Thanksgiving Day Race 2007 - Run10k

The start was crazy as usual. For some reason people who can't run an 8 min pace insist on starting at the 8 min pace marker. The first mile or so was full of people stopping without warning and I can't count the number of people I had to push through. One runner had stopped to stretch at a street sign and then suddenly thrust her leg out missing an oncoming runner by mere inches. We hit the mile mark at about 8:30, waaaay off our goal, but not alot you can do with the amount of weaving we had to do. I also rolled an ankle when I had to dodge a sudden stopper and stepped in a street drain, but after a few minutes the pain went away.

By the time we hit the first bridge I felt decent enough. My quad wasn't complaining too much and I felt like I needed to hit the bathroom again, but all things considered I felt okay. We did the second mile a little under 8:00 which was a pace we would keep for a while.

I started feeling bad around the hill up the Licking River Bridge. I really needed to blow my nose and well after I used my shirt, gloves, and pants in the process I'm sure I looked gorgeous. We hit the midway water station and I successfully managed to grab a sip of water without A.)Stopping or B.)Choking. Perhaps I'm learning!

By the time mile 4 rolled around we were still putting sub 8 miles in and I was starting to wear down. I wasn't fighting the cold, the wind, or the spitting rain (I barely noticed them). I was fighting the same damn head cold I had had all week. The bridge back to Cincy took a toll and it was then I told Andy not to worry about me and to go ahead if he could. I stayed with him through the bridge, but after the 5 mile mark he started to pull away.

The last mile my body was done, but I kept telling myself that if I was serious about doing a marathon in 2009 I needed to learn to push through pain. So I kept going. I have no idea what I ran that last mile in, but nothing was quite like the feeling of hitting that final turn towards the stretch home. I actually picked up my pace a bit for the last .2 and might have even managed a smile at the end. I hit the finish line and just felt like crap. Usually after a race I feel good, but not today.


Not get sick? All things considered, I was only 5 seconds slower than last year even though the weather was worse and I was sick. In fact, though my time was slower I placed 133 spots higher. If I had known I was that close to achieving my goals (sub 8 pace) I might have tried to push a little harder despite my sickness, but... what can you do?

I struggled to the water stations which as usual is a looooooong walk from the finish line. I was happy to see everyone in our group finish including my wife who made it a PR with an under an hour finish! I was freezing so I bailed and headed down to the car to get warmed up.


Being sick.


This is the 4th time I've done this race and despite not being 100% I guess I'm happy that I was only 5 seconds off a personal best time and I did manage a personal best in the standings. Despite all the crowds and troubles at the beginning of the race, I love doing this race the morning of Thanksgiving. I'm gonna shut it down now for a few weeks to let my quad heal and I'll be back with a vengeance soon enough. The Heart Mini-Marathon 15K in March is next on the list!