We did it! We ran the Jingle All the Way 10k on a cold foggy drizzly morning in DC. Thankfully, it was not pouring, but I think I would have preferred the bitter cold we had in DC earlier this week.
The race started at 7:30 a.m., so I made sure both Jay and I were ready last night. Below is all my running cloths nicely folded waiting for me. I was very unsure what to wear, so I took a bag with me and decided on my final outfit right before I got out of the car.
And here is Jay's running clothes nicely waiting for him in an organized chaotic pile....
And, of course our jingle bells!!! The jingle was actually pretty nice during the run. The only bells that got annoying were when a runner had them too loosely tied and in one big bunch. I have to be honest, I may leave them on my shoes for next weekends 5 mile race... :) 
As I mentioned above, it was a cold foggy drizzly morning in DC. Below is a picture of us crossing the Memorial Bridge (which links the Lincoln to Arlington Cemetery) in my car. 
We debated about the best method to get to the race since it was held at West Potomac Park (just south east of the Lincoln). The best method of transportation to the park from our apartment is by bike, but since it was rainy and cold, that was out of the question. We could metro, but the metro did not open until 7 a.m. meaning we would have to get on the first train and then jog from either L'Enfant or Smithsonian station. Anyway, I am glad we drove, it was nice to come back to a warm dry car after the race.
Jay and I were not Holiday prepared. Thankfully, Jesse and Monica came more than prepared with Santa hats and tinsel!!The race wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We did not get corralled like we should have, so we have no clue how long it took for us to get to through the start line. The first 3 to 4 miles went very well. I kept a pretty steady pace (not quite sure how steady as I misplaced my watch somewhere between putting my shoes on in the apartment and changing outfits in the car). Meanwhile, Jay went to the bathroom and tied both of shoes and still managed to find me. Not that it was hard, I was wearing a bright orange poncho...
During mile 2 or maybe 3 we started to see some of our friends come around the point. I love seeing friends run! Both Meredith and Holli looked great! At mile 4 my knee started to hurt, which I predicted because my hip hurt the day before. Plus, it felt like the longest mile. Even the guy next to me agreed when I sad (probably too loudly) "come on where is mile 5?!?!?! Mile 6 was much better!! We rounded the corner to a public parking lot for the Jefferson which had a few spectators. The one problem with Hains Point is that there are never spectators!!! After those few spectators, Jay and i really picked up our pace as we whizzed by the Jefferson and up Ohio drive to the finish line. Our short-gun time was 56:32 (I am soo bad at remembering my shotgun time - thankfully they post it). I was hoping our official time would be anywhere from 52 to 55 (turns out it was closer to 55... )!! I was just hoping for a PR. My last 10k, the Cooper River Bridge Run, was 54:49. Ahhh the suspense was killing me!!! And, as I wrote this post I found our time 55:18... not a PR, but a good time. I guess we weren't as far back as we thought we were.
Here are the girls after the race! and then below with Jay! You now know why I was soo easy to find! 
Jesse and Monica!! Jesse was carrying a stocking full of candy that he was tossing at other runners. He managed to cream us with candy when we passed them between mile 3 and 4. And, yes he is wearing Christmas lights...
And below are both the boys all decked out... well sort of. We saw lots of tinsel on the ground on the second half of the race.
Well, now I can say I have run a race in the rain (cold rain). Not ideal, but not as bad I always assumed it would be. Considering the conditions I think Jay and I did fairly well!!!Well I am off to get ready for some guests this afternoon. More on the festivities tomorrow!!
Have you run a race in the rain? How do you feel you did?
