Welcome! I’m Caroline
follow me
Subscribe By Email
Search The Little Things Blog
Follow Me On Bloglovin’
Categories
Archives
Indy Polar Bear Race was one of the most funny and interesting race stories that I’ve had… except for the time I accidentally ran a half marathon. I woke up on Saturday morning bright and early to send Melissa off to her first race post-baby. I was going to get my tires rotated and then play with baby until she got back, but when the car place couldn’t get me in until the afternoon, I decided to head downtown with her saying “I’ll just walk around downtown while you run…”. We got into the expo and before I knew it I was sticking my credit card out at the race day registration table, and I was signed up for the 5 miler (I had a 5.5 mile training run on schedule for the weekend).
Because I registered SO late we got outside right as they were starting the race… and that’s when I realized that the 5 miler I signed up for started 45 minutes after the 5k that Melissa signed up for started. OOPS. I figured I could run the first 5k with her and then continue on my last 2 miles without her, but nope- that’s not what was going to happen. We had to decide quick- and I totally froze. It took me a few minutes before deciding to just run the 5k and then do the last miles on my own, so we got our own personalized race start!
All alone at the race start….
Melissa and I started on our own, laughing hysterically, trying to catch up with the police car that was bringing up the rear of the race. I’ve never had that particular race day experience before!
Running with Melissa was SO FUN! Our last race together was December of 2014 (Caribbean Christmas 5k) since she got pregnant shortly after that race, so while our pace was definitely slower with a lot more walking, I had a blast just being out on the race course with her again (We did meet on a race course after all!). While it was a “polar bear” race, it was in the 50s and really sunny and humid by the time we finished- not polar bear-ish at all! We crossed the finish line of the 5k, grabbed our medals, and took this picture quickly!
Then I continued on with the 5 miler which had just started, running 1.25 up the race course again before turning around and running against the crowd back to the finish line, rounding out my race day experience at 5.5 miles! What a most excellent running day it was!
We grabbed water, bananas, and chips, and I stretched a bit before we headed to Chick-fil-A for lunch (does anyone else LOVE their Polynesian sauce?).
This run was made much better (disclaimer: I received the 2Toms Sports Shield for free through being a BibRavePro Ambassador) by my Nuun and the 2Toms Sports Shield that I’m currently testing out! I love how lightweight it is!
And seriously- how cute are these race bibs and race medals? The polar bear is actually a little bit fuzzy which I think is such a fun touch!
I loved the Indy Polar Bear Race, and could definitely see myself running it again in the future… as long as it wasn’t super cold or snowy! It went through a part of downtown that I hadn’t run through before, which made it that much more fun!
Now it’s your turn to share! What makes a great race medal in your opinion? Have you ever gone to a race and then decided at the last minute to sign up? What’s your favorite sauce at Chick-fil-A?
hahahaha… I too have started a race late and alone, but had fun catching up.
It’s great, isn’t it? I’d hate doing that for a half marathon, but with this sort of race it was fun!