What a way to start the new year! I joined in on the Hangover Handicap 2013. It's a "fun run" on the morning of January 1. This is the second time I have done it. The first time was in 2010.
It started out cold. And it didn't get much better. It IS January after all. At least it wasn't snowing. Although it might have been less slippery if it was snowing just a little. A little sticky snow on top of the ice might have made footing a little easier. Probably not for runners though.
I bundled up in a ski coat, hat, and gloves. I saw runners there with not a lot more than what I wear in the summer. Shorts and tank tops. I should also note that many of the runners and other various crazy people actually go from the run to the Polar Bear Plunge. That is where these insane folks take a dip in the cold late to ring in the new year. The water just
looks too cold for that!
 |
| Cold Lake Coeur d' Alene |
 |
| 21 degrees F is -6.1 degrees Celcius. Just in case you really want to know how cold it was... |
I was planning to go with a friend but she couldn't make it. So I put my headphone in and walked alone. I caught myself trying to talk myself out of walking the entire race. I passed walkers who had turned around early and I thought it would be easy for me to do the same thing. After all, it isn't a timed race. Who would tell on me. And who would they tell?! But I saw an eagle soaring ahead and decided to walk at least that far to get a good look at it. I like to go see the eagles by the lake in the winter and hoped it could get a good picture. I got a picture. But it isn't a great one.
 |
| Eagle in tree top |
By the time I made it as far as the eagle I thought the halfway point was just around the bend. So I said I'd make it as far as
seeing the halfway point. But when I saw it, I saw people doing just that. They made it just far enough to
see the cones that mark 2.5 miles and they turned around. So feeling smug, I went ALL the way around the cones in a very dramatic fashion. I knew there weren't many people behind me, but I didn't care now. Because I made it halfway, I was forced to make it ALL the way. The car was at the end of the race. If I wanted to get in it and drive home, I had to keep walking. :) As I was turning the bend at the halfway point I saw a friend from my quilting group walking with her husband. So the three of us trudged the rest of the way together! The second half of the race went so much faster than the first half!
 |
| Halfway point! |
I said before that it isn't a timed race. The point of it is just to kick off the new year with something great and raise money for Tesh. But I set my timer when they said "Go!". I have a time to beat next year. I wasn't the last one across the finish line. It was close though!
 |
| Time to beat! |
As I type this we are a week into 2013 and I have had sore muscles every day so far. Some from the Race but not all. It's a good way to start the new year. (I reevaluated my resolution btw... it's too lofty. It's all about math. I can reach that goal by the time I do the next "fun run" that I'm planning on doing. Well after my birthday.)
 |
| T-shirt for HangOver Handicap 2013 |
