Thanksgiving does not yet feel like Thanksgiving without starting out with a turkey trot, as has been my tradition for years, since my time in Nebraska. I had difficulty locating a sufficiently long race in the vicinity, and when the Skinny Turkey event confirmed I could still sign up on-site race morning the late night before, I figured I would probably go but still did not fully commit mentally. Thanks to my insomnia, waking up around 4:30 AM, I decided to get ready and head out. I chose the 10K and was made aware its notorious hills. The run kicked off with a short climb, and as told, the entire race repeated ups and downs with almost no flat. Thanks to the cool temperature, however, I was not impacted by these hills in terms of endurance and did not find them overly challenging. I maintained a decent and consistent pace throughout the entirety and crossed the finish line in 53:30.743, with my COROS reading 446 feet of elevation gain in 6.30 miles.

Back at Golden Corral!

Because I did not listen to music and consequently my mind was not occupied, I made myself, in light of Thanksgiving, take some time counting my blessings, which naturally led to thanking and praising God. I am grateful to my Father for His love, grace, and mercy for me that I do not deserve, my God-fearing family, my comfortable life that lacks nothing, and of course running. I am truly blessed. Happy Thanksgiving!

PC: VMA Studios

As per usual, I at the last minute decided to register for an appealing running event, this time the Holly Springs Half Marathon taking place on November 19, 2022, in the eponymous city of North Carolina, primarily thanks to its proximity to my residence. I, nevertheless, having done research on the course, understood I likely would not have an ideal finish time given its relentless hills that accumulated to 640 feet of elevation gain according to my COROS, much of it on a trail, although a 31-degree start added to my confidence.

Ran into a colleague post-race!

For the first half of the race, even with the rolling hills I remained on pace to comfortably finish around 1:56, then at the midpoint in a nearly two-mile trail portion, I encountered two lengthy steep climbs, the second of which significantly sapped my energy and my speed never fully returned following. On a course like this, running the whole way without a walking break could be considered a win in itself, but I could not help but become dispirited with my mile pace plummeting tens of seconds just after these back-to-back trail climbs. Five miles to go, with continuing hills yet not as daunting due to their being on concrete and no longer on a soggy trail, I tried not to look at my watch in order not to demoralize myself further. Crossing the finish line in 2:02:09.1, I did not dwell on my less-than-ideal finish time but instead felt grateful to my Father for another fun race morning, half marathon #51, and this awesome metaphor-for-life hobby.