The Bloody Reindear have been busy so far this month!
On September 11, Dasher, Prancer, Bambi, Comet and the kids journeyed to Great Lakes Naval Base in Highland Park, Illinois for the inagural Race2Base Run. Unlike other races, this one was marked by nautical miles and allowed civilians the rare honor of running on a military base with members of our armed forces. To do so on such a somber anniversary was very moving.
Prancer received some bad news in the days leading up to the race. An MRI revealed that the pain she had been feeling in her leg was diagnosed as a tibial stress fracture-- the doctor ordered a boot no running for several weeks. With the Chicago and New York marathons coming up very shortly, we're all feeling dismayed and are doing our best to keep up Prancer's spirits.
It was decided that we would all walk the 3 nautical mile race. It was a beautiful day in northern Illinois, much like that fateful day when our nation changed forever. The racecourse was very picturesque and surprisingly featured two very steep hills-- one downhill and one uphill. The kids were supposed to do the kids' run, but it didn't work out that way. Instead, they jdecided to join the adults for the main event.
Bambi decided to run shortly after the start and broke away from the herd, as did Prancer shortly thereafter. Much to Prancer's delight and surprise, she was joined by 10-year-old Kaylee (Bambi's girl). Due to improper hydration and not a lot of race experience, Kaylee was forced to take a walk break close to two miles in but revved it up considerably and caught up to Prancer again around 2.5 miles. By then the weather was getting slightly warm and Prancer was concerned for Kaylee's well-being, so they walked for about half a mile, but finished the race strong with an average pace of 12-something miles per minute. So proud of Kaylee for sticking it out like a champion and running with the big Dears!
Bambi finished shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, Justin, Sean and Alexis dropped off before the race's midpoint, leaving Comet and the courageous and determined Dasher to cross the finish line without the little ones. Congratulations to Dasher for overcoming a huge disappointment and a lot of pain and to heroically participate in the race regardless of her daunting injury!
Less than a week later, Prancer and Vixen celebrated the start of hockey season at the Blackhawks Training Camp Festival's Mad Dash to Madison 5K. Prancer's training has been sub-par all summer and she was fighting a sore throat, so this wasn't her finest effort, coming in at almost 31 minutes. But in true Reindear fashion, Vixen killed the course and ended up with a time around 24 minutes. Way to speed through it, Vixen!!
Next up is the Brookfield Zoo Run 5K a week from tomorrow (September 25, Prancer's birthday!), which will feature the entire herd. Look out, Brookfield! Here come the Reindears!
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