first race of 2013 AND the unveiling of marathon #4!

Here's the weather we woke up to.

The New Year's Day tradition continues.  To help ring in the new year, the husband and I ran the Polar Dash 5k.

It was kind of cold out yesterday. Bitterly cold, according to the weather channel. (You'd think I would embrace the bitterness, but I don't.)  13 degrees below zero where we live. I like to run in the cold, but dayum, that's COLD! Luckily, it was a balmy 5 degrees below zero in Minneapolis (where we would be running) so we had nothing to fear.

Choices, choices..... trail shoes or running shoes??
I like to wear my trail shoes when running in the snow but
wasn't sure how snowy the course would be.
The deciding factor was not knowing how to attach the
timing chip to the laces of my trail shoes (they have
speed laces and can't be "unlaced".)
Running shoes it is!

Have I mentioned that I hate being cold?  HATE it.  So we're on our way to the race, talking about how freaking cold it is, and the fact that we're crazy to be doing this, blah blah blah...... and I asked the husband, "How did we get started running this race outside, in winter, in Minnesota anyway?  What possessed us to do it the first time?"  And he just looked at me and said, "Ummm, you found something on the internet called "Couch to 5K" and for some inexplicable reason, started running.  I have absolutely NO IDEA what drives you to do what you do. I just go along for the ride!"  He's a fun date.  I'm glad he likes me!

The worst part of the race experience? Using the porta-potty in sub-zero temperatures.  Not a pleasant experience. We'll just leave it at that.

Uber flattering photo of us in the start corral.

The run itself was fun. My only observation/complaint is that there are so many new runners and walkers (like the Diva Dash).  While I think it's fantastic that so many folks were out (especially on such a cold day!) but a little etiquette would go a long way......walkers start towards the back of the pack, don't walk 4-5 abreast on the narrow course, etc., but having said that, it was really more about getting out and running on the first day of the New Year, and less about "racing" so all in all it was a good time.  And the crowds thinned in the second half so we were able to pick the pace up a little bit which was nice.

As the husband and I were walking back to the car after the race, we were reflecting on the fact that though we had bitched quite a bit about the cold before the race started, we certainly never regretted getting out and running.

Our glorious splits:

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	31:37.0	3.12	10:09
1	11:02.0	1.00	11:02
2	10:19.3	1.00	10:19
3	9:15.1	1.00	9:15
4	1:00.6	0.12	8:45

So there you have it.  First race of the year - Done!

Garmin Electra's documentation.
I just like this picture because Sherman is in it.

Oh, and I signed up for marathon #4!!  Green Bay Marathon on May 19, 2013.  As a Vikings fan, I'm a little torn about running through Lambeau Field, but with time, I'm sure I'll be able to work through that issue.