They're fast, but not too fast, and the distance is just in the middle.
I got the 10k itch after completing last weeks Chicago Perfect 10. The morning of the race, there we went, and I registered a few minutes before the race started.
10k Goal: have fun. It was my first turkey trot ever and first consecutive same-distance race within 7 day span. Although, I wasn't going to take anything above 50 minutes. That would be slacking on my part.
Race Day Registration: Smooooooth. 1 person in front of me, and got my t-shirt, bib, 'goodie' bag filled with bunch of fliers and my pins. Done.
2 seconds to pin my bib on. Then lined up at the gear check.
Gear Check: Not too long of a line. Second time using gear check. Usually at bigger races I avoid those lonnnng lines, but this was a smaller race so why not? Kudos to volunteers for keeping the line going :)
Course: ...no comment. It was my fault for not looking up the course map beforehand, but hey it was a spur of the moment kind-of-thing when we decided to run this race. But here is a snapshot. and it's not pretty.I'm used to running races on the lakefront.. and with straighter courses. Can you imagine what it was like running a race, not knowing there was so many turns, it kind of felt like a corn maze. When you thought it was finally going to stop, BAM! there came another turn. and another. And when you thought the finish line was after the next turn. It wasn't. Damn it. But it was a good experience. Change is good, and atleast it kept my mind busy from my aching shins (oh yeah, wore my new Brooks, which I shouldn't have, I'm such a noob).
I may come off as mean, but why were there kids on the course?! Especially right by the finish line. A few yards from when I was about to finish, a little girl just jumped in front of me (and probably slowed me down by a few seconds), it would've been terrible if I hadn't seen her..
Which reminds me... having a 5k, a walk, and a 10k all on the same course= not such a good idea. During the last mile, I had to weave in and out of 5k people and walkers. I'm glad I wasn't going for a PR.
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| 6th in 20-29 AG 3rd if they had 20-24 :( darn... |
(look at that first split.. what was I thinking, I was kenyan or something? no way I was going to keep that pace up, what a noob..)
I was really tired after mile 3 and regretted not signing up for the 5k instead haha. but as soon as we hit mile 5, I felt I had warmed up enough (or slowed down enough actually) to keep going. Maybe I could come close to last weeks time? & I did woohoo! I was off by 2 seconds (I blame the little girl at the end, and my shin splints... and the crazy course ;) haha.
... this only encourages me to run another 10k. Damnit...
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| Top left: stacks of boxes of pizza, no line! Top Right: live band Bottom left: cozy warm sponsorship tent with food/goodies inside Bottom right: Free Hot Chocolate & Coffee Trucks :) |
-boxes and boxes of pizza
-Hot Chocolate & coffee
-expo under a tent, kept us warm
-live band
-Chewy bars (but they ran out after a while :(
The only thing they could've had was a finishers medal, but hey it was just a turkey trot.
For Mid-november, the weather has been amazing!
-Luz
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Pre-Race
This was actually our first race outside of Chicago. Finding parking was a bit difficult, we had to drive around for a while until we found parking lot by a grocery store. After finding parking, we had to run to registration and pick up our bib numbers and check in our gear. The whole process went smooth without any waiting .
Race:
And were off! Both the 5k and 10k runners started off together. I tried to maintain a relaxed pace throughout the start of the race, not trying to use a lot of my energy. The first mile was done at 6:07 according to my Garmin. I did my best to maintain this pace , but it became more difficult as the race went on. The course was flat and consisted of many turns!! (at least for the 10k route) The turns were not only confusing , but they only made me want to finish the race already! The route back to the finish line was packed with a lot of runners/ walkers because the 5k/10k route came together as one. The last mile was the most tiring for me throughout the whole race. I just wanted to finish already, but i also wanted to beat last weeks time. I pushed through and finished 42:00 flat. I beat last weeks time by a few seconds, but off from my 10k PR (40minutes) Not bad for not being in top notch running shape like in the summer. Time to work hard >:)
Overall:
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-free pizza!
-free plastic water bottles
-bag with a race shirt
-1000+ runners
-timed mile markers
Cons
-They ran out of snacks. (chewy bars-granola bars, hot chocolate)
-10k had too many turns! It felt like if i was going in circles
-Age groups are not in 4 year increments.
JV
NEXT UP! Long Grove Turkey Trot 5k!
Any suggestions/advice on how NOT to sprint off at the beginning... it's getting to be a bit of a problem.
Anyone know of any upcoming 10ks? tehe.
Anyone know of any upcoming 10ks? tehe.
Happy Turkey Trotting :)
Too bad I missed you guys at the race. I agree it has lots of turns and this may have added a few seconds to my 10k time. Anyway, JV I must have passed you at some point during the 10k since my first two miles were run at 6:25/mile and my final time was 39:06 (that should show you the beauty of negative splits!). I noticed that a lot of people started this race too fast. I could tell by how hard they were breathing 1/2 mile into the race. Also in a 5k/10k dual start you have to be very careful that you don't try and keep pace with the 5k runners since they are obviously running a much shorter race! As much love to beat younger runners like you who start off too fast and that I reel in later, I will give you some advice: Let's say you just ran a 42 minute 10k, but you feel with the right strategy, you are fit enough to run around a 41 minute 10k. You should then target to run each of the first 3 miles at exactly 6:37. Look at your Garmin a lot during the first mile and hold yourself back to 6:37, regardless of how slow it feels and how many youngsters are speeding by. 6.2 miles is a long way. If things go well and you feel fine after 3 or 4 miles, push the pace a little and see how that feels. If it doesn't feel good, go back to 6:37, worse case you will run a 41 minute 10k, best case you will beat your goal. Hope that helps.
ReplyDeleteI try to be conservative when I line up in the corrals. Most runners start off too fast. So if I start around people whose overall pace is a little bit slower than mine pace, and they start off too fast (for them), then they are probably going at around my goal pace. So I start off at my pace, and then when they settle into their pace, I pass them, which is a good ego boost. And if I keep it conservative at the start, I can speed up throughout the race and pass people at the end. Also an ego boost.
ReplyDeleteThanks Maggie! This really worked wonders for yesterdays race. Passing people up during the last mile is always an ego boost.
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