Tag: Turkey Trot

Week 47- Better- ish

Well, if you don’t count Monday through Friday.

I still haven’t figured out the weekly running thing. I didn’t realize how much one change in another area of life was going to affect my weekday running.

I did get on the bike on Tuesday but I only managed 4.2ish miles before I was running to the bathroom. I blamed it on my GI condition being an asshat but turns out it could have been food poisoning. I pick up lunch for my coworkers once a month and Tuesday we chose Panda. And on that Tuesday, half of us got sick. We’re on Panda strike now.

Oh and for extra fun, my dog treed a possum on Wednesday evening. In the cold and pouring rain. Picture me in my pajamas in the rain trying to catch a crazed dog and attempt to keep the possum up the tree. Sorry neighbors.

Thursday brought Thanksgiving and rain. No complaints by me, I gave up on snowy holidays long ago and just ask for clouds and rain now. Success! Except I was volunteering at a new local Turkey Trot and it was so cold! However that did not effect the turnout- it was a smash! It was also a fundraiser for the local homeless shelter so double win! Oh and the cutest Turkey Trot-er ever!

Then it was family time. With both parents having fun hospital trips in the last couple months, no one was feeling the effort of cooking a turkey dinner. And let’s be real, any attempts on my part would have ended up with my mother cooking it. So we flopped with the usual Christmas dinner and had Beef Stroganoff. Which meant I needed the stretchy pants. I don’t like turkey so I usually eat very little with traditional Thanksgiving fare.

Saturday brought some damn cold rain. I layered up to run outside but changed my mind when I took the dog out on a leash to go to the bathroom. I de-layered and headed to the gym instead. That one I pay for monthly but never use. It wasn’t horrible and I finished 4ish slow miles. Anyone else run 1-2 minutes slower on the treadmill?

Sunday was still raining but about 10-15 degrees warmer. I was probably overdressed for my 5 mile run but whatever. Parts of this run felt pretty good and part was a struggle thanks to the moisture in the air. Oh well.

9ish miles for the week. Not marvelous but better than last week!

How was your week? Do you like turkey?

Oakland Turkey Trot

Disclaimer: I received an entry to Oakland Running Festival as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Let’s talk Turkey… trotting that is.

I love the idea of Turkey Trots but rarely make it to an actual one due to either distance or time. I was stoked to hear that the Oakland Turkey Trot offered a virtual option. Don’t get me wrong- as race day grew closer I wished I could join the party. Everything they were posting on Instagram made me wish I could drive to Oakland on Thanksgiving. The swag, the mural painting, the fun- man, I wish I could go!

My bib and swag arrived a few days before the race. Talk about swag! I’ve run much larger races and received way less. Oakland knows how to treat their runners right!

Race morning- Thanksgiving Day

The advantage to a virtual run is I could run anytime I wanted to; for me that was around 12. Woo hoo! No early wake up call and perfect temps. Actually I overdressed as I had been sick during the week before and thought it was colder than it was. Oops.

I was going to run my normal 5k route from my house but flip the beginning and the end so I could have a nice downhill finish. Since I had been sick and this was a virtual race, I treated this more like a hard push run than a race. I walked the first 5 minutes of mile 1- crazy right? But my later start meant I was already pushing it with family plans.

From then on, it was a comfortable push tempo pace, enjoying the fall colors in my neighborhood. I added in a hill in the middle to take out a hill at the end but still had around 300 ft of elevation over the 5K. I don’t live in a flat area. I walked another block or so during mile 2 due to an off leash dog. When the lady grabbed the dog in alarm, I wasn’t taking any chances so I slowed way down until I was well past them.

All in all, I finished the 5k in 33:33 which made me laugh at the perfectness of it. It also reassured me that had I actually raced it, I would have likely subbed 30. Don’t have to worry about off leash dogs during races and I usually warm up first. 😛

I still wish I could have joined the epic party up in Oakland but I was glad I got to participate in anyway.

Did you Turkey Trot?

Wobble before you Gobble

Disclaimer: I received an entry into the Oakland Turkey Trot as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

How is it almost Thanksgiving???

If you’re anything like me, you love chilling out, relaxing with the family and eating some really good food. Possibly too much food. Yes, please!

However, I love the idea of getting in some #turkeytrot miles before hand. Make some room for some of the calories I am about to consume? Sign me up!
Except the options in my area are rather limited. There’s one 45 minutes away that I know I won’t drive to. The one I have done is so sneaky it never advertises online nor is registration available online so I never really know if it’s even happening. So now what?

Oakland Turkey Trot!

The Oakland Turkey Trot is a party for the whole family. They offer a 5K, 5K VIP and a variety of options for kids in a Stomper’s Stomp. They offer you a fun, healthy way to start your day and to give back to the Oakland community. All proceeds from the race will benefit the Oakland community. Oakland Turkey Trot partners with the Alameda County Community Food Bank, Oakland’s Public Schools, the City of Oakland, the local mayor and other local charities to help benefit the community.

Plus it looks like a blast.

I know what you’re thinking. Wait, Fallon, you won’t drive 45 minutes but you’re driving to Oakland? Sadly, I am not.

But they have a virtual option! Sign up for the virtual race, run the miles on your own on Turkey Day and they send you all the same amazing race swag. And the medal is pretty sweet. Check out their Insta.

I may be missing out on the party on Thanksgiving morning but you don’t have to! Use code BROTTVIP to save 10% on registration. Or use it to register for the virtual option like me.

How do you Turkey Trot?

Week 47 Un-training Recap

Training for-

…..Nope, still nothing!

Another week of taking it easy. I don’t think I realized how run down I was feeling until I stopped moving. Granted, part of that could also be due to me deciding to cut back on caffeine, sugar and calories. All at the same time. Oh and throw in some new migraine medication we’re trying and it just seemed like a good idea to take things easy. But I wasn’t totally lazy.

Monday- 2 miles A short but sweet night run. Baby steps while I work my way into this night running thing. Baby steps. 😛😛

Tuesday- 15 minutes yoga I’m so awkward and inflexible! Then the video I was using crashed partway through so I had to start another one. Grr.

Wednesday- 4.47 miles It’s been so long since I ran a short run from my house I forgot what distance my routes were! I had an odd doctor’s appointment with a radiologist and a speech therapist of all things so I was able to get the whole run in before dark. Which was sweet but damn it was cold! We went from 80 to 50 with 20 mph wind overnight. I was wearing so many layers. And I wanted more.

Thursday- Rest Migraine from hell. This was the worst headache in weeks so I figured I would try the second new medication. Holy crap people, I couldn’t add 2 +2. The pill took about an 1.5 hours to ease the pain but for about 4 hours I was mired in a serious fog, I could barely function. It was ridiculous.

Friday- Rest That migraine usually lingers 2 days but I wasn’t taking another pill. So instead I got a big Diet Coke and a big coffee on my way into work, lesser of 2 evils right?

Saturday- Rest I worked in the morning and planned on running in the afternoon. Work ran super late and I was just exhausted. I watched a couple of cheesy Christmas movies instead.

Sunday- Rest It rained all day. I still have unhealed marks on my chest from the chafe of the Harvest Marathon. After 2 races in the rain, I think I am little leery of running in the rain right now. It may be a while before it happens again. I realize that makes me a big baby but that’s ok. I did a bit of shopping though and picked up a reflective vest for more running in the dark.

6 miles is way better than last week so I’m calling it a win. I’m realizing that I need a little more time off than I thought. That being said, I will not be turkey trotting this week. Boo. But the only trot available to me is a 10K and I don’t think I have a 10K in me right now. Plus, this will also be the first time in 4 years that I am working the week of Thanksgiving so that’s going to be odd.

How was your week?

Are you running a turkey trot?

What are your plans this week?

A Tale of 2 Runs

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I had planned on finishing this post for Wednesday night but I was exhausted after a planned hike that grew…by a lot. More on those adventures next time. 😄

I guess Monday was my first real, official day of vacation. I slept in. It was lovely. I was feeling a little sore (my feet) after Sunday’s hike/ trail run but I was looking forward to a run. Running outside on a weekday during daylight savings? Yes please! I wasn’t sure how far I’d get with my feet feeling bruised but they felt pretty good once I started running.

I headed for the river path in the mid afternoon. Seriously, I would love it if I could run at that time all fall and winter. How can I make that happen? Anyhow, my goal was to take this run super easy and shoot for 3-4 miles. I really missed this route, it’s like the perfect excuse for a progression run. I kind of zoned out a bit and just kept running. 4.5 miles later I was back at my car. I might have added more but 4.5 was literally 2 feet from my car. 😉 Even better was that I hadn’t needed any walk breaks. Last week, I struggled with a 12:00 pace on the treadmill and Monday I ran a 12:53, 10:38, 10:05, 9:29 for the full mile splits. Why is the treadmill so hard for me?! No walks breaks but I did come to a complete stop when I saw this tree. Because holy crap!-

In trying to temper the urge to #runallthemiles on vacation since I’ve been a super slacker for the past month or so, I rested on Tuesday. I met an old friend for lunch instead. Wednesday’s workout doubled in planned size and left me feeling a little achy. I was a little nervous for the Turkey Trot. But I was running with C and her husband so I was looking forward to it.

Thanksgiving dawned and it was 30º. Allrighty then. Then I tried to get up. Aaagh! My calves were so tight, they were down right painful. How was I going to run a 10K? No lies, I texted C to see if she was ready, hoping she would say it was too cold. No dice. I had ProCompression full socks under my leggings and I left my house in my pea coat and Uggs. I registered for the race in them as well. I didn’t change shoes until about 5 minutes to the start. 😝

Me and C. I really dislike this shirt but it’s the warmest running gear I own. 😦

This trot is super low key. You register on race morning, get your t-shirt and run your race. The course is an out and back on rural roads and the start/finish is literally in the Food4 Less parking lot. C, C-Hub and I had run the race before so we knew the course. My parents usually come to the finish but when I was shivering in my car, I texted them and told them it was too cold and they should stay home. They didn’t listen. The race seemed smaller this year but that could have been due the freezing temps.

It was go time and we were off! I was super tight and cold usually triggers my asthma so I was a little skeptic about how this was going to go. Thankfully C and her husband weren’t feeling particularly speedy either so we just hung out the whole race. My toes were numb, my hands were numb and my butt felt like it was frozen. We joked about turning around at the 5K mark but kept going. It was great catching up with them, I wasn’t able to run with them as much as I had hoped this year. C-hub kept us running and even thought I wanted to walk a few times, we kept running averaging between a 10:30-10:45. I felt so sluggish and my Garmin kept telling me we were running in the 11’s. Guess it doesn’t like the cold either. I was dreaming of a large, hot coffee from McDonald’s and started pulling away towards the end. I didn’t mean to but I was letting my legs do whatever they wanted to, they were still so tight. Mile 6 clocked in at 9:42. Finish- 1:04:49. Not the speediest but much better than I had been expecting and there weren’t any asthma issues. 😎

I also wore my Turkey Trot shirt for the rest of the day. And indulged in a few too many chips and a second slice of cheesecake. It was a great Thanksgiving. I am not fond of crowds so I will be avoiding anything Black Friday related. My original plan was to go hiking but I’ve put 25 miles on these legs in the last 5 days, way more than normal, and my calves are seriously pissed. So my plan is to take it easy, maybe take the puppy for a walk. If I can move.

How was your Thanksgiving? Did you run a turkey trot?

Favorite food of the day?

Are you shopping?