It was about 40 degrees and light drizzle. I already had reservations about running a race this late in the year in Chicago. It could have been worse. But sleeping in might have been better. ;)
Creepy chick photo bombing over my right shoulder!!
No, I didn't keep the beard on while I ran. I put it behind my head for the run and then put it on for the finish. And still ended up with a mouth of fuzz.
We should have lined up further towards the front. (we were no where near the back- maybe the end of the first 1/3 of the 5,000 participants) I'm constantly amazed at the walkers who place themselves in the front 3/4 of any race.
The course was crowded with walkers for most of it. Lesson learned. We need to line up near the front even if we will do 10 minute miles. The path was also narrow and created bad bottle necks around turns and for when there were huge puddles on the course. Kind of dangerous in my opinion because people will stop short *OMG WATER!!! CANT STEP IN A PUDDLE!!* and forget that there are people running behind them.
The Santa hustle seemed well organized. There were milk and cookies along the course too as "aid" stations. Cute idea. Didn't take any.
This race broke my rule of "never wear the race shirt on race day." it's a superstition I have and luckily nothing went wrong ;)
I even met a few new friends. Yes. They had real live reindeer in a pen. Poor guys had to stand out in the rain :(
I would probably never do this race again because of a few reasons. The shirt- I will never wear it to the gym unless it's Christmas time. Ok realistically I probably would never wear it again. Another reason is the weather. It's a crapshoot as to what type of weather you will get in Chicago this time of year. Having lived in Chicagoland for less than a year and run 10 races here, I consider myself an expert on this subject.
$40 is a lot to spend on a 5k race, and since we took a cab to get there ( and then the L home) we spent $100+ just for trans and the race. Not entirely sure if it's worth it. I'm turning into a cheapskate. And, I like running for running sake. Kitschy themed races can be fun but I'd much rather prefer a smaller hometown race.
Final note:
Santas, just like clowns are super creepy! :)
-Xaar
