The Henderson Family: Hot Chocolate 5K: Chicago

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Hot Chocolate 5K: Chicago

One of the biggest 5K's in Chicago is the Hot Chocolate coordinated by RAM Racing. I've been wanting to do this race for a year...or more. Finally this year, with my goal of 3 5Ks, I registered. This race is pretty pricey for a 5K. And, keep in mind it's in Chicago, so you also have to pay for gas or public transit, and parking. It can add up fast. There are a lot of complaints about this race every year. Being a newbee to racing, I had no complaints. The Expo was nice, packet pick-up wasn't terrible, and with 40,000+ runners for the 5K and 15K, they organized the corrals and released the runners of the corrals about 3 minutes apart to space runners a bit. It was rare I felt squished or unable to pass.

This was my third 5K for the year. I reached my goal and actually followed through my my new year's resolution (holy crap). In the process I've also lost about 18 lbs (and want to lose about 5-15 more). Each 5K my time has improved, and I'm pretty disappointed in myself that I didn't sprint after that last turn when I saw the finish line. I was only 14 seconds over my goal! However, I didn't walk once, and for that, I'm proud.

Here I am with Nichole and her brother, Michael--who ran his first ever 5K. We drove to the race together (and with his wife, Lynn) and that really made the experience more fun!

YUM! After finishing the race, one gets a Finisher's Mug...filled with Hot Chocolate (of course), and chocolate fondue with banana, apples, pretzels, chocolate squares, a rice krispie treat, and marshmellow for dipping.

My Race time...30m13s (I was hoping for under 30 minutes). I'm getting there!!!

Oh, and we also get this AWESOME hoodie!!! I love it and will live in the thing!

(picture taken from the Hot Chocolate website)
I'm also registered now for a 4 mile race on Thanksgiving and the girls will be running their second 1-mile race this year on that morning too. Exciting!

Wanna know my goals for next year? Run a race every month and donate blood 6 times (this year I will only have done it 3 times).

siggy

No comments:

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Delaney is eight and she is starting to really grow up on us. She is smart and caring, sensitive and competitive. She is great with her siblings; such a wondeful big sister. She loves school and reading, but not as much as playing video games and running around outside. She is in ballet for the 5th year and she is hoping to start baseball this spring.

She hate scary movies and noises and is afraid of the dark. She loves nature and all things animals. I'm surprised she hasn't asked to not eat meat. She likes jokes and tries her hardest to fit in. She knows how to push people's buttons, but also knows how to really be there for someone who is hurting. She is amazing at video games, but gets frustrated with them too.

She does well in school-both with behavior and academics. She loves Brownies and has many friends. She has the desire and determination to learn and try everything--academic, sports, etc. Just not all tv and movies.

Katie is now six and starting first grade. She is quite the young lady. She is funny and smart and sassy and determined. She can be so supportive and nice and helpful, yet also stubborn and angry. She knows what she wants and how she wants it, and is not always willing to have it any other way. She loves to cuddle and be around others. She enjoys books, tv, and Barbies. Her favorite show is Glee and she often plays Glee (pretend, that is). She loves scary things like Harry Potter and roller coasters and very kid-friendly things like Pokemon and Blue's Clues.

She is all girl...with her skirts and dresses, playing dress up, loving the color pink, and Barbies. However, don't be surprised if you find her climbing a tree or wrestling with the neighbor. Her vocabulary is amazing, but not as much as her imagination. Her favorite foods are nutella and jelly sandwiches, butter noodles, yogurt, and apples. What is she most looking forward to this year? Learning how to read.

Rowena is three and is getting so mature! Her language, vocabulary, and speech is amazing, and it's almost like it developed over night! She asks questions and will tell you how it is. She is funny and she cracks us up. She loves to watch TV and movies and it is surprising the various genres she will pay attention to for long periods of time. She loves to "play toys" and it is fun to watch her play pretend and make the toys talk and walk. She's getting very good at video games--Mario Party on GameCube is her favorite right now. She also loves to cook and bake.

She's excited to start school in the fall. She knows her alphabet and can identify some letters with words. She can count to 14 and then skips to 17. She can also recognize her numbers too. She loves to play games; some of her favorites are Candyland, Go Fish, and SkipBo. She loves crafts, going for walks, and playing at the park. She loves her friends, and even more-her siblings. She wants to do everything her sisters do, and help Charlie whenever possible. She can be very sweet and loving yet fiesty and determined.

Charlie is one. Can you believe it? We can't either! He's walking and climbing and loves to get into things. He loves cords, and drapes them around his neck like a scarf. He likes to climb onto the table and then just smiles at you. He knows when things are off-limits and will wait until you are watching before he starts, just to hear you say, "no, no, Charlie" then he'll smile and walk away. He loves to tease and play tag. He lovs swings and slides, and being outside. He laughs and cries and that's about all you hear from him.

The boy loves to eat and enjoys his milk or juice. He's tiny and quiet, but he is ever so sweet and fun. We love our Little Charlie Boo-Boo.