I did it. I finished the Hot Chocolate 15k in under 2 hours.
the banana was great – I didn’t eat any of the chocolate
I have to say I was mentally prepared to stand in the cold for 30-45 minutes from my corrals official start time as I did last year but this year it moved faster and I started 10 minutes after the 7:45am start time. Could it be because I was in corral N this year instead of corral Q? That might be the reason entirely. 🙂
it was a bit chilly outside
I had a great breakfast of PB, banana and 2 cliff shot blocks. I should have taken 3 as I about died at mile 8. I’ll get to that later. James and the boys dropped me off around 7am. I hit the port-a-potty and did some light stretching and before I knew it we were moving to the start line.
Mile by Mile
Mile 1 – 11:29 – went by SUPER DUPER FAST. Like seriously, I was booking it and trying to talk myself into moving slower but that didn’t happen
Mile 2 – 11:09 – was faster than mile 1. Clearly I was on adrenalin and the excitement of the race
nike+ i love this app
Mile 3 – 11:17 – finally I started to get into a grove and just run my race
Mile 4 – 11:35 – this is when I got extra happy because I clocked this mile just 1 minute slower than last year’s Hot Chocolate 5k. It felt great to know that my weight loss and training paid off 🙂
Mile 5 – 11:52 – by this point we had been running on S. Michigan for so long that I know longer knew where I was, so I was taking in the sites and trying not to zone out to my music. I made a BOMB playlist.
Mile 6 – 11:41 – another exciting moment. I clocked my 10k time 3 minutes faster than the Chicago 10k race I ran in August
Mile 7 – 11:49 – at this point, we had crossed over Lake Shore Drive and were headed to the Arie Crown Theater. Back into territory that I knew. I also, started to get tired and I popped a Cliff Shot Block. I should have taken 3 instead of 2 in the morning and I also should have popped the other 3 Shots around the half way point or mile 5. Lesson learned.
Mile 8 – 12:02 – I’m not even going to lie. I was over the race at this point. We were entering into Museum Campus area and I never thought we’d make it to Columbus Drive.
Mile 9 – 12:36 – Can anyone tell me why the last mile always feels like 3 miles?? Seriously. I felt like I was running forever. When I saw the finish line I booked it. Raised my arms & gave a big smile because the race was finally over.
BOOM. SMASHED ANOTHER GOAL and it feels so GOOD! I think I might stay at this distance for awhile. Yes, I could have gone longer if I had to but I was so glad I didn’t have too.
minutes after crossing the finishing line
headed to get my finishers mug
I’ll be putting together my race schedule for the 2015 race season soon. If you have any races you’ve loved let me know so I can check them out. I’m hoping to tackle an obstacle race with the hubs and possibly a half marathon. 🙂
~ Challenge yourself friends
Fit Fly Mamas 