Resolution Run

I picked up the "kit" today. It was a few flyer's and a great (if BRIGHT) jacket.

I also enquired about the half marathon clinic which starts January 25 and targets Mississauga.

I'm 98% sure I'm signing up for the clinic and will run the race (in other words, walk the walk if you will).

(the 2% is if the instructor says I can't do it as I'll miss 3 long runs).

For the Resolution Run on Friday, the weather is going to be 9C and raining. My goal is to beat my 38:50 time from the Jingle 5k.

Its the most wonderful time of the year...

Except not for this runner.

Last week, I signed up for the 5k Resolution Run which takes place on December 31st at 5pm. This is a perfect race to, 1)Beat my Jingle run time, 2)Have an excuse to over indulge later that night. However, after a great week last week, I've yet to run at all this week.

I'm finding it hard to fit it in with my older son at home this week and by the time everyone is in bed at 7:30pm, I'm just way too tired to want to bother (I'm still up 3 times a night with the baby).

The good thing is that I don't really feel like I'm in any kind of mode right now. I'm not too worried about hitting a time like those I hit in my pre-pregnancy 5k races and I'm not training for the half marathon yet, but I do feel... sluggish.

Of course, maybe that's my nightly 11pm, 2am, 5am, and 7:30am wake up calls.

Santa Jingle 5k Race report

Whee!

38:50.

Totally not my best race (by a long shot), but one of the most fun I've been in.

My friend Florence got to my house on Friday evening around 8:30pm and after we made some adjustments to our suits (basically cutting the legs to our height) and had a few drinks, we went to bed around 10 to get ready for the 6am wake up call.

Of course, with a non-sleeping newborn, I was also awake at 12:30am, 3, 3:30 and 4am before the alarm went off at 6am. I rolled over, hit snooze and then got up nine minutes later and stumbled to the washroom to get dressed.

Flo joined me for toast and yogurt and pretty soon the entire household was awake (except for the baby - of COURSE!) and my oldest son was quite thrilled to see the two Santa's off:



After a stop at Tim Horton's, we got to Burlington in plenty of time to park, use the washrooms and hang out waiting for the race to begin. It was really cool to see 3,000 Santa's all waiting to run the race.

After quite a while (we were way too early and they started late), the gun went and we were off. I had promised Florence that I would not leave her, so I settled in to encourage her to keep going and to point out the kilometres as they passed by. For me, it was an easy run/walk but I was quite glad to initiate someone else into the world of racing!

With one kilometre left, we decided that I would run out the last one at my own pace and wait for Flo at the finish. So I did.

I had targeted to get both of us to finish in 40 minutes and I did it in 38:50 with Florence completing her first 5k race in 41:16. She's hooked and I'm hooked on this race as it was so much fun!

Next up is likely the Robbie Burns 8k in January!

I'm back and racing again!

Race day cometh!

And I'm not prepared.

The good news is that neither is my racing partner!

We've decided that we are just going to go out for fun, bring our camera's and enjoy running with 2,800 other Santa's!

Secretly, I'm hoping for a 40 minute run, but I've promised not to leave my friend who has asthma and has run less than I have so we'll see how it goes.

My running has gone down the drain because I spent a week sick with a chest cold and infection. I was given penicillin for it, but then the baby started to get hives, so I had to stop taking it and just ride out the cold. It turns out that the drugs likely didn't cause the hives (phew!) as he kept getting them even after I had stopped. Oh well.

I ran on Wednesday and I felt strong, but could feel that breathing was a bit hard. I'm worried about running in the cold, but the forecast for tomorrow is 4C so I think I'll be fine.

I'm looking ahead to the Frosty 5k in March as some other friends of mine are looking to run it. In the meantime, the goal is to keep running twice a week through the holiday's and then to train for distance and stamina in the new year before starting to prepare for the half marathon in May.

I'll let you know how we do and share some photos of our race on Saturday!