Race Report: Running For Kicks 4 Mile Turkey Trot

Me, The Sailor, and "Mike Ryan"

I had big hopes for today's Turkey Trot:

1. Finish in under 34 minutes
2. Beat my husband
3. Meet fellow running bloggers 

I went two for three, so that ain't bad.

I figured my 5K PR is 25:59, a pace of 8:22 or 8:23. If I ran 8:30, I could finish in 34:00 minutes.

The race was great. Up and down rolling (Chicagoland) hills, which I expected from hearing all the Monday night folks talk about. There were clocks at every mile, and my Garmin beeped a little past every mile, but it was close enough. I tried to keep my heart rate around 180, which I think is around 96 percent of my max heart rate.

I was paying attention to the mile splits on the clocks and my Garmin, but I knew I started about 10 seconds after the clock started and as much as I love math, sometimes it's hard to get mental math perfect down to the second while you're pushing yourself. I think I knew I was beating my 5K PR pace, so that felt pretty great. Around miles 2-3, I started regretting the little bit of toast/peanut butter and coffee/soy milk I had for breakfast. I think I should stick to stuff like shot bloks before shorter races.

To quote our third grade teacher,
we are "strong, smart women"

I got to the last 400m and started pushing myself, saw Vera who had already finished and kept pushing, and as soon as the finish line came into view (and I could hear people [men] behind me start sprinting), I sprinted faster. I crossed the finish line/mats, stopped my Garmin and then went off to the side to catch my breath. It took a minute (and pulling down my heart rate strap). Once I recomposed myself, I checked my Garmin. 33:01! WHAT?? A minute faster than my goal!

I saw Amanda at the start and again as I finished, so I went back over to say hi again, and then went back to find Vera and watch for The Sailor to finish. He finished about 10 minutes later. We went and got water and bananas, and then headed home. We had cakes, pies and stuffed mushrooms to make.

So, as you can see, I met my time goal and my beating-the-husband goal, but I didn't meet my two running blogger friends. Next race!

Running For Kicks 4 Mile Turkey Trot
Chip time: 33:00 / 8:15 pace
Overall: 226 / 1,133
F25-29: 9 / 99

Did you race this morning? How did it go?