I was originally supposed to run The Christmas Story 10k at the beginning of the month, virtually on race day, while I was in Buffalo. But a different type of Mother Nature rained down on me — and I didn’t have the right gear to run. So I grasped the opportunity during a cold Friday afternoon in Pittsburgh to complete my 10k distance.

Let’s be serious though, being a native Clevelander and a fan of the movie, I was running for the swag:

I originally wanted to complete a route that circled around some of the holiday decorations downtown, but I decided to save it for the holiday social run with Fleet Feet. My 6.2 miles took me mostly along the North Shore, and over the river into downtown, running around a completely empty and lifeless Point Park (creepy without the fountain going).

I was really happy about and comfortable with my pace, keeping each mile under 10:30. And that Mile 4 split again… holy crap! 8:30 is my target pace for a 5K NEXT YEAR, but maybe I should aim for 8:00? I want all miles to feel that good, so I will work to get there. Also, I hope I get the opportunity to run this in Cleveland next year — definitely one for the race Bucket List and a fun Christmas tradition.

RESULTS (not official, obviously — can I say that I finished first?)
Time: 1:00:33
Pace: 9:41