It was crazy cold the morning of, but we all dressed warm and headed out in the single digit weather. I was a little disappointed in Fleet Feet's lack of organization in the packet pickup. I don't know if they had more people coming than they expected or what, but there was a terribly long line. This caused us to start a good 20 minutes late, a really long time when you're standing out in freezing weather! I don't think they had any packet pickup the previous day, so that probably contributed. Anyway, not a big deal, we were off and running just as snow started to fall.
I have a confession. This is the first race that I have made a time goal. I complete, not compete. I told myself I wanted to get 27:something. Yes, I'm aware that's not super speedy, but I'm so used to going longer distances (5-6 is my usual, and of course more as of late with the half marathon) that I settle into a 9:30-9:40 pace and I'm cool with that. But 3 miles? I should be able to pick it up for 3 miles. Unfortunately, I had originally planned to run/walk with the girls and did zero training. I changed my mind a week before Thanksgiving and made the 27:something goal on a whim. Anyway, I kept an eye on my watch and figured I'd be okay at the pace I was going, and crossed the finish with a 27:20 time. I was pleased, especially when placing 9th in my age group! I've never made the top 10 before. It helped having my friend M-Cat along with me, who is a much more experienced runner. She was/is coming off an injury, hence why I was able to keep up. :)
After we finished, I turned back to find the walk/running girls. I rounded them up a little after mile 2 and ran them in.
Oh right, this is a race report. I should report on the race. The course was nice and flat, albeit a little boring because we were mostly around a shopping center. The turns were well marked and volunteers were staged at appropriate intervals. They had a good variety of foods at the finish, and hot chocolate, too.
Although the swag bag was pretty skimpy, they did have some great raffles! I mostly coveted the gift cards to the Fleet Feet store, sweaty bands, and $250 to a tire shop. And the many many turkeys. BUT, I did win a Blender Bottle! Haven't used it yet- maybe this will prompt me to get some protein powder. Rather than t-shirts, they had good quality hoodies for participants. Not bad for a $20 entry fee. And for those of us who have more hoodies/shirts than they know what to do with, I appreciated the discounted fee of $13 with no hoodie.
Overall, it was a good Turkey Trot. Races are fun and that's all that matters! I think this may have been the first year they did this, and I'm sure they can correct disorganization for next time.
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