The Running Obstetrician

SANTA'S RUN 5K 2015

December 6, 2015, GLASTONBURY, CT.

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     Yet another great chance to get to run with my kids. And yet another chance to be proud of my little ones for getting out there and giving it their all. This was Cassie's second 5K race, and this was Kyle's very first 5K ever. They both were pretty excited (especially after our last failed attempt to get into a 5K race!), but Kyle was super pumped for his first 5K. And man, you couldn't have asked for better weather. I think it was 52 degrees at race start - pretty awesome for a December weekend in Connecticut.

     The run itself is actually 3.5 miles, so a little bit more than a 5K. Kyle had been doing pretty well with the one mile runs around the house - beating his older sister by thirty seconds or so, and he seemed confident that he could run this longer distance, something he had never done before. So we got up early, grabbed some silly hats, and made our way down to the High School to pick up our race numbers.

     The race sort of begins and ends in the gym at the High School where they have the before-race registration / bib number pickup and after-race awards.We ran into some the kids' friends and parents, and got to check out a lot of the cool wintry stuff going on before the race. There were LOTS of really good costumes this year. Check out the Hartford Courant's photo coverage for more picks.

     As we got closer to the start of the race, we made our way outside to warm up a little and to stretch. The kids were getting even more excited to get started, and man, was the weather nice. As we made our way over to the start, it really felt like half the town was out to run. According to the bib numbers, there were well over 1100 kids and adults registered. We got into the line up and had time for a nice selfie:

     And a few seconds later we were off. The kids did pretty good with the first 0.5 miles straight down hill and even were hanging in there until just after the first mile. We took a little breather a few times after that, and pretty soon the kids were not so fond of the hills. They weren't too steep, but steep enough to teach the young runner how it's different running up hills than on the flat. As we made it past the two mile marker, we could feel that the end was in sight.

     Soon there was a water station - kids just love water stations and throwing the paper cups on the ground. We came across some of Cassie's friends with about one mile left. She was happy to join up with them and meet us at the finish line. With his sister chatting and lagging behind, Kyle was ready to make a bolt for the finish line, and show up his big sister.

     The race starts and ends at the High School, so that nice 0.5 miles straight down hill ends up being a nice 0.5 mile straight up hill finish. Kyle did a great job powering through this, and managed to pass several runners up the hill to the finish. He was getting some great cheers as he kicked it in high gear for a great sprint to the finish. We found ourselves a great vantage point, and soon were able to get a shot of Cassie leading her team of friends in her own sprint across the finish line.

     The little guy made a great run at it for his first 5K plus race. Cassie did a great job, and they had a lot of fun. We celebrated the victory with some sandwiches at Subway, and made our way home to continue the Christmas spirit by setting up the tree and decorations. Looks like we might have a new tradition on our hands - especially if we are going to have weather like this!

CMM - The Running Obstetrician, December 2015