Saturday, January 11, 2014

Polar Splish Splash Dash

Back before our winter had "really" hit, and gone to hell in hand basket like it did this past week, I jumped at the chance to run the Polar Dash with several of my friends. They had three different distances to choose from, and since I hadn't run more than 4 miles since Chicago I figured the 10K sounded like a good idea. Ha! Oh, I love how optimistic I can be after a glass or two of wine (that *might* have influenced me a bit as well).

As I mentioned in my last blog post, the weather around here this past week was less than stellar. The snow that had piled up over the last 10 days started to melt thanks to the rain we has last night - and started to freeze up again. Luckily the roads were clear this morning, other than the pothole that just about took us out on 90 on the way down to the city. Some places for walking were still a little sketchy, but we made it to the starting line (with about 10 minutes to spare for my friends running the 14 miler) without anyone biting it.

Photobombing Melissa!

Michelle, Melissa, and I right after crossing the start

The organization for this race was fantastic! They were great about updating last night and early this morning with information about the condition of the course. We had a head's up that there was going to be lot of standing water, and they were right on about that. Less than 1/4 mile in we encountered our first water hazard....and it suddenly became a trail/obstacle course. I could have been pissed about the slow going, or having to climb over snow piles, but I was running with friends....for run....so I embraced all of it and laughed as we jumped/slid/ran/walked our way for 6.2 miles. Our good friend Deb made us some awesome tutus, which got us a lot of compliments, and really amped up our "cute" factor. The penguin hats were the icing on the cake!
Michelle and I hamming it up for the camera

Perfect spot for a photo op with Michelle!

Michelle and Melissa - looking great ladies!
The last 1/4 mile was probably the diciest part of the race. When we came back around behind the Shedd Aquarium, it was pretty much single-file thanks to the frozen slush and deep puddles. We obviously weren't going for a PR - this race was for fun - but I was getting chilly and was ready to be done. Once we got past that part, we just had to go up a slight hill and run through the finish. We had already decided we'd run through together, so we grabbed each other's hands and smiled and laughed together as we made it across the line. 
Love my awesome ladies!
Yeah, today was cold and not the best running conditions. But as one saying I've seen floating around says, if we wait for the perfect conditions we'll never set foot out the door. I may not have been fast, but I made it further than I've gone in the last three months - and it felt GREAT! And really, in the end, it's all about enjoying the miles, and being fabulous in the process.




2 comments:

  1. I LOVE you so darn much. I hope you know how much you've INFLUENCED AND CHANGED my life for the better. Thanks for today, and every day for the last 2 years. xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Love you too hon!!! You influence me daily...so glad we met two years ago!

      Delete