Turkey Trot

This Thanksgiving my sister and I decided to do the Ann Arbor 5K Turkey Trot. Bonnie (Jody's aunt) told me that she was going to do a Turkey Trot in Palos this year and that inspired me to look into races in A2. I've never done a race before, so I figured a 5K would be a good way to start. Plus, doing it with my sister would be really fun.

The day before Thanksgiving I started getting a really bad sore throat and cough. But, Lisa convinced me to stay strong and promised that we'd just take it easy on the run. On race day, I felt a little better, and Lisa again assured me it was all good.

Anyway, long story short, my dear, sweet big sister totally ditched me. We had only gone like a half mile and she just slowly started creeping ahead of me. Didn't even warn me, just started running faster. She gave me a little smile and then, poof, she was gone. Who knew she was so competitive?! Anyway, I stopped being mad at her once I lost sight of her and enjoyed the race solo. I just wish I would have brought my iPod. There was an older woman dressed up as a turkey -- yellow tights with a brown leotard with feathers glued all over it -- running in front of me that kept me entertained and motivated. My whole goal was to beat the turkey lady, which I totally did.

I was pretty happy with my time: 29:28, a 9:29 mile pace. I placed 27th out of 67 in my age group. Even with her major betrayal, Lisa beat me by less than a minute. Her time: 28:41, a 9:14 mile pace. She placed 21st out of 67 in our age group. My own little victory? Next year, Lisa won't even be in my age group!

All in all, it was really fun to run in my first race, get the cute T-shirt and be able to eat a huge Thanksgiving dinner sans guilt. I think Lisa and I are going to make this an annual tradition. Next year, I'll just remember to bring my iPod.