the virgin 12

Yes, yes, on Sunday I ran the virgin 12 KM! It was my first time going that distance. It was a long, slow run with walk breaks, so we ran the 12 KM in 1hr 27mins. Here are a few observations from the event:

- 12KM was not as tough as the first time I did 10KM. Apparently once you get to the 10KM mark, everything else isn't as difficult. I'll let you know if this trend continues.

- Running hills during an actual run is not nearly as bad as hill training. I think I should quit hill training. Seriously, in what race will I ever need to run up and down 9 consecutive hills? Not one that I'll ever register for, I can tell you that! Erin, there's no hills in Disney, eah? :)

- Frozen snot sucks. Period.

- You know you're in for a good run when the instructor warns you at the start to periodically check each other's faces for white spots in case frost bite sets in. Nice.

- I need more than just ankle socks now. The little bit of skin that was exposed between my long johns and ankle socks, even though my pants were still covering it, was freezing!

- I really want these pants. They have a panel in the front to protect against wind and rain and snow and apparently they are super warm.

- I tried Mel's idea of using a bandana to cover my face to keep it warm, and it sort of worked. It got me over the first 10 minutes or so before I was fully warmed up, but what I did notice is the bandana froze where I had been breathing on it. So that kinda sucked having a frozen bandana to contend with. I guess this is why a technical fabric would probably work better for the face. And Mel, they do make these lovely neck warmers just for this purpose. A lot of running folks wear them, or the alternative balaclava.

- Note to self: the water in the water bottle you're wearing will freeze when it's freezing outside, unless of course you tuck it under your jacket against your body rather than wear it on the outside, or put vodka in it. I'm leaning towards trying the latter on my next run ;)