Winter Classic Reindeer Costume
Dec 8
Weather: A very cold 27 degrees
Goal: To complete race under 30 minutes
Result: 30:22
Fans: Mike
I had signed up for this race way back in the fall and thought it was so far away. My idea, initially, was that it would be a fun holiday weekend in Boston for the whole family but as our teenager’s schedules filled up the weekend ended up as couple time which ended up perfectly.
I risked using Hotwire for a hotel room and was happily surprised that the hotel I got was literally at the race start line! (I cannot say enough about the Le Meridian in Cambridge).
As I read more about the race I learned that just about everyone dresses up in a holiday costume (they have a “best costume” contest which is hard to resist). I spent time thinking about what I was going to wear and finally created my costume the day before. Having that as a focus was a good idea since knowing it was going to be cold but me at risk for chickening out all together!
We arrived Saturday late afternoon and decided to go for drinks and dinner at The Asgard; the bar in Cambridge that sponsors the event. It was a comfortable Irish-inspired pub and we enjoyed a delicious meal featuring some of my favorite comfort foods. As usual I wanted to be in bed relatively early so I would be rested up for the race which started at 10:30am. Since I am a morning person I was up and ready by 8am and even had time for breakfast in the hotel restaurant. I was glad I eat since I have learned that running on an empty or near empty stomach is stupid.
Since the hotel was at the start line I did not feel compelled to go out till very close to the start time so at about 10:20 Mike and I headed over and I found my spot. There were a ton of people (5000 to be exact.) I learned that they double the entries this year and despite the cold it appeared everyone showed up. I have come to enjoy a bigger crowd for the races as the large number of runners helps carry me along. But this race had its challenges accommodating the large number of runners.
Just before the starting gun the announcer warned the runners that the first ¼ mile was going to be tight because of a couple tight turns and narrow streets. He was not lying. Reflecting back I should have taken Mike’s advice and started closer to the actual starting line. I didn’t so I got caught up in the crowds and could barely run, much less work up any speed at the beginning of the race thus resulting in my finish time that did not meet my goal.
After making my way through the first quarter mile the race started to be more fun and my body began to warm up. Since I was not familiar with the course the race seemed longer than 3.1 miles but I find that to be true with any race where I am unfamiliar with the route. As my body warmed up I wanted to shed some of my layers but since my costume was the outer layer I could only shed my gloves which gave me some relief.
Since I had started half way back in the crowd and I have worked at increasing my pace throughout the season I was happy that I was passing more runners than were passing me. Near the end I settled in with a group and we raced to the end.
After coming across the finish line Mike and I walked over to the party area and indulged in the free beer and milled about. As we walked around the square and took in all the costumes and excitement I stared to get cold (I had forgotten to bring my jacket to put on at the end.) Since we had seen and done everything and I knew the chance of winning a costume contest was nil, we decided to gather our things at the hotel and head home.
It was a great and fun way to end my race season. I would definitely do the race again and am already planning next year’s costume!
Ugh moment: I got trapped near the last quarter of the race in a group with an extremely chatty woman. She, fortunately, was not chatting with me but her ongoing conversation, at top volume, with her running buddy stared to drive me nuts! Seriously…how does someone 1. Talk that much when they are running (clearly she could have been putting more effort in) and 2. How did her running buddy not want to run ahead to get away! I guess this is just a pet peeve for me.