Hot Chocolate 15k: Truly the Sweetest Race

Alternate titles for this post include:
Screw You, Ulcerative Colitis
Why You Should Ignore the Voice That Says “Can’t”
Every Race Deserves a Second Chance

I really hemmed and hawed about whether or not to race the Hot Chocolate 15k this year. I knew that many of my Team Challenge teammates and coaches would be there, and it was a perfectly-timed practice race for the Rock & Roll Vegas Half. However, last year’s Hot Chocolate 5k was arguably my least favorite race I’ve ever run — it was crowded, there were bottlenecks, and the lines were so long for chocolate at the end of the race that we didn’t bother waiting.

Still, it seemed like RAM was listening to the complaints from last year and ready to make changes. So when they announced a new course, run on wider city streets and boasting the infamous finish line hill that makes an appearance at both the Chicago Marathon and Shamrock Shuffle, I knew it was a race that deserved a second chance. Goose and I both signed up for the 15k. His longest race to date, and my first race back after dealing with the ulcerative colitis flare-up that ended my racing journey over the summer.

So excited to be racing again!

We met our teammates near Buckingham Fountain and I waited until the last possible second to get rid of my extra layers. It wasn’t the kind of day where you stand around in capris, a t-shirt, and arm warmers. It was about 40 degrees out, a crisp, sunny fall day that just begged you to run a good race.

So I did.

But let’s back it up and I’ll tell you how I got there.

On Thursday night, my friend made a comment that he’d run the Rock & Roll Half with me if I could sustain an 11:00 minute pace. My super-secret goal for the Hot Chocolate 15k was 1:45:00, a 16-minute PR from the Nutty 15k I did this summer. An 11:00 minute 15k pace would have me in at 1:42:18 (thank you, Cool Running Pace Caclulator) so I thought, “Why not?”

I spent Friday night looking around for songs with around 140 beats per minute, which is supposed to be the right number for an 11:00 minute pace. I chose near there — 140, 141, and 142 beats per minute, and sprinkled in some of my favorite running songs. I was happy, relaxed, and ready to see what happened if I set my sights high and just cranked my little legs as fast as I could.

A sampling of the songs that graced my ears during the run. Yes, it does include Hanson, Justin Bieber, and Huey Lewis & the News. Right alongside Nelly. I win.

Goose and I lined up together on race morning, but never had any intention of running together. As we crossed the starting line, I waved goodbye to him, cranked my music, and set out to run the absolute best race I could. I set out to do more than just have fun. I wanted to race.

For the first three miles, I noted the time on my Garmin at each mile marker and thought, Oh, Lauren. I don’t know if this pace is sustainable. By the time I got to mile five, my thoughts changed to, Holy @$&^, is this sustainable?! And by mile seven or eight, I kept thinking, Oh, just hold on.

I just ran and ran. I walked through aid stations to grab water or Gatorade. I took Gu around 5k and 10k. But other than that, I don’t remember much about the race except that I successfully told the “you can’t do this” voices in my head to shove it and ran my heart out. I was happy to be back racing, happy that my colitis wasn’t giving me any trouble at all and the weather was perfect. I couldn’t have orchestrated a better return to racing if I had tried.

The end result? An unofficial 1:44:41 – a PR by 16:35, over a minute per mile! But even better than the time PR is the knowledge that I’m stronger than I thought I was and my ulcerative colitis, though it might try, can’t beat me.

via Pinterest, click for source

I have always loved that quote. What is something that helped you realize that you’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, or smarter than you think?