Westfield 5 mile Turkey Trot

Where do I begin? Blogging has sadly become more sporadic than I had planned, but never fear...I'm not going to bore you with everything that happened in my life since my last post.

I do want to congratulate you brave runners/finishers of the Philadelphia marathon, even if I am a week late...awesome job, all of you!

Hope you all had a fun-filled Thanksgiving weekend, feasting with family and friends. And hope the turkey trotting went well. I am looking forward to reading race reports!

I've been running well the past few weeks; thanks so much for all your wishes. I ran 35 miles last week and found time for a spinning class, some individual biking and core strength work. This week, apart from 21 miles (including a 5-mile race yesterday), I was able to get some spinning and swimming in. What's even better, I have been awakened out of my 3 1/2-month race-less stupor and I am now digging up interesting, unique and challenging 2010 races in the tristate area. Any ideas?

I had planned to run the Ashenfelter 8K Classic (Turkey Trot) on Thursday, but that did not happen. Well, it happened, but I was not in it. I was busy cooking and entertaining, then overeating and drinking on Thanksgiving Day. But I did register for another post-Turkey Day Trot instead....the Westfield 5-mile race which happened yesterday.

It was a terribly windy day. I picked up my medium T-shirt (no small T-shirts...and the medium looks like a tent on me) and bib (no race chachkis either...oh well, these are hard times).

The race started at 11 am at Tamaques Park in Westfield. As we lined up, I met Nathaniel, who was aiming for top spot in the 80+ age category. He had just completed the Ashenfelter 8K 2 days ago. He looked remarkably fit and was confident of completing in less than 50 minutes. If I live to be 80, I just hope I will still be running!

I have never participated in a 5-mile race before, so no pressure to PR, but I did set my sights on completing in less than 40 minutes.

As the siren sounded, I shuffled a little, to break free from the crowd. Once I settled down to a pace which was faster than I am used to, my breathing became labored. I could feel every ounce of weight I had gained over the past 2 days groaning at me. I coudn't believe I was doing a 7:18 pace. I knew there was absolutely no way I could sustain this pace, but I couldn't slow down.

After a mile, my strides involuntarily reduced in length though I was still breathing hard. I figured if I decreased my pace to a more manageable one, I could still complete in less than 39 minutes. I was dying for something to drink. Gatorade would have been nice, but the fluid station only carried water. I completed Mile 2 in 14:51, a 7:33 pace.

Mile 3 was slower...7:50. I was acutely aware of every runner who passed me. I dully thought of speedwork, lactate threshold training and how much that could have helped at this point. At Mile 4, a runner in ski pants passed me and stayed a few steps ahead of me, sniffing, breathing heavier than me, his pant legs rubbing against each other noisily. Thankfully he sped off as I slowed down at the second and final water stop. The water made me cough and almost choke. But the faster 7:30 pace at Mile 4 gave me a psychological boost and the burst of energy I needed. I finished the race at 37:22, a 7:11 pace for Mile 5 and 7:28 pace overall. I was thrilled and I let DH gush over how speedy I was...my overall pace was faster than my 5K pace last year. Fueled by Thanksgiving dinner, no doubt!

There I am, showing off my distinct heel strike stride! Hmm...posture definitely needs work.

I found out later that Nathaniel finished way ahead of the others in his age category, completing in 49 minutes.

Westfield 5 mile Turkey Trot - Saturday, November 28, 2009
37:22; Pace: 7:28/mile
Overall Stats: 148/799 overall

Gender Stats: 19 / 346
Age group Stats: 2 / 51

Bib 302

We had to rush back, shower and drive to NYC immediately after (had a wonderful dinner in NYC with friends), so I didn't get a chance to strut about and pick up my age group award. It would have been nice to have another medal for the mantel...yes, I am a show-off!