A Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot 5K {Race Recap}

I sent November off by running a “Turkey Trot” 5K on the morning of Thanksgiving Day. It was only the 2nd time I’d run a 5K race this year (the first being an end of summer 5K), and I just happened to be on vacation in North Carolina – where the weather was an awesome 60 degrees.

The Race: Beau’s Buddies Turkey Trot for Tots. Before I went, I used Running in the USA to look for races in the area of NC that I was staying in, and found one that was close by.

I showed up along with 480 other people for this local, friendly race – the race director said it was the largest turnout in the 4 years that they’ve been having it. It’s been 7 weeks since I started running … again. Training was excellent for the first 5 weeks, then shady and spotty for the next 3 weeks. Working night shift, then day shift, then back to night shift for the last 3 weeks totally threw my body and routine out of whack. I hadn’t run in a week, but running a Turkey Trot had been my goal when I started – so I went out and did it.

Course: Flat, through local neighborhoods with race signs at every turn. 1 water stop about 1.5 miles in, no crowd support.

Race Bling: Nada. I placed 12th in my age group. 150/437. 28:53.

My Gear: I had a spaz moment and left my luggage in IL – with all my clothes and running shoes. So when I got to NC, I hit up Target and got a pair of capris & a tech t-shirt (on sale of course). Running shoes were harder to come by – no running stores close by – only a sporting goods store. My choices were between many Nike Frees – which I’m not a fan of – and Addidas Runners, which is what I chose. Lucky for me, come the next day – race day – which was the first time I wore them, I had no problems.

Cost: $25 on race day.

Worth it? Yes – for beginners like myself, or for families with kids running. But, if you want more fan-fare … it’s probably worth it to drive to a bigger town.

I learned – Don’t let self-doubt keep you from doing something that you’ve worked hard towards. I felt pretty good the entire race and ran the entire thing. If I can run on the treadmill for 8 miles – why did I not think I could do this?!

Do you exercise when you go on vacation?