Run to Feed the Hungry 10k (Race Report)

Hello friends! I'm a little late getting to this, but better late than never, right? I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and holiday weekend : )

My Thanksgiving started out early and cold! It was just below freezing so I made sure to layer up - capris, long sleeve race shirt, Nike jacket, and earwarmer headband. Since the race starts so close to us we biked there to avoid the traffic that comes with a race of 25,000+ people. As we rode along the bike trail the ground was covered in frost, but luckily the ride helped us warm up. We got there with enough time to spare, locked up our bikes, and made our way to the start. The 10k started about a half hour earlier than the 5k, and although I wasn't sure if we'd signed up for the right race, we had no problems lining up at the start line. We tried to find a spot in the sun without much luck, but before we new it the gun sounded and we were off!

 oh hey, giant turkey

 crowded start

smiling, despite the cold

My dad has been training for this distance and was expecting to finish in just over an hour. The first couple miles were ridiculously crowded so it was hard to find a rhythm. Eventually we decided to hop on the sidewalk which was much clearer. We made our way into East Sac and when we hit mile 1 I noticed we were a little ahead of the expected pace. We felt good so we just continued on, enjoying the clear, crisp morning. Eventually the crowd thinned a bit and we were able to run on the street. It was starting to warm up, especially in the direct sun, and I was beginning to wish I could ditch my jacket. The course took us past McKinley park and into shady midtown which felt great. We reached mile 3 with a sub 10:00 average pace and my dad was feeling good!

 so many people!

McKinley Park

ohhhh we're halfway there!

Halfway done we headed away from midtown back toward East Sac. The fall foliage on the course was absolutely gorgeous. With the clear blue sky as a backdrop the colors really popped : ) With about a mile to go we emerged back on the street where we had started and merged with the 5kers. As soon as I saw the finish I picked it up a bit and my dad put on a final surge as well. I glanced at my watch and saw that we were going to be close to breaking an hour, but there were a lot of people to dodge. We crossed the line and immediately were stopped in our tracked by a wall of runners. I glanced down at my watch - 59:36. Unofficial, of course, but still counts in my book!

simply gorgeous

ahhh shade

 looking good!

one mile to go...

done!!

My dad was pretty thrilled by our results. We ran much faster than he had been training so it was a nice surprise for both of us. I have to say I was a little impressed, too! Great job, dad! We stuck around in the post race area for a while, saw some familiar faces, then realized it was still pretty cold and headed home. I love that I can share running with my dad, and this race is becoming a really fun tradition. I'm already looking forward to next year! The rest of the day was spent relaxing and nibbling on snacks, trying to save room for the main event. We had a few relatives over and kept it nice and low-key. My mom and aunt made a delicious feast that sent me into a food coma, but not before I'd consumed some homemade pumpkin pie : )

me & dad

nom nom nom

Now that Thanksgiving is over, bring on the Christmas music and decorations! I ♥ the holidays : )