Santa Run 5K Race Recap

I had such a great time at the Santa Run 5K this past Saturday. Costumes were recommended and although I really tried to be proactive in coming up with a Christmas-y outfit, I ended up leaving it until the morning of the race (of course).

So I woke up, threw on a red sports bra, took some paint pens to an old tank-top (do you like my Christmas tree drawing??)…

… grabbed a pair of my many (embarrassingly many) Christmas socks…

… and tied some green ribbons in my hair. Voila!

The race started really close to our apartment so I actually ran the 3 miles to the starting line. I picked up my bib once I got there, met up with my running buddy and her friend that was visiting from out of town, stretched, did some skips and strides, and made sure to get in the front of the corral.

My goal for this race was to tempo it and break 19 minutes – but as always the excitement of the race got to me and I once the gun went off I forgot all of that!

Around the mile marker I found myself as the first place female. At the turn around point (1.55 miles) another gal caught up to me and we spent the next mile going back and forth.

I will admit, with a little over half a mile to go I thought to myself “I’d be okay with second place”. The mental aspect of racing has always been the hardest for me, and I seriously almost gave into this thought.

I spent .2 miles in this place just hanging on the other girl’s shoulder and when we were about a quarter mile from the finish I decided that if I was going to make a move now was the time! I dug deep and pushed it all the way to the finish line and ended up winning by 12 seconds!

More than anything else I was most proud of the mental hurdle that I overcame in this race. That was the best moment of the day for me!

By The Numbers

18:17.8 * 9th Overall * 1st Female * 1st in Age Group

After the race the girls and I snagged a picture with Santa before checking out the expo tents and waiting for the awards ceremony.

I finished up my training for the day with a 4 mile easy run home and lots and lots of stretching!

For my first place finish I got a $50 gift card to BJ’s Restaurant, an awesome coffee mug, a Lorna Jane gift basket, and a box of TEN different kinds of jerky from Krave Jerky. It felt like Christmas came early!

Henri and I used the BJ’s gift card and went all out for dinner on Saturday night – potato skins, pizza for Henri, BBQ Chicken Salad for me, and a pizookie to share! It was the perfect date night. 🙂

Favorite post-race meal?

What kind of pizookie do you order at BJ’s?

Ever tried Turkey Jerky?

Frankly, I’m scared to try it. Beef and pork, yes, but for some reason poultry at jerky freaks me out. I’ll let you know when I get around to trying it! 🙂