Even during an unseasonably warm winter, Chicago is freakin' cold.
![Ready to Run](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8217/8259141547_f2a7a3fc26.jpg)
On the fourth day of Christmas I nearly collected our 4 styrofoam antlers and totally bailed on the race to grab coffee instead.
Seriously. I was this. close.
![](http://i942.photobucket.com/albums/ad267/aforeignland/Christmas_Red_2.jpg)
Thankfully, Heather didn't jump on my suggestion. Thankfully, she's a lot tougher than I am. Thankfully, we braved the near freezing temps and waited for the race to be over before going to grab coffee.
Because had we bailed we would have missed the reindeer.
![Reindeer2](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8484/8259142363_5227cefc00.jpg)
![Reindeer](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8209/8259142071_c215db1076.jpg)
![Reindeer3](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8062/8259142571_9c1d587bdf.jpg)
We would have missed the frozen toes and antler photo ops.
![Antlers Make You Run Faster](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8498/8259141883_f8b9b3ef6a_c.jpg)
We would have missed our chance to take a picture with Santa.
![With Santa](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8481/8259141215_d97672ff1a.jpg)
And most importantly, we would have missed out on crossing that finish line.
![Finish Line!](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8207/8259140799_91fb4afdac.jpg)
And let me tell you, last time my end-of-race enthusiasm was fake. But this time it was genuine!
This was the best I've felt running 8K/ 5 miles ever. Repeat: ever. Frozen toes (that eventually thawed) and all, this run felt great! I didn't even get winded until I saw the finish line. Why does my body do that, by the way - poop out when the end is in sight?
We finished in just under 54 minutes. And since this is my first 8K, that makes it a personal record.
It turns out waiting in the cold for the race to start was the toughest part of the whole deal!
![Almost Finished](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8481/8260210418_0c7c83bc4f_c.jpg)
The Rudolph Ramble was a great way to spend a Sunday morning and an even better excuse to lay lazily on the couch for the remainder of the afternoon. I'm pretty excited to make this a brand new holiday tradition.
But next year - I'm bringing warmer clothes to wait in!
Are you adding any new traditions to your holiday repertoire this year?
![](http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/301/8DBB2AC9A69E5964F4A8C9ADA7262AC2.png)