ORCC Turkey Trot (Race Recap)

Official Time: 37:08

Division: 3 / 506

Gender: 75/4217

This year was my 3rd time running the Turkey Trot 5 miler... that's enough to now mark it as a "tradition"  that my brother, Eric and I will continually take part in as long as we're both in town for Thanksgiving right?!?!

This year there was a lot of hype because:

1. It was the 35th anniversary of the race
2. Our Turkey Trot is officially the largest Turkey Trot East of Mississippi with 10,750 runners / walkers
3. New course that featured a few downhills. 

I'm not a fan of racing 5 miles as I go out too fast, die, then pick it back up again in the last mile or so for an attempt to 'finish strong'. This was true for 2010 race (left- time 40:36) as well as 2012 race (right- time 38:31)

This year I was hoping to not repeat this pattern (spoiler alert, I did), but also I wanted run something in the 37s- no particular time, just faster than the previous year. 

As mentioned above this is a brand new course, so despite my superb map reading abilities, I really couldn't get a handle on what it would be like race morning other than its "fast with a few downhills", so I was coming into it with the mindset of everything will be a surprise. 

Yes... Eric is wearing the same shirt as the above 2012 photo... no he did not have any starring role in Star Trek. 

For those that know me... I like to run practically naked- skirt and tank is my go to. I draw the line and add on the layers when its in the 20s. Today's start line temp was 23 degrees... thats colder than last week's Route 66 1/2 in Oklahoma. What is even more cray cray is that it was 18 degrees in Nashville- for once its better to be in Ohio than TN.

Eric picks me up at 6:15 to avoid traffic and we managed to park about 1 mile away from start line. As we're sitting in the car, one of my middle school / high school friends, Laura, bangs on the door to say Hi before she picks up her packet. Next year, Eric and I are totally going to do race day pick up vs. fighting the crowds the day before- ridiculous. 

We managed to cycle through bathrooms (no line) and head up the hill to start with 45 min to spare. That much time standing around in the freezing cold is not fun, nor do I plan to arrive this early as there was nothing to do. I did manage to watch the beautiful sunrise....

.... as well as run into my cross country coach of 4 years- Coach Russ (I love running into blasts from the pasts when racing at home) 

Mile 1- 6:45

Despite starting in the first corral (there were 4 this year which included an elite corral, under 30 min), it was crazy congested the first 3/4 of mile and I couldn't have gone faster even if I wanted to due to all the bobbing and weaving.  Unfortunately as I was acquiring satellites I realized my watch developed a mind of its own and changed the settings- I wasn't able to see my pace until a mile was clocked.There was a slight but long down hill toward the end of the first mile. I love downhills, however with the cold it was really prohibiting opening up my stride, so I was starting to get discouraged that I wouldn't be able to beat last year's time since I calculated I was running in the 8s. Unfortunately as I was acquiring satellites I realized my watch developed a mind of its own and changed the settings- I wasn't able to see my pace until a mile was clocked- I was utterly shocked when I saw my first mile time.

Mile 2- 6:41

I do feel like I'm going too fast, but again no idea my pace. There was another downhill in this mile which I tried to coast and then the rest was relatively flat. Field was starting to spread out which made it nice to have a few people in front of me to judge my pace in relation to them. After the 2nd mile I realized I would really have to screw things up not to hit my goal. 

Mile 3 - 7:48 & Mile 4 7:47

I died- the end. I had to stop to tie my shoe (3x this race, mile 3, 4, and 5) and in doing so my legs decided to rebel and would not turnover. We reached the pancake flat out and back part of the course which I always find surprisingly difficult to run on all flat surfaces for longer than a mile (Welcome to Nashville!) It was nice to see all the runners on the back portion, however I kept experiencing that self doubt talk "I want to be taking it 'easy' like some of them, maybe next year I won't try to race it" Despite the thousands of runners, I did manage to spot Eric, he did not return the recognition and didn't respond to my calls. 

Mile 5- (slowest mile) 7:55

Surprisingly we had 2 slow uphills in the last mile- cruel to have 2 downhills at the beginning and then save the hardest mile for last. There was a lot of winding around a driveway until we could finally see the finish line in the distance. Still couldn't turnover very well, so instead of a giant kick I just tried to pick up the pace slightly. There was a girl "racing me" and I wanted to turn to her and say "its okay, i'm in the Dame division, no need to race"... she wouldn't let up, but I think she realized she picked up too soon and I pulled ahead. I crossed the finish line with time of 37:08. Although excited, had I known I was 8 sec from breaking 37 I would have picked it up sooner or maybe only taken 2 tie shoe breaks instead of the 3rd in the last mile. 

I ran back about 400 meters to wait for and cheer on Eric - captured this gem of him getting beat by a youngster ;) 

Ran into Laura while searching for Eric and we all walked the mile back to our cars. No frills, no after party, run and done. 

Later that afternoon I checked the results and I got 3rd in my division... beat out the 4th place girl by 3 sec, wowzas. Last year unbeknownst to me I had placed 4th in my division and only realized it when a month later I received a plaque... I checked the rules and I guess top 5 get awards- doesn't make me feel as special but I'll take it! 

Although there isn't a lot of excitement with this race there a few things that keep bringing me back:

• Oppty to run into people I haven't seen in years- every year I spot a friend and am able to catch up whereas otherwise I wouldn't really have oppty to do so. 
• My brother is willing to do this as well so its a nice brother / sister bonding time to share in the woes and triumphs of the race. 
• I can continually improve. Since I don't race the 5 mile distance, the only races I've done for this distance have been this one. Each year I am able to run faster and its definitely a self-esteem boost to continually see improvement.

I'll be back for 2014 aiming to run low 36s / high 35s. I would say that probably my favorite aspect of this race is that I keep doing it. I can always compete against myself and continually improve each year. I'll be back again for 2014 and will definitely be aiming to run low 36s / high 35s.

Did you race a Turkey Trot this year?

Race the Runways- (Maine- State #38 Recap)

The Race:

Race the Runways

State #38- Maine

Lifetime 1/2- #46

13 in 13 progress- #4

Official Time: 1:42:52

Normally when you think of racing in Maine, beautiful coast line and mild summer temps are what would come to mind. What you probably are not looking for is running back and forth on asphalt in freezing temps, trying not to let the wind knock you down, yet that is what I got. 

Although I knew Race the Runways was not going to be scenic and most likely cold for this time of year, it was flat and I was able to turn it into a double header with New Hampshire so that out won beauty. For those looking to run in Maine or New Hampshire, your best bet to save money is to look in Southern Maine and then fly into Boston, MA. B and I lucked out and found a R/T for $330- cheapest I've been able to get out to East Coast yet.

Our first day in Maine was tolerable, temps in lower 50s with a slight breeze....

On race day it dropped to lower 30s with a windchill of 20 degrees. Crazy as it sounds, the 30 degrees wasn't even that bad, however that wind.... gah I have never wanted to NOT race as much as when I got outside Saturday morning. 

Race the Runways is organized by the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, Midcoast Triathalon Club, and the Maine Track Club- although the race was around 1,000, definitely a small town feel. The 'runway' part of this race uses the Brunswick Executive Airport and Naval Air Station which closed down in 2011. 

Race Day:

Race started at 9:30am, however, bib pick up ended at 8:30, so we had to get to the race early in time to pick up our bibs and shirts. We had the longest /2 mile walk to the gym to get everything, and in that process we had several people tell us how crazy we were for wearing skirts. The race announcer was directing people over the megaphone where to go and even said I had guts haha. Once we got what we needed we ran back to the car and blasted the heat for the next hour and rested our eyes. Finalllllllly at 9:15 we emerged from the car and walked over to use potties with a few min to spare.

Clenched fists = COLD

I can do cold, it sucks, but I run decent in it. What I can't do is headwinds... I have no clue how to run in that. I decided to just go out easy, conserve energy, and do my best to stay warm. Surprisingly the first 2 miles weren't bad in terms of wind- I was actually feeling good and both miles clocked in at 7:30s. As we head into miles 3.5 AND 4.5 we are on the runway going SMACK into the wind. I kept thinking 

1. I have never been so cold running before in my life

2. I think the snot in my nose is frozen

3. I can't believe how hard I'm working and its only yielding XYZ pace. (mile 3- 7:40, 4- 8:21, 5- 8:08)

There was a herd of 10 or so people maybe 100 yards in front of me all drafting off one another, I kept trying to convince myself to stride it out to catch up to them, but man is wind tiring! Eventually (thankfully) we turned off the runway and although the wind never stopped during the race, the most intense part was over. 

After a mile or so we entered the 'loop' part of the course- it was an 'out and back' and then turn around and do the same 'out and back' again - this pretty much covered miles 6-11. Although it was boring and there was nothing spectacular to photograph, it was neat to see the leaders, and then see all the people you were ahead of. I also got to see B 3x on this part, making it 4 total for the race:

yup thats snow

she took the photo way far away

Another bonus was that the gu stop  was during the out and back x2, sooooooo I passed the gu station 3x. Although I still took my cliff double shot energy gel, I did manage to snag 2 extra vanillas and a chocolate outrage. I'm  convinced cliff double shot energy gels are the best thing since sliced bread. 

They don't sponsor me, send me free stuff, or give me some personalized coupon code for a discount... HOWEVER if they are reading... I will gladly accept any of the 3 items listed above :) 

Mile 6 and 7- 8:19, 8:04

Typically when it come to halfs, I don't really know how I'm faring till about mile 7ish- this is when the wheels have a tendency to come off. Despite what the above picture shows, once I started looping people, there were tons of runners to pass which I think helped me bring my pace down.  I also have a theory that the cold numbs the pain, so my body can keep going if my lungs are willing to hold up. 

I don't keep total time on my main screen of my watch, just avg pace, current pace of mile i'm in, and distance. Since I didn't care how I did in the race, I wasn't actually paying attention to my splits, however I did notice my average pace was still in the 7:50s... I'll take that

I decided I just wanted to break 1:45 (8:08) pace and that would be good enough for me. Literally when I made that decision, the times went down

Mile 8- 7:39

Mile 9- 8:01

Mile 10- 8:12

Mile 11- 7:48

We finally finish the out and back loop mess - which sidebar, totally would be easy for someone to cheat and just do one out and back vs. 2--- B said they are only cheating theirselves but I still say not fair! Once we head back for last 2 miles it is literally just me and 3 guys in sight- due to not being surrounded I can hear my loud wheezing and wonder how am I even still running right now? I've come to the conclusion that as long as my legs are fresh enough, they can handle faster paces, but my lungs are like that little fat kid inside me screaming "no more! I want cake (or bacon)!!"

At this point I have no desire to 'kick in the last 2 miles', but I told myself if I could just do sub 8s, it would all be over in 16 minutes... so thats what I did. 

Mile 12- 7:40

Mile 13- 7:45

Somewhere in in the last 1/2 mile I got HAWKED by this chick as she was making a mad dash toward the finish line. I kept thinking how it would suck if she was in my age group and then I caught myself and for once told myself I honestly didn't care how I did. I ran WAY faster than I anticipated, especially on day 1 of a double header, and I was just proud that I was able to pick it back up in the 2nd half. ( I think not keeling over from hypothermia was an accomplishment as well)

Mile .1 - 6:46

As I crossed the clock it read 1:42:54... for those that don't know, that is my PR from Cinco De Mayo back in Portland, OR last year. I knew I didn't cross the start line right at the gun so I just ran a freakin PR and didn't even know it!!! 

Official results finally came in and it was only 2 seconds faster, 1:42:52, 7:51 pace, but hey I'll take it. 

Even as I type this I'm not super jacked about the PR itself since I have plans to break 1:40 this year. I think what I'm most ecstatic about was that I fell apart for a few miles in the race but managed to pick myself up and finish strong--- that is NOT something that comes easy in the Lisa mental game, so HUGE win in my book. From a numbers perspective I'm doubly stoked because without that wind and me conserving energy for day 2 of double header, 1:40 would have been extremely realistic... she will be mine :)

B also ran a PR without realizing it (she was sans garmin all weekend)- she went from a high 2:04 / 2:05 to a 2:03 and change. Whats great for her is that the last several years shes been a solid 2:10/ 2:15 gal (her PR is from a few years ago), so she finally broke free from that benchmark and now has the mentality to go along with her training to break 2 hours this year---super pumped for her WHEN that happens. Main thing that changed for her... SPEEDWORK. (you can betcha i'm making sure to include it 1x a week, no questions)

As an unexpected bonus, I placed 3rd in my age group. Apparently all those women ahead of me were young looking gals in the 30-39 age group and not 20-29!Yup, still wearing my 'throwaway'- first time in a race I never even thought about taking it off...

Immediately after receiving my award we head back out to brave the cold and take the hottest showers of our lives before checking out and heading down to Portland, ME for exploration. 

State # 38 complete

Unexpected PR and AG win, but thats a-okay.

My afterthoughts:

The event was well organized and the bling definitely goes down as one of my favorites. Since the naval base closed in 2011, there are ZERO planes on the runway or the entire course (except one plane on display at the entrance of the 'park')---if you want to geek out on seeing planes, I highly suggest Air Force marathon. For being part of a double header, the race served its purpose. If you are seeking out more scenery, I would definitely wait till summer / early fall for decent temps and when everything is green and in full bloom!