Hot Chocolate 10K!

Mission Accomplished!

When we signed up for the race a few months ago we knew it might be cold, but after a couple of mild winters we did not know what we were getting ourselves into.  When I woke up this morning it was 11 degrees outside.  At race time it was 19 degrees.  The preparation for running or biking in the cold weather is time consuming. .. As well as the clean up! Walking out the front door and starting the race were the hardest parts, we'll maybe that last half mile with the killer climb with my cold wheezing lungs would be the worst part.  The great part was that we had some friends who signed up for the race and suffer the cold along with us.

It was an exhilarating start with a nice downhill to provide the confidence needed to propel me for the next six miles.   There was a marching band serenading is from above during the downhill provided extra motivation to have a good time.  Once next to the French Broad River, which was starting to ice over, I was glad to be prepared for the cold weather.  At the turn around it was fun to see our friend Nan who cheered us on.  Once past the halfway point I was sure to finish!  Then rounding the 5 mile marker things started to get rough!  Cold wind hit med dead on and I was facing the uphill part of the course.  Halfway up the hill my nose and lungs started to complain about the cold.  The two lovely female runners passed me and I was motivated to pick up the pace to follow them instead of the sweaty dudes that were previously in front of me.  Then I started to think that I was going to be beat by a couple of girls, only to find that around the next corner the hill we were climbing got steeper, so I said to myself ladies first!  Around the next turn I saw the finish line and was sucking wind through my mouth and knew that if that finish line was not there I would be finished regardless!  So, unwilling to let the girls beat me, I dug in my heals and decided to finish strong with a sprint.  My wind sucking got stronger and I proudly ran as fast as I could across the finish line.  The heavy breathing continued for a couple minutes, but now that the race was over I was proud of myself for giving 100%!  I was greeted by Steve, who finished a few minutes before me, and his fiancee Jeanna (who did not run).  Then we waited for Jennica and then Megan to finish.  Afterward we enjoyed some Hot Chocolate and cookies before heading out to breakfast at IHOP, where I consumed more calories than I burned  All the while we were all suffering from cold lungs.  The coughing did not last more than an hour or so...  But we decided our next race should be a warm one!

Ready to brace the cold and race!