Bill Rogers Jingle Bell 5k Run Recap

Today I participated in my final run of 2016, the Jingle Bell 5k. This was my first time doing this run. I had a friend running who I hadn't seen for a little while. The weather was good for running. It did rain, but mostly after I finished which was awesome. Plus being 50° in December was perfect.

Distance:
5k

Start Time:
11 am

Cost:
$37

Organization:
Prior to the race date there was email communication to help with seeing where parking was available, the course, and what bars were part of the post-race party. I got my bib morning of the race. I found street parking fairly easily and had a short walk to the start/finish area and the bib pickup location. Bib pickup was in the Somerville Senior Center. The line was outside the building, but moved very quickly. (The line could be due to people exiting from the same door.) Once upstairs you picked up your bibs and shirts. The bibs were separated alphabetically. There was a person telling everyone that they were alphabetical, but you could not see what box you were in front of until you were up to it. After you picked up your bib you got your shirt. After finishing the race there was no clear direction on where to get your medal or water. I felt I had a longer walk than necessary to get my medal. There was a teenage boy handing out water, but everyone was grabbing their own medal. This could have been organized better.

Course:

I loved that this was a closed course. Each mile had someone holding up a sign showing each mile. There was one water stop along the course after mile 1. There was plenty of course support along the entire route. Even people standing in line for breakfast were waving and cheering people on. 

Swag:

 T-shirt, finisher medal, jingle bell*, post race party
*I did not get a jingle bell. I would guess that they ran out prior to ending packet pickup.

Would I recommend this race?
I would do this run again next year. Overall everything went smoothly. There were families who ran, people dressed up in Christmas leggings, ugly sweaters, Santa hats, and more! (There was one group dressed up as Santa and reindeer and another group who were playing guitar and a drum singing Christmas carols.

I Entered a Lottery And...

I was accepted into the Chicago Marathon!

I entered to see what would happen. A few friends also applied so what was the worst that could happen. In the end all 5 people I know got accepted via the lottery and 1 friend is running for charity. This is the first run of 2017 that I've signed up for and I know I'll add more along the way. 

This is the best way to see a new place isn't it!

The Ugly Sweater Run Recap

Yesterday I participated in The Ugly Sweater Run.

This run is put on in multiple cities in the month of December:

Seattle, WA

Hartford, CT

Atlanta, GA

Cleveland, OH

Dallas, TX

Chicago, IL

Boston, MA

Denver, CO

Philadelphia, PA

Baltimore, MD

Washington, DC

I attended the Boston, MA edition held at Suffolk Downs. The weather was really cold, but that is no one's fault. Everyone was in good spirits at the run, which was great. This year the run was put on by Kahlúa. So if you were over 21 you could get a free a Kahlúa drink. This was an all-ages event and a lot of people brought their children and even some dogs.

Distance:
5k

Start Time:
8:30 AM
There was a wave start so that everyone could get their bibs and get to the start line. This also allowed for there not to be too many people out on the course at the same time.

Price:
$35
*There were discounts available for this race from the event holders, as well as on Groupon.

Organization:
The organization of the race overall was good. There was bib pickup the night before the race at Suffolk Downs. If you could not make it the night before, there was bib pickup the morning of the race. They had the bib pickup outside (even though there was more than enough room inside). We all got into a line that seemed like it was the right one. After 30+ minutes we were told we could be in any line. It took almost an hour to get our bib and we actually missed the 8:30 start time. (Good thing there was multiple waves!) Besides the bib pickup everything else went smoothly. After you finished the race, it wasn't exactly clear where to get your medal. Everything else went really smoothly.

Course:

The course began in a parking lot and then went around before entering the old horse race track. The course was easy to follow and was marked perfectly. The miles were marked, but I only saw Mile 1. So I could have missed them There were 2 water stops along the course. 

Swag:

Every registered runner got a knit hat and a medal. If you were under 21 your medal had a blue ribbon without the Kahlúa logo on it. I thought this was a great idea. After the run there was an after party where you could had tons of photo ops, could purchase some food, and redeem your free Kalhúa drink or hot chocolate.

Would I recommend this race?

I would recommend this race. This is a fun run to get into the holiday spirit with friends and family. Everyone was really nice and had some great Ugly Sweaters on. Even though we were cold we had a blast. Check out this race to see if they'll be running in near you!

Hanover Turkey Trot Recap

Thanksgiving is a time to spend eating and watching football and hanging out with family and friends.

Thanksgiving for me has involved running, seeing a movie, and eating. So this year I did just that!

I got up early and heading a little less than 2 miles from my house to participate in the Hanover Turkey Trot with Carrick. We ran. My knee hurt. We walked. We finished. Then we headed to Dunkin Donuts.

After I showered I went and saw Fantastic Beasts and How to Find Them for the second time. I LOVE this movie. The movie stands apart from Harry Potter without completely abandoning what we know all ready. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it.

This is a niffler. He's my favorite.

After the movie I went to my sister's house for a turkey dinner. I've always wondered why they call it dinner when you eat at like 2 pm.

Let's recap the run though.

Distance:
5k

Start Time:
7:30 am

Price:
$25
$15 for 13 and younger

Organization:
Registering for the event was really easy and smooth. You sign up through RaceWire so you're races will save all together if you sign up for an account. You can pick up your bib the Tuesday before the race at the high school if you want to or you can pick it up at the race on Thursday morning. This makes for a smooth process. I choose to pick up the bibs on Tuesday night on my way home. Parking is really easy on Thursday morning as you can park at the start or the finish. The race is early enough that a lot of people are not out driving around, but they do have cops to keep traffic down on the roads as needed. Each mile is clearly marked and whenever there are turns they are marked with orange arrows.

Course:

The course starts on the street outside of Hanover Middle School and ends at Hanover High School. As you can see there is not much elevation change which is nice. The course spends over a mile in a neighborhood. Some of the neighbors will come out and cheer on the runners. It's a good course that I could see myself running on any given day. There are no water stops along the course, but water and hot chocolate at the end of the run.

Swag:

If you register before a certain date you will receive a long-sleeve shirt with the race logo on it. (This year was November 9th.) I signed up a couple days after this deadline so I did not receive a shirt. Sometimes they do have extra shirts, but this year they all sold out. A great perk is that the race is chip timed. The only downside of this is that there is no starting line you cross over to activate the chip. 

Would I recommend this race?

I think doing a run on Thanksgiving is a great way to spend time with family and friends. The runs are early enough to get done with before needing to get out to visit your loved ones. I think everyone will have a different a race they like to do. I do enjoy the Hanover Turkey Trot. It's nice to see how many families come out to do the races together. I would say if you live in Hanover or a surrounding town that does not host a turkey trot, this is a great run to do.

Forge Ponde Park 5k Recap

This is my second year running this race. They changed the name of the race this year. (Last year it was called the Harvest 5k. I don't have any pictures of this race, so let's just get into it.

Distance:

5k

Start Time:

9:30 AM

Price:

$25

*Proceeds help the YMCA

Organization:

This is a super organized family run. You can pick up your bibs at the YMCA the week before or at the park day of. It takes a minute for them to give you the bib and then you're ready to run. There are real bathrooms at the park as well which is always great! The volunteers were thankful to everyone who came out to run and made sure to tell you that. 

Course:

The course is an enclosed trail run. This is a great course through the woods at the park and then ends at the same spot that it begins. There are 2 water stops along the course as well.

Swag:

Every runner gets a t-shirt. At the end of the race there are water, bagels, oranges, bananas, and this year there were frozen greek yogurt bars which were delicious!

Would I recommend this race?

 I would recommend this race. This is a great family run for the local YMCA. It's fun to see kids running and being so excited when they finish. 

Wine and Dine Half Marathon Recap

Sunday morning had another early morning. We took the bus instead of the car because the course began at Wide World of Sports and ended at Epcot. It made more sense than taking the car to Epcot and then a bus to WWoS.


Distance:
13.1 miles

Start Time:
5:30 AM

Pricing:
$190
$330 for the Lumiere's Two Course Challenge

Organization:
Great organization like the previous two days. Bag check was still smooth at the beginning and the end.

Course:

The course started at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. 

Starting Line

From WWoS we headed toward Animal Kingdom.

 From Animal Kingdom, we headed to Epcot to finish the race.

The course wasn't my favorite. There are a lot of other ways to get 13.1 miles in at Disney World. I would have rather the half marathon route from Epcot to Magic Kingdom and back to Epcot. I can let it slide though.

Swag:
Long-sleeve tech shirt and medal. Half marathon and Lumiere's Two Course Challenge participants also received a ticket into the after party Sunday night. (You could buy more tickets for family and friends for $79.)

Would I recommend this race?
If you're a Disney fan, any runDisney race is worth it. I didn't make it to the after party as I was getting sick, but I heard mixed reviews about it. I had a great time all weekend even though I was really tired by the end of the weekend.

Wine and Dine 10k Recap

The next day I was up silly early to get out for the 10k. I ended up spending the day after the 5k at Universal Studios and Halloween Horror Nights. I took the bus over to Epcot to do the 10k. I'm familiar with this course from Marathon Weekend and Princess Half Marathon Weekend. There were some photo ops with characters before and after the race, but I decided to wait until after the race to partake.

Distance:
10k

Start Time:
5:30 AM

Price:
$120
$330 for Lumiere's Two Course Challenge

Organization:
Organization was wonderful as expected. Bag check was really quick and easy before and after the run.

Course:

The course starts and ends in Epcot. This is the same course that is used for other 10ks here in Disney World.

Starting Line

After you start, you head out onto the highway before entering into the World Showcase. You exit and head to the boardwalk, running past the BoardWalk Inn, the Yacht Club, and the Beach Club.

You re-enter into Epcot and exit into the parking lot.

Finish Line

The course isn't the best in the first couple of miles. The rest of the course is great.

Swag:
Every participant gets a long-sleeve tech shirt and a participant medal.

Would I recommend this race?
Like all other Disney races of course I would recommend this race.