So many participants!

Thanks to a nagging right shoulder/neck pain from sleeping awkwardly, excacerbated by a forecast of unseasonably warm morning with a thunderstorm for Thanksgiving, I continued to delay signing up for any turkey trot until the Trophy Trot 5K ended up being the only option left that had not yet closed or sold out. I had not raced a 5K since early 2013 and rarely ever stop at that distance even in a casual run, so I hesitated; nevertheless, knowing I would run this day anyway and always enjoying being in the presence of other runners, after waking up unprompted with just enough time to register online and drive to the event and unable to go back to sleep, I committed, five minutes after which came a heavy rain followed by a lightning and thunder. “Too late now,” I said out loud before hurrying out of my apartment. I ran the Trophy Trot 10K three years previously, prior to their changing the distance likely to attract more participants, and remembered the course being hilly.

I don’t normally drink, but I can’t turn down a cold beer after a race. 😂

With more than 2,300 participants lining up, I put myself toward the front to avoid being jammed, which happened anyway. Many joggers and those who started fast just to stop thirty seconds later barricaded me, requiring me to maneuver around many and waste energy. I became nervous about how to pace myself in such a brief run and pushed slightly harder than I have recently from the first mile of incline. I maintained a consistent pace without too much fluctuation, with the exception of moving considerably faster in the final stretch. Had I foreseen the lengthy downhill in the final mile, I may have held back slightly the first two miles of rolling hills to save some for a stronger finish. I completed the course officially in 27:00.3, with my COROS reading 3.17 miles. I have run numerous significantly faster 5K splits in much longer distances, but I knew going in I was not at my peak speed shape, especially coming off a trail ultra, and had to factor in the 97% humidity and substantial hills, without which I would have run a minute or two faster. This led me to consider not ruling out 5Ks completely in the future so that I could be more versatile.

I don’t think I’ll be hungry for a while.

Following a quick hot bath and shower, I proceeded to Golden Corral for a Thanksgiving buffet, as has been a tradition for many years. Grateful to God for all that He has given me. Happy Thanksgiving!