The Hot Chocolate Seattle race is always a great one. I was excited to fly in for work a few days early to toe the start line. The weather was gray and cold, to be expected during this time of year in Seattle. This race was particularly special because it was my last race in my 30s. My husband and friend flew out to run this race with me, which made it all the more fun. I was also running for Still I Run, and handled the Instagram takeover that weekend. It was my first and it was really fun documenting my full experience…from packing, traveling, heading to the race expo, pre-race prep, and the race itself. I even traveled with all of my previous medals so that I could grab an iconic medal photo at the Seattle Center.
The race expo featured lots of sweet treats (per usual) – fondue, pirouettes, marshmallows, hot cocoa, chocolate squares. I was pretty hungry since I had just landed, so I did my fair share of sugar nibbling.
The race itself was really chilly…breezy and cold. I wore 3 layers of clothes, along with thermal tights, a running skirt, gloves, a DIY hot chocolate hat (topped with cat toys), and a rain jacket. I initially thought I overdressed but it turned out that I was perfectly dressed. I didn’t overheat at all nor was I cold during the 9.3 mile jaunt through town. The first part of the race was uphill. It started off breezy, and then it started drizzling. Definitely not full-on rain but definitely had some splash to it. It got cold enough to turn the droplets into snowflakes, which was a first for me. I’ve never ran in the snow before. It definitely melted before it hit the pavement, so I wasn’t too worried about slipping or anything.
I had a lot of fun overall — running with a close friend and my husband, while sharing my experiences on the Still I Run instagram account. I’m looking forward to keeping my legacy status with Hot Chocolate!
Amara in Training 