Race Recap: Columbus Turkey Trot

Columbus Turkey Trot shirt and medal

The Columbus Turkey Trot took place Thursday, November 26 at 9:00am. The race included a 5 mile run/walk, a 2.5 mile walk and talk, and a kid's run. We ran the 5 miler. [Race Website]

Background
Alex and I ran this event in 2013. It was my second 5 mile run ever and I thought I did pretty well (48:19, 9:40 pace). Unfortunately, I didn't do well enough to receive the Whole Foods pumpkin pie given to the first 1,000 male and 1,000 female finishers. In fact, I missed the pie by, like, 3 ladies. I saw them hand out the last pie ticket and I was crushed! I tried to play it off like it didn't matter, but it did. (whomp whomp) Last year we ran the Powell Turkey Trot for free beer, but returned to this trot for two reasons: 1. It's super close to our house and we needed to get on the road ASAP and 2. pie redemption. (!!)

Staying warm inside Whole Foods

Pre Race
There were multiple locations around Columbus for packet pickup (great idea). Packets included a drawstring bag, cute Thanksgiving tech shirt, and tons of coupons and flyers. Honestly, too many. But whatever. Participants could also pick up packets day of, but I'm so glad we didn't wait. Because of the better-than-average weather (46 and almost sunny) a ton of people came for same day sign up. (Side note: I'd prepped a cute outfit the night before only to find the weather six degrees warmer than predicted).

Alex and I hung out inside Whole Foods til 8:50, then headed to the start. We said our goodbyes and good lucks and he lined up by the 7 minute banner. After standing around for a while, I was beginning to get pretty chilly and wanted to go to the bathroom again (I didn't). The race was delayed to allow extra folks to register and finally started just before 9:15.

Stood here for at least 20 minutes

Goals
My numero uno goal was pie. I looked up last year's results (nerd) and knew I needed to be under a 10 minute mile. Of course, that's what I thought in 2013 and we see how well that worked out. Anyway, I looked at my 4 mile and 10k PRs to determine my goals:

A 43:20 (8:40 min/mile)
B 44:00 (8:47 min/mile)
C 45:00 (9:00 min/mile)

The Race
I'll start out with a truth bomb: this course suuuuucccckkkkkssss. It's a straight shot down Lane Ave, which is a pretty nice street if you're going the opposite direction. Unfortunately, we were headed towards Ohio State and mile 1 is concrete and an underpass. YAWN. The first section is also downhill, so you dread your uphill return.

In my experience, Turkey Trots are full of fast people. I tried to keep a decent speed without getting ahead of myself. My first mile was 8:11. That's pretty fast for me, but it felt good. I truly believe my #chasethebird run streak is responsible for my faster start. I couldn't maintain it forever, so I backed off after the downhill. Then I got stuck behind some slower people at mile 2 and had to pick up the pace again heading into the water stop at 2.5. I was thirsty, but because I was relatively speedy I knew I was on track to PR a 5k, so I continued through the stop.
Mile 1 and 2: 8:11, 8:23

The map and elevation

Gosh, this course is boring. After the stadium, we went over a bridge (elevation!) and turned a corner to another boring concrete stretch. I was getting tired, but I still had the 5k PR in my sights and knew I would slow down considerably between 3.5 and 5 due to the impending incline. When I hit 3.1 miles I had no idea what my time was, but I was fairly confident I PR'd. Coolest part: I hadn't used up my energy (after all, I had two miles left), so I'm pretty sure I can run a faster 5k. Wahoo!
Mile 3: 8:35

Anyway, here's the struggle: We turned back onto Lane Ave and began the slow 100+ ft ascent to the finish. The hill was so pronounced that I couldn't see the finish until under a half mile to go. I know some people hate straightaways because it feels like it takes forever to get where you're going, but I like them because I know how much longer I have and when to pick up the pace. There was a small downhill at the mile 4 underpass, so I tried to punch up my speed a bit because I knew the worst of the hill was coming. Meanwhile, I was starting to overheat in my t-shirt and shorts. I began to use my gloves as sweat rags (lovely) and wished I'd worn a tank top. Crazy for November in Ohio!
Mile 4: 8:43 (half hill)

Lordy, mile 4 to 5 sucked. I wanted to walk. I saw my pace dipping into the 9s. According to my Garmin data my lowest point was 4.55 at 9:39 pace. All of the sudden I wasn't sure if I was going to meet my A goal and convinced myself I'd lost my pie. I was passed by a few people (mainly dudes), but overall everyone was riding the struggle bus. Every time I thought about walking I tried to think about Alex waiting for me at the end or my new motto "the faster you run, the faster it's done." But ultimately I had to tell myself to just keep running because it was a heck of a lot faster than walking and if I stopped I probably wouldn't want to start up again. It was hard, guys.

When we hit Half Price Books at 4.7 (my beacon of hope) I knew I could speed up. I could finally see the finish line. Dudes started sprinting to the finish. I didn't have that kind of energy, but I was able to get back into the mid 8s. The finish split male and females (for pie count), so I veered to the right. I was pooped. When I crossed the line I saw 42 something on the clock, so I knew I'd crushed my goal. Thank goodness for the fast first 3 miles!
Mile 5: 9:10 (Holy hill!)

I love you pie.

Post Race

I pretty much wanted to die after crossing the finish line. They made you snake through a chute to collect your medal and pie ticket and there wasn't water until way after that (ahhhh!). Normally that isn't an issue, but I was dehydrated. Right before I got my medal Alex hollered for me. That helped a ton! It distracted me from my pain. And guess what? I got a pie so I stopped feeling any pain!!! My mood instantly shifted from, "I hate this course." to "Pie!!!" I don't even like pie that much, but I sure do like crossing off goals. After collecting my prize we grabbed some goodies (cookies, granola bars, pretzels, water), took some photos, and booked it to the car. Even with the crap course it was a great Turkey Trot experience. 

Stats and Thoughts

I got a pie, 5k PR (26:02), and a 5 Miler PR by 6 minutes. I think that sums it up. 

Final Time: 42:15 (8:27 m/m)

Overall: 1177/3876 (30%)

Gender: 386/2043 (19%) *Solidly in the pie range!

Up Next: I want to get an official 5k PR, but the race I wanted to sign up for had a major price hike. We have the First on the First 5k on January 1, but it's not a PR course. (Does it count as a PR if I just run 3.1 on a trail while wearing my Garmin?) Alex wants to get "back in shape" so he's amped for races. (By the way, he finished the Trot 188th overall with a 6:51 pace. Out of shape–ha!)