Home for the Holidays Virtual 10k or In the Christmas rush, I did not realize I PR'd!!

On Christmas Eve I woke up fully aware I was totally unprepared for the two days ahead of me.  I decided to run the  Home for the Holidays Virtual 10k for my own sanity and the lives of the two boys, two dogs and one man in my house.  Besides I needed time to myself to figure out how to get all I needed done without being interrupted.  Sadly this would be my guarantee.   I mapped out a route, put on my dollar store socks, grabbed the girl dog and headed out the door. 

It was cold, really cold! It didn’t take me long to get right into the race just to warm up. I had started my watch but was looking forward to seeing my mile splits and pace on the cardiotrainer app on my phone.  Running with these statistics immediately is new to me.   

Mile one – I felt great, it was quiet in the neighborhood and out onto the main road.  Felt pretty warm with the exception of my exposed knees.  The sun was nice. 

Mile two – This part of this route is always a little nerve wracking (but fast),with the dog since its narrow and the sidewalks don’t begin until I hit the village about half way. Not many people seemed to be out this early so it was relatively uneventful.

Mile three - A glance at my watch told me I was doing pretty well, Legs felt great in the cold.  Any aches or little pains I usually get seemed to be nonexistent due to the cold.   The hill during this mile felt pretty good since I was more warmed up than when I usually hit it. The people who were out and about smiled and waved, seeming surprised about a woman in stripped socks I suppose. 

Mile four – I juggled the dog leash and my water bottle in an attempt to take my phone out of my pocket to check my pace.  Apparently I need to take a look at my settings because it seems to stop calculating distance the first time the dog stops to do her business and keeps the time running.  Clearly I had gone more than .4 miles in 38minuites.  Ooops! Oh well back to the trusty pink wristwatch. 



Mile five- Calculations done in my head tell me I am still doing ok.  I am really enjoying seeing everyone’s Christmas decorations out on the lawns but I must say those inflatables look really sad when they are slumped over in a heap.



Last mile and .2 – past the train station and along the creek lost the sun but still feel pretty good.  Last half mile I gave it everything I had.  I ended my race down on the creek road and was not going to have to race up my own monstrous hill.

iced knees!



Official time- 52:04  Could it be a PR? Now that I look at it three days later, yes, yes it is !!!  Not bad for having a dog in tow and having to manage traffic and street crossings myself. 

Thank You! This was a great idea and great run!! I loved running in my candycane/santa socks.  Loved getting out in the cold.  Glad I started the metabolism early in the day. 

My race mentality and pace continued for the rest of the day as I baked, shopped, ate, socialized, wrapped, wrapped and wrapped some more. 



Santa really has to send me some elves for that.  What took me three hours to wrap took them under twenty minutes to undo Christmas morning



Happy Holidays everyone!