Bad race tee, cold weather, good running friends, pretty views — that was this year’s Last Run Albany in a nutshell.
Packet Pickup
I don’t know what happened this year — I didn’t get there super late — about an hour before the race. I “ran” into problems with packet pickup for the first time. I waited 20 minutes on line — it has never taken that long before — have I always gotten there earlier?
I almost didn’t have time to go back to my car to stash the disappointing race tee and grab my fuel belt and didn’t have time to use the bathroom, which thankfully wasn’t an issue.
Plan — what plan?
My usual plan for this race: have fun, and maybe take a few photos.
So how’d that work for me?
- Mile 1: 13:50. It’s a fun run, y’all, and my friend and I were having fun yakking away.
- Mile 2: 12:58. Still yakking and taking photos (not that any came out that great).
- Miles 3: 11:01. It’s downhill to the finish, and it wasn’t snowy/icy — I actually just ran. Without walking.
- Last .1: 8:46. That last mile was faster than last year. And negative splits — as always, this race was fun, and I hope I’ll be running it again next year.
I’m kind of giggling at the fact that the 8 minutes I took off my half marathon seemed to get tacked on to this race — and it’s just a 5k! I never looked at my watch during this race. Which is why I do sometimes look when I’m racing or shooting for a certain pace — given its druthers, my body can run pretty slow.
The weather & dressing
It was a cold one, y’all, but I was dressed just right for it: North Face Thermoball, last year’s race tee, Skirtsports Toasty Tights and Toasty Cheeks Skirt (use code CRJ20 for 20% off regularly priced items — I’m a Skirtsports Ambassador), and Injiji Compression socks (Amazon affiliate link) and Smartwool socks — I’m not quite sure which version these are, but they’re a little thicker and I like them for really cold days as a second sock — now I wish I knew which ones they are!
What I Saw/Felt
A #holotta fun. Yes, we’re still stuck on that! Despite the disappointing organization of the race and disappointing tee this year, the race is just fun. I wish I hadn’t had to stand on line so long so I could have chatted more with Darlene, but no doubt we’ll see plenty of each other over the next few months.
The fireworks seemed nicer this year, though — they also seemed to go on forever.
Was the race well run?
See above — not so much.
2016: 39:35
2015: 37:09
2014 – 34:27
2013: 38:10 (snowing!)
I’m linking up with MCM Mama Runs, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and My No Guilt Life for the Tuesdays on the Run linkup.
Chocolaterunsjudy 
Glad you had fun! Looks like you had a strong race.
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Strong race — ha! I don’t consider it a race. Too many people. It’s dark & easy to slip (although thankfully no snow this year).
It’s just a fun run & that’s exactly what it was!
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I love the holiday lights for runs this time of year. Makes running in the cold feel more festive! Congrats, Judy!
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The Christmas lights are always fun. I’m hoping that maybe I can finally get a late run in my neighborhood today to take them in.
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Congrats on your race! Looks like a fun run. I love running holiday races while seeing Christmas lights. So festive!
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It’s always a “good” time. 🙂
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Pretty lights..sorry it was not a great race.
What was disappointing about the shirt?
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The shirt wasn’t a tech tee & didn’t even have a logo. They used to give out windbreakers (before I started doing it), and even the last few years at least it was a tech tee. At least it’s for a good cause (local heart hospital).
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boo..
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Yay for a pretty evening and good running friends!
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Yay for negative splits! I love running amongst lights, it’s so fun and pretty 🙂
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It was a big negative split, LOL! But fun; definitely fun. Aside from being sick, most of this month has been fun.
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At least you had fun, after the wait and the bad tee. I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t really look at the t-shirt anymore. I’m collecting them to make into a quilt one day, so I don’t wear them much anymore.
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No, I don’t worry about the tee either, but they used to be much nicer, and it’s just been getting worse & worse every year.
I did have fun. I’ll do it again next year, hopefully.
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Hey, sometimes races are more about the experience and less about the finish time. I really wish I made time to sign up for a December race but I’ve been such a slacker! Glad you enjoyed yourself!
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#Holotta fun is what matters!! 😀
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Agree with everything you wrote. This is one race that I repeat every year. I think I’ve done it 7 times – just for fun – never for a fast time.
I am running that route today with Alyssa. Hopefully it won’t be too icy.
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Sometimes it’s just more fun to yak! 🙂
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Definitely! No regrets at all.
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Love that despite the poor organization and disappointing running shirt it was still a great and fun race with a #holotta fun!! You guys make me laugh with this hashtag … 🙂
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Good thing you’re not tired of it yet. I didn’t come up with it, but it sure is clever!
That particular race is always a fun run. I don’t really care about my time/pace.
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Some races just have to be fun, rather than racing all of them. Sounds like you enjoyed it despite some logistical challenges !
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I’m not complaining (much, except for the tee & the wait).
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