A blurb about the race, from Gracie:
It was a surprisingly mild morning on the Sunday before Christmas, not too cold out with a little bit of fog rolling into Davis Square. A perfect day for Somerville's annual Jingle Bell 5k! I donned my Santa Hat and candy cane stockings, and walked the short 2 blocks from my house down to the starting line. The best part of this race for me was the holiday spirit – all of the runners were happy, smiling, and dressed to impress in their finest holiday gear. There were lots of Santas, reindeer, elves, and even a few Scrooges. One guy was dressed in a huge gift-wrapped cardboard box with holes cut out for his head and arms (I bet he regretted that decision around mile 2), and I swear I saw a runner bolt past me in a taco costume. What tacos have to do with Christmas, I may never know. The streets were lined with cheering onlookers, several of whom held out their hands for running high-fives from the racers at each of the mile markers, and I didn't see one single person without a huge smile on their face. Even the poor people stuck in their cars due to the road closures were in the Jingle Bell spirit, they put themselves in park and came outside to cheer us on too! This race was a personal best for me, I finished in just over 29 minutes (over a full minute faster than the Turkey Trot last month) – and I felt AMAZING. I've officially run four 5k races in the last year, and out of all of them this one was by far the most fun. I can't wait to run it again next year!
As you all know, the Somerville Jingle Bell 5k that was supposed to take place on the 15th was rescheduled. The race took place yesterday, while almost all of our group that had signed up was out of town. How annoying! I do know we had some Fat Nerds who participated, Gracie, who killed it with a sub-30 time she had been working hard for, and Mike and Susan got all dressed up to make us proud.
Gracie showing off her Jingle Bell spirit!
As I am home in Upstate New York for the holidays, my dad has been reminding me every 5 minutes to get out and go for a run. So yesterday I gave in, and we went for our own Jingle Bell run. I hadn’t run in about two weeks because I haven’t gotten used to running on ice yet, and I didn’t do too great. I ran the first mile and walked the majority of the rest, but it felt good to get out there and put in the distance. Having not run in two weeks, I had kind of fallen off the wagon. But getting out in the unseasonably warm air reminded me that this is something I not only need to be doing, but actually want to be doing. I want to be getting better at running, and I want to put in the time to make it happen. I’m glad the run with my dad reminded me of that!
Mike and Suz
So here we are, its Christmas week. We’re traveling, and eating, and drinking. I hope everyone has a wonderful time and does not agonize over every delicious calorie. Enjoy the holidays, get out there for a quick run every other day, or enjoy a nice walk with family and friends!
Our unofficial Buffalo Bills game-day Jingle Bell 5k
Congrats Gracie on hitting your goal!!!!