Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot - RunOther

So I started by the 8:30-9:30 minute mile marker in line. Which was essentially useless, because no one was paying any attention to those signs.

We start and I cross the line. Walking. Walking. Walking. No one was running.

Finally the crowd thinned out some and SOME people started running. It was near impossible to run though, due to all the WALKERS.

Here is my rant- and the reason why I should not do this race again... There are signs everywhere that tell WALKERS and people with STROLLERS and DOGS to get the the BACK OF THE LINE. Do they? Nope. They sure don't. So the first 2 miles is miserable.

I couldn't get any kind of rythme running and I had to dodge people right and left. Running on the sidewalk... curb... gutter... over grass and rocks... trying to dodge all the people who couldn't read the freaking signs that told them to get to the BACK OF THE LINE!

So by mile 1 my breathing was completely off and the side cramp had kicked in. Pacing was non existent.

Mile 2 I had a miserable side cramp. Great.

Then turn off came for the 5Ker's... yes! I knew it would be a little better with the strollers, dogs and kids gone.

I considered running the 5K and ditching the 8 miler. But sometimes I start to feel better at 3-5 miles so I didn't want to ditch my goal of 8 miles. I kept on with the 8 mile route.

By this point I had a side cramp and felt like @ss. Kept trying to get my head back in the run. I was hoping to pull it back together to get back on my goal pace time.

Wasn't going to happen. I felt tired. My whole body felt... tired. My legs felt like two blocks of lead. Just physically exhausted.

My side cramp stopped on the right side and moved to the left side. Great. At least it wasn't on both sides- right?

My left arch was hurting really bad. It's been an ongoing "injury" and it basically hurt the moment I put my shoes on before the run.

I walked up some hills, and tried to run down them as my side cramp would allow me. I ran with my fingers jabbed in my side to get the side cramp out.

I would have walked more, but I didn't want the miserable torture to last any longer that it had to. So I ran as much as I could muster.

Around mile 6 I almost started crying. I was just miserable. My body felt horrible from head to toe, my nose was running, blah-blah-blah.

All I thought in my head was that I was running on shear will-power... because my legs felt so tired and dead... I was just willing them to keep running.

I walked some...ran some and gutted it out till the end. The finish is at the top of a long incline. I sprinted some up the hill and then felt so tired from it, I couldn't even hold my arms up by my side anymore.

I was really glad when this hellish run was over.

I will not do this race again with any hope of goal times. I was annoyed from the start because I couldn't run my pace. Then I felt so bad I couldn't run the pace. I just think this run wasn't going to happen for me today.

Overall this is a good race- IF you are OK with 1,000's of walkers, kids and dogs being in your way when you try to run.

Parking was relatively easy and so was leaving. It was cool to run through streets in downtown Dallas I usually drive, but the crowds aren't worth the hassle for me.

Post race activities were nice, but the water was no where near the food. It was near impossible for me to find WATER before and after the race. Weird. Although there was tons of yogurt with no spoons to be found!

I found it especially rude to see people carrying around boxes of yogurt, fruit, and water. How nice that one person could take home so much- while runners are still on the course. *Smirk*

I even saw a homeless dude with a Gatorade, but I couldn't find one. I know it's Thanksgiving but I really wanted a Gatorade and couldn't get one myself.

Overall it's a good race if you want to get out early on Thanksgiving morning with 40,000 other people. Can't say it's my thing. I would have been happier running the neighborhood by myself.