Reindeer Fun Run Recap

Let's call this post a race against the clock!  I am currently sitting in the RDU airport trying to finish this up before boarding a plane home!  Well first I am stopping in Denver...but then home. Luckily this was a 5k, so I only have 3 miles to recap!

 Computer airport selfie or it didn't happen right?

As always, if you want the more technical review and less of the personal stuff, head on over to my BibRave review.  For the personal stuff, keep on keeping on.

Let's lead this up by saying this was my first time running after the marathon. I totally thought I was ready to go and I even considered doing the 12k's of Christmas.  Blame the super cute finisher medal for my temporary lapse in judgement.  Luckily I decided on the 5k and counted it as a good idea because it would make me get out and run again.

I also thought this race was going to be really small because the town it's in isn't all that big. I was wrong. There were a ton of runners!  I want to say over 1000 5k runners.  This made the whole thing feel so much more festive!

I picked up the race packet the day before and I was so excited!  It all came in a cute logo drawstring bag and we got antlers and a mason jar!

The morning of the race is was a little chilly and drizzly, but the race was so well hosted that i still felt super festive.  I few of us sat in a coffee shop across the road from the start.  I was super well prepared and hadn't had any breakfast, so coffee was my last hope at that point.  After a few pictures we headed over to the start line.

There were no markers for estimated finish time to line up with, but people were doing really well at sorting themselves out.  The race did specify that walkers and those with strollers and dogs should start at the back.  They also had the course well marked asking walkers to stay right and runners to stay left.  I was pretty impressed.  There was also a bagpiper playing along the way which was awesome.

Of course I hadn't checked out the course ahead of time, so the very uphill start was a bit of a rude awakening and, sadly for me, a pretty good indicator of what was to come.  I also quickly realized it was a very good thing I had not signed up for the 12k. I could have made it, but I was more sore than I realized and the 3 miles was a good distance and plenty challenging!

My running buddy and I just had fun with this race and I could not have asked for a better time to shake out my legs and get back out there.  I really enjoyed the shorter distance and stopping to take pictures when I felt like it. 

Because when you see a yard this decorated, you pretty much have to take a selfie.  It's the rules.

As we came up to the last bit we realized we were coming in to a downhill finish! Apparently if you read the website you would know this ahead of time...did I mention I was unprepared?  Once the finish line was in sight, I realized they were also making snow at the finish line so you got to run through it. I didn't see the photographer at the time so my pictures are a little funky.  My unofficial race photographer also got stuck on the other side of the train tracks from the finish line.  It was an odd moment but made for a bit of fun sitting and watching the train go by.  I felt like a kid again.

To continue the kid feeling, we went an took a picture with Santa too.

The snacks after the race were pretty great and there was a coupon in our race packets for a free Chik-fil-a sandwich at the store down the road.  I saved that for another day and we continued a post-race tradition of iced coffee and carby goodness at Dunkin Donuts!

It was, overall, an awesome event and everything ran so smoothly!  I could not have asked for a better experience.

And with that, I've beat the clock! Plane boarding starts soon, so my next check in will be from a different time zone! Have a fabulous Saturday!