Hot Chocolate 5k 2013

November 3, 2013

Eleventh 5k - Hot Chocolate

Chicago, IL

Time: 31:56 Pace: 10:17

 Place 7131/24866 overall; 386/2075 age; 4308/18842 female

With: Karen, Vero, and Juan

I love themed races like this. I always place well. I have never seen race results where so many people took over two hours to go three miles. The unfortunate side to this scenario is that these people are not serious runners and have little race etiquette. They are really slow walkers who start in the runners corrals when they should be at the back of the line so when I am trying to run a PR I have to practically push them out of the way as they are clogging up the course. These are also the folks who will walk in the middle of the course in a tightly formed wall of five or six wide. The only way to get around them is to lose valuable seconds running on the diagonal past the wall of people. 

Hot Chocolate was by far the largest race I have run yet. I heard 40k people came out between the 5k and the 15k. Next Year, I'm so running the 15k!

Part of the course went down on Lower Wacker. My runkeeper app said I did 9 miles somewhere between the one and two mile mark. I had to wait until I got the results online to see how I did.I was so sure made a PR. Oh well. Veronica did a sub 30 race! Holy Cow!

After we all met up in end shoot, or whatever they call it, we headed over to get our big 'ole bowl of chocolate and goodies. Mmmmmm, one cup of hot chocolate, one marshmallow, one banana, pretzels, a wafer and a big gob of liquidy choco goo for dipping. Whoah! I go sugar-free the first 7 days of each month and with this race being on the 3rd it should have been a no sugar day. Should have! But wasn't.

We tried to go over to Little Goat in the West Loop but the line was out the door and Veronica was in a time crunch. Based on the name and no line, we decided to eat at Porkchop. We also got bonus in- front parking with no meter too! Yay!

I had a bacon bloody Mary...that's right! Strong but delicious. Oh yeah, there was food too.... shrimp and grits. Nothing like the real deal in the South but nonetheless good.

Thanks to physical therapy, my foot is feeling better each day. Recovery time is less and less after running and racing. Now I can concentrate on going the distance instead of the pain. I feel so much better that in a not-so-thought-out lark, I registered for the Chicago Rock and Roll half marathon 2014. 

Despite the semi-aggravating conditions I had a lot of fun and missed a PR by 9 seconds. They threw in a hill at the end of the course. After I got over the hill drama my music went out. I didnt see the finish line in about 4 blocks so I took off my armband and fiddled with the music  player. Big mistake.