Hooray! It’s all over! I can’t believe how fast 2012 has gone. When I started this challenge back in January, I (and many others) wasn’t sure how it would play out. Would I enjoy it? Would I get sick of it halfway through? Would my face turn a permanent shade of crimson? Would I wind up trapped under a giant pile of race T-shirts? Would I need a Lululemon intervention?
I never really had any doubt that Hubby and I would pull it off (it was only one race a week, after all), although I did do some major sanity-questioning along the way, especially during the summer. But if I didn’t think my bank would cut me off completely, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I’m getting ahead of myself though. Here’s No. 52. Wrap-ups of various kinds to come later…
The not-so-grand finale
There’s something fitting about my last run in the challenge being a race director’s first. We signed up for the All I Want for Christmas 5K in Exeter, NH, because it sounded like it would be one of those fun small-races-for-a-good-cause that I’m always going on about (proceeds to the Hope for Gus Foundation), and because it was in Exeter, which for some reason became our running home away from home in 2012 so it seemed appropriate to end it all there.
Colorful gathering on a gray day in Exeter, NH.
You never really know what you’re going to get with an inaugural run, especially one that’s so small it doesn’t even have a web presence, but we were heartened to see cars slowly trickle into the Exeter High School the morning of. We, naturally, were among the first to arrive, giving us plenty of time to beat the, erm, traffic and really get to know the parking lot. Despite having 60 minutes to mentally prepare, we neglected to collect our bibs straight away and wound up having to— shock—line up.
Hubby busted out the festive attire, which also has neck-warming properties.
I mention this because the long bib-pickup line, and therefore slightly late start, was one of the first indicators that this run might have some first-time-event hiccups. The second was the race director telling us that her PA guy had failed to arrive so there would be no microphone. The third was her revelation, as we were lining up to begin, that the course was 3.4 miles long instead of 3.1. Ouch.
But no matter. The run felt great at the start despite the chilly weather, and I got it into my head that this was going to be a PR triumph. How awesome would that be, on race No. 52? (Forgetting, of course, that this was 3.4 miles, so it’d be hard to measure.) There was a gorgeous Golden retriever in front of me who was making good time, so I decided she/he was going to be my pace dog.
Slightly blurry pace dog!
I kept the furry jogger in my sights for a couple of miles and was proud of my progress, but then … disaster. Giant, ass-busting, IT-band-aggravating hill! Of course there would have to be a giant hill in the very last mile of my 52-run challenge. The running gods wouldn’t have it any other way. I wasn’t able to keep up with Pace Dog, and watched ruefully as she pulled away. I did, however, find myself behind a jeans runner for a while, which made me very happy. Hi, Jogging Jeans!
I conquered the slope, but the shortish downhill was nowhere near as satisfying a payoff as I was hoping for, and I ended up having to take a bit of a stroll. Hubby told me later that there was lots of interesting scenery to be had, but I was clearly too focused on getting to the end of this one and being warm again to notice that there were cows along the way (I like cows!).
Giant hill, plus jeans jogger! The goodness of one cancels out the badness of the other.
Still sort of convinced I was onto a good thing with my pace, I approached the finish especially keen to find out my time. But then … disaster.
No timing clock!
No timing clock!!
I couldn’t believe it. More than 52 runs this year, and the final one has no timing clock. I wasn’t wearing my GPS watch, either, so I had no idea. I could have been running for the past hour for all I knew.
Oh well, at least this final run was memorable.
After spending way too much time hanging out to see if the results would be posted (thank goodness there was hot chocolate), we finally threw in the towel and left time-less. Apparently, there was a problem with the software, and the timing guy was having trouble extracting the data. This may have been his first time too. I felt bad for the novice race director. The course was good (despite the hill, but I have issues) and the post-race spread was great. But she was let down by a couple of factors clearly out of her control.
We got the results about four days later after some back and forth via email.
Needless to say, my time was not what I had hoped for. Not only was I slower than I thought, I had somehow become a 47-year-old male. When the results were posted on Cool Running a couple of weeks later, I was a 52-year-old female.
I do feel like I’ve aged a little this year, but that’s just ridiculous …
No more runs to go!!!
The event: All I Want for Christmas 5K (actually 3.4 miler)
The location: Exeter, NH
The date: December 9, 2012
My time: 34.20
Hubby’s time: 22.44
The T-shirt: Gray long-sleeved cotton
The aftermath: Bananas, oranges, bagels, hot chocolate
Stride and Joy 
You rocked 52 (and then some) runs!! Amazing!! Now onto 365 martinis in 365 days… =)
Hahaha. Don’t tempt me!! 🙂
Wow! 52 races in 52 weeks is a lot! I got over-zealous this past summer and started doing a lot of 5Ks every week, but quickly got very tired. Congrats on accomplishing your mission!
Thanks so much! It was definitely tiring, but really fun! 🙂
You are done! What an amazing accomplishment. So many laces tied. What’s up for next year?
Thanks!! I’m not sure about next year. I’d better figure it out soon though. Two days to go! 🙂
Well, that… and 364 more days after Jan 1.
Well done! Congrats! I’ve been following your progress and reading your posts when I can (usually very early in the morn). Not a jogger myself, it’s been wonderful to read about your progress. Happy New Year!
Hey! Thanks so much. I’m so thrilled knowing that you’ve been reading. Very much appreciated. Hope all is well with you! Happy new year!! x
Tracey, your challenge has been INCREDIBLE. But, I have to admit, I’m super sad that it is over! Thanks for all the laughs and jean-jogging pictures that you have collected along the way.
Ha! Thank YOU for all your fabulous support!! I’m not switching off my jeans radar, so I’m sure there will be plenty more where those came from. I hope you enjoyed the one from this run. 🙂 Hope you’re having a lovely break.
Oh one last haiku
Now that 2012 is through
So damn proud of you
———————————————————————
What a journey it has been. This has been a year unlike any other. Who knew the places that running would take you. Don’t ever stop putting your best foot forward.
Awww…so sweet. 🙂
Awwwwwwww. Thanks for being my running buddy extraordinaire.
Congratulations on your supreme efforts and witty observations throughout the year! xx
Thanks for all the support, Miss Tash! Hope you enjoyed your trip! xo
Please keep blogging in 2013! I found this funny and inspirational, with good advice too.
Thanks so much! I really appreciate that. I’m going to try to keep it up in 2013. Maybe not as frequently though … 🙂
Well done!
Please keep running and writing about it, though maybe take a few weeks off first…
Ha! Thanks! I’m definitely giving the legs a rest for a few weeks, but hopefully the new year will bring some new motivation! 🙂 Thanks so much for reading.
Congratulations!Great Job! I look forward to our paths crossing again in 2013
SO FREAKING AWESOME!! Good for YOU! You are my hero. 🙂
Inaugural events are always a crapshoot! Great job running 52 races in a single year 🙂
Thanks so much!! 🙂
Congrats! It was really fun to follow you on this journey and I hope you keep running and posting (even if not as often) in 2013 because your posts are always funny and so enjoyable to read! 🙂
Bummer about the race not being super well organized, but a pace dog and a pace jean-wearer are both pretty great!
Thanks so much! It means a lot that you kept reading. I am definitely going to keep running and posting. I have a bit of a lull between now and March but then have a few more races coming up. I think I’m going to miss the weekly runs, although my wallet surely won’t. 🙂
On Mon, Jan 7, 2013 at 3:40 PM, Stride and Joy
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