Three years ago, Ian and I ran the Detroit Turkey Trot 10k together. We had been dating about two months and somehow I convinced him that we should run it together. I was a few weeks out from my first marathon (Detroit) and Ian hadn’t really trained so I let him set the pace and we ran the entire thing together finishing in 55:39 (8:57 min/mile). We had a blast (at least I did) and I remember thinking that I could use his finishing time to my advantage and try to encourage him to run with me more often (this never happened and I’m okay with that).
I wish I had a picture of us running it but I don’t. The above picture is from the first few months of us dating though.
Two years ago, I signed up for the Turkey Trot 10k with my mom. We weren’t planning on running it together (as far as I remember) but we were going to drive down and have some racing family time. Unfortunately, it was freezing cold and sleeting rain the night before and morning of. Ian and I didn’t get in to Michigan until almost 1 am on Thursday and my mom and I made the decision not to bother running the race. It just didn’t seem worth the nasty weather. A few hours post-race, the weather cleared up and I enjoyed a nice 8 miler.
Last year, I signed up for the 10k solo (:() but I was eager to PR. It had been YEARS since I’d run a 10k and I was coming off a nice race at the Hot Chocolate 15k. My goal was to run under a 7:20 min/mile and I was prepared to leave it all in Detroit. The weather was COLD but I ended up pushing myself to a PR, finishing in 42:42 (6:53 min/mile). 
This year, I signed up for the 10k again thinking that after marathon training for a few months, I’d be ready to PR by November. I even put the race in my training calendar as a tune up race. Last week, I decided to look at my training calendar and noticed that my PR 10k is nicely sandwiched between an 11 miler and a 12 miler with a 17 mile long run on Sunday. Trying to PR didn’t look so smart anymore.
So I thought about it for a while. I’ve really been feeling the itch to “race” lately but I also am loving my higher mileage weeks and high mileage + lots of speed work sometimes = injury. I’m not a fan of injury. On the other hand, I know that I am pretty incapable of running a fun run by myself. I will get competitive, I will weave between people, and I will not be happy using the solo Turkey Trot as a recovery run.
So what did I decide to do? I made a compromise with myself. Instead of doing tempo miles during my 11 miler on Wednesday, I am going to run the 10k at tempo pace (between 7:15 and 7:25). Hopefully, this will allow me to have fun (yay! running!) and prevent my legs from being too tired on Friday. If they are, I’ll just run the first 6 miles of my 12 miler at recovery pace (over an 8 min/mile) and play the rest by ear. Should be fun right?
So that’s my plan for tomorrow– have fun and run 6.2 miles at tempo speed. I’m super excited about the weather too, the high in Michigan is supposed to be near 60 degrees!
Are you running a turkey trot?
Any tips on how to navigate a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for newly-diagnosed food allergy freaks like myself? I’m having a food allergy “safe” dinner with my mom on Friday but will be spending Thursday with my dad, step-mom, and some family friends.
i really really really wanted to find a turkey trot but my parents neighborhood is so small i just couldn’t make it happen without driving farther than i want to. instead i’m just going to trot myself out there thanksgiving morning and go for a run on my own. i’m hoping to rope my brother in for it, but we’ll see. the boy likes sleep a whole lot more than i do, it seems.
Aww I hope you get in town soon and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving! Safe travels!!!
Emily recently posted..Restaurant review: Bountiful Eatery
Thanks Em! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving too!
I ran a turkey trot at GVSU last year the weekend before Thanksgiving, and even though I’ve run three more 5Ks since then that turkey trot is still my 5K PR by a pretty decent margin, so I’ve got a special place in my running heart for turkey trots
None for me this year, though. My family always goes to church on Thanksgiving morning, which makes running a race on Thanksgiving a bit impossible, and the whole let’s-see-how-much-time-Bethany-can-spend-traveling-in-November thing made it tough to find another time to run one. Ah well. Such is life.
Bethany @ Accidental Intentions recently posted..Pure Michigan
Have a great time with your family and happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving and have fun with your family
Christina recently posted..A virtual Turkey Trot
Thanks you too!
ILL MISS YOU!
ugh, I’m not going to see you for like 4 days- I Don’t like that at all.
have the BEST THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
kelsey recently posted..Thankful YO
Ahh withdrawals!!! We’ll have to get together next week!
Thanks you too Kels!!
I am the same way. I cannot just run a race for fun if that makes sense. I have to run it with someone else otherwise, I’ll take it out too quickly and run too hard. Have a great thanksgiving?
HollieisFueledByLOLZ recently posted..WIAW: At the Gas Station
Thanks Hollie- you too!
I am also running the Detroit Turkey Trot tomorrow!! I am super excited for this race and plan on just having fun!! I can’t believe how great the weather looks!
Yay!! Have fun!!!
Wow! Your PR is killer! WTG! And I can imagine it being hard for someone speedy like you to slow down for a 10K! I hope you are able to stick to your goal and have fun!
I am runing a 5K tomorrow. I am pacing a friend. Not sure what pace! I better ask her tonight!
Good luck with the food!
kilax recently posted..Online race calendars [19]
I’m running a turkey trot tomorrow! I’m kinda nervous but I dunno why since I plan on going at my usual pace, haha
caloricandcrazy recently posted..A Ravenous Cycle
Hope you had a great run! It was beautiful this morning when I got off of work.
Julia recently posted..The death of a friend and what I am grateful for
It’s so great that you have this tradition! I really want to have some sort of Thanksgiving tradition that’s running related, and I’m thinking that every year I will run on Thanksgiving…but solo. By the way, you are FAST!
Hope your Thanksgiving was amazing!
Irina @ Chocolatea Time recently posted..Running Towards Gratitude