Better late than never!
Third 5K in historic Salem. With a running buddy. Not my best race but still Halloween-tastic.
The Ups:
The weather. Chilly, yes, but it was a gorgeous morning and the air kept me cool.
The location. Historical Salem, MA during the Halloween season is the BEST. People (not me) were dressed in costumes, the city is adorned with all sorts of fun decorations and the course itself was lovely.
My running buddy. My friend Kim and I started the Couch to 5K programs only weeks apart at the beginning of the year but this is the first time we ever run one together. Seriously, even though my stomach was puke-y and she has somewhat of a bum knee at the moment, having someone running next to you who trains at a similar pace is one of the best motivations out there. And we wore matching shirts. What now?
The Downs:
My stomach. Seriously stomach? I don’t understand why I constantly feel the need to puke during every race I do. Can anyone help me on this? Is it my pre-race morning routine? My pre-race dinner? My pre-race jitters? I don’t know but whatever it is needs to be rectified.
No PR. I was gunning for it too. And I was disappointed. But ya “win” some, ya “lose” some.
Pain. Foot for me, knee for Kim. Aspirin post-race. What can ya do?
Overall, it was a fun time despite the downs.
Next up?
Well, here’s my debate. I have a goal to run a 5K each month until the end of the year. I rocked one in September, didn’t puke in October and now, I only have 2 months left. I found 5Ks in both months that look promising. But there is a very big BUT staring me in the face.
You may have heard that Massachusetts has already gotten snow. Yes my friends, snow in October. And yes, it is 35 degrees out. I’m not a fan.
Now it’s November and another 5K is rapidly approaching for the end of the month and I honestly don’t know if I’m going to be able to run it in the cold weather. Call me a baby, a wuss, a whatever. If you have tips for me for in heavy, cold air, please let me know.
I’m probably just going to suck it up and register for both. But any advice is much appreciated!
- Who can run in this??
I want to know: When it’s cold, what do YOU run in? Hats, scarves, special shirts/shorts? TELL ME!
chocolateandwineblog.com 
First of all, I love you. Props for ANOTHER finished 5k! That’s great. As for your worries over cold and snowy races: throw them out the door. Running a Thanksgiving/Xmas race, you should be fine in running tights and a light-weight long sleeve running top. You can wear light gloves, but if you’re anything like me, your hands will warm up quickly during the race. It will be a bit chilly before the start, so usually what I do is lightly jog near the course until the start.
As for food, try to eat at least two hours before and have something like a serving of oatmeal with a hard boiled egg. A lot of people will do a bagel with PB and a banana…your preference 🙂 I’ve always felt good running after some protein.
Anyways, you’re awesome. Which Thanksgiving race are you running?