This race was a little different than the night before because Andria ran with me! The night before I ran by myself. There were also several of my friends running this race too. And...my family was there again because we do this race every year with the Cub Scouts!
We arrived about an hour before race time. We got our race bibs in no time at all. Then we had some time to socialize before the race.
Me and Andria pre-race!
And some of my Sole2Soul Sisters...all dressed up in our turkey shirts we had made!
We headed to the start line. Hayden and his den were doing the flag ceremony for the race. Andy is their leader. I got to the front of the start line so I could get a quick picture of them! I was so proud of my boys!!!
Then it was time to start! This route started downtown which is one of my favorite areas to run in so I was excited to run it. I had never run this race so I didn't know exactly where the route would take us. But I knew it would be hilly....yes....hills again!
I didn't really have a goal for this race. I was still excited about placing in my age group the night before and knew I wouldn't run that fast that morning on tired legs. Plus my calf had been bothering me some the last week and the race the night before made it really sore. So I knew this race was going to hurt the sore calf some since it didn't really have a lot of recovery time.
Andria and I started out running at a pretty comfortable pace. The route led us through several turns but it was a gorgeous run. When we reached mile 1 we were in the 8's. That was faster than I had anticipated but we went with it. We were still in the 8's at mile 2. I was feeling good...although I was feeling the calf. But I wasn't going to stop. We encountered more hills and I zoomed up them. Before I knew it...the finish line was just around the next corner! I took off and finished strong!
My Garmin time read 26:54 so it was about 1:30 slower than the night before. But I was pleased!
Andy and the boys were running the fun run. They still had about 30 minutes till start time so Andria and I went to find them. Andy took some celebratory pics of us!
My friend Sandi was also at the race! We saw each other before the race but neglected to get a picture. So we got one afterwards! (Sandi did Disney with me in January and is doing Disney Princess with me in February!)
Then it was time to head to the start line for the fun run.
Family picture! My poor boys were facing the sun as you can tell by their super squinty eyes lol!
I decided to do the fun run with the family. I knew they would most likely walk it. I talked Andria into doing it with me! I decided I didn't need to run anymore because my calf was really sore at that point. So she agreed to walk with me even though I think it was killing her to not run lol!
Andy and my boys took off when it began! They were running but I knew the boys would want to stop to walk really quickly. A few minutes into the run my phone rang. It was Andy. He and Hayden were wanting to run but Sawyer wanted to walk. I could see them up ahead so I told Sawyer to wait on the side of the road for me until I caught up to him. That's what he did. We walked the rest of the way together until we saw the finish line. Then I told Sawyer to run for it and he did! :-)
At this time results had been posted so Andria and I decided to go check them out. I didn't think I had a chance of placing. But when I saw my name there wasn't an age next to it and my name was backwards! Andria, however, had placed 2nd in her age group!!! I was soooo proud of her!!!
I couldn't stand not knowing all my stats so I immediately found the race director and she got it straightened out for me. Good thing I pursued it because....I had placed 2nd in my age group!!!!!!!!!!
My official time was 26:56!
Not too long after that the awards began! I couldn't find Andy or my boys so unfortunately they missed it. But I was excited to receive a medal and cup with the race on it!
I was so proud of Andria and her 2nd place win in her age group too! I love that we are in different age groups...we run together but don't have to compete with each other! :-)
We were both really excited to place!!!
Finally I found my boys. They were playing at the park! Andy was surprised when he saw I had placed! :-)
On the way home I got a text from my friend Susanne. We had left the awards too soon because Sole2Soul Sisters had won for the best costumes!!! So awesome!!!
And here's a closer look at my medal and cup! :-)
This race was great! The course was challenging but gorgeous! And there were a ton of vendors there. And there was so much food there for it just being a 5K!
I love that it benefits a local food bank, the Prodisee Pantry. They always do this one about a month before Thanksgiving so that they can raise money to give to families that need a Thanksgiving meal. I will definitely be running this one again! :-)
It was a great weekend of racing! I enjoyed racing back to back but I wish my calf hadn't been so sore. That put a little damper on it. I never dreamed I would place in both races! So blessed!!!
QOTD: Do you run a Turkey Trot around Thanksgiving time?
