2022 Mesa Turkey Trot

I have run, but not trained since my last 10K. I did not plan to do hard workouts or any races until after the new year. When we decided to stay home for Thanksgiving and our city advertised the oldest turkey trot in Arizona, well, I had to sign up! I haven't raced a 5K in years, so I decided to just go and give it what I got. It turned out better than I expected.

Race day conditions: 50's and windy

Course: Flat, around a park, and a little short 

Goals: 

A: 8:30/minute

B: 27:00 (8:41/minute)

C: 30 minutes or under

Before the race:

I only did three speed workouts before this event: (0.25 mile slow, 0.25 mile fast) x 2 for a mile November 15; sprint intervals November 19; and regular intervals November 21. Other than that, I have been running very low mileage and doing Nourish, Move, Love strength workouts. I told myself I would be slow, but then also told myself that mindset matters as much as anything else, and I wanted to give it my best shot!

I spent most of the day before the race cooking. This was not the best idea, but what I needed to do to prep for hosting the next day. This race started at 8:30 am, which is later than I usually run. I debated trying to eat a full breakfast, but decided that I should heed advice to "not do anything different on race day" and stick with my banana and 8 oz of water. I did this about an hour and a half before the run. It was cold and windy after we picked up my packet, but I tried to stay warm. I did a five minute jog about half an hour before start time, and the wind was intimidating! I just went with it and made my last minute bathroom stop before moving to the start line. Since the start line was open, I was able to wear my hoodie until the last minute. That helped a lot! (Thanks to my husband for being the gear holder!)

(Photo courtesy of Start Line Racing)

Mile 1:

We started slow. It was a walk just to get over the start line, and then people were slow. The first jag was a down and back, and I jogged outside the cones to try to get around people. That meant facing the people coming back. Not the best idea! My phone read fast (under 8 minutes a mile) and then slow (8:30 plus). I was breathing pretty hard, so just kept at it. I remembered Run for PR's (2022) advice to not go out too fast, and I tried to stick with it. It was a bit of a struggle to get to half way through the race. I forgot about my splits. I was breathing hard, saw my pace at 8:36/mile or so and wanted to go faster. I told myself to wait until mile two.

(Photo courtesy of Start Line Racing)

Mile 2:

I told myself to keep working. This was a short race, and I could do it! I started trying to pick people off while waiting for 2.6, at which point I told myself to give it all I had. My chest was burning some here.

I saw what I thought was the finish line as I came around a corner. I started to gun it, thinking I could make it. Then I heard the volunteers saying, "Turn left." I remembered that the finish was different than the start. As I turned the corner, I also say that I needed to make a turn to make it back to the finish. I honestly was not sure I could make it. I started feeling nauseous. I told myself to keep going.

Mile 3 and finish: 

The course came up a bit short, at 3:03. I debated trying to run the 3.1, but there wasn't really room. I also felt pretty awful. I wondered if I would do the "real runner" thing and throw up, but I didn't. I looked down and saw 8:16 a mile as my Runkeeper pace. I felt pretty happy with that and planned to find my husband and go home.

(Photo courtesy of Start Line Racing)

After the Race:

This was a pretty big race, and I did not expect to place. I saw the podium set up, though, and I have never gotten to stand on a podium, so I checked my results. (Props to Start Line racing for the ability to check results online instantaneously!) It looked like I got second place in my age group! I was psyched and asked my husband to stay for the awards ceremony, despite the fact that it would delay our breakfast and Thanksgiving prep. I stretched some and we waited. After I got my medal, we departed.

My arms hurt some after the race, specifically my biceps. I guess I was using them hard to propel myself forward? My chest also felt tight for a while. I really crashed after eating breakfast, but you know what? It was worth it!

Concluding Thoughts:

I have learned a lot about running over the past year or so. Polarized training works! Strength helps. It really is possible (and now necessary, for me) to eat before I run and still perform. I think I am really a lower mileage runner. Overall, I am just so thankful, an appropriate sentiment for a turkey trot with a tagline, "Today I run with gratitude for..."

References:

Run 4 PRs Coaching [@Run4PRs]. (2022, November 23). Anyone racing a turkey trot tomorrow? Share our tips with your family & friends! [Instagram photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/run4prs/?hl=en