Turkey Trotted

So I did a Thanksgiving day Turkey Trot again this year. If you remember last year's debacle, this was a very different experience. But it was a bit of a debacle nonetheless. Here's the story.

I came into the race lacking sufficient training, particularly speedwork. Also, I had (as usual?) some injuries. This time, put me down for still-healing right ankle tendons, a sore left knee and a tender right hammy (thank you racquetball on Monday night!). In spite of all of this, I was hopeful for a sub-20 minute tour de Woodward Park. Here's my recap of the morning:

6:40: Wake up only to realize that I had slept through my alarm. Not only that, but with the whole crew coming and an 8am gun, Amy and I had to leap into action. It wasn't pretty.

7:01: After a Dixon-family-getting-put-together-in-the-morning record, we pulled out of the driveway to head up to the park.

7:14: Two-thirds of the way to the park, at the corner of Shepherd and Willow, to my horror I realize that I had forgotten my race bib. What am I, a rookie?!?

7:32: Back in the driveway at home with Amy running in to get the number off the couch. I'm standing next to the running van trying to stretch something. In the car, the kids are totally baffled by what is happening.

7:46: Make it to the park, find easy parking, meet up with Adam and Brian and do a half mile warm up run to the starting line. Having to run to the starting line is becoming a Thanksgiving tradition for me!

8:00: Gun goes off and so do I. After the first quarter mile or so, I'm in the top 15 runners on the course. I'm flying. I'm also breathing hard.

8:06: I come through the first mile in 6:10. I can't believe it. It has literally been 20 years since I've run a mile that fast. I'm still in the top 30 on the course, and at this pace, breaking 20 minutes is very much an option.

8:13: Let the reader understand that the second mile on the State Course is the tough one. Couple of hills, including a delightful little number called the "Killer Hill." Unfortunately, any training I have done recently has been on flat roads exclusively. Quite honestly our driveway is the biggest hill I run up on a regular basis. So I suffer through mile 2 but still manage a 13:08 at the 2 mile mark. Still in with a chance...

...except that about a quarter mile past the 2 mile line, the power goes out. Like totally out. I have nothing. It's the wall and I'm stymied. I pull to the side, I'm groggy, I start jogging, people pass me, I'm confused. Misery.

8:21: I stagger across the finish line in 21:23. It's one second short of a "modern-era" 5K PR for me, but I could care less. The chute worker asks me if I'm OK. "I think so," I say. In the end, I finished 9th in my age group, 105 overall out of some 1,400.

What's the moral of the story?

1. Half marathons and 5Ks are apples and oranges. I've trained this entire year for the longer distances, not these short ones. As a result, my leg turnover needs some work. Really I was sprinting for that first mile and it would be great not to have to do that!

2. If you are going to race on hills, you should train on hills. Enough said.

3. At some point, it's mental...and I've got some mental strength to build up! My High School running buddy Mitch used to say that it's "90% mental." I think he was maybe mostly right. I'd put it at like 55% I think. But clearly if I'm going to actually try to race and win things, I will need to get tougher upstairs. I imagine that the only way to do that is to keep trying, so in that sense, I'm glad to have gone out hard and to face the wall.

What's next??! One more race in 2009. Another 5K, this one at Fresno State on the 5th. Can't decide what I'm more excited about...Joshua making his debut in a quarter mile kids race or another chance to go under 20 minutes! Let's call it a tie. It's gonna be great.