Cuckoo for Cocoa|| Hot Chocolate 2024:

 

Once again I have signed up for the sweetest race in town with Hot Chocolate and while I was waffling about only doing the 5k I decided to keep it up with the 10k because I didn’t know if Legacy still keeps up with a distance shift.

This years “Expo” was not at TBCC like in years past however it was at the local fairgrounds.

Inside I got my bib (wave N again so at least it’s consistent) than was directed to go to the promotion area to receive a free shirt as well as to the legacy area where I received my mug.

There was other merchandise to purchase as well as treats and promotional goodies.

The most entertaining thing however was the cow show going on next door

I decided to get into the Christmas spirit with my ootd pairing my green Livi Hoodie with the red skirt from my ‘Hook’ costume, a pair of old navy bike shorts and toeing it all together with my crimson witch crowned accessories

I was dropped off at 6:45… I lingered in the convention center proper finishing a water and taking two restroom breaks. While vibing I noticed lots of 10k & 15k bibs labeled O… I wasn’t the last coral.

By the time I was heading outside, wave I of the 5k was getting ready to release… This was just before 7:30 am.

By 7:31 I was standing between the N & M sign and a few moments after this the rope separating the two corals crossed right in front of me.

It was 63 feels like 62 and very windy so I don’t think I would of liked wearing the Solstice Sister Tank which was the other option I pulled (though mid run I definitely felt I should of pulled something in between a tank & hoodie)

I crossed the start mat at 8:14 with a mindset once more to not pay mind to the pacers as they were for the 15k.

I was planning to just run my own race and pace myself especially as I was having pinching in my left leg the past few days.

It's hard to compare splits from last year as I am using a new device (the garmin I’ve been using since May vs my old Fitbit)

My device buzzed it made its first mile with a 16:26 split and I hit the official marker within the next min give or take 

Five minutes later I hit up the first refreshment station and grabbed chocolate melts and a cup of water

Seven minutes later was the 5k turn around 

I spotted a few signs

And hit mile 2 with a 17:23 split once more hitting the official marker in roughly a minute later

About 7 mins later the sweeper passed me which was about a half mile later than they did last year based on notes

There was some kind of statue on the side of the road that I tried to figure if it was giving off a more umbridge or trunchbull vibe

Mile 3 split was 17:03 with a two ish minute gap between my tracker and the marker

My usual installation I take pics off on bayshore was skrimmed off unfortunately as I hit the 5k marker with no official split as I type but a guesstimate of about 54:00 cumulative minutes between my starting screenshot time stamp vs the marker time stamp. (My official last year was 52:29)

Just across from the mile marker were port o lets and i figured the 5k mark was a good place to pull over for a two minute detour especially as there was another refreshment stop a few steps away.

There was no chocolate but since id just relieved myself I took two cups of water

Two mins later was the turn around for the 10k

Followed shortly by refreshment station three where I took some m&ms and a Gatorade 

Despite my stop my split was 17:45 when my garmin buzzed I hit mile 4…. While mile 4 (and 5) for whatever reason don’t have an official marker I used 15Ks mile 7 & 8 as a mental gage which I hit two mins after my garmin buzzed. The 10:30 pace group also past me 

I had a 17:28 split going into mile 5 (hitting the above mentioned marker 8 three mins later)

There was a final aid station where I got more melts and water before buzzing at mile 6 at 17:45

There was a marker 6 and it was about 6 mins between garmin buzz and reaching it.

I finished in 1:52:20 (with a 6.49 miles registered on my garmin) which was only three mins longer than last year. Considering I took the bathroom break and walked the last mile and a half ish due to the above mentioned leg pain and that my splits were pretty consistent I’d say I had a good run

1668.74 miles in 2024

Upcoming Races

• Gasparilla 15K 2/22

• Gasparilla 8K 2/23

• Promise Run 3/1

• Bonnet Springs 5K 3/29

• Springtime 5K 4/4

• Springtime 10k 4/5

PRs

• 1M {15:26} 3K {30:59} 5K {42:46} 8K {1:13:59} 10K {1:42:52} 15K {2:19:09} 10M {3:01:51} HALF {3:54:55} FULL {7:08:15*} *virtual full run in increments