Race Report: The 12Ks of Christmas (and 5K too!)

Nice to be running the longer of the 2 runs offered today and it was definitely the most ideal weather to run in. Wetumpka had a few community events going on and the energy was great! Holly and I met up at a little after 8 and went through packet pickup, pinned our numbers, took a few pre race pictures and we were ready to run at 9! The horn blew and we were off! I am never as pressured to run fast as I am when I’m with so many other runners. It’s unreal. And I’ve accepted the fact that I’m slow, but I just can’t conquer the urge to push my pace. With this being my longest run to date (yes, Holly, longest run to date), I knew I needed to save it. While I wish I could break this down in to a mile by mile blog, I can’t. I was in charge of intervals, Holly was in charge of distance. And even though she says she told me when we were at mile 3, 4, and 5, I only remember her telling me about mile 5 and even then it made me wish I hadn’t wished to hear it. We treated this run as a normal training day, so we ran/walked 2/1 intervals. I’m going to break this down into beginning, middle, and ending.

The Beginning: It was pretty uneventful. There was a hill or two, but only 1 really made me work harder than I’m accustomed to. We had other runners around us pretty much the entire time because the 12K and the 5K runners didn’t break apart until about mile 2ish. When we were at the point where 12s turned right and 5s went straight, the friendly volunteer directed us in the 5K direction, which, I’m not going to lie, kind of stings. I guess most women my size normally take the shorter distance. But you know, I turned right and kept running. I’m not normal. ;)

The Middle: The middle is kind of fuzzy. I drank A LOT during the first 3 miles. Running felt good, but walking felt tingly. We took our nutrition break at about mile 3.5 on the fly which took me a minute longer than it should have. I learned today that GU Chomps are probably going to be my fuel of choice from this point on because Holly says that I treated the regular GU like it was a leisurely snack. I’m not going to say it exactly like she did, because it might hurt your feelings too. ;) We laughed about this after the race. Anyhow....Holly sang me songs....Quad City DJ’s “The Train” was my personal favorite, but I really did miss the Luverne and Shirley Theme Song. It’s so perfect for these occasions....I kid you not!

The End: I got a little overheated and started to feel a little squishy. Yes, squishy. Holly says I turned yellow? So she made me eat 4 chomps even though I really only wanted to eat 2. And you better believe I gobbled those babies down in record timing. I remember asking her if we were getting in the way of the Wetumpka Christmas Parade (the race started at 9 and the parade didn’t start until 3). I was obviously delusional and feeling internal pressure to get my tail moving towards that finish line. I remember turning the corner and seeing the infamous Wetumpka bridge and I was happy because that meant the end was near. We ran to the top, took advantage of the photo opp, and ran the rest of the way down. We came to the end of the bridge and I knew we were close because City Hall was just a few blocks away. I was pumped! And then we hung a right.....to the trail the runs along the Coosa. It was pretty, but I was done with pretty. Holly says I yelled out loud, “WHAAAT?!?!” and proclaims this as her favorite part. So I just go with it....kicking and screaming. I said “I can’t” a few times in this stretch and learned that it is a trigger phrase for Evil Holly. She literally grabbed my hand and dragged me the rest of the way through the park. I told her I was going to throw up, but she didn’t care. So here’s a tip: when you say you can’t finish when your a stone’s throw away from the finish line, it’s too late. As we crested the hill towards the finish line, I wanted to walk so bad, but there were so many people still there cheering for us! Pulling us in. Reminding us that this is the best part of the entire race! So we ran our way in, and I felt every step like I was going in slow motion. And when I crossed that finish line....
Disclaimer: What you are about to read might not be for people with weak stomachs, but if you are interested in things people don’t always tell you about running, the ugly truth....read on.....


I covered my mouth, made a bee line for the trash can and I puked my brains out. Yep. They say this happens and it’s normal. Most runners do this at some point. Everyone coaxed me through it and won my heart at that moment. Runners are great people. I hugged all the great people volunteering at that race that cheered us in until the minute we crossed the finish line. Props to About-Time-Events for putting on a great run and not giving up on me. Props to Evil Holly, because if it weren’t for her I wouldn’t have finished. 

So, my results?
I finished.
Yes, I was last.
Yes, I puked.
Yes, it sucked.
Yes, I’d do it again.

-Amanda