Disclaimer: I received a free entry to the Allstate Hot Chocolate 15K Philadelphia as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
What an experience! Last Saturday, I ran the Hot Chocolate 15K race in Philadelphia and I’m still in disbelief at how well the race went! I felt like I was going in completely unprepared and undertrained, but was so pleased with my performance and outcome. I’m excited to share my full race recap with you!
I’m linking up with My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida for Fit Five Friday and Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, Mile by Mile, Runs with Pugs, and Laura Norris Running for Runners’ Roundup!
Hot Chocolate 15K Philadelphia Recap
The Hot Chocolate 15K was my first race of 2022. After having a very busy fall racing season last year, I really wanted to take a step back and focus on shorter distances – no half marathons! I was excited to get the opportunity to run with the Bibrave team and was so tempted to sign up for the 5K, but I’m glad I followed my gut and signed up for the 9.3 miles! I probably started being more intentional with my runs in February and I have to runfess that my longest training run was only 6.2 miles!
The Night Before
As usual, I was a complete wreck before the race. I admit that I’ve struggled with my confidence. It has been humbling to see my pace not return to its pre-pregnancy levels, and that’s putting it nicely lol. The Philly Half and even the Gettysburg Half were two experiences where I just felt mentally off despite months of training. So how could I expect a race to go well without training?
Race Morning
I had planned to drive to the race on my own, but Bret offered to drop me off while he and Evelyn spent the morning together. This was a huge load off my mind, but I wasn’t sure exactly when we’d need to leave, where the detours would be, how the traffic would be…ugh! The 5K started at 7:15 but the 15K started at 8 am, so I knew getting to Eakins Oval around 7:30 would give me enough time to mentally prepare. Bret dropped me off on Spring Garden around 22nd Street and I headed over while the 5K was well in progress. I hoped to be finished by 10 am.
The Starting Line
After all the security detail for the Philly Marathon weekend, I was shocked to see how I could just stroll up to the racing area without a second glance, but it saved me some time! I headed to the potty and then enjoyed the music from the DJ and the energy from the other runners before heading to Corral I. I had plenty of time to warm up (which I needed) since it was pretty windy out there!
Here’s a live video that I actually shared before lining up! And by 8:08 am, I was off!
Miles 1-5
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been using the Peloton app and have been surprised to enjoy the audio on my outdoor runs. I decided to “stack” a couple of the runs, one 60 minutes and one 45 minutes, to get me through the race. I wasn’t planning to push the pace when they instructed, I just wanted the music and moral support.
So when I set off, I really wanted to be intentional – pay attention to my form, don’t go too fast, don’t zone out. I saw the 11:30 pacers and I wanted to stay in that range. I didn’t actually do the math on what pace I needed but had in my head that it was a pace I could handle. Most of the course is flat, but when we turned off Kelly Drive to head over one of the bridges – I think it was the Girard Avenue Bridge – we had our first incline. I was proud to run the whole way up. I was feeling pretty good and properly fueled. I was so happy to see my pace so controlled!
Splits: 11:11, 11:22, 11:22, 11:13, 11:08.
Miles 6-Finish
Once we crossed the bridge, we headed over to MLK Drive which would send us on an out-and-back before going back the way we came. I was feeling really good, guys! The 11:30 pacer was in my sights but I swear they were going faster than that, closer to 11, and sometimes I had moments where the watch said sub-11! I saw two fellow Bibrave Pros, Rachee and Ken, and that gave me a boost. The turnaround point was somewhere around 5.5 miles and my running buddy from work Claire was out there cheering on the runners. I was so happy to see her, once I got out of my daze!
The Peloton app was so helpful, Becs kept me pushing and I honestly felt like my running form was the best that I can remember – it just seemed like my arms and legs were gliding me along! Of course, I had to go up another hill to go back over the bridge, but I handled that too! I was a little worried I would run out of steam but I did my best to finish strong and fly to the finish!
Splits: 11:00, 10:54, 11:11, 10:26, 9:58 (last 0.4).
Race Results
My official results were 1:44:34. My watch clocked me at 9.49 miles. I was so proud and pleased! Finally, a race where I felt like “me” again. Four years ago, I ran this race as part of my 20-mile training run before the New Jersey Marathon. So much has changed since then, but I’m grateful to have had another positive experience!
After the Race
After the race, I grabbed my hot chocolate and treats (including a banana this time!) and called Bret to let him know I finished. They didn’t make it back in time to see me finish, so we hurried back home as quickly as possible so that they could get ready to go to E’s swimming class at the Y. I actually did some Peltoton stretches when I got home and vegged on the couch as long as I could after that!
Takeaways
The Hot Chocolate race is back and it was such a great time. Now that I’ve enjoyed this race twice, I’m going to need to participate more frequently! It was very well organized and a lot of fun. The running community just brings me so much joy! Find one of these races in your city and enjoy!
Pros
- Free race photos. Always a great perk! They had the option to purchase higher quality photos, but free was good enough for me!
- Improved course. If I remember correctly, the old course did not run on Kelly Drive at all – the detour was made due to some construction on MLK, and I actually think it made the race better! And yay to smooth streets with NO potholes this year!
- Well organized. Mile markers were pretty good despite the wind, aid stations were well stocked. I have no complaints!
- Good crowd support. There were some quiet sections on the run, but because it’s such a big race, you never felt alone. There were lots of spectators cheering, especially near the start and finish.
Cons
- Pricy registration. You do get a lot of swag with this race, but if I was running the 5K, I would not want to pay over $50 to run.
- Very much a machine/corporation. The race wasn’t even a week ago and I already can’t locate my results or race photos, thank goodness I downloaded them! On to the next race, I guess…
Shoutouts
I am just absolutely grateful to everyone who has wished me well, especially through my postpartum running journey. Thank you for your encouragement and inspiration! And a special shoutout to my Running Club at work – it has been great getting together with them again, especially for those longer miles that need a little boost!
So what’s next for me? I have NO idea! I keep saying I want to do more trail races but I haven’t added any to my list this year. I definitely want to get more consistent with my running and keep doing what I’m doing since it seems to be working! I’ll let you know what I decide!
Have you ever had a surprisingly successful race? How was that experience?
Actually it was the Hot Chocolate 15K… one of my favorite races in Brooklyn. But a friend paced me and I had negatives splits… which I never do. and won an age group award.
Congrats on a great race.
Oh wow what a coincidence! That’s always a great feeling to have negative splits. Thank you! 🙂
Congratulations! I know exactly what you mean about comparing yourself now to your old paces, but we can’t do that! You especially shouldn’t compare your pre- and post- pregnancy paces. Your body has gone through a lot of adjustments. I’m glad you were able to race well and feel more like yourself again.
Thanks a lot, Jenny! I am horrible when it comes to comparisons but I’m trying to work on that!
Congratulations, Janelle!
You say that you felt great and it’s visible in the photos. You look so happy – especially in the photo where you are crossing the finish line. I know that you will do this one again next year.
I’m excited to see what you will do next!
Thanks so much Catrina! I always consider a race a success if I can smile at the end! I really need to figure out my next plans!
So happy for you, Janelle! Sometimes you just have to keep showing up, despite the “bad” times.
Yes, I have unexpectedly great races (and unexpectedly bad ones — of course!).
Congrats! You did awesome.
Thanks so much, Judy! It’s absolutely true with this running thing…sometimes our races are perfect and sometimes we do everything right and it’s a disaster lol. I’m glad I had a good one this time!
So well done, Janelle!!! Looks like you felt strong & kept your splits consistent 🙂 The swag is really sweet (see what I did there? LOL), and I’d love to do another HC race someday (I ran the Chicago 15K last November).
Thanks so much, Kim! Yes, the swag and goodies were very sweet! 🙂
I still have never visited Chicago (ugh!), I’d love to do any race in that city!
Hot chocolate races are so much fun! I bet it felt fantastic to be out there and feeling good again. It takes so long to get back to our bodies after pregnancy. I am happy to see you so happy!
Thank you so much!! It really felt great and brought back lots of memories of Philly racing. I”m hoping my performance helps me not be so hard on myself!
Congrats on a really strong race! It can be so tough when you feel like you’re just not getting back to where you used to be, and these redemption races feel so good! This sounds like a really fun race. I’ve never done a HC race but I hope to do one someday!
Thank you, Lisa! It’s funny, all those other races I tried to do for redemption and they failed miserably. This time I didn’t put that pressure on myself and I think it made a world of a difference!
Brilliant – so well done! It’s lovely when it all comes together and you just fly along and I’m so pleased you got to have that experience. A stroke of genius to do it with Peleton runs, and I love your joyful finish picture!
Thank you so much, Liz! I was so pleasantly surprised and I’m thankful that listening to Peloton helped me stay focused!
I’m so proud of you! And incredibly happy that you found your stride in this race! It’s so easy to lose confidence when races don’t go our way (especially when we’ve worked so hard!) so when things go well, the victory is even more meaningful and significant. And sounds like this race is a keeper! It should definitely become a staple on your race calendar!
Thank you so much Shathiso! It felt great to finally feel like I’m in the groove. Maybe Hot Chocolate should become an annual tradition!
A huge congrats Janelle! I love how happy you look in your race photos 🙂
Thank you so much!
Congratulations! As an older runner I had to stop comparing my times to my younger self long ago. It’s more than just age, many of the changes we go through as women (men too) makes a difference in our race times. Not to mention the time we have to commit to training!. You did great and you should be proud.
Thank you so much!! You’re absolutely right, I have to remember that!
Oops, I read this last week and just realized that I didn’t comment… Congrats on your race! It feels good to be racing again, doesn’t it? They really captured some great race pictures for you!
Thank you so much! I still need to figure out what my next race will be…
I think I said this on your IG, but I’ve never seen you smile so wide as you are in that post-race photo! I’m so happy for you. This sounds like just what you needed to boost your confidence. Congrats on a great race!
It was definitely what I needed, thanks again, Wendy!