Worst 5km ever. Not the race organization or organizers, I’m talking about my finish time in today’s Turkey Trot.
This year was the 32nd time I was involved in the Thanksgiving Day Fredericksburg Turkey Trot 5km, which began in 1993 and is operated by the Rappahannock Area YMCA.
I’ve run this race 20 times and timed it 12 years. Running was virtual in 2020. I didn’t run a step today, so is this still considered running? 2005 was the only year I was not involved because of an ex’s wishes. Even bowing to her wishes, she still became an ex.
Since I stopped working on this race, I hoped I would not have to get up before sunrise to participate. Working with the city, the race organizers agreed to start the race at 7:30 am. I was up at 4:40 am, wanting to get parked by 6:30 am. One of the previous year’s main parking lots is being developed into townhouses, resulting in the loss of about 400 parking spots.
I had cataract surgery on my left eye last Friday. My doctor told me not to run for 10 days to help the eye heal. I’m seeing great. Walking was OK, so I did.
I arrived in the PNC lot a little before 6:30 and got a close parking spot. Still, that lot was 75% full. Rather than sitting in my car, I walked to JM and sat inside until 7 am.
Back to my car, I took off my heavy sweatshirt and put on my number belt. The sun was coming over the horizon. I saw a few optimistic drivers in the lot, thinking there might be an open space.
I walked over and saw the long porta-pot line near the start, so I went inside JM, where the line was short. By 7:30, I was outside near my wave corral, trying to stay in a sunny spot.
The race started at 38 degrees with a 24-degree dew point, no wind, and sunny skies. I wore tights over compression shorts, a heavy long-sleeved shirt over a long-sleeved shirt, a knit cap, a neck gaiter, gloves, and my Saucony Triumph 23 shoes.
The first wave started at 7:30 am. I chose to start with the third wave at 7:40. When we began, about 100 people were still in line to pick up their race bibs.
The third wave is for runners who intend to finish in over 45 minutes. I planned to finish before lunch, so I lined up in the middle of the wave. At 7:40, the crowd was not moving. About 3 minutes later, I saw some motion, and about 15 seconds later, the gun went off.
After the gun, I walked toward the start. I started both of my watches on the mats.
As I was, most of the people around me were walking. I walked at a reasonable pace and did not weave through traffic.
Periodically, a person would run past, expending extra effort to avoid people. They must have been the ones waiting in line and the late starters.
I went through mile 1 in 17:25. Even with gloves and covering sleeves, because of my slow pace and a shaded course, my hands were getting cold. By Sunken Road, the sun was in our eyes, bright even when wearing sunglasses.
This race asks people not to bring their dogs to the event. However, some think they are special and run with their dog. Some of those people know they can be a hazard and stay on the sidewalk out of the way. Hey, we’re doing 17-minute miles, we’re all walking.
After turning onto Monroe Street, a woman runs past me with a Golden Retriever that was wearing a “Service Dog” vest. It was noticeable that the dog was not a service dog, as it began chasing other dogs near the course, pulling the handler. Full disclosure: I’m not a dog person. Oh well, rules didn’t pertain to her.
On to Kenmore Avenue and William Street, we had sun in our eyes, but the course remained shaded and chilly. Walking doesn’t keep me warm.
My second mile was 17:06, a nice, consistent pace. To this point, my heart rate monitor has vibrated many times because it was too low. I should have shut that off.
We finally hit some sun on Charles Street, Canal Street, and Fall Hill Avenue. My third mile was 16:58. By Fall Hill Avenue, course marshals allowed cars to cross the course during gaps. At one point, I had a gap in front of me, and I walked faster to close the gap.
Around the corner onto Washington Avenue and the finish. My last .10686 miles took 109 seconds, so I’m happy with my 53:20 finish time. The time was my slowest ever in a 5km race. I’ll try to do better the next time.
2487th place overall out of 3114 finishers, 1271st of 1403 males, and 29th of 45 males, 65 to 69.
There was an increase of 800 finishers from last year’s rainy event.
Near the doughnut table, I bumped into the woman with the service dog. She said the dog was in training. She wasn’t doing the training very well.
My next race is a half-marathon with hills. I can start running again on Monday. I’ll probably do an early start, so I don’t have to worry about the three-and-a-half-hour time limit or keeping the volunteers on the course to that limit.