Turkey Trot

Thanksgiving is best kicked off with a crisp run, surrounded by people who radiate the spirit of giving thanks. Like last year, I had relatively low expectations for today's 5K . My legs have been in recovery mode since eleven-two, and speed continues to reside on the back burner. In addition, running fast has never been my fortay. But this was all of little concern to me. I convinced two other family members to bring their game for the three point one miles. And the Captain was, once again, my biggest fan.

Getting up this morning was easy as pie. I napped on the plane ride last night and tacked on an additional six hours overnight. Plus, I had the time-change to my advantage. Again, we enjoyed an easy number/chip pick-up and quick little jaunt to the starting line. No pushing, jostling, or elbowing--and more importantly, after the "locomotive horn" that sounded the start, there was no weaving through walkers. This made for a very comfortable first mile (7:28). The Captain snapped this picture...Up and down a series of gently rolling hills, the course wound its way through the residential 'burbs. I found myself genuinely enjoying this run. Mile two soon made its appearance (7:42). Sometimes that third mile can seem like a torturous eternity in a 5K, and even though I was "tempo-running" today, that last mile felt pretty short. I kept my eyes peeled for mile three, but it was nowhere to be found. Instead, the finish line appeared. I eyed my watch and saw that I was well over my PR time. After an "oh well" and a shrug of the shoulders, I broke into a sprint to finish with dignity. The last mile point one (8:26) landed me with a time of 23:38.

Since there was plenty of energy left in the tank, I ran back to mile two to find the in-laws. They had a brisk walking pace going, and we were able to visit all the way to the finish line. Post race, we collected some fruit, and I purchased a soy latte from Caribou Coffee.


Overall, I'm pleased with this effort. It was a great morning to be outdoors and acclimate to the holiday environment. As for the rest of my Thanksgiving running plans, RC is currently flying here, so hopefully I can convince him to head out on a few runs through the windy city over the next couple of days.

Happy Thanksgiving!

**Edit: My time in this race scored me a second place finish in my age group!! This hasn't happened in years!! So exciting!**