Turkey Trot Race Report

I was going to post a picture from the race but I just discovered that I left my camera usb connector cord back at school! The one thing I forgot!!

The Turkey Trot went really well - I arrived with my whole family at about 9am and picked up my timing chip thingie and then proceeded to sit back in the car to stay warm. The race started at ten and so I warmed up a little bit prior to that but then standing around waiting for the start caused my muscles to get tight again. I was right in the middle of the pack - sorta near the front so I was in a nice warm pocket surrounded by warm bodies.

They started the race a little late but shortly after 10 we were off! I ran this race last year in the pouring rain but this year it was much nicer as there was no snow and the roads were clear. This year there was a record 1,800 participants in the 4.4 mile race and 2.5 mile fun run so the start was pretty slow. I just felt off from the start, my stomach and breathing didn't feel good but my legs felt strong. My first mile was about 8 minutes which was much slower than I wanted to go but I just thought to myself "OK this is better than going out too fast."

Most of the course was flat with a few downhills but three ugly uphills. The first hill was just after the 2 mile marker and I felt like I was dying but my legs just kept pushing. My second mile was run in 7:50 and I tried to stay with this guy who was running next to me. I lost him on the second hill which was a gradual incline through some neighborhood. I thought I was slowing down but passed the 3 mile mark at 23:35 which had my third mile at 7:25. I continued on and ran on a nice downhill for the middle part of mile 4 which definitely helped me but then there was the worst and last hill on the course. I maintained my pace up that hill and then headed towards the finish!

Here are my stats:
Finish Time: 32:46
Age group place: 7/60
Overall: 268/1096
And I was the 48th woman to cross the finish line!

So overall I was pretty happy! My pace was 7:27 min/mile and since I missed the mile 4 marker I am not sure about my exact pace. I really liked that I was able to have negative split through this race - I have never been able to do this as I always go out too fast. I also made sure to wear my bright orange shirt so that my parents and aunt and uncle could spot me at the finish! I think it worked because they all got pictures of me! This race was kind of sad as Winkly was supposed to run it with me. She went to PT on Wednesday but has failed to let me know how it went!!!!

There was one thing that I really didn't like about this race - it ends in a park and the grass is always muddy and wet to run through and I can never get any traction. I slowed down to run on it because I didn't want to get hurt. And this is why I never ran cross country! I am thinking that maybe next year I will try to find a different turkey trot to run in.

I got home and showered to warm up. One thing that bothers me after I run is how my pony tail always seems to get really tangled - it is such a pain to brush out! I just got my hair cut short on Monday but I still had that problem! Anyone else have this problem or a solution?

This morning I rolled out of bed and hit the mall with my mom at 5:15am and was back and having breakfast by 6:30! I have never been to the mall in the early morning on Black Friday so it was an experience. There wasn't anything we desperately needed but we wanted to beat the rush that would follow later on. I am going to go and eat some leftovers then take a nice long nap! Tomorrow I am off to B-Rabbits to help his family go and cut down a Christmas Tree (I haven't done this since I was little) and then help them decorate it!! I am very excited!!