I love running community races. I love the feeling of them and the sense of togetherness is something you won't find anywhere else. In this case, the young man who put on the race did it for a big reason. His father was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma, and he holds this run to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. When I see a kid who's in high school doing something like that - I want to be a part of it. Josh not only put on a fantastic race, but he was also really personable and organized throughout the entire event. I give him a lot of credit & I hope to make the run an annual thing.
Here's Josh holding down the fort
It was cold (obviously) and I apologize for not getting my traditional "car dash thermometer" shot. It was in the 20's, though & there was actually a bit of snow that fell during this one. I can't really complain because I didn't exactly hate ice cold snowflakes landing & melting on my sweaty cheeks :)
I must admit the scenery looked very pretty with the fresh snow on the trees. And it kills me to admit that because I really, really dislike snow.
No clue how I managed to look this chipper in this photo, but I don't hate it! You can see that once again I was wearing my Cool-Cat Pro to keep my neck (and occasionally my nose/mouth) warm & protected when the wind picked up. This race was also the perfect opportunity to try out my new TrailHeads Goodbye Girl Ponytail Headband.
If you've never seen TrailHeads before or heard of them, they're great for girls like me who want to wear an earband without their ponytail on top of their head. It might seem high maintenance, but with the way my hair is layered, high ponytails flip around all over the place and cause me more annoyance than anything. TrailHeads make both these headbands and "ponytail hats" which cover your entire head instead of just your ears. The ponytail headband I wore is only $20.00 through the TrailHeads website & it's definitely something I'd recommend if you run outdoors during the winter months. 
And this is my "pensive runner" impression
I came in about fifteen seconds later than I would have liked to, but I ended up placing 6th in my age group (20-29) & 80th overall (out of 238 finishers). Could I have been better? Yeah. But for the third race of 2013, I'm feeling pretty good about where I am.
And don't ask me how, but my boyfriend managed to avoid every camera on the route. He did the same thing in the Freaky 5k last year, too. Maybe he's a vampire.
Big thanks to Josh for putting together an amazing race & for his dedication to the cause. Being able to donate $12,000 to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is an amazing accomplishment & I am very happy to say that I was a part of that.
Keep Running,
Kelli
