Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving & Turkey Dash 5K

This was year four of doing a Thanksgiving Day 5K and my third year joined by my nephew Evan (who I like to point out is a 2x Ironman at age 23). I do love this tradition!!

This year, we are at my sister's in Cleveland rather than my folk's in Pittsburgh so we ran the Karen P. Nakon Annual Turkey Dash in Avon, Ohio, one town over. This suburban race attracted over 1200 participants!! Thanksgiving has got to be the day of the most simultaneous racing across the country.

We were treated to a mild, beautiful day. I went out too fast (Garmin) and soon the left quad and hamstring were feeling the effects of the 400 mile drive the previous day. It was a so-so run for me, but it still felt good to get out there, rev up the engine, and blow out the cobwebs. Tomorrow morning I'll enjoy a long chill run along Lake Erie.

I finished in 21:29 to win my age group with about 3 minutes to spare. They awarded top-3 overall, but not top-3 master's and I don't know where I ranked overall. The fun for me is just getting out there and running in costume, spending time with my nephew, and redlining a bit :-) [Addendum: top master's, 12th female, 72nd finisher out of 1423]

Like most triathletes, I have much to be thankful for - the ability to run (and swim and bike), my family, friends, and loved ones, fulfilling work, and lots of adventure. So I'm signing out to go soak up all the goodness. Finish reading this, shut the computer down, and go do the same!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Let's get this party started


Final sprint

Evan and fiance Kim