For my last race of the year I chose to do the Jingle Bell Run in Raleigh. I ran the race last year and ran my PR at the time coming off the Monumental Marathon a month before and not doing any 5K training for it. The race benefits the Arthritis Foundation. Instead of going for a PR this year I opted to do it purely for fun and to run with mine and Jamie's dog Bud. Bud was an owner surrender we adopted from the Pitt County Animal Shelter. I don't know how anyone could surrender him because he is so nice, loving, and he's a big cuddler. He will get in anyone's lap and has a tendency to get in laps of kids after races he's gone to in the past where he watched me run.
Bud is a Jack Russell, Beagle, Min-Pin mix breed dog. He is a ball of energy. He's hiked 6 miles in Umstead with Jamie and it didn't tire him out. I've also ran in for 2-2.5 miles several times and after drinking some water he's rearing to go again. I think running him makes him more hyper as he comes in and starts going crazy playing with his toys after a run. We just got Bud a new harness, the webmaster made by Ruffwear. It's an expensive harness but you can usually find them cheaper on Amazon brand new or even slightly used. It's worth the money! This is the only harness you'll ever need. It's supposed to be inescapable which is what Bud needs since he's gotten away from me and Jamie three times but we were lucky we got him back.
Bud is a Jack Russell, Beagle, Min-Pin mix breed dog. He is a ball of energy. He's hiked 6 miles in Umstead with Jamie and it didn't tire him out. I've also ran in for 2-2.5 miles several times and after drinking some water he's rearing to go again. I think running him makes him more hyper as he comes in and starts going crazy playing with his toys after a run. We just got Bud a new harness, the webmaster made by Ruffwear. It's an expensive harness but you can usually find them cheaper on Amazon brand new or even slightly used. It's worth the money! This is the only harness you'll ever need. It's supposed to be inescapable which is what Bud needs since he's gotten away from me and Jamie three times but we were lucky we got him back.
Picture with Santa The weather for this year's race was similar to last year; on and off rain, overcast but it was warmer with temps in the mid 50s opposed to the upper 30s last year. Jamie, Bud, and I arrived at Saint Mary's School around 9:30 for the race. The race started at 10:30 but last year it was packed trying to pickup your timing chip race morning so I wanted extra time. Getting the chip this year was a lot faster. After that we just walked around looking at the different vendors and saw they had a photo display set up with Santa and fake snow so we got in line to get a picture. Our friend Laura took the picture of Jamie, Santa, Me, and Bud.
This is a big race and I worried how Bud would do in the large crowd. As we were walking to the start line he was getting nervous and scared. I chose to line up at the back of the field for several reasons. One, to respect the faster runners and those going for time and two I was hoping it would help ease Bud's nerves. It was a packed starring line with over 800 runners in the race. Jamie and I carried him to the back and got a spot and waited for the race to start. Bud quickly found a kid and was letting him pet him. Bud got a lot of compliments on his looks and his jingle bell collar.
This is a big race and I worried how Bud would do in the large crowd. As we were walking to the start line he was getting nervous and scared. I chose to line up at the back of the field for several reasons. One, to respect the faster runners and those going for time and two I was hoping it would help ease Bud's nerves. It was a packed starring line with over 800 runners in the race. Jamie and I carried him to the back and got a spot and waited for the race to start. Bud quickly found a kid and was letting him pet him. Bud got a lot of compliments on his looks and his jingle bell collar.
Running on the Sidewalk with Bud The race started 10 minutes late for some reason. The crowd was moving slow towards the starting line so I carried Bud to the line. I hit start on my watch as we crossed the line after putting Bud on the ground. It was still too congested for Bud's liking so I ended up carrying him for the first 45 seconds or so before putting him back down and moving to the sidewalk to get out of the congestion. We made the right turn onto Hillsbrough Street and stayed on the sidewalk. Bud was in full running stride now and loving being out of the crowd.
We quickly started passing a lot of runners and stayed on the sidewalk until we got to the first roundabout. The crowd thinned out some so we got in the street and Bud was still passing people. I was letting him run whatever pace he wanted but her was running faster than we had on any of our training runs. People watching the race cheered as we passed, saying Go puppy!
Bud ended up getting on the median as we kept running the gradual uphill towards the turnaround. I started looking for some friends that were running the race. I first saw one of my training partners, Ryan Laytham. Ryan was looking smooth and in 2nd place. I next saw Brandon Whittaker. Brandon and I have been friends since high school where we ran against each other, him going to Croatan High School and me going to East Carteret. Brandon was also looking fast and on pace for his goal.
Bud and I ran the first half in 12:19, that's 7:49 min/mile pace. We rounded the turnaround and Bud was still cruising along fine. After a gradual uphill first half the second half is downhill with only a couple gradual inclines on the way back to the start. Bud was still getting a lot of cheers from spectators and other runners and walkers on the way back. I was letting Bud run his pace.
We quickly started passing a lot of runners and stayed on the sidewalk until we got to the first roundabout. The crowd thinned out some so we got in the street and Bud was still passing people. I was letting him run whatever pace he wanted but her was running faster than we had on any of our training runs. People watching the race cheered as we passed, saying Go puppy!
Bud ended up getting on the median as we kept running the gradual uphill towards the turnaround. I started looking for some friends that were running the race. I first saw one of my training partners, Ryan Laytham. Ryan was looking smooth and in 2nd place. I next saw Brandon Whittaker. Brandon and I have been friends since high school where we ran against each other, him going to Croatan High School and me going to East Carteret. Brandon was also looking fast and on pace for his goal.
Bud and I ran the first half in 12:19, that's 7:49 min/mile pace. We rounded the turnaround and Bud was still cruising along fine. After a gradual uphill first half the second half is downhill with only a couple gradual inclines on the way back to the start. Bud was still getting a lot of cheers from spectators and other runners and walkers on the way back. I was letting Bud run his pace.
Finishing with Bud I've raced with dogs in the past in the 5Ks 4 K9s volunteer group but this was the first time I've raced with one of our own dogs. Bud was loving it and so was I. I had a smile on my face the whole time. It was a lot of fun racing with him just for the fun of it and seeing his facial reactions letting me know he was enjoying it was worth it. We did pick the pace up on the way back. Bud was impressing me with his speed. He was running faster than any of our training runs. I think being in a race and chasing people helped a lot. We ran the second half in 11:12, 7:08 min/mile pace to finish in 23:34 for an overall pace of 7:29 min/mile.
Since we started at the back of the field results are based on gun time so we finished 159 out of 887 runners. We actually finished higher than that if you go by chip time. Chip time is when you cross the starting line of a race. Gun time is when the race starts but for those in the back gun time is not their accurate time because it takes them seconds and sometimes minutes to even get to the starting line of a big race. Per USATF rules, awards and results are based on gun time.
Since we started at the back of the field results are based on gun time so we finished 159 out of 887 runners. We actually finished higher than that if you go by chip time. Chip time is when you cross the starting line of a race. Gun time is when the race starts but for those in the back gun time is not their accurate time because it takes them seconds and sometimes minutes to even get to the starting line of a big race. Per USATF rules, awards and results are based on gun time.
Bud and Me post race Racing with Bud was a great decision and I don't regret it. There are plenty of races to go for time and be competitive. Not every race is about PRs and winning. It was a lot of fun to race with Bud and see how much he enjoyed it and hear all the cheers he got. Bud impressed me with his speed and his time. I'm so proud of him.
If you do want to be competitive and go for a PR then this is the race for you. It's one of the fastest courses in the Triangle with his downhill final 1.5 miles. The weather in December can be rainy but the colder temperatures are worth it. Ryan ended up finishing 2nd Overall in a new PR of 16:45. Brandon finished 6th overall and 3rd in his age group in 17:35. This is a well organized and put on race. A lot of people do run in Christmas costumes and it was nice seeing other dogs in the race as well. This is one of my favorite races and I highly recommend doing it for fun or if you want to run a personal best.
If you do want to be competitive and go for a PR then this is the race for you. It's one of the fastest courses in the Triangle with his downhill final 1.5 miles. The weather in December can be rainy but the colder temperatures are worth it. Ryan ended up finishing 2nd Overall in a new PR of 16:45. Brandon finished 6th overall and 3rd in his age group in 17:35. This is a well organized and put on race. A lot of people do run in Christmas costumes and it was nice seeing other dogs in the race as well. This is one of my favorite races and I highly recommend doing it for fun or if you want to run a personal best.
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