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| Jolly Elf Trail Run 5K Course |
After running this race in 2009 I swore I wouldn’t do it again. Of course you’ll note I said that about the Free to Breathe 5K, which I did this year too, but I was serious about this one. However I didn’t have a choice. If I wanted to compete in the series I’d have to run it, since I was out of town for 2 of the 8 races and you need to run 6. I ran a practice run of the course a few months before so I could get familiar with the course again. And…I got lost on the first attempt, despite having a map with me. So since I had time and wanted to run farther I did a second attempt and did better but still wasn’t sure I had run it correctly.
To clarify, it’s not that I dislike the Jolly Elf course, I do like it and do like trail running. It’s trail racing, especially a race where speed is important, like a 5K, that I am not comfortable with. But since I had to do it, I figured I’d embrace it and make it fun. Since this was another holiday race, I figured I’d dress up in my Santa hat again or maybe I’d try a Christmas tree, using a tree skirt and a green shirt with maybe some real Christmas lights. I checked out the stock in Target and all the tree skirts were too heavy and long and since I only do dressing up when the running is not impacted, that idea was out. Plan B then was to do a elf theme, since it is the Jolly Elf afterall. I was also doing some Christmas shopping so was passing by the girls department when I saw it…the perfect red tulle skirt with a sparkly silver waistband. This would be the inspiration for my costume. Of course it would only work as a tutu over my running shorts and I had to try it on to see if the waistband would fit. I then found a green tank top and battery operated Christmas lights to add to the skirt. I tried on the outfit and the skirt was a bit tight but another store had it in a larger size and they were still open so I was off to Target number 2. I picked up the skirt and thought I’d check there for an elf hat, as they didn’t have one at the previous Target. I was excited to find the perfect elf hat, with ears and all for under $5. And to finish off the costume, as if it was fate, were the perfect red and green stripped, white fur trimmed knee socks, sitting right there by the cash registers! An elf was born!
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| Ready to run! |
As the race got closer it became clear that while it wouldn’t be as freezing cold (28 degrees!) as 2009, it was going to be too chilly for a tank top. On race morning, I tried some other options but felt I needed the green tank to complete the outfit, so eventually decided on a black cap sleeve Underarmor shirt to wear under the tank. It turned out this was perfect since I was then able to pin the Christmas lights to the tank with the safety pins on the inside of the tank and still had the other shirt under it so the pins couldn’t be felt. I added the tutu over some short bike shorts, the elf hat, awesome elf socks (over my Zensah socks) and a few bells on my shoes and wrist. The battery pack for the lights fit nicely into the zippered back pocket of my shorts. I was good to go! Keith got up to snap a few pics including one with me and Jangle Bell, our Elf on the Shelf elf. Owen was up just in time to see me before I left, but Grace was still snoozing when I headed out.
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| Posing with Jangle Bell, our Elf on the Shelf |
The race start was at 8:30, or so I thought, so I got up early. But then before leaving I realized the 5K was actually at 9. Still I knew parking could be a challenge so I wanted to get there pretty early. Just like last time, I missed getting a spot in the lot by the registration desk by one car. So I parked in the overflow lot, just like last time. But since it wasn’t as cold, it didn’t seem as far to walk to get my bib and t-shirt as well as over to the start to get my chip. I saw several running friends along the way. Louise was there and Rusty, Rodney, Rusty’s son and Rodney’s brother and another friend were there, getting their elf stuff on.
I brought my stuff back to the car and ran to the bathrooms a few times, thankful that there was really no line in the ones near the boat house (shhhh don’t tell anyone for next year!). I warmed up a little and at the start saw Debra and Jeff and several other running friends. This time I knew what to expect at the start, a big line across the field as there is no starting mat to get a starting chip time and a mad dash across the field to try to reach the turn off to the trail as fast as possible so you don’t get stuck behind other runners. It was pretty muddy but at least it was warmer so the mud wasn’t frozen over like last time. And at least I had on shorts and not tights that didn’t have a drawstring like last time, so I wasn’t spending the first 5 minutes of the race pulling up my pants!
Prior to the start, the race director, gave a very detailed account of the course but the sound system made it challenging to hear. And the funny part was at the end he was like, “well just follow the guy in front of you.” Or maybe I just imagined he said that because a few of us were joking while he was describing the course that this was our plan anyway, to just follow the guy in front of us, really only that first guy needed the course debrief. Still I was glad I had practiced the course so was familiar with it this time.
As the gun went off (which actually I can’t say for any of the races I really remember how the start went, if it was an actual gun, a horn, or someone just saying “ready, set, go”), I made sure to take off pretty fast to get out there before the left turn and then right turn onto the trail. Since I knew however that this wouldn’t be a PR and wouldn’t even likely be a sub 20, I wanted to just focus on keeping a pretty steady reasonable pace after ensuring I wasn’t blocked in. As I did this, I noticed that another woman, Meghan, was pretty close to me and passed me as we turned onto the paved trail about .3 miles or so into the race. But instead of focusing on passing anyone I wanted to ensure I didn’t go out too fast too soon, so I kept a steady pace. The course makes a right turn and then goes onto an unpaved path for a bit, then around the baseball fields and turns right again back again through a parking lot and past the original starting area. It was at this point that I hit a bit of a bottle neck due to some high school kids who started out fast starting to slow down. This is around the 1 mile mark. I couldn’t quite get around them and they were spread a few across and chatting as they ran. Finally they noticed a friend of theirs had dropped from their group so they agreed to slow to wait for her and I was able to get past them. I passed a few more of them before entering the woods again.
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| Trying to weave around the high school runners around the 1 mile point |
This part of the course is more like a real trail. It isn’t quite single track but it’s more challenging than a typical fire road would be. This is a pretty fun part of the course and it felt like going for a nice run in the woods because by this point the runners had started to spread out. I felt really good and had really not been looking at the overall time and distance, only the pace. I passed Meghan around this point, which I believed meant I was second female overall, with Erin Dillon way out in front. I kept going at a good even pace through the trail and slowed a bit but not too much as I went up the railroad tie/steps area. The trail winds through a nice wooded area here. I started to catch up to and pass a guy who looked like he was in pretty good shape but he did not look like a true “runner” given the clothes he was wearing. He asked me how fast I was planning to run the race and I told him usually I’d aim for sub 20 but maybe not for this as it was on the trail. He seemed a bit surprised and said something like he had not run in 3 years and that it must be nice to be in shape. I am sure being passed by a girl (ok a 41 yr old “girl”), who was fully decked out in an elf costume with working Christmas lights was not something he had expected. He tried to stay with me for a bit but eventually fell back.
As I exited the wooded area and back onto the paved trail I saw Winston, a 14 yr old young man who I see at lots of local races who runs around the same pace as I do. He was keeping a great pace. He asked what pace we were going and I said around 6:30 or so. Around this point we reached the 2 mile mark and honestly I was shocked. I often get to 2 miles and feel “oh my god we are only at 2 miles!” so this is probably the first time I felt “oh my god how did we get to 2 miles already!”. I felt great and was very happy that was the case. Winston fell back a little bit just after the 2 mile mark. Not sure if he ever would find this blog but I truly believe he is much faster than he thinks. I can tell by they way he is running that he definitely has more speed and energy in him but sometimes I think he doesn’t know it and he slows down in the last mile or mile and a half.
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| Sprinting to the finish |
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| Results posted at the race |
I was able to keep the pace and even increase it in the last mile a bit. As we passed the baseball fields for the second time, knew the finish was very close and I was still feeling strong. I turned off into the wooded area and through to the open field to the finish line. I even passed a guy or two in the home stretch and as I neared the finish I saw to my surprise that the clock was still under 20 minutes so I sprinted to beat 20. I finished in a chip time of 19:41! This was likely due to the course, at least according to my Garmin (and everyone elses), being a bit short. The race this time was WAY better, both in time and in experience, than in 2009. And while it was a bit chilly, it was not bitterly cold so I was comfortable staying in my elf costume, with only an extra fleece jacket added on top.
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| Post race |
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| Me, Rodney, Rusty's son and Rusty in our elf attire |
I hung around for the awards while chatting with friends, taking some pictures and enjoying some hot cocoa. David from the IOS Wine Run was there and Sarah had run the 5K with Mia, who did a great job! When award time came, I picked my ornament from the pile and since I was second overall female I also got a pink water bottle and belt. Since I have a water belt already, I wouldn’t ever use this prize and wished I had gotten the third place award of some nice gloves instead. But I figured Grace would like the water bottle for hiking, which she did, so I didn’t attempt to trade it in. I originally picked a dark bluish/black ornament but when I went back up to get an ornament for Linda who had to leave before the awards, I saw a Ho Ho Ho Run Run Run ornament so I got one for her and exchanged my other one for one of those too. In the end they forgot to announce the winners of the most festive costume, but one of the race organizers told me on the way out that I was one of them so that was cool. No prize for that I guess, but he did give me a dozen cinnamon donuts to take home!
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| Race bling |
The Jolly Elf trail run was a great end to a great fall race series. I finished 3rd female overall (link to results http://results.active.com/pages/page.jsp?eventID=1988749). The series was a lot of fun but I was glad it was over so I could move on from the 5Ks to the longer distances again and to focus on training for the Umstead marathon, which I decided to enter just after Thanksgiving. Not sure if I’ll do any other races before Umstead on March 3rd, likely not but I may. For now, I am looking forward to the Second Empire awards luncheon on February 4th. I’ll see all you Second Empire Series winners there! Congrats to you all, it was great racing with you.
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