Hot Chocolate 5K/15K Run

My alarm went off and I really wasn't ready to get up.  Mom had gotten up before my alarm went off so she was already in the bathroom getting ready to go.  I slid out of bed and got my clothes on.  When mom was done in the bathroom I went in there and did my stuff.  Erika and Zach didn't have to be up for another hour or so because their race started later.  I tried to wear as much as I could without being weighed down.  We couldn't really wear a jacket or anything because then we would have to check it in or carry it with us.  So we both wore our spandex pants, I wore running shorts over the top of mine, our hot chocolate light weight zippy jackets, hats and gloves.

We walked the few blocks from our hotel to the Seattle Center.  It was cold.  We found our starting section, which was in the back because we were not elite runners, and stood in line until it was time to go.  Our race, the 5k, officially started at 6:45.  We stood out in the cold for almost an hour until it was time for us to start running.  It was hard to get my body going after standing in the cold for that long.  I was stiff.

I had to stop for a brief minute in the middle of the first mile to pull up my pants.  Everything I was wearing was pulling them down.  While I was stopped, I made sure my shoes were double knotted.  I didn't need to stop for anymore wardrobe malfunctions.  We got going pretty good and mom kept up with me.  She really isn't a runner but I admired her will to try.  The first half of the run was slightly uphill so we were battling the minor change in elevation.

I do wish the slower runners would run on the right side to let the faster runners run on the left.  I had to duck, dive and dodge so many people during the first half of the run.  As you can tell, most of these runners were doing this for fun and have no runner etiquette what so ever.

When we reached the turn around spot, roughly halfway through, I grabbed some water and made the turn.  I made sure I knew where mom was since I kinda got a little ahead of her.  The second half of the run was much quicker because we were going down hill so it made running a little easier and quicker.  I pulled ahead of mom with quite a large span between us.  I couldn't see her anymore so I pulled off to the side and stopped until I could see her.  I got back on the road and continued on.

As we were nearing the end, I stopped again and this time I waited until she caught up to me so we could both cross the finish line at the same time.  I found out she had to run slower because she had pulled a muscle and couldn't run as fast.  We ran across the finish line together.  It took us roughly 40 minutes to run the 5k.

Erika and Zach's 15k started roughly around 7:55.  When we crossed the finish line they were still running their race.  While we waited for them we got our hot chocolate bowls.  Inside the bowl was chocolate dipping sauce for graham crackers, marshmallows, bananas, a honeycomb treat, pretzels and a Rice Krispy treat.  I ate everything except for the banana.  I was going to save that for later.  We wandered around the finishers "after party" area to check out what kinds of stuff they had.  We got our picture taken in front of one of the signs, got to "swim" inside a hot chocolate ball pit and got some free crunchy bars some business was handing out.

We walked back to the hotel to shower and put warm clothes on.  It was still really cold outside and now our bodies were cooling down which made it even cooler.  We knew they would be running for a while so we figured by the time we were done showering they would be getting closer to the finish line.

We headed back out and I had to find the cache at the totem pole.  Mom stood near the finish line as I found John T. Williams Memorial Totem Pole (GC3G2EH).  Since everyone was paying attention to the race no one was near the totem pole.  The find was easy.

I walked back over to the finish line and waited to for Erika and Zach with mom.  We found out Zach had finished the race almost 20 minutes in front of Erika.  Zach is a seasoned runner while Erika was having trouble with her ankles and toes.  She said she had to stop a lot to adjust her shoes and socks.  They got their finishers medals and their hot chocolate bowls.  They spent some time eating them and then wanted to go back to the hotel to get cleaned up.  Erika was starting to get cold.

We walked back to the hotel and while they got cleaned up we started to pack all of our stuff so we could head back home.  Mom checked us out and packed the stuff back into the Escape.  Erika said she was getting hungry so we stopped near the mall in Federal Way at the Red Robin.  I got my usual with a Dr. Pepper.  I didn't realize I was that hungry until I was eating it.  We paid and got back onto I-5.

We got off at the Lakewood exit and took Zach home.  We went to our house and made dad come get mom since we really didn't want to drive into Rainier.  Erika ended up napping that afternoon and I should have as well but I wanted to clean the house after Doug's dog was at our house for a week.  Our house was a mess.  Ben was on a shift so I wouldn't see him until tomorrow.

I got the house to about where I wanted it so I got cleaned up and got ready for the work week.  I got my laundry done and got my lunch packed up.  I relaxed a bit before going to bed.  I was exhausted.

Next Adventure:  Leaving For Ecuador via Mexico City