#fivestarracing

[fivestarrunningramblings]

Running Ramblings: New Beginnings, Big Miles, and What’s Next

Hi friends,

It’s been a little while since the last post here on Running Ramblings, so let me start with a quick re-introduction. My name is Amy, and I have the joy of running the website, newsletter, and this blog for our family-owned race company. More importantly, I get to help share the stories, energy, and community that make our events so much more than just miles on the road.

This past weekend, we wrapped up the Bootlegger Triathlon in Dawsonville, GA — and what an event it was! The grit, determination, and pure fun we saw out on the course reminded me exactly why I love being a part of this running and racing family. Watching athletes push through tough moments, cheer each other on, and cross that finish line with smiles (and sometimes a few tears) is endlessly inspiring. Every single race reminds me: it’s not just about the distance, it’s about the journey and the people we share it with.

Now we’re already lacing up for the next adventure: Running Through the Decades in Huntsville, Alabama! This race is shaping up to be one of the most unique, high-energy events we’ve ever hosted. Imagine the music, fashion, and vibes of every decade — all rolled into one unforgettable run. Whether you come dressed in your grooviest ‘70s gear, your flashiest ‘80s neon, or channeling a little Y2K nostalgia, this one is all about celebrating how far we’ve come, together.

As a small family business, we’re endlessly grateful for everyone who shows up, races with us, volunteers, spreads the word, or even just reads along here. You’re part of this journey, too, and it means more than you know.

I’ll be popping in regularly to share behind-the-scenes updates, race recaps, sneak peeks of what’s coming, and hopefully a little inspiration to carry with you on your own miles — whether you’re running, walking, cheering, or just dreaming of your next start line.

Until then, keep running your race, whatever it looks like. I can’t wait to see you at the next one!

P.S.- check out some of my favorite pics from The Bootlegger Triathlon!

With gratitude and excitement, Amy

[fivestarrunningramblings]

The Good Ole Summertime

July 2024

SUMMER. Hot, humid summer in the South, or anywhere else for that matter.  It’s a great time to be in the pool, the lake or the beach. Running outside, not so much! So for myself and anyone else who is out there battling this oppressive summer heat & humidity, I’m re-posting my checklist for summer running survival. 

START & END EARLY. The earlier, the better. Fortunately, most races this time of year are early, but there are some in the evenings. That’s a big No Thanks from me.

WATER. Drink early; Drink often. When I’m at my local park, I fill half my water bottle with ice so that when it melts, my water stays cold and I stop for a drink often. There are other water alternatives out there for hydration, but for me, it’s water.

SHADE. Chase the shade. My local park has several different loop options. In the summer, I make my course choices based on where the trees and shade are. Shade can make a huge difference in temperature.

SUNSCREEN. Use it early. Use it often. Every time you are outside. We are adults. We know this by now.

CLOTHING. I wear the lightest weight, loosest fit & most breathable running clothes I have and definitely a visor or hat to protect my face from the sun.

WRAP. I have a cold pack wrap that can be very refreshing after longer runs. It takes a little prep before hand to freeze it & remember to bring it, but it’s amazing to wrap it around my neck for a cool down after a long, hot run. A towel that I can wet with water is another cooling option.

Running in the heat of summer has its positives. The sun feels great on your skin and the getting dressed time is minimal compared to winter. The key is being prepared. Sunburn, heat exhaustion and heat stroke can all happen quickly. Simple, common sense precautions can help prevent them and make for a more pleasant running experience.

Five Star has 2 hot fun races in metro Atlanta in July:

7/20 Christmas in July 5k/10k/Half in Atlanta

7/26 Hot Fun in the Summer Sun 5k in Kennesaw

Hope to see you there!

Happy Running & Stay Cool!

Kerry

[fivestarrunningramblings]

Runner's Body

June 2024

One of my original goals when I did the Couch to 5k program in 2009 was to achieve a runner’s body. You know the body I’m referring to: thin & muscular…or to be honest, just thin. I come from a long line of “hardy” women. Big hands, big feet, big boned. Nothing petite about us. Images of female runners were of the sleek, thin perfect woman. I wanted that runner’s body!

Fast forward 15 years. Surprise! I haven’t achieved that runner’s body. What I have is my body in much better physical shape & much healthier than I ever was in my earlier years. The big bones and wide feet are still there.

I remember 6 years ago I was at the Publix Women’s Half-Marathon/5k in Savannah.  My husband was with me. Thousands of women were there. I was standing in the way-way back corral before the race & my husband told me to look around. Look at the variety of women there. All shapes and sizes. They all have a runner’s body because they are ALL runners! Thanks to him, I realized there is no ideal “runner’s body.” My body is my body. My DNA is my DNA. I have the big hands, feet and bones of my mother and my grandmother and probably great, great grandmother and so on…

The best thing I can do for my body is to love it as it is. One of the best ways to show that love it is to keep it healthy and strong. I do it through exercise, nutrition, sleep and self-care.  Now that I have entered the 3rd act of my life, I appreciate that more than I ever have before. Even though I still have a devil of a time finding shoes to fit my big feet, I have learned to love the body I have. And hey, I realized that with these bones I don’t have to worry about osteoporosis, so there you go!

Happy Running!

Kerry

Left: 2009 Couch to 5k. Right: 2024 Memorial Day 5k

[fivestarrunningramblings]

Location Location Location

May 2024

One of the things I like about doing 5k’s is experiencing different locations. Even when the race is a local one, seeing the area on foot from the street is different from riding by in a car. April’s races were fun ones that offered new experiences at new and old places. 

We started off with a new one, the Blessing of the Fleet 5k in Darien, Georgia. It’s part of the weekend festival that celebrates the area’s shrimping industry. It was a very small local race, sponsored by the YMCA that had a total of 76 participants. The course was a perfectly flat grid and the April coastal weather perfect. We got race t-shirts and free entry into the Festival but the highlight was the Lions’ Club Pancake Breakfast immediately following the race. Yum!

Another new race in April was the Cookie Crusher 5k at the Cumming City Center. Even though this was a hometown race, the location was new to me and it offered the opportunity to see all the new goings on in our downtown. This was a big race with hundreds of participants and premium swag: shirt, finisher’s medal and Crumbl cookies.

My final race of April was one of my Five Star favorites, Run Through the Decades 6k/7k/8k/Half in Sugar Hill. I chose the 6k for the 60’s and liked that it pushed me to go beyond the usual 3.1 miles. Ok, not too much beyond, but still more than my usual! I love this new course that includes the Sugar Hill Greenway and E. Robinson Park. In addition to the race t-shirt, I somehow scored 1st in my age group. Thanks Five Star for your multiple layers of award categories!

In May, I’m looking forward to Five Star’s Super Mom 5k/10k/Half in Buford on May 11, Mason Strong 5k in Dawsonville on May 18 and the annual Memorial Day 5k/10k/Half in Marietta.

Happy Running!

Kerry

[fivestarrunningramblings]

Springtime!

April 2024

It’s Springtime! Yay! Spring means the trees are budding, the flowers are blooming and the temps are getting milder. Morning races may start off cool, but it doesn’t take long to warm up. We didn’t really have a long, hard winter in north Georgia overall but we had lots of very cold weekend race mornings over the winter months. I’m definitely ready for those mornings to be over. The only negative this time of year is the pollen and brother do we have pollen with a vengeance right now!

March was a fun 5k month for me. It began with the Lucky 5k (3/9) and ended with Hop Into Spring (3/30). In between was Sweet Treats (3/24) & Run Your Bundts Off (3/30). Between the finishers’ medals and age group awards, I was able to bring home a fun amount of bling. Mostly though I’m very grateful I’m physically able to participate; to run very slowly and walk very strongly; to see racing buddies and enjoy the being outside getting exercise. I take nothing for granted.

I have several races on the calendar for April. Starts off with the Blessing of the Fleet 5k on the Georgia coast in Darien. It’s part of the Blessing of the Fleet weekend festival that celebrates the area’s biggest industry, shrimping. I’ve never done this one before and really looking forward to it. A 5k on the coast followed by a weekend of shrimp! What’s not to love?

On 4/14 I’m doing another new one, the Cookie Crusher 5k at the Cumming City Center and on 4/20 back to one of my favorites, Five Star’s Run Through the Decades 6k/7k/8k/Half in Sugar Hill. 

Hope to see you out on a course this Spring.

Happy Running!

Kerry

[fivestarrunningramblings]

Spend Less, Run More

March 2024

We all know running is one of the most economical forms of exercise. The basics are a good pair of shoes and a location, which can be a neighborhood, park or other public space (remember mall walking, anyone?) Of course, there are plenty of extras you can purchase if you choose, but the bottom-line investment is a good pair of running shoes. 

However...participating in races is a great motivator and where the fun is for me, and registration fees can add up. With Spring around the corner, now is a good time to review some of the best ways I know to shave some bucks off that cost. 

Volunteer. This is my absolute favorite way to save money.  It takes a lot of people to pull off a successful race. Some race companies (like Five Star) will exchange volunteering for future or same-day race entry fees. Volunteer jobs include helping with set-up/take-down, registration, water stations & award presentations. Many of the bigger/national races use Ambassadors to help promote the race online before, during and after in exchange for free race entry. The best way to find out about how to become an Ambassador is to look on the race website.

Early Discounts. Most all races offer early registration discounts. The timing may differ, but typically there are registration tiers, the earlier the cheaper. If you know you want to do a race on a certain date, registering early can save you money. Be careful though because most fees are non-refundable. If your date isn’t solid and you can’t make it, you may lose the money. I like to use the websites runningintheusa.com, rungeorgia.com and, of course, fivestarntp.com to plan my racing calendar.

Repeat Customer. Just like other businesses who appreciate consumer loyalty with coupon discounts, running companies do as well. Many will send a race entry 5-10% discount code to previous year participants. I love discount codes!

Group Discounts. If you like to running with friends, you can sometimes save money on race entry fees by running as a group. Five Star offers percentage discounts based on the number of people in the group.

Specials. Some of the bigger and/or national races, will throw out specials even after the early registration period has past. Some have “last minute” specials or attach a discount code to a holiday like Memorial Day, July 4th, Black Friday, etc. The best way to keep up with these offers is to follow the race event on social media or email updates.

Skip the Shirt. Some races give the option of choosing "No Shirt" and reducing the registration fee. I love getting stuff as much as the next person, but I have plenty of race t's. I'm there for the exercise and the medal (if possible:).

Five Star has a races every weekend in March in northern Georgia AND out west in New Mexico, Utah & Nevada (just in case you want to spend some of that saved registration cash on a road trip race-cation!)

Happy Running!

Kerry

[fivestarrunningramblings]

Hello February

February 2024

February is a fun month. C’mon, it’s short; it’s got Groundhog Day, Mardi Gras, Valentine’s Day, just to name a few. This year it even has Leap Year! And it’s not January, which seems like the longest month of the year. When it comes to racing and outdoor running in January in Georgia, it is always a crap-shoot. You never know what kind of weather you’re going to experience. It could be sunny, snowing, raining, warm; sometimes all on the same day!

 This January lived up to it’s chaotic reputation; starting out very cold the first half of the month, then switched to monsoon season. I started off with a bang by completing the New Year’s Day 5k followed by the Championship Races the next weekend. The New Year’s Day race has become a very popular one and it’s good to see so many people starting off the new year with fitness as a priority. The Championship Races draw a smaller crowd and thereby offer me and other slower runners/walkers a shot at the prized trophies. Both of those races were very cold; temps in the 20-30’s, but I have to admit that when the Ugly Pajama 5k came up on January 20, the single digit temperatures kept me from going out that morning. We registered for the virtual option and waiting until later in the day when it wasn’t quite so bitter cold. 

But January wasn’t done with me yet. It still had some snake eyes to throw my way. All my racing plans were derailed by two family emergencies that took me away, mentally and physically. I wasn’t able to do the Java Jog on January 27th or the Surf & Sun 5k on February 3rd as planned. The Surf & Sun at West Bank Park on Lake Lanier is one of my favorites. However, I’m looking forward to another of my favorites this month: The Super Sunday 5k at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Dawsonville on Sunday, February 11th. It’s a Super Bowl themed race that ends with the option of spiking the football at the goal line. Last year the football field was being repaired so we spiked on the basketball goal. Still fun!

Also that weekend, on Saturday, February 10th, is the Chasing Away Winter. I’ve done this 5k several times over the years and have mixed emotions about it. It’s in the North Georgia mountain town of Dahlonega inside beautiful Camp Glisson. Scenery along the course is phenomenal but the hills are no joke. It will offer you an excellent workout and also benefits good organization, Dahlonega UMC Mothers Morning Out & Preschool. There’s a virtual option that fits more for me these days which I will take advantage of. 

Finally in February is an opportunity to take celebrate 2024’s Leap Year with the Leap Day 5k on February 29th in Atlanta along the Atlanta Beltline. This is an after work evening race at 6pm and any ‘Leapings” (a person born on a leap year) can run for free. How fun for you leap year babies!

Happy February & Happy Running!

Kerry

[fivestarrunningramblings]

Happy New Year!

January 2024

Hello 2024! A brand new year is here & we are fortunate enough to be here to see it. The new year is filled with promise. It's also a time to look back on the previous year and reflect on the good and the bad, the positives and negatives, what’s working and what isn’t. 

As I look back on my year in running, what stands out is the people I’ve met along the way. It’s not everyone who gets up early on the weekends to go outside, in all kinds of weather, to run (or walk-with-purpose in my case:). We share that bond. It’s fun to see my racing buddies; to get a hug, a pic, an encouraging comment. I appreciate them. Indulge me as I take a look back…

(There are others, but my selfie game isn't great:)

Five Star offers lots of races in January, making it easy to keep those fitness resolutions. In fact, they have races scheduled every weekend through the middle of February. Hope to see you out there soon.

Happy New Year & Happy Running!

Kerry