santa shuffle

You guys!! Today was awesome. I mean I kind of had a feeling it was going to be awesome, but then it was even more awesome then I was anticipating. My life is pretty great and I have some very special people in it. I am so incredibly lucky.

My sweet cousin/dear friend Kim, who I did my last race with was planning on running in the Santa Shuffle, so I decided to join her. Then I convinced my SIL, KK, to join me as well. Then Abby got a hold of the idea and decided she'd like to try the 1K, but not by herself,  a quick phone call to ML remedied that problem and ML was joining us too.



Don't you love the snow? It actually ended up being a beautiful day for a run, but it was a little slippy getting out of the parking lot. Oh and guess who forget she had vents in the bottoms of her running shoes until she ran through the slush and soaked her feet... yep, this chick.



If you know ML, you know she never does anything by little bits. A quick trip to the dollar store had them outfitted in Elf appropriate garb. Oh and she made them a play list full of One Direction and Christmas music. She's a keeper that one!



This race was pretty low key compared to the other two races I've been in. So low key, that I actually missed the start of the Elf Walk, even though I was standing right there, hopping around trying to warm up. I didn't miss the finish though. ML & Abby crossed the line 4th & 5th.



And got the medals to prove it!



This little chick was a great cheerleader, but she was also pretty pissed at me. It never occurred to me that she would want to walk in the 1k, so I told her a little fib and said she need to be 7 to participate. You know what happened next, right? The kid that crossed the finish line third was about 3 and yes, Maya noticed. Oops. I made it up to her, by letting her have the Lindt advent calendar that came in my race package. I may have shed a little tear over that one.

Then it was our turn. This was KK's first race. She runs her 5k a couple minutes faster than me on a normal, so I told her not to let me hold her up, the same as Kim had told me. We all started together, but then KK was gone like a shot. I ran half the race looking at her back, but then she turned it on and I didn't see her again until the finish line.... and she was so nervous about it. She's a total rockstar that one!



She finished 10 minutes faster than her best time! Ten! So proud of that chick!!



When I rounded that last corner.... oh my. There they were... my family, at the finish line, cheering me on. I don't know that I will ever not be emotional at that moment. There is nobody in the world richer then me right then and I know. I so know it.

This wasn't a chipped race, but they did have a guy at the finish line telling you your time as you crossed the line. I crossed the finish line and headed towards my peeps and the guy said 38:14. I may have stopped turned and screeched at him... WHAT?! Then I turned back to Mike and said, did he just say 38?! He did! Holy shit. My previous best time was 43:59. I beat my best time by 5 minutes! I still can't believe it.



Then it was time for medals and another picture or two because, wow, we all accomplished something really special!