*RECAP* 2017 MOMs Run 5k... The Morning After Ragnar Cape Cod

Do you have one of those can't miss local races? I have a few, but one of the tops is definitely the M.O.Ms Run 5k on Mother's Day in Somerville. 

I have run in this race every year since moving back to Boston from Chicago. 

I love it so much I even committed to running it the day after tackling Ragnar Cape Cod with #TeamBringIt.

I literally sign up for this race the day the initial registration email is sent out. Hence our super low bib numbers! ;) 

I woke up on the morning of the race tired and wicked sore. I looked out the window and saw rain. Oh man! It would be so easy to just not go. Phone it in due to soreness and rain, but I couldn't end the streak. Even if I had to walk the race I would finish it. 

While the wife opted to go, but not run, Susan was still in to run with me! WOO! Our goal would be to run for fun and use the time to catch up. :)

Luckily we live less than 10 minutes away from the race so we didn't have to leave too early. 

How can you not love a race that offers donuts BEFORE the race? Am I right? While I passed on the donuts, I wished we had gotten there a tad earlier so I could've eaten one. :P

I was bummed to see generic bibs instead of ones that are race specific, but really as long as it was a number with a working chip I was good. We hid inside as we waited for Susan to finish up in the indoor bathroom line. I was in such a port-o-potty swing from Ragnar that I just used them outside instead of waiting in line for a "real" bathroom. Haha.

Since we were inside, we missed the kids run which I love so much, but I was really delaying fact that my legs would have to start running soon. :P

Since we would not be pushing the pace, we lined up towards the middle/back of the corral. I kissed the wife goodbye as she went back to hiding inside. ;) #SpectatorLife

Susan was nursing an achilles injury and I was dealing with Ragnar legs :P so we made sure to keep each other in check as the race started. 

Ohhhh friends! The legs felt like lead! They did NOT want to work with me. I had experienced that before during my #runstreak so I knew they would loosen up as the race went on, but the first mile was a painful one.

Thank goodness I had Susan by my side! 

And some super moms in front of us. 

The first mile is a steady incline. It isn't painfully steep, but it is long. 

Mile 1: 10:19

After the first mile of a constant incline, you cherish the downhill during Mile 2! Plus you get to see the amazing volunteers that man the one water stop.

Additionally there are residents that are hanging out of their windows or standing on their porches, cheering on the runners and playing music through their speakers. 

My legs started to loosen up during Mile 2 as I expected. It also helped to have Susan to chat with to distract myself from the leg pain.

Thankfully the pain was mainly in the quads and not in my IT band/knee. 

Mile 2: 9:40

The final mile starts with a tough incline, but ends on a sweet downhill. Who doesn't like to come into a finish on a downhill? 

Of course Susan and I were smoking it at that point! Really just thinking about the tasty Redbones BBQ and Harpoon beer at the Finish!

Quick wave to the wife/camera and on to the Finish we went.

Mile 3: 9:14

I made sure to give the best leap I could in that instance. Not sure if I actually got any air, but in my mind I was at least off the ground. Haha.

FINAL TIME: 29:53 (9:58 min/mile pace)

Oof! It was my slowest MOMs Run by over 5 minutes, but I was proud of myself for getting out there when I really wanted to be hiding in bed. 

PS Can you tell from the above selfie how tired I was? I texted this to my Ragnar team during Mile 2 asking them where my van support was!!! ;) 

Big thanks to Susan for keeping me moving and running the whole race even on the inclines.

You can see there are 2 big inclines in the race.

As soon as we finished, we headed straight to the beer line before getting into the food line.

I love that a few of the local restaurants in the Davis Square area (where the race is held) donate food and drinks to the run. I enjoyed a nice Harpoon IPA with Redbones pulled pork and some JP Licks chocolate ice cream. It was definitely too cold for ice cream, but I get it every year so,,, tradition. :P 

Normally I would have awesome group photos and pics with beer, but I drank it quickly, ate like I haven't eaten in ages and was ready to head to the car to thaw out. You would've thought I was doing one of my winter training runs and not a 5k. #Baby

We bid goodbye to Susan, Kelly and Steph and headed back to the car. I needed a pitstop at Dunkin before we could continue on our day!

I'm thankful to have run this race for a 6th year and can't wait to put up some better numbers next year!

Do you have a can't miss local race?