-race without a team to organize? Well, wander around and run into friends of course. Even with over 1800 runners registered, I still managed to run into my girl Kim pre-race. :)

Thankfully I travel light (when my wife isn't there to hold things for me :P) so I was able to skip the baggage claim. Buutt the wristband line was a different story. Unfortunately there was a line down the block for people to get the necessary wristband to access the post-race party and more importantly the beer. I am not one to wait in long lines so I bagged it and said if necessary I would just skip the post-race party rather than stand in line for one guy to check my ID. Hopefully they can figure out a better method for next year's race.

It was sprinkling before the race, but thankfully I had actually brought a throw-away long-sleeved tee so I actually felt decently warm. After running into other friends and Slumbrew running mates, we headed to the Start Corral. I didn't know what my legs would produce after the 8.7 mile run the day before to hit 900 miles run for the year. But I set myself up closer to the front since the Corral was looking mighty tight.

Eddie is one thing if not prompt and we were off right around 9:30am.

It was great seeing so many costumes out on the course. People really get into the themes when it comes to the Cambridge 5k series and I love it.

I also love seeing how large yet small the running community is. Without fail, I show up to a race and see many familiar faces! I love the love of running in this area of the country.

There were a good number of volunteers and police officers lining the course since we were running around Kendall Square in Cambridge and the streets were open to cars. Thankfully I didn't experience any cars getting in my way, but I know some of my fellow runners did.

The course was pretty flat, which was nice. It was a tad slippery due to the rain, but overall not too treacherous.

I was happy to look down at my Garmin at the halfway mark and see I was keeping about a 7:30ish min/mile pace on tired legs. I wasn't going to PR, but I wasn't looking to. I just wanted to get out there and enjoy the run, the costumes and the energy. Deep right? :P

But, as I rounded the last corner to enter the Finish shoot, I tried to step it up a notch. Mainly because there was a guy next to me trying to out run me at the end. Well, I would've passed him, but I was blocked just before the Finish by someone trying to avoid a puddle. Really sir? You are like 2 feet from the Finish - just step in the puddle. ;)

Anyway, I was happy with my Finish. I ended up with a 23:20 (7:31 min/mile pace) and a 273 finish out of 1,679 overall.

My girl Kim set a blazing PR with a 23:40 race. Go Kim!! We grabbed a water and headed over to the post-race party.

It was at that time I battled to get my ID out of my armband so I could get the appropriate wristband. Thankfully we finished early enough that the line to get into the party was light and I could get the wristband I needed then from the 2 people checking IDs/wristbands.

Kim and I immediately headed to the Cambridge Brewing Company pouring station to grab a beer - me a pale ale & Kim the pumpkin - and then to pick up a free pretzel from Swiss Bakers.

Mmmm beer and pretzels!

We chatted with Lauren B from KIND Snacks - who is super sweet and helped me do that giveaway on my blog earlier this summer - and grabbed a free bar of course. :)

As we headed back towards the Beer tent, the post-race party area was getting crowded as more and more finishers joined in. I am not one that likes being cramped in with people so I decided to bid Kim farewell and head home.

The weather was a factor that day as many runners tried to cram under the beer tent to try and stay dry, which gave off the cramped feeling.

I hear the post-race party and dance off were epic as always, but this time I was okay being in the warmth of my house while it happened. I'm sure I would've stayed had Slumbrew been in attendance. I love hanging with my team.

Thankfully Team Slumbrew will be reunited for the next Cambridge 5k race - Yulefest 5k in Harvard Square on December 1.

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Did you run in the Oktoberfest 5k? Did you dance your pants off?

Big Bad Wolf 5-Miler

Trail running isn't something that ever really entered my realm of possibility ... until Eddie O and the VERT Race Series. Last year I ran my first-ever trail run - the VERT Sasquatch - a 2.35 trail run through the Fells in Stoneham, MA. It was a fun experience so when Eddie told me he would be expanding to a 5-mile trail run I was in.

The Big Bad Wolf Trail Race in Ipswich, MA was born. It would be held at Wolf Hollow, a wolf sanctuary, with proceeds benefiting the Wolf Hollow Foundation.

Eddie, as usual, secured some great local craft brewers to pour post-race: Slumbrew, Ipswich Ale, Notch and Clown Shoes.

Since Slumbrew would be in attendance, I would once again captain our team. We had an amazing 36 person team. Way to represent Slumbassadors! ;)

Ipswich is about 45 minutes from my house in Somerville, but with a Noon start it didn't require an early wake-up call. Yay!

Tori and I hit up Dunkins and hit the road just after 9:30 or so.

Since it was a Saturday morning, there was little to no traffic as we sailed down the highway then through the beautiful side highways/streets to get to Wolf Hollow.

There was no assigned parking lot, but we knew we were at the right place as we saw all the cars lining the street.

I picked up my bib - #82 - and Tori and I headed to see the wolves. They look like big puppies. Well at least one did that turned out to be 60% wolf and 40% dog (or something like that).

I headed to the Start area to wait for Jeff from Slumbrew to drop off our team shirts and for all the teammates. Due to traffic, the shirts were delayed, but thankfully all were handed out ON TIME for the Start. Who doesn't need a little adrenaline in the morning. ;)

With a 15-miler on schedule for the following day, I wasn't going to push this race. I wanted to perform and have fun, but come out uninjured. My usual M.O. for races these days. :)

Before I knew it it was time to start. We headed out on the street for about a 1/4 of a mile or so before taking a right into the fields. It ended up being 2 2.5 mile loops through this large field.

Thankfully most of the path was gravel and cleared, but when in the depths of the large field - you were navigating through thick grass, normal dips in the land and horse poop. Oh the horse poop.

It was kind of funny to see all these city folk taking in the "country." :P

And for those that think I always take amazing race photos ... False! I just usually post the nice ones.

Here are 2 not so fun photos:

Thanks? VERT for posting these. 

There were some folks ROCKIN' the wolf-themed costumes out on the course.

Once you completed both loops, you headed back to the street to finish the last 1/4 back to the Finish line.

I ended up 83rd overall out of 515 ... so close to #82 coming in 82nd.

Normally I would've been happy with this time, but as the fastest girl on Team Slumbrew I felt as if I had let the team down. A team score is a combination of top man's time, top female's time and 2nd fastest time overall (as long as someone not top male or female). Make sense. Well I had been at a nice low 7 min/mile pace at the beginning, but as the sun shone brighter I was just getting tired.

I gave it all I had, but knew I also had a 15-miler the next day.

Slumbrew ended up 5th out of the 18 teams and I just wish I had done more. Our crew has never placed, but maybe someday. But the most important thing when it comes to our team is the fun. We have so many people who join our team to run their first race or their farthest distance  - and I welcome that!!

If you enjoy Slumbrew and want to give running a chance, come aboard some race! :)

Aren't we one sexy group?

As our shirts say: First to the Finish Beer.

I would definitely check this race out again next year. It was fun to get out of the city and explore a new part of Massachusetts.

Eddie did a great job with shuttle buses to the Commuter Rail so people had an easy time getting out from the city if they didn't have a car.

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Have you done a trail run? This has peaked my interest in attempting a more terrain filled trail...