The 2020 Hot Chocolate 15k was one for the books! I went out there with ZERO expectations and just wanted to have fun with all the fellow insta running & run club friends I met up with that morning. Zero expectations because I hadn't really been training for the race and hadn't reached 8+ miles in WEEKS leading up to the race. Honey Stinger comped my entry for a second year in a row because they are AMAZING. That was really my deciding factor to race! It was a beautiful morning for a race though with the usual amazing atmosphere and participation so I was super happy I decided to join this year again!
I ran HC last year 2019 and won my Age Group with a pace of 7:26/mile... Hold that thought.
After starting the race with Stacey (miles4mom) at a 7:40ish pace I knew I had a little more in me so we sped up pretty quickly. I was holding a 7:30 pace by mile 4 and was feeling AWESOME. I hated to seem like "that person" and say "Oh im just out here to have fun" but really had the intentions of leaving my friends in the dust. THAT WAS NOT MY INTENTION! haha Sorry Stacey I SUCK.
But I was feeling great and wanted to test myself for the remainder of the race. I knew Jenna (jenna.runs) was running that morning and I knew she would be hauling it so my goal was literally to just stay 10 yards behind her the whole time.. And it was HARD. Shoutout to her strong running!
The course was identical to last years race but for some reason I did not remember all the HILLS! Maybe it's because when I think of the city of Dallas I don't immediately think of hills.. But nonetheless I was able to steadily get to the top every time. Chugging along at a negative split pace. There were also more "hydration" stops that were actually shots of whiskey & a few jello shots than I recalled from last year too. Talk about a disgusting whiff of Jack Daniels as your running your heart out at mile 6. Yikes. A guy in front of me actually stopped for a shot and I am not sure if he thought it was Gatorade or intentionally wanted the jello shot but I heard him yell "OO MY GOSH!" *cough* behind me. haha.
I knew there was a final GIANT hill in the last .5 miles of the race so I was mentally preparing for that the entire race. (The race goes by pretty quick when youre coming off a 26.2 as your previous race)
I turned on the gears to get up that hill and coast all the way to the finish line with everything I had left for that day. Coming in at a finishing time of 1:09:56 and a pace of 7:30/mile I thought I had a good chance of winning my Age Group again.... WRONGO! 5th place. Holy fast girls this year!!!!!
After the race I was able to meet up with Jenna & Julie for a quick chat and some pictures.
I actually met Julie through a previous race because she was that "older lady that surely couldn't beat me" And she WHOOPED me. Now we are friends haha
 |
| My fellow dog lover Jenna! |
 |
| My speedy friend Julie! |
And later I found G (mffl04) for a quick chat too!
As Im logging on to find my results I was confused that another lady was in the race pictures they had up so far... Long story short this older lady bandit ran the race and happened to have my exact bib # last year as I had this year. Don't do that yall. Its not cool.
Overall a super fun experience yet again!! If you have a Hot Chocolate series near you do yourself a favor and DO IT! It is SO much fun and you get chocolate at the end. They also have the coolest jackets that comes with your registration.
I cant wait to go back next year as a 3 year legacy!
 |
| Fondu at the Finish! |
Comments
Post a Comment