Workout #44
Most turkey trots happen on Thanksgiving Day, but luckily there are a few that happen the weekend before so that all of us who might be bogged down in holiday plans are still able to share in the fun.
I love this time of year, and Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Anything remotely related to Thanksgiving is ok in my book, so today I participated in the Lincolnwood Turkey Trot 5 and 10K run. I chose the shorter distance because I am also in Half-Marathon Training with Chicago Endurance Sports, and one of our long runs was schedule for the day before this trot.
It was the perfect temperature outside for an event like this; the sun was shining, the breeze was light, the temperature was cool, but not frigid like last year, and there was no snow or moisture on the ground. The starting horn blew at exactly 8:45am, and I felt excited to get going. Each race like this always starts out the same way: I get no sleep the night before, I’m excited and smug in the beginning, saying things like “Oh, it’s only 3.1 miles, no biggie,” and then when the horn blows and the realization sinks in I spend the whole first mile cursing my existence and wondering why the heck I’m torturing myself like this. Sure, it’s “only” 3.1 miles, but I still have to run them.
By the time the second mile starts I find that I am in a comfortable groove and starting to relax, and that’s when I can look around and enjoy myself. Invariably there are always people along the side either cheering on runners they know, or cheering for people just because, or simply looking on with curiosity. All of these people are important to runners because we each have some sort of sense of certainty that any one of them would probably call 911 if we had a grabber right in front of them, and there’s comfort in that knowledge. Sometimes they bring snacks too, and that’s just as good. There is also that unique class of volunteer along the route that isn’t there to block traffic for you, or hand out water, or direct you around the correct corner, but one who simply came to yell encouragement to you even though there’s no possible way you could win this race, or any other for that matter. God bless those people for being them!
Without too much drama, I near the third mile and decide to sprint the last bit of distance into the finishing chute. My normal time for a 5K race is somewhere around 36 minutes (yes, I’m quite slow due to asthma), but today I was feeling especially light and cheerful, so my time is going to be close to three minutes faster than the regular pace. I did not win the race, but having a good run can be just as satisfying.
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