Mom in the Mtns

It’s no surprise that I love winter running better than summer running.  There’s no humidity, I don’t get dizzy or nauseous during/after my runs, and I don’t have to be drenched in sweat after I’m done running!  So I am probably one of the few people that looks forward to winter races because they’re so much fun!  This year I’ve got a few races on the schedule:

11/28:  Flippin’ Fun Turkey Run 5k in Reading, PA.  This is a new Thanksgiving Day race, but I was excited to sign up for it because it takes place on some pretty trails in Wyomissing where my mom and I like to go for walks whenever I’m home.  Plus, the shirt looks like it’s going to be really cute, and you know you need a cute race shirt if you’re paying to run on a holiday!  I ran my first Thanksgiving Day race last year and it was a blast – lots of families celebrating the holiday together by burning off as many calories as possible before eating turkey!  If there’s a Thanksgiving Day run in your area you should sign up!

12/7:  The Ugly Sweater Run in Philadelphia, PA.  My sister-in-law signed up to do this race with me (it’s a “fun run” 5k that has hot chocolate at the water stations and 2 free beers for every finisher, so we were both down!) but to my surprise my husband signed up for this as well!  He liked the fact that the race isn’t timed so he has no pressure going into this race.  Plus, the beer  🙂  And the fact that we all get to wear the ugliest sweaters we can find!  The course is in Fairmount Park and will be decorated with blow up Christmas decorations and even some fake snow!  While I technically can’t call this a “race” I am beyond obsessed with Christmas so I know I’m going to have an awesome time!

12/29:  Kris Kringle 5 Miler in Reading, PA.  I did this race last year and have some pretty awesome memories even though I ran sooooo slow and pretend my race results don’t exist.  The course takes place partly on road, partly in a field, and mostly on the Union Canal path.  It snowed the day before the race last year, so this trail was suuuuuper slippery and caused me to go really slowly when we weren’t on the plowed roads.  People kept slipping and falling which mentally freaked me out while running on the canal path, but the views were really pretty!  If the conditions are better this year I should be all set to shave 10 minutes off my finishing time from last year, that’s how slow I had to go!

After the finish last year!  The Hex Sign brought me good luck!

2/23:  The biggest and best race I’ve ever done:  The Disney Princess Half Marathon.  Enough said.  Although technically this race doesn’t fall under “winter races” because I’ll be wearing a tank top and sweating from all the humidity in Florida!

I’ve been stocking up on winter running clothes like crazy lately because I know these races are going to call for some warm gear!  TJ Maxx and Marshalls have been hooking me up lately.  And speaking of running gear, I finally got my Pro Compression socks in the mail!  I plan on wearing them tonight on the treadmill to see how they work!

What races are you running this winter?  Do you prefer winter running or summer running?