Sunday, November 13, 2011

Iron Turkey 5K and 10K Recap

Yesterday I did my first ever combined race-- A 5K and 10K combo to become an IronTurkey!

The Ann Arbor Turkey Trot is a 5K and 10K race at a gorgeous park. You can run either event, or run both for a medal and glory at the end. As a final long run before the Philly Half, I chose the latter :)

The morning started out like every other- toast and coffee. In retrospect, this probably wasn't enough food-- I got so hungry!

We made our way to the park in the cold Michigan morning. For the 5K, it was about 35 degrees. Brr! I took off for the 5K and had a hard time pacing myself for the shorter first part of the race.

Mile 1: 8:59
Mile 2: 9:28
Mile 3: 9:27
0.16: 9:04 pace
5K time: 29:16

The park is really gorgeous and the course was one big loop throughout. There was a nice mix of rolling hills, bridges, forest and river. Just lovely.

After the 5K, we had about half an hour to wait around before the 10K started. I didn't feel like eating anything, but really wished they had gatorade besides just water.

Then the 10K started. The beginning was alright, but I quickly started to feel a little crummy. Because of injury, this would be the longest I've run in about 2-3 weeks, and I definitely used up a lot of energy during the 5K.

Mile 1: 9:49
Mile 2: 9:36
Mile 3: 9:33

After running the loop again, we still had one more lap to go. I was so tired at this point and wished for some sugar or gatorade! But pressed on with a little bit slower pace.

Mile 4: 9:34
Mile 5: 9:49
Mile 6: 10:24
0.25: 10:26 pace
10K time: 1:01:18
IronTurkey total time: 1:30:34


Finally the finish was in sight! I attempted to sprint.. but didn't quite make it. I crossed the finish line and was immediately handed the IronTurkey medal. Awesome!
This is the first race I've ever run with no pressure-- no previous PR or time goals. It was fun to just run, enjoy the course and my fellow runners.

Plus, a medal at the end of a long run doesn't hurt either ;)

Holiday races are so fun! Are you planning on any turkey/jingle bell races this season?

1 comment:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...