Becoming a Hot Chocolate Legacy!

I ran the Hot Chocolate 5k as part of being a BibRave Pro. Check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews.

Saturday morning was frigid, the perfect kind of weather for a Hot Chocolate Race! I parked at NASCAR, as always, because we were meeting up nearby post-race and I wanted a short walk when I was done. I am so bummed that it was so light out when I emerged from the parking garage because that building was so beautiful in the dark! The rainbow was so vibrant!

I walked the 3/4 mile to the race village and met up with my friends. I am so blessed that so many of them were at the village so early. My race started 30 minutes before theirs! I goty a pic with all of my fellow Pros as well as part of my running club. There was a second club pic after I started my race, with easily three times as many runners!

I had to get a pic of this sign! 

Did I mention it was frigid? Poor Lissa came over to see us off, and was not happy. She hates the cold and she was ready to run!

I used one of the many potties without having to wait and then went to look for my friends. I was not optimistic.

I managed to find 2 out of the 3 of them! I never found my friend Anna, but I found Cary and Nikki and we got the obligatory pre-race selfies, including one very fun photo bomber!

After about 9 minutes, our corral made it to the start and we were off! 

There were a lot of people doing the 5k, and it was crowded pretty much the whole time. Cary took off ahead of us and we didn't see her again until after the race. Nikki and I stuck together the whole time, passing each other on the hills because I would run up them and walk down, and she did the opposite. We are both recovering from injury and did what worked best for us

I was bummed to be turning, but so grateful to be running at all. I am a bundle of constantly conflicting emotions!

At the water stop we got some chocolate! I almost missed the table, but luckily the volunteers were calling out to us and I wasn't about to miss on course candy!

The scenery was beautiful. We ran through neighborhoods and through town, and the policer had traffic under control. I never once felt unsafe. 

My favorite part is when we circle back into the city. I love this view.

Once we got closer to the finish, they had these fun signs out for motivation. I always love reading them, it is a nice distraction! That race is hilly y'all, like all Charlotte races, and my legs were toast. 

Once I crossed the finish, I got my bottled water and my bling, but honestly I just wanted the chocolate. I found Nikki, and we headed over to the chocolate booth, where we also found Cary. We got our steaming Hot Cocoa and our melted chocolate with dippers. This year, the container was compostable, and they had volunteers manning the garbage area so that everything compostable went into one bin, and garbage and recycling went into other bins. It was fantastic!

Once we got our fill of goodies, it was time for post race photos. They had a few options but we went for the blow up candy bar before the girls had to dash off. I was staying to spectate the 15k finishers. 

I walked back to the finish and watched all of my fellow Pros and most of my running club finish the 15k. The announcer was hysterical and motivated all of the runners. He was a joy to listen to, and I was there fort an hour! I stayed until it was time to leave for our brunch meetup. 

Off to Amelie's we went. They have 6 locations, 5 are in the Charlotte area, and one of them is right near the convention center. Their pastries are delectable and they make delicious sandwiches as well. 

Definitely one of my favorite ways to end a race day! We had so much fun, and it was a great way to get warmed up!

I really enjoyed earning my 3 year Legacy, which didn't feel real until I finished the race! I look forward to returning next year, and I plan to be healthy and ready for the 15k course once more! 

Want to hear about the 15K? Check out my friend's review:

Christine at Fit Newton

You can also read about the expo and 15K, complete with multiple pics of me here:

Lissa, at RunNerdGirl, who is my running bestie

Have you ever run a Hot Chocolate Race? Which location? (I've run Philly, Atlanta, and Charlotte)

Expo Day at the Hot Chocolate 15k

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

Okay, so I did register for the 15K, but I had to bump down to the 5k when I was diagnosed with Arthritis in my knee last month. I had to take off some crucial time from running and I just couldn't train properly for a 15K.

Lissa (RunNerdGirl) and I met up for brunch before our annual trip to the expo. This is our third year going together, and it's become a tradition! This year we got smart and carpooled! 

As always, I parked at NASCAR, since the rates are good and you can stay indoors to walk to the expo. The buildings are connected. Score!

Under the arch we went, and right to get our bibs. I've been singing their method's praises since I first ran their Philly race in 2014 or so. You walk up to any available volunteer at the pickup table and they scan your QR code. A printer will print out a label which goes on the next available bib. AND YOU'RE DONE!

Next stop is the Legacy table, if you're running your 3rd, 5th, or 10th consecutive year. We were both running our 3rd year so we went to the table, but my bib didn't say Legacy! GASP!

A quick trip, like lightening quick y'all, to the Solutions desk and In was fixed. When I bumped myself down, the computer dropped my Legacy Status, which was quickly fixed.

The light effect was cool until we took a pic! Next we picked up our jackets, which obviously requires selfies and another photo opp.

Okay. Time to get serious. Serious about treats!

Afterwards, we dropped our swag off at the car and walked a mile-ish around the area for our streak challenges. One of them requires outside miles, so we wanted to get that mile done!

I am looking forward to race day. We saw so many friends at the expo, and we will see even more tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to seeing everyone and running some miles with a few, followed by brunch with my fellow Pros. Be on the lookout for some serious orange photos tomorrow. 

Oh, and her is a close up of the legacy swag. The bonus bling even has a little stand attached to the back! This baby may just go on my desk!

Have you ever run a Hot Chocolate race?

Wordless Wednesday

Progress Not Perfection

A friend of mine posted something on Facebook today that kind of slapped me in the face:

Those who see me every day or every week know my struggles for the last four months but If you saw me walking around today you’d never know I suffer from osteoarthritis. I don’t limp anymore, I’m somewhat active, and I’m working hard to get back to where I was in October.

It takes an average of 3 years, and 5 doctors, for a person to get a proper diagnosis of an autoimmune disease. I just wish more people understood what an autoimmune disease is. It is not a cold or the flu, you may never get better, and even a nap will not help. Just eating a salad and hitting the gym won’t slim your face or get the pounds off. At the other end...eating well & exercise won't help to gain weight or build muscle back; Sleeping 10 hours doesn’t leave you well rested, ever! Achy joints and bones, dry skin, breaking hair, mood swings, and depression are just the tip of the iceberg. You are also prone to having multiple autoimmune diseases.

Please, in honor of someone who is fighting Lyme Disease, Osteoarthritis, Neuropathy, Sjogren's, Scleroderma, Hashimoto Disease, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Sarcoidosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hepatitis, Raynauld's Syndrome, Celiac, Crohn’s, Thyroid Diseases, Scoliosis, Spinal Stenosis, Degenerative Bone, (Osteoporosis) Ulcerative Colitis, Pemphigus, SPS, MS, PBC, Psoriatic Arthritis, POTS or CIDP, copy and paste to your page and reply "DONE" on mine.

The first paragraph is mine, the rest is what she had posted. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I have an autoimmune disease. I have been so focused on getting back on track that I haven’t really faced what knocked me off of the track in the first place.

I have an autoimmune disease.

It got  me thinking, though. I have come so far since that awful day in November that started this whole disaster. Today I am going to focus on my progress, and forgive the imperfections.

When I turned in for the night tonight, it was rough going up the stairs. It’s always harder at the end of the day, and honestly, I avoid the stairs all day if I can. When I first injured my knee, I had to scoot up the stairs on my butt. I’ll take the struggle over the scoot any day.

Last weekend I finished a 10k. I could only run the first half of it, and I walked the rest. Four months ago I wasn’t allowed to walk around the house without crutches.

On Valentine’s Day, the hubs planned a whole night around the same basic neighborhood in Charlotte. We parked the car and walked all around that area all night. It was a lot of walking, and I was wearing heeled boots. Remember those crutches?

I’m a running coach, and in the past I’ve coached from a bike when I was injured. For the first two months I couldn’t even do that. Yesterday I rode 8 miles while my group ran.

I’m a yoga teacher. When I first injured myself I couldn’t demonstrate a lot of poses. I still have really crappy balance, but now I can at least demonstrate the pose, even if I can’t hold it as long as I’d like.

I love me some carbs. This is not a secret. One doesn’t run as much as I do and stay chubby on a clean diet. I have been focusing on eating an anti-inflammatory diet to help with my osteoarthritis. Did I have ice cream cake for dessert tonight? Yes I did. But everything I ate all day was super healthy and carb free.

Progress. Not perfection. I’m getting there.

My current goal is to be able to complete a half marathon this July. It’s called the Scream and it’s a mostly downhill race on mostly dirt road. I will start that race and I will finish that race.

Tonight I joined a StepBet challenge for the first time in months. I am finally in a place where I can walk 8-10,000 steps a day without having a swollen knee at the end of it.

Progress. Not perfection.

It really is the little things, and those little things are going to get me back on track, and they will help me learn to work with my osteoarthritis. Please notice that I didn’t say that I would beat it. This disease is forever. I just have to learn to work through it.

Happy Valentine’s Day