Jingle Bell 5K

Goal #1: do not fall (as it was on trails)

Goal #2: maintain a sub-11 pace

Due to God-knows-what (you could pick from a litany of reasons at this point: mouth, headcold, etc.) I couldn't sleep last night. I got about 4 hours of sleep before I was awakened by my official race photographer, who had to go into work today. Dumb work! If only the bills would pay themselves...

It was 39 degrees outside and raining slightly as I began my trek to Hot Springs. I arrived at Garvan Gardens about an hour before race time. I just knew they'd have the registration set up inside the warm visitor's center. Nope. It was outside under a tent. Did I mention that it was also 39 degrees in Hot Springs?

There was record attendance, so it took a while to get my bib. Santa was there to keep us entertained, as well as a zillion dogs in festive outfits. Very cute! Once I got my bib I headed to the V.C. for a bathroom break. That's the plus of such a nice race location: fabulous amenities.

Long-sleeved cotton t-shirt -- pretty cute, wouldn't you say?

About fifteen minutes before race time I pried myself out of my nice warm car to warm up. Little did I know that so many people had showed up that the race was being postponed a bit. It ended up being fifteen minutes late! I'm interested to see the official results to see the final head count (over 500 for sure).

I positioned myself right in the middle of the pack. A kind woman tapped me on the shoulder and said "You should move up if you're going to run." There were tons of walkers there. Strollers, really, as in folks just out for a nice stroll to benefit the Arthritis Foundation.

And we're off! I am happy to report that the first mile was paved. Hallelujah! It started off uphill, and pretty much stayed that way (with the exception of one huge downhill, where I made up some time). My Garmin was only able to accurately clock this mile, as it lost signal in the woods. Mile 1: 10:33 -- whoo hoo! I call that "pushing myself, but not killing myself." Mission accomplished.

And then came the trails. Actually, at first we ran on tiny gravel, yet I was still very cautious. Soon after, we hit THE TRAILS. And I did have memories of walking them with Chasen on our second date. Except this time I got rocks in my shoes right and left! Ugh. At one point I did have to STOP and empty my right shoe. It hurt. That was the end of that, though; all other rocks were livable.

The beauty of mile 2 was that I passed a ton of people. It wasn't that I was flying... I think they just slowed a bunch, as it seemed to be all uphill. (I'm Hill Billie, so sayeth Chasen. Ha!)

I knew we were nearing the end when we ran across a wooden bridge. We were to end at the pavilion (where my wedding reception was held!) The Mile #3 marker kind of snuck up on me; I was really focusing on overtaking the Geriatric Super Duo up ahead of me. No such luck... those blue hairs smoked me!

The finish line was UPHILL. So, so cruel! But I am happy to report that I crossed it in 32:09, per my Garmin. That is my trail run PR! Ha ha ha. I immediately went into the pavilion for water, a banana, and eventually a slice of pizza. I left before the awards were given, as they were only going 3-deep per age group. Although, every time Chasen misses a (small) race, I seem to receive an award! (all 2 times...) We shall see - I'll look online later when the results are posted.

This race was odd in that you weren't given your goody bag until you were exiting. But man oh man the loot! Take a look.

Now THAT is a goody bag.

Just to hit the highlights, it contained: an awesome water bottle, several different gym passes, a nail file (score!), candy, a candycane, 2 tubes of mascara (hopefully the bags were gender specific), a reflector, a calendar and a magazine.

I am very proud of myself. Just two weeks after my marathon, on hellish hills and trails of terror I managed to come within one minute of my all-time 5K PR.

Tomorrow morning is my run with "Coach K," also known as Kathryn, who is running 50 miles on her 50th birthday. I hope to make miles 35-40 enjoyable for her. She is AMAZING!