We've had quite the cold snap here on the West Coast and when I woke up on Saturday morning, it was our coldest day yet. It was negative 9 or something like that before you factored in the wind chill. Typically during Winter, we don't experience many days below zero Celsius so this was particularly unseasonal and the wind only made it worse.
It was still a gorgeous sunny day and I was pretty excited about the Santa Shuffle and the gift exchange that I had arranged with some of my fellow runners.
This is what she got me and I absolutely LOVE it!
After admiring our gifts we headed towards the start line where thankfully the race directors had hand warmers, that really helped, though I still had no feeling in my fingers and toes.
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| Picture courtesy of Slow is the New Fast |
There's always some creative costumes at themed races and this one might have been my favorite for the Santa Shuffle. Here is Stephanie, myself, and Doug the Moose!
I haven't run with Nikki in a while, since we both moved, so I was pretty happy to be seeing her TWICE this weekend!
And Jacki came too, my new running friend from my new local Running Room!
I debated whether to ditch my scarf in the car, I'm so glad I didn't, I've never been so cold during a run. I really just wanted to get started at this point but the race directors had to go over some fundraising winners, etc.
When we finally got going, I felt pretty stiff from the cold but I was eager to get through the crowd. I knew the trail was only going to get narrower. I lost my friends behind me which I was sad about but quite honestly I was too cold to talk and run, I wanted to get it done! It probably took a good 5 minutes or so to get through the crowd and find some people who were about my pace. I found a rhythm and kept going.
As per my usual, I didn't do intervals. Typically I won't do them for anything under 10km. I felt good for the majority of the run. There was a moment on the way back where we had to stop at a stoplight to cross the road. I had a hard time catching my breath in the cold. Once I got into running shape over a year or so ago, my asthma never bothered me very much, but on really cold days I can feel it creeping up on me. When the light turned red and the course marshal directed us to go, I matched pace with "Santa" and finished the last 1.5km pretty strong. I crossed the finish line just before Santa, and the guy who handed me my medal said "Well at least you beat Santa right?", LOL. This is an untimed race but my watch said I came in just over 30 minutes, the clock said 30:32 since it was a mass start and I wasn't very near the front. I quickly found a spot to watch everyone else come in and thankfully didn't have to wait more than a minute or so!
Within a couple of minutes, my body became very aware of the cold again and I began shivering. We quickly said our farewells and headed somewhere warm for lunch! I had a great day and was so that many of my friends were able to come out for this fun run.
I'll admit that it has been very hard since moving to make new friends and in some ways maintain my relationships with old ones. We haven't moved very far but when you're not seeing people every week, more effort is definitely required to maintain friendships. I've been trying hard but I hadn't realized how much I missed seeing them until this weekend.
And in case you were wondering, I ended up raising about $360 for the Salvation Army. Thanks to everyone who made a donation!
Race Review Summary
Package Pickup/Expo: You can pick up your package or even register for this race at the actual run. I picked up my package on Thursday night because I had to go to the Running Room anyway. It was smooth and easy. Also, there is fundraising levels and depending on how much $ you raise you may receive a Running Room gift card in your package. T-shirts are not included in the package, if you raise a minimum of $50 you receive one for free, but you may also purchase one. They are not tech t-shirts but they are Santa themed which is fun. I wore mine for the run, but it was under so many layers it didn't matter.
Price/Value: It is $30 but it is for charity (The Salvation Army) and both times I've raced it, I have been very satisfied. Last year, we received a Lindt advent calendar with our medal, but they didn't have them this year. Maybe that money went towards hand warmers, which in this case I am completely okay with, brrr it was so cold!
Aid Stations: There are none. It might be nice for some runners to have one at the halfway point. It was so cold that I wasn't thirsty and I usually manage to get through 5k without a drink.
Course Difficulty: Easy. The first/last part, since it is a loop, is through some trails around Ellwood park in Abbotsford. They had salted any icy sections which was much appreciated. Last year, because it was wet and not so cold, I did notice the bridges to be slippery but nothing too bad.
Medals: The medals are high quality for a $30 race.
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| Photo courtesy of the Running Room FaceBook page |
It was fun to be there with you! Glad you like your Secret Santa gift ... I almost kept it ;-)
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