My First Turkey Trot 8k

I haven’t been running much lately … actually I haven’t been running but once or twice per week since I ran in the Great Turtle Run a month ago. I wanted to give my body some time off from running and I was kinda burned out from running 3 – 4 times per week.

Despite this decrease in running Amy and I wanted to stay motivated this holiday season so we signed up for the Chicago 8k Turkey Trot right after we finished our last race. 

This past Thursday was Thanksgiving, the day of the trot. I’ve been mostly running on treadmills the past month but I managed to run outside a few times in an attempt to prepare my body for cold weather running. Given that the run was around 35 degrees I think it paid dividends.

We decided to put all of our running gear together the night before so we wouldn’t be running around in the morning trying to find everything. The next morning we were about 20 minutes ahead of schedule driving downtown for the race which was good as Mike, a friend who was running and driving with us, still needed to pick up his bib. 

Well, our plan to pack ahead didn’t quite work out as we realized about 3/4 of the way (20 minutes) to downtown that we actually forgot our own bibs at home on the counter. Yea, stupid right? Who forgets their bib the day of a race? Never again, lesson learned … our checklist will always have our bib from now on. Fortunately we were running ahead of schedule and had time to double back to pick them up, otherwise we’d have run with no timings.

After picking up our bibs and getting downtown we had to fight to find a parking spot. Chicago city parking in Lincoln Park is absolutely horrible when your late but we finally found a spot and arrived at the starting line with 2 minutes to spare after speed walking / jogging to the start, gulp. After a quick restroom break we were off and running.

My number one goal for this race was something I’d failed at my previous two runs this season, to run the entire race without walking. I hadn’t managed to do it with my first 5k or ~10k but this time I was determined to nail it with this 8k.

After spending the first mile dodging walkers, strollers, puddles (it rained the entire previous day), curbs, dogs, and cars parked along the race route I finally found a maintainable stride around a 9 minute mile. Like I did at the previous races I was constantly scoping out people to find someone to help pace me.

• Were they running at a steady pace or were they sprinting and walking?
• Were they with someone else with a similar stride or running solo?
• Were they adept at dodging and getting ahead of crowds without losing their pace?
• Were they wearing the right clothes?

I know that last one seems odd but one of the things I was looking for when I ran was whether or not they were wearing a running shirt from another race. I know it seems odd but some of the best runners I’ve seen wear shirts from their previous races.

Well with all my scanning and dodging I found the perfect runner, well actually two of them. She was wearing a marathon shirt from a few years ago and was running a maintainable 9 minute mile pace. She and her friend were also doing an awesome job weaving and dodging when they needed to get around people. I felt a bit like a stalker but I spent the next 4 miles matching their every move.

With my pacers in front of me and music in my ear it was really just a matter of maintaining my form, watching my temperature, and staying alert. I wore gloves, a cotton shirt, removable cycling sleeves, a jacket, and a thin winter skull cap to stay warm. After the first 1.5 miles I was starting to get warm so I removed my gloves and hat. Another mile into the run we turned and headed north which meant wind in the face and me getting cold so I quickly redressed with the layers.

After another mile the hat was off again. I felt like it was groundhogs day … on again, off again, on, off. I just wanted to make sure that I didn’t overheat as I knew that’d blow the race. Needless to say I didn’t overheat which meant I cooked and ate that groundhog!

I was coming into the final mile and noticed a lot of people slowing their roll a bit, I figured they’d be pushing it at the end. I took this opportunity to kick it up a notch and started pushing my pace. Since I knew this was only a 8k (5 miles) and thought I only had 0.8 miles to go I figured it couldn’t hurt.

Turns out I’m not so good at math and I was about 0.2 miles off from where I thought the finish line was. As a result of my final push my gas tank was a bit empty but I wasn’t a quitter, I was bound and determined to not walk this race. I made it to the finish line intact, running, very tired, but running and grinning from ear to ear.

My finishing time was 48’34″ with an average pace of 9’41″ and I finished 1302 / 2395 within the men and 194 / 360 within my age group. I wish the pace was a bit higher but given the obstacles, the temperature, and my goal of running the entire race I’m ecstatic with the results.

Amy wasn’t as happy with her time, a little over an hour. She hadn’t really run in a few weeks because she’s been studying for her recertification exam in a few weeks and due to children induced sleep deprivation … it also didn’t help that she overheated during the run.

We’ve been talking about race goals for next year and are planning an 8k in the spring and a half marathon in the fall together. I don’t think I’ll be running again until early in the spring for that 8k. I want to spend the next few months focusing on dropping more weight. I feel like my running times and body are still limited by my weight. My ankles usually hurt for at least 2 days following a run. I think I’d be best served in my triathlon training next year by dropping another 30 – 40 pounds.

I went from not being able to run at all this year to finishing my first 5k, 8k, and 10k races. I went from walking to running 9’30″ miles. I went from calling myself an anti runner to actually enjoying the label of being called a runner.

How did your running season go? Did you run any end of year races?

• My First Triathlon, Chicago South Shore Sprint
• Chicago Half and 5k Race Recap, Another PR
• My Running Challenge, Then And Now
• Labor Of Love 5k Race Recap, A New PR
• Tapering My Work, Workouts, And Self Doubt