I did the 5k Turkey Trot last year, and this year I wanted to try the 10k. They renamed the race Turkey Day 5k/10k, which was totally great for me, cause it was still being held at Tropical Park, which is where I do my training runs.
The race started at 7:30, and Mom was coming with me, so we bundled up (it was a 55 degrees that morning, in Miami that's really cold!) and headed towards the park. Getting into the park to park the car was slow going, but we did get a space really close to the finish line.
We started on Miami time (about 10 minutes late), but I think that was more because of the traffic to get in. It was not that bad to park last year! At long last they sang the anthem and we got started.
It was cool to run in the familiarity of my training grounds. I started with my warmup, and waited for the crowds at the front to thin out a bit. They did and I started on my run/walk intervals. I was cold, so I think I was a little faster than usual just to get myself warm.
We looped around and saw the entrance to Santa's Enchanted Forest (sucks that we can't run through it!), and then around the horse stalls and amphitheater.
We looped back around to the stadium and there was the split for the 5k and 10k. The 10k runners kept going, and the crowd totally thinned out. Around this time I was just dying of heat, so I took off my jacket, and just kept on my long sleeve shirt. As soon as I adjusted my jacket, I saw Mom on the side taking pics. Gotta say it's pretty cool to have people cheering you on along the race.
This part of the race was in the part of the park where I usually enter and do my longer runs. I knew it well. I kept at it and knew what my 10k PR was and wanted to beat it. I knew what pace I had to keep, and was doing pretty good.
Mile 4 was in the shade of some trees and it was breezy, so I got cold. But I kept going, my pace was great and I knew I could do it. My hip was a little bothersome right before I hit mile 5, but I told myself I can't stop now.
Then just like that there was the mile 6 marker. And Mom waiting for me to take more pics! I thought it was weird, cause it was almost over, and knew she couldn't run over to the finish line. (Turns out she was confused, and thought I had to get to 10 miles, not just a 10k.) I turned onto the track and crossed the finish line in record time!
My new 10k PR is 01:20:33!! I'm so excited. That's race #3 of 7 in the books.
After that I went home ate some breakfast and prepped for the big event, Thanksgiving dinner!
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