ChristmasTown 5k

 Last night I finally got to participate in the ChristmasTown 5k in McAdenville NC. Y’all. This race takes place in the most amazing town I’ve ever been in. Practically the whole town lights up for the Christmas season and the race brings you through 3 miles of it!

I took a ton of pictures, and I still missed a lot of it. My head was swiveling back and forth the whole time, and I expected to wake up with a neck ache today!

I walked the whole thing with my friend Kristin, and we had so much fun! The pics didn’t download in order, but I don’t think it matters. 

The crowds were amazing, so many homeowners hung out in front of their beautiful homes and cheered us on. I’ve never done a race like it!

I finally found my friend Amy on the bus line, we ran into each other before the race as well. More about the bus later. 

Before the race. Oh, and Look! A sign about the shuttles. It lied. They had a sign for the post race shuttle and we got on it. And we waited. And waited. Only to find that the bus was picking up in a different spot! 

Kristin! 

The front runners. They were so speedy quick and the hills were insane.

This was a photo opp in someone’s yard, but the line was so long that we skipped it. 

The sign says that the lights on this tree are Red, White, and Blue to honor our soldiers! 

Finish line!

One sad little stretch was businesses, and all they had was this sad little tree. It was our Charlie Brown moment. For our Disney friends, we called it Osceola Parkway.

This couple was a Christmas Tree and a lumberjack! So creative!

Ok, so I have no complaints about the race. They had a super convenient parking lot about a mile away that you could park in and take a shuttle to the race. The shuttle dropped us off just beyond the finish line. We would have gone right back there but we saw a bunch of signs and we followed them. Turns out that they were wrong and we ended up on a very long line for the actual shuttle. We did manage to get on the next shuttle to come along, about 20 minutes or so later. Once at the lot, I got out right away, so not the end of the world. They just need better signs next time! 

I am definitely going back next year! Amazing!

Have you ever done a Christmas themed race?

Fiction Friday

 How is everyone doing on their reading goals? I met my goal of 150 books and I raised it to 170. 

For the first time all year I am behind, but I have a lot of cozy mysteries in my December TBR so I think I will catch up. 

I may have brought Coraline to EPCOT. Whenever the hubs was on line for some yummies, I read the book. I finished it in Monaco.

I’m working on Goblet of Fire currently. It’s a re-read, probably my 4th read through? I’m not sure.

I just finished this one for Love Books Tours. My review is on my bookstagram (@BarkingMadAboutReading).

My other current read. I’m reading about 20 pages a day for my Losers Club on Litsy. We are reading through all of his books in order. 

Here is my TBR for December. What are you reading next?

Millbridge Turkey Trot

 The last few years I have run the Millbridge Turkey Trot. It’s a small four mile race in the neighborhood connected to mine. Since I’m still recovering from my injury, I decided to walk it this year. It’s the furthest I’ve walked since my strained tendon diagnosis.

The walk itself wasn’t terrible. I turned on a couple of Peloton Turkey Trot workouts and they were fun with great music. It definitely made the time go by. My arch stated to hurt at about the 1.5 mile mark, but it never became so bad that I wanted to stop. 

It was super frigid, 32 degrees at the start, but I did manage to work up a little sweat. There was no table left with water when I finished, which was disappointing, especially since I asked about time limits and I was told two hours. I finished in under 1:15 so there should have been a table there. I was not last. 

It was fun, though, and I’m choosing to be grateful for it.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Back to Atlanta for the Hot Chocolate 5k

 I received entry into the Hot Chocolate 15k as part of being a BibRave Pro (ambassador). Check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews.

I think I ran my first Hot Chocolate race in 2014. I know for sure it was in Philadelphia. I brought my daughter, who has dimly ever done a 5k, and she kicked my butt at the 15k. It was annoying. But there was chocolate. 

We did it two years in a row and then I moved south. I planned to go back, but in 2016, I skipped it. In 2017, they started hosting a race in Charlotte and I’ve never missed one yet! 2022 in Charlotte is the same weekend as the Charleston Half (I’m doing the 5k) so I’ll be heading to Atlanta.

If you follow along you may be surprised. Almost 4 years ago, Lissa (RunNerdGirl) and I almost froze to death in Atlanta at the Hot Chocolate race and I vowed to never go back!

I guess I should never say never. 

I initially signed up for the 15k, but I’ll be dropping down to the 5k, since I can’t even manage a 10k these days! It will be the yummiest 5k ever!

Join me!

Use HC21 and get a free Buff at the expo! 

Honor Run Virtual 5k

 I received entry into the Honor Run Virtual Half Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro (Ambassador). Check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews.

Yes, you read that right. I registered for the virtual half marathon, but was only able to walk a 5k. Not being able to do more than that has been hard on my heart and soul lately, but I am coming to terms with it a little at a time. 

I was able to walk the 5k, though, and saw some beautiful sights, so it wasn’t a total loss! Knight Stadium in Charlotte started decorating for Christmas, and I spectated the half and full after walking my 5k, so it was a great day overall! 

Seriously, if you can’t run a race, I highly suggest spectating. It’s amazing to watch, and they really appreciate seeing you there! 

I don’t have any swag pics yet, so keep an eye on my Insta next week, and I’ll post once I have it. Here are some pics from my day, though!