Turkey Trot 2009

I've been planning to train for and run a 5K some months now. It seemed like it would be a great way to get back into shape after the baby. When heard about the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day I decided my time had arrived. As the day got closer I started getting nervous. What had I committed myself to! Was I crazy, signing up to jog/walk a 5K only 2 and a half months after having a baby! It seemed so far away when I made the decision, but now that the day was actually approaching, I was having doubts.

I drove down to the race with Heather Matthews who had run the race last year and she knew where to park and where to go to start. We parked at Golden Gardens Park, where the finish line is. Then we walked up, and up, and up the steep stairs to where the starting line was and picked up our t-shirts. I should have taken a picture of those stairs! As we climbed those stairs I was thinking " and we haven't even started yet! ugh, what am I doing?". Well all those stairs, meant that half the route was on a downhill incline and the rest was flat. I knew I probably wouldn't be able to run the whole way but I was going to run as much as I could. I didn't know how far I'd gone, but based on how many songs I'd listed to I figured I still had a ways to go and would just walking the rest of the way, but then I saw what a parking lot with a lot of cars. As I got closer I realized, this was the park! I was almost to the finish line! Knowing I was almost to the finish line I decided to pick up the pace and jog the rest of the way. I finished in about 35 minutes . The view of the water was beautiful, and it was easier then I thought it would be. It felt awesome to cross that finish line. I can't wait to do it again next year and run the whole way!