My 12th and final race this year was the Reindeer Run on Fort Meade on December 15. The weather was nice and chilly, but I remembering all my past races I didn't wear extra layers! Just my blue t-shirt and running tights. And I was still a bit warm by the end!
Not only was this my last race this year, but insert drummer roll here............. I broke 30 minutes in a 5K! Just by a touch at 29:52, but I am so glad I was able to reach that goal this year!
I ran this race with my BRF (best running friend) and we agreed this 5K was very well done. The packet pick up was inside the field house which was great since it was so cold outside. They had antlers (and bells, but they ran out of those) for all the racers and crayons and coloring books for the kids. It was a very family friendly race. I loved seeing the parent/child running teams all along the course. The course was pretty easy and quite flat which makes for fast times even in the cold. 16:56 was the winning time by a 27 year-old gent. That is quite speedy for 3.1 miles!
Post race food was delicious Panera bagels and cream cheese, along with cookies and candy canes. They those big orange gatorade tanks for water, but tiny little cups. I'm sure it was to avoid spills, but I felt like I stayed next to them for way to long rehydrating after the race. They seemed to be quick putting up the stats which was really great.
Speaking of stats: My time was 29:52.6 for an average pace of about 9:57 per mile. I was 22 out of 43 in my age group and 159 out of 334 overall!
Things I learned from my 12th race:
- Layers that are easily remover while running are key. Arm warmers may be my new best friends.
- Being right next to someone at the finish helps my push just a little harder. Thank you to the guy just in front of me in that last 100 feet. I'm not sorry I passed you though.
- Races in colder months should have warm drinks at the finish. Tea or hot chocolate would have been AMAZING after cooling down. Next time I should keep a thermos in the car, just in case.
- Always carry extra safety pins in case you need to MacGyver your timing chip to your shoe. (ones that tie on your laces are hard to use on shoes with NO LACES)
- People running near my with their shoes untied makes me terribly nervous. I don't know how it took so long for me to realize this, but twice in this race I tapped people to alert them of their untied shoes and when they didn't seem to mind and kept on trucking I became very nervous for them!
Well that's it! All 12. Next year I am taking on a different 12 X 12 challenge. Look for more about that early next year!
Happy New Year to All!!
