Westfield Turkey Trot 2006

A little more than 10 years ago, on Nov. 25, 2006, I ran the Westfield Turkey Trot, my first five-mile race.  Here is my race report, as published in my previous blog. 

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I Mean It This Time. I Swear.

"Comfortably hard," is what I believe the term is for running as a pace that's faster than an easy jog, but not an all-out breakneck run. That's what I did on Sunday and Monday, and that's what I'm sticking to. Honestly.

Okay, so over the weekend, I didn't. On Friday, after my errands, I had exactly one hour to run, shower and put on my suit for a wedding that evening. I had to run fast. There was simply no time for lollygagging.

I wound up running my 5K route faster than ever. Elated, I decided then and there that Saturday's five-mile race wasn't going to be the fun back-of-pack run with my friend. I was going all out, one more time.

First, I had to get through the wedding, with its enticing open bar and that one guy, Craig, who kept urging me to do shots with him. I know better than to drink the night before a race, but Craig was convincing..."Come on, you'll do fine tomorrow. Do one more shot with us."

I felt surprisingly well on Saturday morning as I drove to Westfield for its annual Turkey Trot. But five miles is an odd distance for me. My usual short runs are 3.1 miles and my mid-length runs are typically seven miles. Would I start out too fast and fizzle from trying to keep my 5K pace? Or would I be too conservative, only to find that I saved up too much for the dash to the finish?

None of that mattered because I made the error of starting too far from the front of the pack. The chance of getting a fast start was gone as I desperately tried to maneuver around the hundreds of people in the middle of the 749-person pack. It made for a slow first mile, but it helped for the rest of the race because with each mile clock (YES! I love mile clocks!), I happily calculated my falling per-mile/pace. And who wouldn't get a psychological charge out of passing runner after runner throughout the course?

Despite the nasty stomach cramp that crept up in the last quarter-mile, I finished strong and my pace was comparable to my 5K pace. No complaints here!

I should have rested Sunday but instead opted for the comfortably-hard run. The continued strain I put on myself on Tuesday, trying for a six-mile run, led to a pain in my right heel in the second mile. Knowing better (though a little late), I stopped and walked home.

I owed myself a rest day. Tomorrow, I go back out and fight the good fight against the gung-ho runner in me. Gotta keep that guy at bay this winter.