1st Annual High Cloud Snapple Homeless Hat Run

My last "race" of the season was the 1st Annual High Cloud Snapple Homeless Hat Run. As of Wednesday afternoon the "race" was cancelled due to lack of participation by as of Friday morning, it was back on.

The logistics: We met in Arlington, VA and were to run to the capital and back handing out beanie hats and chips to homeless/needy people along the way. It really wasn't a race per se, but a leisurely run through the city. You could opt for he 11 mile course or 6, and as it turned out, we all opted for the 11 mile run.

TG and Jay met me at 8am, and we headed to the run. I went to bed with a head cold and woke up even more congested. But I wanted to win the "costume" award... you know for GBA GFs, we run for our clothing as much as for time.

My blinking nose wasn't on yet, but I did run with it blinking!



TG and Jay wore their hats the whole time too! It ended up being a small group. We started off down hill and I immediately thought... wow this is going to be tough coming back. I backed down on pace a little because of my congestion. I wanted to run 8:30-8:45 but was probably more around 9-9:15. We ran stopping when we saw homeless people, red lights, or cars aiming for us. The stopping and starting did not feel good to my IT band or my knees, but I just kept trudging along. Both TG and Jay offered advice, but at this point, I was merely looking to be finished.

It was a gorgeous run. A little chilly, but we brought a lot of cheer to the people. I got several comments keeping the GBA spirit alive... my favorite was from a little boy: 'Look, dad! It's Santa's little helper!" So sweet!

At the 7.5 mile marker, the group waited for me and Jason (new friend who talked my ear off about my marathon experience - he had only run 18 miles and was signed up for IMTX). Our coordinator, Bart offered some of us the ability to cut the course by a mile, and so the group broke off. One went for the 11 mile route and the other the 9 mile route. Turns out that the one loop was 11.1 and my loop was 10.3, so I didn't loose too much ground. Plus, I got to run the MCM finish... again!

We all finished (with two minutes to spare on the parking meter), and met the founders of the High Cloud organization and posed for another picture:

So who won the costume contest? It really wasn't fair... I mean to compete with a GBA GF.... yeah. I WON! It was suppose to be a UA gift card, but since the attendance was small and this was a charity run, I didn't complain. I won:

Salt and Pepper Shakers

Any more "races" for you before the New Year?