So, first off, Happy Thanksgiving to all who read this blog. It really is a special blessing for me to be able to write out my thoughts here and people actually read them, so thank you. Second, I have to share my first Turkey Trot experience!
So, I signed up for this 5k last-minute for three reasons: 1. See where I'm at in my training, and adjust accordingly, 2. Possibly win a race with a high number of participants, and 3. Justify the Thanksgiving dinner coming up later on.(But that's the reason really anybody anywhere does a Turkey Trot, right?) Regardless, I just wanted to have a solid performance.
Race morning came, and it came cold. 26 degrees was the temperature we got into the air at, and it was not too pleasant. But, it was good running weather, on the bright side! I went running around for a few extra minutes than my typical warm-up, just to stay warm leading up to the start. After stretches, drills, and strides, I made my way up to the front of the line just 5 minutes before the gun. There were quite a few very fast-looking guys up on the line with me, and I knew it was going to be difficult to win, but I stayed hopeful, and readied myself for a battle.
The gun went off, and we jumped out of the starting chute, quickly forming a pack of 5 runners, all running essentially even paces. Moving away from the MASSIVE group of runners(over 800 participants!) we settled in, trading places as we ran through the very hilly course. After mile 1, myself and the another started to distance ourselves from the group of the remaining three runners, and worked our way up a long hill. It seemed to me that I was the stronger on hills out of we two, but I decided against breaking away from him. We hit the turnaround, and, seeing that the three runners we left behind weren't far behind us, picked up our pace. He started to pull away on a descent, but we turned a corner and saw a very large, long hill ahead of us. I stayed with him, and as we neared the crest I could tell I was fading fast, my hamstrings were burning! So, in a last-ditch effort, I surged ahead and attempted to drop him on the very last stretch of the long, slow climb. I made about 2 yards of ground on him, but he responded aggressively as soon as we reached the flat and dropped me, gaining the 2 yards back and adding some distance in between himself and me. So, I did my best to hold on. The final stretch of the race was a extremely steep hill, and I was gone when I reached it-barely a jog, and, as I deserve, was passed by another runner just 60 meters from the line.
So, in conclusion, a 3rd place overall in a 800+ person race sounds good to me! My time ended up being 18:22, somewhat respectable for such a hilly race. But definitely a fun race, and I'm sure I'll do longer Turkey Trots in the future! Does anybody have a specific race they like to do on Thanksgiving? Let me know!
Happy training, and a Happy Thanksgiving!
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