Gobble gobble! Turkey Trot race report

I am about ready for a nap, so I will try to make this post quick. I think the turkey is working its sleepy-time magic. ;-)

This morning's Turkey Trot was tons of fun!! I didn't know anyone there, but ended up chatting with a woman who had never been to a race before. Turns out she's almost my age, has a son about the same age as my daughter and works in the field of nursing. We hit it off after she asked me if her race bib was on properly. She told me she would be walking (she did) and I ended up walking the last lap with her after I finished my run.

So this race course started at the gazebo in old town Eureka, where all the homeless people happen to congregate. I'm not saying that to be mean, but it just so happens that there is a large homeless population that hangs out there, by the waterfront. The course went in a loop that we had to complete 2 1/2 times. So we ran up one street, over and down another, next to the waterfront (which was cool) and then back into old town. More than 350 runners participated, making it the largest Turkey Trot here to date. And it was COLD! But the sun was shining, so the conditions were actually pretty good for a run.

I had no intentions of going for a PR today. I didn't even manage a warm-up, since I spent pre-race time talking to Jordie (the girl I had tons in common with). So once the race actually began, I was surprised to find myself keeping an 8:30 minute mile pace for about a quarter mile. And as I ran, there were pockets of homeless residents who were actually cheering us on! That was pretty cool.

I finished the first mile a lot faster than I wanted to, in a time of 9:33. The next miles were slower, but by the time Mile 3 rolled around, I knew I could set a PR if I wanted to. So I dug in my heels and thought about crossing the finish line with a smile on my face. Of course, the smile didn't actually materialize in the pic they snapped of me, but that's OK.

Here's that pic:



OK, here are my official stats:

5K race
Time: 31:24
Pace: 10:07 minute/mile (so close to the goal pace I have of 10-minute-even miles!)
Finished 152 out of 337
Finished 23 out of 38 in my age division

Coming back to add that I never posted a pic of my new kicks! I got a new pair of Mizuno Wave Alchemys (I heart them!) but didn't snap a photo of them before I started using them. Here is a pic off the Internet. They look identical to these:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving (a day early) to all my running/blogging buddies!! :-)

We were supposed to have Thanksgiving at Tim's grandma's house tomorrow, but we might not be going after all. The kids are sick and now Tim is feeling punky. I guess we're all just passing the disease, uh, I mean, love, around.

Tomorrow morning is the Turkey Trot! I picked up my race bib and T-shirt today (it's a long-sleeved one made out of that wicking fabric - cool!!!). My number is 75, which is neat because that is the year I was born. Turns out this race is also a benefit for a local middle-schooler named Cameron Smith who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. So I get to race and support another good cause, which I am all for.

So Laurel has tagged me for five facts about myself. I will try not to bore you guys to tears, LOL.

But first, the rules of "tag":

-- link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog
-- share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird
-- tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs
-- let them know they are TAGGED by leaving a comment on their blog.

Ok, so here goes.

1.) I love celebrity gossip. But not because I love celebrities. Quite the contrary, as I can't stand most celebs these days. But I love hearing about how messed up they are because it makes me feel good about myself.

2.) I am about the most straight-laced person I know (besides Tim). I have never tried any illegal drugs or even attempted to smoke. All that stuff is freakin' nasty, in my opinion. I have had a couple alcoholic drinks in my adult years, but I can count how many on my fingers (although I did have a Margarita when I tailgated at the UT game in Austin -- it just made me sleepy, which was no fun). So I guess I am a bit of a prude.

3.) Now that I've said No. 2, I will add that I really, really want some body art (read: tattoo). I have been thinking about it for a couple years and want something that will represent my kids (but not ginormous or anything). I want it somewhere I can hide it easily. (I can just imagine my dad freaking out right now because I admitted this. *sigh* But I am being honest here, folks! Although maybe I shouldn't be....) There's a girl in my bio class who has one on the back of her neck and you can see it when her hair is up. I don't want one that is obvious like hers. I would choose the route my sister-in-law took, where hers are on her lower back.

4.) I secretly enjoy the fact that my old workplace is going to hell in a handbasket. The organization has brought in a new editor and publisher recently (both are young, not local and quite stupid, from what I gather), fired a bunch of people (including the town's most popular local columnist) and is trying to make the news more "sensational." Because of this, subscribers and advertisers are leaving right and left. I still have bitter memories of how I was treated when I worked there, so I want management to suffer a little. But I do feel badly for the "worker bees" who are left to carry the burden. And I am very grateful that I got out when I did.

5.) I am a teacher's pet. LOL! I am doing everything possible to be the "perfect" student for my teacher because A.) I want her to know I am serious about learning, and B.) I want her to like me (she does, so no worries). I am really loving school so far now that I've been back, and I know I am more dedicated to it this time around than the first time. One of my friends/classmates called me "a machine" after she found out I aced the third test. LOL! So I guess that makes me a dork. I am cool with that.

So now I have to tag a couple people (I don't think I can find five who haven't been tagged yet. So I choose Mary, Randy and Nikki (I'm hoping it will get her to blog again!)

Night running

Tonight was my final run before the Turkey Trot on Thursday. I am getting really excited about it! The weather is supposed to be sunny, although cold, for the race. But at least it won't be raining! This will be my seventh race for 2007. My last race will be the virtual "8 on the 8th" that I will be doing on December 8.

This was an evening run, which meant it was done in the dark. Considering I have crummy night vision, it wasn't too bad. I kept a nice, relaxed pace throughout and felt really good when I was done. Of course, it's hard to run fast when you can't see the ground well and are afraid of tripping. But at least no one can see you in the dark if you indeed trip and fall! (I didn't, for the record.)

I missed mentioning a rather important anniversary last week. November 15 marked one year since I had my gallbladder removed. Having that surgery paved the way for me to start running again after years of inactivity. My first run was two weeks after the surgery, on November 29. So I am almost officially through the first year of running!! I have made such big strides so far, and I hope to make even bigger ones next year. My main goal right now is to run the Avenue of the Giants Half Marathon in early May. And maybe, if I like it enough, I will attempt a full marathon down the road. ;-)

Tonight's stats:
Night run:
Distance: 3.01 miles
Time: 34:19
Pace: 11:23 minute/mile

Fastest three miles to date??

I don't know if I set a PR for three miles today, but if I didn't, I came mighty close.

I headed to the school track for my run, as I was already in town doing my bio lab for the week. I am not 100 percent well yet, but the legs were aching to run and I felt well enough to attempt it.

The first mile was pretty good. Around 1.25 miles, another runner hit the track and was running in front of me. She was quite a bit younger than myself and looked more like a "runner," but I digress. She was running 9-minute miles, according to my Garmin. How do I know? Because I kept up with her for 3/4 of a mile. Yes, I couldn't believe it myself. Had she run the whole second mile with me, I would have recorded my fastest mile ever (9 minutes). I still finished Mile 2 well under 10 minutes, which was awesome.

I told myself earlier that I was only going to do two miles and be done today, but when I looked at my Garmin after and realized I ran two miles in 20:05 (second fastest time ever), I decided that 20 minutes was not long enough for my workout. So I added another mile on for good measure. It was about a minute slower than the second mile, but I didn't care. I was just glad to be able to run and not feel like I was going to die.

Switching gears for a second: I just found out what my grade is for the third biology test I took last week. Out of 100 points, I earned 100! Again! I can't believe it! And I got 49 points out of 50 on my project rough draft! The average score for the class on that was 38.9 points. Woo hoo!!!! Out of a possible 590 points in the class to date, I have 614.5. This is not a typo! I have 24.5 more points than are even possible at this point! (Remember that extra credit?) Barring some awful unforeseeable disaster, it looks like I will easily earn the A that I was seeking in this class, since we only have about three weeks left. Woo hoo!!!! *happy dance*

Today's stats:
Run (track):
Distance: three miles
Time: 30:49 (might be a PR; I will check later)
Pace: 10:16 minute/mile
Note: My second mile was 9:45. Boo yeah!

Good and bad

Good things:

*I know I did really well on my bio test on Wednesday. I don't know my score yet, but I will be very surprised if I don't score at least 95 out of 100 points. It was SO much easier than the second test, which I got 92.5 points on before our teach added 10 points to everyone's score.

*It's the start of the weekend. Hallelujah.

*Thanksgiving is next week. I love this time of year.

*My family. It rocks.

Bad things:

*I am sick -- AGAIN!!! Or maybe still. I never really felt 100 percent after the first sinus infection, and now I have some lame cold that is making my throat hurt like heck.

*The kids are sick now, too. Matty has it worse than Kara, but I kept Kara home from school today just to be safe.

*I haven't been able to work out since Tuesday due to being sick. I hope to remedy that problem this weekend if my body will let me.

*I have homework to do this weekend. Major suckage.

It's tired out

Man, I am just dragging tonight. And it's only 8 p.m.!

I babysat Garrett for about five hours today, and the kids ran around like crazies the whole time. Then I ran four miles to the bank and back to deposit a couple checks I had. I got to try out my new shoes, which was exciting, but I think I wore the wrong socks because I got rubbed a little on the sole of my foot near the arch. Oh, and I bought myself another pair of Mizuno Wave Alchemys because I have found they work best with my overpronation issue. I will wear better socks next time out, though.

But now my throat is getting sore on the right side, and I am freakin' tired! Great, just in time for my test tomorrow evening. Grrrr....

On a happier note, I will be participating in an eight-mile race on December 8. This race is different than the others I have done, however. I found it through and is being organized by a couple of my fellow runners/bloggers. I think they're calling it a virtual race because we will all be running eight miles, but we'll be doing it by ourselves, in our own towns, on our own route of our choosing. After it's over, we'll share our "race" stories and finish time. It sounds like fun! And it gives me a reason to push past the distances I have become accustomed to recently. :-)

Today's stats:
Run (with loaded jogging stroller):
Distance: four miles
Time: 44:17
Pace: 11:03 minute/mile

Rain and studying

So I didn't run today, either. It was rainy and windy here, but that wasn't the main reason I stayed indoors. No, it was because I spent all afternoon at Kristen's house, studying for our next bio test. We were joined by fellow student and mommy Kim for this study session. In all, there were eight kids age seven and under in Kristen's house today. Made me glad I don't have eight children. Ha ha.

I did ride the stationary bike this evening just to get some sort of workout done. Tomorrow I will be babysitting, but I hope to go running (and try out my new shoes!!) when Garrett goes home. :-)

Today's stats:
Stationary bike:
Distance: 10 miles
Time: 37:02