2014 Face to Face Germantwon Turkey Trot - 5 Miler

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. And, I have a lot for which to be thankful. One particular item to be thankful for is the fact that I have been going about seven months without a significant running injury. There have been nagging little things, like my ankle/heel, but I have been able to get through them given the low-ish weekly mileage of 40 or so. This was my first ever Turkey Trot in which I have participated. I have done Trot-Off-Your-Turkey races before, but never one on the day itself. We chose to run the Face to Face Germantown 5 Mile Turkey Trot, which was basically an out-and-back race on the Forbidden Drive in the Wissahickon. It was written up in Runner's World this past year as a must-run Turkey Trot: Article.

The Forbidden Drive Trail had just received quite a bit of rain the day before... no snow, though. So it was a muddy track, but relatively benign given the road nature of the "trail." The course was slightly downhill on the way out, and, of course, slightly uphill on the way back. My first mile was 5:42, driven by the "steepest" downhill and a bit of start-line adrenaline. Second mile was 5:57, at which point I had latched onto a "buddy" for the rest of the race. He and I seemed to have a similar cadence and pacing, and we also seemed to intuit which way the other was going when passing and maneuvering around puddles. The next three miles were at 6:06, 6:09, and 6:10. The last mile was tough for me. I tried to kick with 0.5 miles left, but I was fighting a bit of a cramp, and the fact that I got about 3 hours of sleep the night before. I got a bit of a boost when someone came up behind, and I was able to hold him off to the line. My "buddy" got me by a second. Overall 9th place, and a good start to the day.

The best thing for the race, was that my girlfriend won her age group. We didn't even think it was a possibility and left early from the race to beat traffic out of the parking lot. Turns out this morning, M won her group. Awesome job for her. She ran her quickest 5-miler ever, I believe. So happy for her.

Special thanks to Nolan Painting who handed out gloves to runners and, most importantly, gave me a bag to put my jacket in while I stashed it under their table.

A good week of runs.

This last week saw a number of good runs go in the book. Tuesday was a very cold 10.5-miler, but it was a lot of fun. Wednesday was a 4-miler at 6:30 pace that preceded Bikram yoga. The run was great, yoga was a disaster. I think the run knocked my electrolytes down, and I quickly wilted in the heat of the studio. Despite drinking some electrolytes during the class, my sweat was hardly salty at the end of the session. I haven't been that wet without being underwater before in my life. By Thursday, things had returned to a physiological norm, and I did a nice 6.25-mile trail run with @strausskevin in Patapsco State Park. Beautiful setting and great conversation all the way around. Learned some new trails.

Friday, was another 6 miles done at lunch during a day spent working at home. Finally, Saturday was another trail run in the Wissahickon; about 6.25 miles.

I learned that if I am going to be doing more than one trail run per week, I really need to spend some money and get a pair of trail shoes. I normally run in New Balance's 890 v3, which I have been buying on eBay since they switched to the v4. I haven't yet wanted to find out if the v4 works for me since I know the v3 does. But, they are way to flexible, especially in the toebox area of the sole for trails. Several times, I hit a rock or a root and my I could just feel it in the sesamoid area. I lost two months to a sesamoid injury a couple of years back, and I don't want a similar one. Gotta get on that.

Wind chill

Follow up to the First Gloved Run post... Last night was the first pants run. It was about 29 F, with winds at 20 mph, gusting to 35 in B'more. So, I put on some tights (under my shorts), and donned a lycra cap. Went out and ended up doing about 10.5 with the RG3 group. The run mostly hugs the Inner Harbor. And, when you came around certain corners or buildings on the harbor, that wind smacked you in the face. The toughest part for me was that we move a little slower than I would like in that group.. 9:00 to 8:30 to keep it social. So, I had a tough time keeping warm. I seemed to be warmer on my run down to the group at a 7:00 pace.

We finished the run at Social Pub and Pie for their phenomenal deals on pizza and beer. Where else can I get a pint of Heavy Seas Great'ER Pumpkin for $3.21 plus tax? After a half-priced Greek salad (those are discounted, too) and two pints, my friend Matt and I were faced with the choice of a 1.5 mile walk/cab/Uber home. We chose the walk, which quickly became the post beer shuffle and eventually the allout jog trying to stay warm. Neither of us thought to bring anything resembling a jacket for the post run cold. That was tough, as legs had stiffened and temperature had dropped. The wind was unabated, still. But, all in all a good run.

Tonight will most likely involve a 4-miler followed by some Bikram yoga.

First gloved run last week.

I am so happy that winter weather is upon us. I much enjoy running in 35-degree weather versus 75. Last Thursday was the first gloved run of the year. It was 37 F when I went out at 6:15 am for a 10-miler. I met up with the UA Run Club about 2 miles in, and I did 6 miles with them. Then another 2 miles back home. It was nice to not be drenched in sweat and to feel the cool air against my face. I am hopeful this cold snap signals that winter-like weather will remain.

Had a really nice trail run on Sunday with some runners in Philly that I know from having run various Ragnars and other races. We put in about 10k on the trails of the Wissahickon. I can't believe that when I lived in Philly, I never once visited the Wissahickon. I just didn't know about it. It's a great resource though, especially on the colder days when it is not as heavily traveled. The below photo is of a "big damn leaf" that I found all over the forests there during a hike in late October. Apparently from the umbrella magnolia. These are the largest non-tropical leaves I have ever seen. Holy cow. This time around they weren't so yellow, just gray and dead.

This week, I have a scheduled half-day off from work on Thursday. So, I'll be running some trails in Patapsco State Park. Should be the nicest day of the week.

First 5k Win this Past Weekend

A moment of narcissistic indulgence. I got my first 5k win of my life (really the first win at any distance). It felt pretty good. And, I completely realize that this win was due more to the field than to my own abilities. It was a small 5k trail run, called the Turtle Trek. This was my third time running the event in the four years the race has been around. It is about 67% on trails at Marshy Point Nature Center, and it goes to benefit the Katie and Wil Brady Foundation. In the past, it has supported the construction of Katie and Wil's Trail, and now they are working to link the trails at Marshy Point with those of nearby Gunpowder State Park... a worthy goal, indeed.

At the gun, we were led out by a guy on a mountain bike who was going to ride at the head through all the trails. After the first quarter mile, I looked around and there was no one anywhere near me... This actually unnerved me because I had never been in that situation before. I knew were moving about 5:30 pace or so, which for me, is flying. We did a lap of the parking lot and then ducked onto the trail. I actually talked to the biker for a few sentences just to calm my nerves. At a hairpin turnaround, I saw that I had about 20 seconds on second place, and just continued to push. My first mile, according to the watch was 6:03. From then, I just focused on avoiding rocks, roots, and tree trunks. I had to keep my feet and hips shifting to stay balanced and weave on some of the trails. The surface was basically fallen leaves, hiding all the rocks. My finishing time was 19:05, which was 20 seconds faster than I had run this course two years ago. So, I was happy to have improved on that time. The next runner was the female winner at 22:01, and I saw her as doubled back on some of the trail to find my girlfriend, M. I got a nice Under Armour sweatshirt out of it. M finished third female and had a good time running.

Alright, now that I got that self-indulgence over with, I'll thank all of the volunteers and sponsors that put on that race. It really is a good cause, and they all worked very hard. They have a fun run for the kids, and lots of door prizes afterwards. I spoke with the woman who ran the event, and thanked her for holding a true trail 5k because it is different from all the other 5ks that everyone else has. Next year, I hope to get a few more people to run it, as they really deserve a larger field, and one that can kick my butt.