My stupidest idea this year

Last month, my cousin posted a link to facebook about the Hot Chocolate 5k/15k happening in Dallas.

"Who's with me?" she asked.

And I stupidly answered. And somehow I talked my sister into answering as well.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

So, last Friday found us driving up to Dallas in which it starting getting progressively colder as the evening went on. We ran out for dinner and the wind was biting. I knew this was not going to bode well for our run the next morning.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

At 5:30AM....on a Saturday morning...we were dragging our sorry butts out of bed. And sure enough there was an email from the race:

Hot Chocolate 15/5K Urgent Weather Update

The forecast for race day is expected to be 28 degrees with wind gusts up to 17 mph, making it feel like 19 degrees outside.
Please make sure to dress properly, make sure to wear layers, hats and gloves to keep you warm and safe.
15K runners, you are welcome to run the 5K race tomorrow morning. If you choose to run the 5K you will receive no time penalty.
If you run a 12 minute mile pace or slower our medical director strongly encourages you to switch to the 5K race.
Doors to the automobile building will open at 5:00 AM, runners are welcome to stay warm inside the Automobile Building up until 30 minutes prior to their race start time.
The race will start as scheduled.
Our goal is to make sure everyone stays warm and safe.
We will be updating the weather on Facebook and Twitter as well as sending out additional e-mails if there are any more changes in the weather.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

I admit..I might have whined a little as we drove downtown. It was SO cold! Who's idea was this? Can't we just skip it and go back to bed? My sister was having none of it. And so I found myself standing outside in the dim glow of the pre-dawn...feeling like my body was on fire because it was so cold. The wind was the worst part..and standing still in it was...the very worst part.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

It really did feel like we stood there..in the cold...for an eternity, but soon enough we were moving forward and then we were past the starting line. My sister said she would just keep pace with me, but I ended up keeping her pace. We jogged when she was ready and walked when she needed to. We both did very well, jogging for much longer than I expected we would. And I was shocked at how great I felt...even while being a frozen human popsicle.

The run itself was not stupid. It was great.

We finished in 42 minutes and 51 seconds. My pace was 13 minutes and 49 seconds per mile...a personal best.

My poor wonderful husband stood outside the entire time and so he was frozen solid when we finished. We didn't even wait around for all the chocolate..we just left to go get FOOD and COFFEE and HEAT!

When it was all said and done I'm glad that I answered my cousins call. I'm glad we did it. I'm glad my sister was there to do it with me. Hopefully next time, if there IIISSS a next time, the weather will cooperate better.

Me, my sister, and my cousin before the race.