The Lazy Lady: Santa Suits on the Loose

Sunday, February 14, 2021

Santa Suits on the Loose - Virtual 5k Race Report

I'd tell you to click to sign up for 2021, but, well... we all saw how 2020 went...

In January 2020, I registered for the December 2020 Santa Suits on the Loose 5k. I've done it a few years now, and I love it, because where else can you see hundreds of people dressed in holiday attire or Santa suits running up and down A1A?

Ah, January 2020. What a simpler time. All was right with the world. People didn't wear masks. People didn't hide in their homes. People actually ventured out into the world and participated in sporting events.

And then... COVID happened. You know my feelings about this, I won't go into it.

It's a thing we have to deal with.

I held out hope that by WINTER - come on, man, WINTER! - everything would be back to normal, but alas, it was not meant to be. I got an email at the tail end of September, announcing that this race (like all of my other races since March) had gone virtual. Damn.

Awww, man... virtual...

So, I put it on the back burner, and kind of forgot about it. I'd removed it from my (basically empty) calendar. I'd get emails every once in a while, but it was definitely out of sight, out of mind.

I completely forgot to run during the race week, and unfortunately, I was unable to enter my results at that time.

It's a cute medal! I sure would like to have it some time soon...

And since it was too late to enter them, well... I back-burnered it some more!

Christmas came and went. New Years came and went.

Then one day, I realized that I never got my shirt and medal... Oh, lord, I hope I didn't have to enter my results to get my medal... I'd be pissed!

So, I reached out to the SAYS program to inquire of my medal's whereabouts. A few more weeks went by, and I got a reply saying that it may have been returned to them in the mail, they're so sorry, they'll make sure it goes out in the next day's mail.

Today is February 13th, and I still haven't gotten my goodies, so I reached out again. We'll see what the email says.

I finally actually did this race on February 7th, enjoying some beautiful Florida "winter" weather (it was 66º and cloudy, according to Garmin). It felt great to just be OUTSIDE again running around Depot Park and enjoying the tired muscles after the fun (lord, I've missed the post-run lethargy!). I didn't try to go balls to the wall, especially because I've not really run in like a year at this point, so I was perfectly happy with my time (okay, if it was 42 seconds faster, I'd be a little happier... those were probably the seconds that I deviated from the course to put my sweatshirt in the car!)