At three weeks post marathon, I wasn't too optimistic about this race. Add on the two weeks of zero running prior to the marathon and it felt like forever since I had run under a 7:00 pace. I didn't have a goal time, but I knew I wanted to give it everything I had.
We used to live about 10 minutes away from the race but we have since moved farther. There are several Turkey Trots closer to our new home, but I like the tradition that comes with this particular Turkey Trot. I have run it every year since 2006 except for 2019-2022 when they briefly stopping hosting the race. To be 100% accurate, the race came back in 2022 but I was unaware of it.
We gave ourselves about 30 minutes to drive to the race. I had retrieved my bib the day before so I wouldn't have to worry about it on race morning. I got out of the car, made my way to the porta potty, and then resumed the warm up.
It was 38 degrees, partly sunny, and 4-5 mph winds. On my personal weather scale I give this a 10 out of 10. Ideal! The Turkey Trot is the only race of the year which almost always has predictably good weather. Summer races are out. Early fall is hit or miss. Spring is hit or miss. Late fall is relatively stable. I wore shorts, a tank top, arm sleeves and the New Balance SC Pacer 2. This shoe is one of my favorites for the 5K distance.
During my warm up, I had a caffeinated Maurten gel 15 minutes before race start. I gave my jacket to Greg at around that same time and he walked to his first viewing point for photos. I miss the days when we both ran this race, but his long-term injury has prevented him from running as much as he used to.
I lined up about 4 rows back and felt ready to go. My plan was to not look at my watch very much and just run HARD.
Mile 1: 6:28
I would have predicted a first mile time of around 6:28, only it looks better on paper than it actually was. Based on the granular data from my watch, and also on how I felt, I ran this more like a 6:10 half mile followed by a 6:50 half mile! I got pulled out WAY too fast. I was focused on my leg turnover and I started moving them way too quickly out of the gate. By the time I reached the first mile marker I was the 2nd or 3rd female. I don't quite remember!
I would have predicted a first mile time of around 6:28, only it looks better on paper than it actually was. Based on the granular data from my watch, and also on how I felt, I ran this more like a 6:10 half mile followed by a 6:50 half mile! I got pulled out WAY too fast. I was focused on my leg turnover and I started moving them way too quickly out of the gate. By the time I reached the first mile marker I was the 2nd or 3rd female. I don't quite remember!
Mile 2: 6:43
This mile contains a notable hill, so it's not that much of a drop-off, but I felt like I was running much harder than a 6:43 average. One woman passed me during this mile, which motivated me to keep up. I don't remember much else about this mile other than a spectator telling me that I had great form.
This mile contains a notable hill, so it's not that much of a drop-off, but I felt like I was running much harder than a 6:43 average. One woman passed me during this mile, which motivated me to keep up. I don't remember much else about this mile other than a spectator telling me that I had great form.
Mile 3: 6:35
Once again we have a mile that looks good on paper, but there was a net elevation loss, so I would have hoped to run around 6:25. I kept trying to catch the woman ahead of me who wasn't all that far ahead, but to no avail. I am sure it didn't help that I was panting so loudly that she knew I was trailing her closely. I'm not exactly a stealth runner.
Once again we have a mile that looks good on paper, but there was a net elevation loss, so I would have hoped to run around 6:25. I kept trying to catch the woman ahead of me who wasn't all that far ahead, but to no avail. I am sure it didn't help that I was panting so loudly that she knew I was trailing her closely. I'm not exactly a stealth runner.
I didn't have much left in my legs and this was a true battle, but I was happy to find another gear. After crossing the finish line I began dry heaving. So there's no doubt I gave 100% effort.
Official Finish time: 20:29.
I won my age group (out of 47 runners) and was the 4th overall female. I was 4 seconds slower than last year. This was my 4th fastest Virginia Run Turkey Trot, with 2018, 2017, and 2024 being 1st - 3rd.
I won my age group (out of 47 runners) and was the 4th overall female. I was 4 seconds slower than last year. This was my 4th fastest Virginia Run Turkey Trot, with 2018, 2017, and 2024 being 1st - 3rd.
Afterwards, I chatted briefly with the 3rd place woman who ran 4 seconds faster than me. I knew her sister, who was also at the race.
Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
I'm pleased with my performance because I know I worked very hard and gave 100% effort. I wish had paced it better at the beginning and hadn't decided to ignore my watch entirely. As I said at the beginning, I am always thankful to show up to these turkey trots healthy and able to run at a high intensity.
I'm pleased with my performance because I know I worked very hard and gave 100% effort. I wish had paced it better at the beginning and hadn't decided to ignore my watch entirely. As I said at the beginning, I am always thankful to show up to these turkey trots healthy and able to run at a high intensity.
Here is a graph of my times at this race over the years. I wonder if I will ever break 20:00 again on this course. I was thrilled when I did it at the age of 40, and would love to experience that again.
Hi Elizabeth, What a great race report! That was a fantastic time. Really great that you have continued the tradition to run this race too. Well done! AV
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