Philly Hot Chocolate 5k – In Person! With Friends!

It’s been a few months since I last blogged.

Okay, more than a few months. More like a half a year.

Whoops.

I’ve mostly been keeping track of my running and fitness now over on Instagram but I’ve missed writing recaps so I’m back!

Very grateful to say, I’m running races in person again, not virtually. Hooray! There’s a time and place for everything and right now, it’s back to in person races for me.

This past weekend was particularly stellar. It was my birthday and I was able to return to my birthday race, the Philadelphia Hot Chocolate 5k. I signed up for it later on that I usually do but I saw the swag and just couldn’t say no.

I also wore my jacket to the race (sacrilege!) because I just don’t care about the made up “runners rules” anymore. It’s just that cute and I guess that’s what happens when you turn 46.

I chose to have my packet mailed to me so I didn’t have to make the trip to Philly on my actual birthday (saving me both time and money, even though you do have to pay for that option). My friends and I met up and drove in together early Saturday morning; one of them has a great connection so we were able to get prime parking! Way swankier than taking the train.

The 5k started at 7:15, while the 15k began at 8am. We got there with plenty of time to hit the portapotties, take pictures, and see some friends before running.

Look, it’s Ken from KenStandsOnThings! He was running on behalf of BibRave and we were both rocking out Turtle Gloves.

I can’t even properly explain how nice it was to see my BibRaveBro, Ken! I think the last time we were able to see each other in person was back in 2019 at the Mushroom Cap Half! It’s been AWHILE, and it was great to catch up.

My friends and I got into the corrals just past 7 o’clock and found ourselves bopping to the music and having a great time. Like I said, it’s been a long while since I’ve participated in a race of this magnitude and it made my heart happy to be in immersed in the atmosphere.

Soon enough, we were off! The course changed from past years and I really liked this 5k course better than previous times I’ve run. I stayed with my friends for the first mile, running the entire time. After that I dropped back to 1:1 intervals and was content.

They had marshmallows and hydration on the course about halfway through. I skipped that because I knew that we’d have deliciousness waiting at the end.

Got this beauty of a medal too!

All in all, a fantastic morning. Running, friends, chocolate, and all before 9am!

Getting back into the swing of things and I plan to post more (if not for anyone but myself – I know that blogging isn’t what it used to be).

I’ve got a 5 mile race at the Renault Winery at the end of this month and then I have a few things on deck for the fall. Any suggestions of how I can fill from here until then?

4 thoughts on “Philly Hot Chocolate 5k – In Person! With Friends!

  1. Ooh a race at a winery? That sounds fun! I love the Hot Chocolate races and was bummed I couldn’t make it work this year. I need to earn back my legacy status! Love that you got to enjoy your race with a fun group of friends!

    • Yes! The race series that hosts those are my favorite local race – they’re always top notch. I hope you get to do the Hot Chocolate race next year – it was so nice to be back there in person.

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