Ok, before I begin, I just want to say that the course was great, the race organizers/volunteers were great and the turnout for the race was great…..but for me, the weather was horrible! This year was the first time I ran the Reindeer Romp 8k in Brown County State Park. I usually skip this race because I am not a big fan of running in cold weather, but I wanted to give it a try this year because my body was still feeling good at this point in the year. Usually at the end of the season, I feel a little worn down, but I did not run as many races this year so I felt good.
I was impressed by the turnout (150+), especially because it was cold and snowing. I also thought the course was good and mostly flat (I would be interested to run a race there in the warmer months). Unfortunately, I never warmed up until about the 7K mark and throughout the whole race, my face, feet and hands were cold. My feet felt like bricks. I had to wiggle my toes many times just to make sure they were there! I had a hat, gloves (not thick enough) long sleeved shirt and pants and was still cold. In contrast, the winner Lionel Montenegro and 2nd place finisher Frank Dunn, were in long sleeved shirts but wearing shorts!
The race atmosphere was great and despite my horrible experience, I will probably do it again next year. I will just prepare for the weather a little better and hopefully not get as cold!
Runs with the wind... 