This was another productive week in my fitness journey. I got back on track after a big weight fluctuation upward plus I completed another race with another personal record.
Hot Chocolate 5k
Today was the Allstate Hot Chocolate run in Columbus supporting Make A Wish. I joined over 10,000 others to run either the 5k or 15k race. I ran the 5k.
It all started on Friday with the race expo at the Columbus Convention Center. I picked up my packet, my bib and all of my race swag. Plus I ended up getting a ton of chocolate handed to me at the expo. That was concerning because it would be very easy to consume as many calories as I burn.
On Saturday I chose not to take a rest day but I did take it a little easy. Just like the Columbus Marathon I decided just to go for a long race day eve walk. I took a walk through downtown Columbus and back along the Scioto Trail. It was a reasonably cool but not cold morning so it was a nice day to be out. I ended up doing more than 6 miles.
Race Day!
After going to bed early last night and not sleeping very well my 5a alarm came VERY early this morning. But I got up and got dressed and headed downstairs to eat some breakfast. My pre-race breakfast included peanut butter toast drizzled with a little honey with a glass of water and a cup of coffee. Then I got all of my gear on and walked out the door.
I headed downtown around 6a. I parked at the same meter as I did for the Columbus Marathon and walked about a mile to the starting line. I hung out there with the other runners for about an hour in the cold. It wasn’t as cold as marathon morning but it was chilly this morning. Fortunately I have gotten pretty good at dressing for cold runs. This got even easier since part of the swag for the Hot Chocolate run is a nice running jacket.
At about 7:33 corral B (where I was) crossed the starting line and we were off. The 5k course snaked through the very familiar streets of downtown Columbus and into the Short North. The course covered many places that are common walking and running routes for me I just haven’t done it in this particular route.
One thing I discovered is that the course seemed to be uphill the whole way… that’s not cool!
The run felt good. My music was finding all the right songs and kept me pretty loose and comfortable. The crowd was good but not overly dense so there was plenty of space to speed up and slow down. I started running with the 9:30 pacer but ended up speeding up a little bit and losing him.
Finish Line
I started seeing signs counting down to the finish line so I kicked it into high gear. I went into a full-on sprint for the last 300 meters. I crossed the finish line at the 29 minute and 52 second mark though I forgot to stop my fitness tracker until a minute later which skewed my time a bit.
I had planned to set a personal record of a 9:45 pace which was a bit faster than the 9:49 pace I ran at Oktoberfest. I did much better than that and achieved a solid personal record. My final official time was 9:37! I finished in the top 25% for my age group and the top 15% overall!
My Major Award
For the Hot Chocolate 5k there are no medals, they are reserved for the 15k. But there is a major award. Finishers get the official “finishers mug” filled with chocolate.
The finishers mug includes hot chocolate (of course), chocolate fondue, marshmallows, a Rice Krispies treat and pretzels. So plenty of things to dip in the fondue to enjoy it. The trick is to eat it very quickly before the cold turns it into a chocolate brick. The good news is that was NOT a problem!
Calorie Burn: Not Quite
As I have gotten more and more fit my body has become way more efficient. As a result a 5k means that I only burn around 500-550 calories. That’s not a ton of calorie burn particularly when compared to Saturday’s walk that burned over 1000 calories. But it is still an ok addition to my daily calorie burn.
The challenge with the Hot Chocolate race is that the finishers mug full of chocolate and snacks isn’t low calorie by any means. The mug totals over 400 calories.
So, doing the math, I only burned a net of about 100 calories. Then I tagged on another 200ish calories walking to and from the race. But that is still more calories burned than anybody lounging on the couch!
More Races Ahead
Today’s race is not my last one of the year. I am scheduled to run the Jingle Bell Run on December first – that may be pretty cold. Plus I am considering signing up for something on thanksgiving morning but haven’t done so yet. But that will wrap up race season.
With 1-2 more races ahead of me I am hoping to improve my time even more. Then my training will begin for my next half marathon, the Cap City Half Marathon in April. I will also be signing up for some early spring 5k races and maybe a 10k in there!
I guess I am a runner and an athlete now and getting better every day!
Last week’s stats (11/5-11/11):
Distance walked/run: 35.75 miles (+5.58 vs. LY)
Total calories burnt: 23,092 (-3,300 vs. LY)
Total calories consumed: 16,085 (+2,309 vs. LY)
Net calories this week: -7,007 (+5,609vs. LY)
Weight change (week avg.): 3.9 pounds GAINED (+4.3 vs LY)
