ALSO Youth Turkey Trot 10k

Thanksgiving is usually one of M's and my rush-around-crazy-busy holidays. Our parents live in the same city, and we have the pleasure to visit and partake in festivities at each of their houses. We've never run a turkey trot before, mostly because I was under the impression that our local one was 5k beach run, and because we're always so short on time. But this year we learned that ALSO Youth, an organization dedicated to supporting LGBT teens, was putting on their third annual turkey trot, and that it would be downtown. Instead of running the beach, we would be running the causeway bridge, and instead of running a 5k, we could run a 10k instead.

The race route, from M's Nike GPS.

So, we were in! The race was Thanksgiving morning, only four days after the Half, and I hadn't done any small runs or such between the two races. My right knee and hip flexor had been giving me some issues on and off, and the morning of the race my knee was especially painful. Still, I was too stubborn to back down from the 10k to the 5k, and decided to go into the run as a slow, steady post-race fun run.

The morning started off unbearably cold - for us, anyway. We arrived at the venue when it was still 55-degrees and windy. S, M, and I were all running; our cheering section included our mom, M's mom, and G, S's boyfriend. I had opted for long running pants because of the cold weather and wind, but this was a mistake; by the time the sun was up, I was feeling a little warm. Still, it wasn't terrible.

Pre-race...Brrr!

The run was gorgeous. We all started at our own paces, but S caught me on our way up the bridge. (This bridge, by the way, is much steeper and longer than the bridge K and I train on, and it was definitely a hike.) We ran a few miles together by the water, but after our turn-around (just about 4 miles in), I was really starting to feel the pain in my leg. S went ahead and I pulled my pace back a bit.

The high winds and steep inclines got me in the end. I had to walk near the top of the bridge on the second ascent, but ran 6 of the 6.2 miles, so I'm happy with that, especially considering that fact that I was in pain the entire run. I did have one of those moments of clarity where I realized 6.2 miles really doesn't seem all that long anymore, even when I'm struggling through it.

Getting my second wind.

My time was a sad 1:07, with a pace of 10:13. (To compare, my last 10k was 58:27.) My Nike+ had some issues and I had to entirely reboot my iPod, so I don't know my splits, but I'm sure they weren't negative. I took off a bit fast in the beginning and really slowed down in miles 4 and 5. I was able to pick up again at the end, and I overtook two women I'd been neck-and-neck with the entire race. Still, my place was 174 of 219 overall 10k runners, and 39 of 46 in my AG (divided up as 18-29, which honestly is a pretty big range). I'm not at all happy with that, but I need to remind myself that this was meant to be a nice, easy post-Half long-run.

M and S both did very well; this was M's first 10k and he ran it at a faster pace than any of his training runs. S came in with the same time as her previous 10k, but with the bridge included this meant her pace was better.

Post-race...sunny and warm

It's nice to see that I'm continuing to infect others with the running bug. My brother-in-law recently bought his first pair of real running shoes, began training, and ran his first race on Saturday.

The rest of the day was spent over-indulging and seeing family...and the rest of the week was more of the same. Work starts up again Monday, and it's back to regularly scheduled programming, as they say.

Really, I'm ready for a couple easy runs before scheduling my next race. This was such a light week, and despite my injury I am chomping at the bit to get back out there, but I know I need to take it easy for a couple more days. Then, it'll be time to get back to it! I can't wait!

ABK