Rock and Roll and Run. And a Giveaway!

Ladies and gents, it's that time of year again. And no, I am not talking about Festival season, though that has also officially kicked off.

Jessica and I hung out on a gorgeous afternoon this past weekend at my fav, Oysterfest!

It's race season! And by that, in case you are wondering, I mean road race season. You know, marathons, 10Ks, 5Ks, Turkey Trots and such.

First, let me tell you, that this is NOT a season of which I am usually an observer. I would much rather sleep in than go for an early morning run, and, as I have told you, working out in general has been and always will be a serious chore for me. Those weekly workout updates I had promised? Yeah, not so much. While I have been shooting for (and mostly meeting my goal of) three to four workouts a week, it's been crazy with travel, sickness and general work insanity so far this year, so my motivation and dedication have been really tested.

But never fear. I don't give up that easily. I am back with another week ahead of me, and another motivational goal for myself to hit: The Shamrock N' Roll Road Race!

The Shamrock is actually one of the first races I ever ran. I think I may have done one or two years of the Peachtree Road Race (which you should TOTALLY do if you are ever in town on the 4th of July, trust me), but I lived close to Atlantic Station while in college and must have felt especially motivated one early spring morning to have signed up for this one. Not that it is hard, mind you -- they have an option for a 5K (3.1 miles) or a 10K (6.2 miles) and a lot of people walk the whole thing. At that time in my life, though, I was more likely to be heading to the nearest WaHo for a waffle and cheesy eggs on a Saturday morning than to any stretch of pavement with a race number tacked on my shirt :P

Many people feel that if they identify a goal, it makes doing the work that much easier. Since my ultimate number-goal is a bit a-ways, the next best thing for me to do is sign up for races like this and have the goal of not embarrassing myself. Ha. Kidding. Kind of.

So this is it, my friends. Time for us all to get into gear and start jogging, running or walking our way through Atlantic Station on March 11. Won't you join me there? I think that if enough of us sign up, we can pull together an "after" breakfast, too. Then, we can treat our inner WaHo-demons while actually doing enough calorie-burning ahead of time to make it all worth it :)

** Register by Wednesday for just $25! Prices increase March 1!**

Thanks to the Junior League of Atlanta, one lucky Buckhead Betty reader will win an entry for themselves to the race! Enter here by Friday, March 2 using the Rafflecopter widget below. Note: blog comments not associated with the Rafflecopter widget entry system will NOT be counted.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Race
Join the Junior League of Atlanta for the 8th Annual Shamrock 'N Roll Road Race Presented by Verizon Wireless and Belk on Sunday, March 11, 2012 at Atlantic Station featuring a family friendly 5k, 10k, and NEW for 2012, the Leprechaun Dash for Gold Tot-Trot for little runners 5 and under. The Tot Trot starts at 8:00 a.m, followed by the 5K at 8:30 a.m. and the 10K at 9:00 a.m.

Runners and walkers will enjoy Star 94 at the start and finish, bands along the race course and Irish-themed entertainment at the post race festival. Join the growing number of kilt wearing runners competing for first place prizes plus gift certificates and awards for other top finishers.

The Shamrock 'N Roll Race is stroller and dog friendly and fun for all ages. The race is an ATC Peachtree Road Race Qualifier (Katherine Tip: do the race even if just for this! A registered time will help your PTRR slotting!) with DAG chip timing and a downhill finish.

The first 2500 registrants of this charity race will receive a Nike technical T-shirt. All registrants after the first 2500 will receive a cotton race shirt. All registrants will receive a bag of goodies. All Leprechaun Dash for Gold participants will receive a cotton T-shirt along with a ribbon for completion.

Proceeds support programs of The Junior League of Atlanta’s 90 community partner organizations, which focus on empowering women and children to become self-reliant. For more info or to register, visit www.shamrocknroll.org.


Disclosure: I am being provided with race entry in exchange for my coverage. All opinions are my own. The decision to kick my own booty and actually try and run this whole thing is also my own.