The Sweetest Race of Them All
It's April 2015 and the first race of the season, The Hot Chocolate 15K®! This was the first and only 15K (9.3 miles) I've done but it is great warm up before Broad Street®. This was super exciting because it was the first huge TIUphilly meet up! So many from the group ran either the 5k or 15k. The race started and finished at the Art Museum Steps, making it a great spot to meet and for a photo shoot :).
TIUphilly
The Hot Chocolate is an EXPERIENCE! From the crowds, to the race decorations along the course and at the starting/finish lines, to the chocolate fondue at the finish line to charity giving back to the Ronald McDonald House. And I mean, who doesn't love chocolate. The only downfall is that only 15k runners got medals and the 5k runners did not. The rest of the swag like the hoodie is sick and you know I love coffee so the travel mug was perfect for me.
[gallery ids="1539,1540" type="rectangular"]
I was stoked that so many TIUgirls were running, especially ones that I have created friendships over Instagram. It was a pretty nice day weather-wise and the course was one that I was beginning to get accustomed to. The 5k girls went about 45 minutes prior and we were able to cheer them on before getting in the corrals. The Hot Chocolate was out and back course so it was fun to look for the girls during the race. I even heard other girls scream "Tone It Up" and gave me an extra push! There was a lot of support from the crowds throughout the course.
Well deserved chocolate
We all waited for each other at the finish line and we all finished strong. So proud of all the girls! I found out later there were more Tone It Up girls that ran that didn't meet up with us. We got out pictures with our medals after getting the finisher chocolate bowl (above pic). It was filled with chocolate fondue, cup of hot chocolate, banana, marshmallows, and more chocolate! I tried to eat a little bit but wasn't in the mood but brought it home with me. The finisher mug makes a great holder for hummus and veggies :). A bunch of us decided to go to Fare for brunch to celebrate!
I finished in 1 hour 16 minutes and 58 seconds averaging about 8:12 per mile. My best mile pace still to this date!
We're all winners after this race
Brunch was fun and almost better than the race. It's nice to hang out and catch up with friends face to face instead of always through Instagram. We had mimosas and tons of food. Brunch will definitely be added to all post-race plans.
I definitely recommend the Hot Chocolate 15k and would do again. It is a flat and easy course and a great warm up to longer distance racing like Broad Street 10-miler or half marathon. The Hot Chocolate Run is done in several cities and throughout the year, across the country, so go check out to see what's near you.
See you at the finish line! :)
What is your favorite go to post-race meal?