Happy Thanksgiving to all the runners out there

Today was my ninth Skinny Turkey Half Marathon. This year, I am volunteering as a 3:00 pacer. I’m taking it easy and not pushing the pace since I have Derby 50k on Saturday. I am so happy that this year, my daughter and her boyfriend are joining me in running this event. Although they are tackling the 5k, they will meet a few of my runner friends and enjoy the holiday festivities at the event.

This morning, I had the usual latte with hot cereal and banana to eat before the start. The event location is at a High School, and it has plenty of bathrooms and areas to stretch, sit down and relax. There, I met with a few friends and the other pacers who were ready to provide their expertise to other runners in the event. I talked to BD, who was also going to pace with me.

There was no need for warm-up today since my goal today was to help pace. Also, since on Saturday, BD and I are running Derby 50k, similar to last year, I just want to run by effort. We walked just behind the 2:30 pacers, and after a few announcements, a picture with Santa Claus, the National Anthem, and the countdown, off we went.

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Mile 1-6: Very uneventful miles. The temperature was awesome, with cooler temperatures and sunny and a very slight breeze. We started running at a slightly faster pace than needed but quickly adjusted. We talked to the few runners running about the same pace. But quickly thinned out to about five runners. Around mile 3, we took advantage of the portapotty. The course was similar to previous years, with tons of up-and-down hills, but we were running steadily and a little bit ahead of schedule.

One of the race coordinators asked us if we could slow down even more and act as a sweeper. We slowed down a bit more and stayed behind the last runners. The whole route is a very nice wide road, making it easy to navigate around runners. It was so great to see the family and the little kids tackling the 5k with his dog, smiling, and having fun.

Miles 7-12: The hills continued, but we were all feeling great. I grabbed water at almost each aid station since I decided not to carry my water bottle with me. By now, we were seeing the returning runners with the 10k group. BD and I continued to mention what was coming up with the hills, turns, and aid stations to the three runners with us. Once we were past the very long hill and the turnaround, with 3.5 miles left, the running directors gave us the go-ahead to run ahead. They were going to take good care of the three runners falling behind. BD and I decided to try to catch up back to the 3-hour pace that we signed up to do, and if we encountered another runner on the way, we would keep with them.

Mile 13 to finish: The final stretch, more ups and downs; we pressed on the pace as we wanted to keep it close to the 3-hour mark. There are no other runners in front, so there was no reason to slow down. The last 100-150 meters were downhill, finishing with a good effort and a smile. We came in dancing to the music as Laurie and Jen were there to receive us.

I hung around at the finish line area briefly, but the last three runners were too far behind. I am glad I took the Santa picture before the event, as there were almost no people at the end since we were basically the sweepers, but we came in on time to the original time goal. Now, the plan is to take it easy the rest of the day and tomorrow, recover well, and get ready to tackle Derby 50k on Saturday.

Month/Year	Event	Location	Type	Time
Nov-23	Skinny Turkey	NC	Half	3:00:53

Event Highlights:

Course: Great, ample road right of the start but very hilly. Around 200 runners. With the ample road, there is no problem starting, maneuvering around runners, and finding a comfortable pace.

Venue: At a High School, there are plenty of bathrooms and seating areas to rest before and after the event. At the finish line area, good food, plenty to drink, and snacks.

Expo: No Expo, but one of the sponsor’s vendors at the bib pick-up area this year.

Weather: Sunny skies at the start, then sunny, 40ºs with low humidity.

Fueling:

Pre-Race: 1 serving of Hot Cereal, latte, and banana 30 minutes before start.

Race: Water aid stations and one pouch of baby food.

Post: Protein Shake within an hour of the event. Great Thanksgiving dinner.

Learning Points:

• Pacing and helping others during an event is great. Especially seeing them achieve their goals.
• Negative splits are not necessarily the approach for every single race. Always consider the type of course, elevation changes, and complexity of the event.