Home for the Holidays Virtual 10K Race Report

Like many other runners/bloggers, I participated in a virtual 10K race this holiday weekend. If I'm being honest, I did not really race it, but I did complete the distance in its entirety. I've done one virtual race before - The Mama Goes Masters Four Mile Dash and Crash, which was in honor of someone's birthday. The Home for the Holidays 10K was all about celebrating the holidays. I found out about it through Liz @ runbakerace, and when I clicked on the link for the details, I was in! It was a fabulous idea and well organized. I had my choice of four race days (December 23 -26), and could run any way, shape, or form I pleased (roads, treadmill, track--pool running would've probably been a viable option). For me these days, flexibility is key. I picked today (December 26)  for my "race," but I had some fun holiday prep runs leading up to it.

Monday was a beautiful warm day with temps reaching 50. Baby and I got out for a four/five miler that afternoon. I left the garmin at home and just ran.

Thursday was a six miler with Baby. She was all smiley and happy so I just kept going. I think she even took a brief cat nap during the last two miles.

Friday I ran about 4.5 miles to pick up a goose for our Christmas dinner. No, I'm not kidding about the run to the goose, nor the goose itself. It's what we've been preparing for Christmas for the past 4 years or so. Anyway, two birds (one stone) .. or rather nly one bird ;)

Saturday, Christmas Eve, my husband and I ran to the fish market to pick up some fresh seafood for our Christmas dinner (a goose rarely yields enough food for a feast, so we have to supplement with seafood). The run was a little haphazard due to stops and starts and a bit of confusion as to the exact location of the fish market, but we estimated the run to be about 3.5 miles. Baby came with us and I "festived" up the run with a little Santa hat to get in the spirit.

Christmas Day was too busy for a run, and I needed a rest day anyway. That brings us to today's race.

The race was planned rather last minute, and there was a bit of chaos regarding the route and participants. Some family members wanted to join me, but it wasn't clear what portions they would undertake. After some discussion and decision-making, the race finally began at noon at my parents' house in north suburbia Chicago. Well, the "gun" went off at 12:06 (you know how start times are occasionally "approximate" these days..) and I was off. My dad came with me on his bike for the first two miles, which was a short loop back to the start. I started off strong running an eight minute mile, which is my fastest post-baby mile to date. The sun was shining and I just tried to fly. Mile two was a lot slower at 8:53, but that is what happens when one has no business running an eight minute mile at the beginning of a six mile race. At the three mile marker, my dad finished his part, and I picked up my husband who joined me for the rest of the race. My dad gave me a high five on his way out- it was almost like our wedding day where my dad passed me off to my husband (here you go - take her). Miles three and four took us toward some forest preserve trails, but we did have to dodge some traffic lights in the process. We held steady at 9:14 for mile three and ran 9:33 for mile four. The trail portion was beautiful, especially with the sun and clear skies. We didn't get "Brightroom" or "Marathon Foto" as our photogs, as is apparent from these amateur snaps. Most of me is missing from the first picture, and my husband wasn't photographed until he passed by. At least we can see the trail and part of the course, but  I clearly won't be "ordering" any of these pics no matter how many email offers I get :)

We slowed considerably for the last two miles, but still maintained a sub-ten pace. Mile five was 9:51 and six clocked at 9:53. I picked it up for the last point two and finished strong in 57:40 (9:14 pace). The best part of this race was the finish line festival. It just happened to end at a pizza restaurant with hot pizza and cold beer. We were also joined by my parents, brother, and Baby (of course). Sometimes no matter how good or bad the race goes, the finish line party can make up for it. In this case, the beer and food hit the spot and the company was icing on the cake.


fosters and frosty mugs





I regret to say that I wasn't decked out in any holiday apparel. This was not because I didn't want to be. I just didn't have enough time to pick up some festive pieces for the occasion; I found out about this race kind of last minute. And, sadly, I had nothing sparkly or celebratory on hand. But that didn't stop me from appreciating the holiday season and reflecting on all I have to be grateful for. That's what the holidays are all about, aren't they?

I want to thank the race organizers (Stephanie, Robin, and Ashley), who did a great job setting this whole thing up! It was a great idea, and a fun way for a runner to celebrate the season. Happy Holidays!

Edit: My evening wasn't spent lounging on the couch with a cold mug of beer (like it should have been after a race). Instead, my brother convinced us to go to his gym and complete his workout. OMG. Forty-five minutes of lifting, squatting, lunging, pulling up, sitting up, curling, dipping, crunching.. and then it REPEATED! But we did it (some of us modified, truth be told). We did it.