2006 Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot
I showed up for the Turkey Trot on a mission. I wanted to post a great time and redeem myself after my showing in the marathon. I also decided that this would be part of my mental toughness training, so I wanted to go out fast enough that I would suffer a bit at the end.
I showed up early to warm up. I couldn’t find any of the Gazelles at the start/finish line, so I just took off on my own about an hour before the start. I ran back out of the course from the end for about three quarters of a mile and then turned around to run that section again the “right” way. It’s impossible to forget the big hill a quarter mile from the end, but I didn’t really remember that most of that last mile is all uphill. So, I was glad I saw all that during my warm-up.
By the time I got back, the crowds were already starting to form. It wasn’t packed, though, so I didn’t worry about it and just went about a block away to find a parking lot for some drills. I think my hopping and skipping amused some normal people finding their way to the starting area. I also spent that time affirming to myself that I was about to go out and have a great race.
When I came back I found my way to the front part of the start area and waited there for things to fill in. Shortly before the start I finally found a couple other people from my group. Before I knew it, it was time for the start.
The horn went off, and I took off running. I was going pretty fast, and just navigating through the crowds. I had wanted to try for a 6-minute pace, but when I got to the first mile marker I had about 6:10. I think I may have still had some of those hill repeats in my legs because I didn’t feel like I could go any faster. So, I just settled in and hung on for the ride. There were a lot of people ahead of me, but I knew that as the race went on I would pass most of them.
In the second mile, I started picking out people around me to pass. There was one dude that went back and forth with me several times in there, and I thought I had finally put him away on the hills in mile three, but he ended up coming back to pass me in the last mile. Through all that, though, there were a lot of people that stayed passed, so that was good.
When I hit the mile three marker still feeling good, I knew I had a huge PR in the bag. We had a long stretch down Red River that included a few short hills, and then, before I even had a chance to think about it, I was at the spot where I had turned around on my warm-up, so I knew I just had three quarters of a mile to go. I had noted where the half mile point was as well, so it was very easy mentally to break the last part of the race up into smaller chunks.
I powered up the hill, made the final turn, and cruised in. When I saw the clock I knew I was a little slower than I thought I could do, but I knew I still had a huge PR, so I was happy. I guess I didn’t give it all, though, because I didn’t collapse or find myself gasping for breath at the finish line. So, I’ve still got some room for improvement there.
So, I had 31:07 for the five miles (6:13 pace). That’s a really good time, and I think my smiles in the finishing area should have convinced everyone around that I was pretty happy with it.
I didn’t do much of a cool-down. I tried to jog around a bit, but it was really crowded. Later in the day, though, after consuming quite a bit of food, I went on a walk with my sister for a few miles. That was really to make up a little bit for all the food, but it did a good job of loosening up my muscles as well.