Catch the Elves - Surprise 10km Race!

Yesterday I unexpectedly ran a 10km race, and did really well!

Originally, I had been planning to go away for the weekend and visit a friend. However, as the end of my week turned a bit crazy with a job offer coming my way late in the game, I decided to stay home. Thus, I decided to make the most of my weekend!

On Saturday, I found out about the Catch the Elves 10km race. Since I was planning to go out to a wedding dinner that evening, and possibly out to a bar after for Vanessa's birthday, I knew I wouldn't make it to my 8:30am run club on Sunday. However, the race's 10am start time was much friendlier. As well, I didn't want to waste another beautiful day without a run, and knew that by registering and paying for this one, I wouldn't skip it! So I signed up and got race bib # 2500. Fun!

It was a WIN / WIN / WIN situation: I got a free $20 coupon book - and we all know how much I like coupon books - in my goody bag, a great breathable T-shirt, and included lunch and snacks after the race. The Muscular Dystrophy charity benefitted from my registration fee. And, I got to run a beautiful December 10km race and achieve a personal best time for a timed 10km. Priceless! Since I was basically running this race for fun, without much specific training or prep, I just wanted to break the one hour mark. I did... I finished in 55:16! Superfun. I guess having a base really helps!

Oh, and the "Catch the Elves" piece of the story?? About 10 Elves started racing a couple of minutes early. As a runner, my goal was to catch as many Elves as possible throughout my run. Each time I caught an Elf, I got an extra ticket for the door prize draws following the race. I got about 10 tickets, and did manage to win a nice prize: A mint pedicure set for my tender running tootsies and a gift certificate for a spa treatment. Fun!

It's great to be able to run a race in December. It was about +3C and Sunny for the race, climbing to +6C. Yay Chinook-like weather!