Last year I had signed up for the Hot Chocolate 5K. I couldn't run in it though, because of my sprained foot. I still got my hoodie, and a friend brought me my finisher’s mug (empty…her husband ate the contents for me – which was OK). But I always felt a little sketchy about wearing the hoodie since I didn't actually run. So when registration for this year’s race opened up, I was excited to do it – and Zachary wanted to do it with me! I was excited to have a partner, and not have to run it by myself (yes, I knew lots of people running it, but many of them were doing the 15K, and the ones I knew doing the 5K would probably have wanted to run faster than me – I’m a SLOOOOOW runner).
My mom drove me down to the Expo on Friday (so I wouldn't have to pay to park) and I picked up our goodie bags. Saturday we took it easy, and we all went to bed early because of our extremely early wake-up call Sunday morning. The race organizers had sent numerous emails in the days leading up to the run warning us about traffic, and road closures that might cause you to not be able to park if you arrived later than the recommended time, etc. So we decided (or rather, I decided…) that we should leave the house around 5am in order to avoid any traffic issues. Zachary and I slept in our running clothes, and we just put Liam in the car in his pajamas (which he ended up wearing the rest of the morning, even though we brought clothes for him to change into).
We arrived in the parking lot shortly after 6, and we just hung out in the car for a while because it was too cold to be outside (we weren't the only ones with this plan). Around 7:00, we decided Zachary & I should probably go to the bathroom and start making our way over to the start corrals. As we got out of the car, we discovered that some of my friends were parked almost right behind us! We had all been sitting there all that time and didn't realize it.
We found our way to our corral and got in place to wait. The 5K started at 7:40, but I think it was closing in on 8:00 by the time our corral went through the start gate. I have to say that running in the chilly weather is a lot less miserable than running in oppressive heat. It was cold enough to be cold when you were just standing there, but not cold enough to burn your lungs when you breathed – if that makes sense. Once we got going, we warmed up pretty quickly, and it really wasn't bad. Except the hills…I've run this same course several times for different races, and the hills are what do me in. Maybe the hills aren't that bad, but all I know is unless I’m running flat or downhill, it’s brutal. We got to see Josh & Liam as we came up Capitol Avenue, which was fun.
It definitely was not my fastest time, but it’s OK – Zachary & I finished. We helped each other during the race, identifying landmarks up ahead that would be our signal to start running again, or the point at which we could take a walk break. We got to see Josh & Liam again at the finish line, and it was so fun getting hugs and high fives for our accomplishment.
The race had a setup where they had lettered signs where you could meet your friends/family. So before we left the finish line, Josh told us he’d meet us at letter C. Before going to meet him though, Zachary and I had to stop off four our mugs of chocolate!! The hoodie was really nice, but let’s be honest – we ran for the chocolate! I think Zachary thoroughly enjoyed his – it was all over his hands and face. What a mess! But he was happy, and I was happy. The race organizers were smart enough to put a wet wipe in the mug, so we at least got him sort of cleaned up.
While we finished our chocolate, Josh took Liam over to the kid’s area, where they had bouncy houses, and small cups of hot chocolate. Liam was in heaven! What more could a 5-year-old want??? On our way back to the car, we stopped for one more photo op, with the giant inflatable mug of hot chocolate.
I don’t think that running will ever be my favorite thing to do. I also don’t think I will ever have the need to run longer than a 5K. But knowing that Zachary enjoys it, and Liam keeps asking when he can do a 5K, it will keep me excited to do fun races like this, which have fun goodie bags and fun treats at the end.
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