On Thanksgiving 2013, I ran the Tampa Bay Times Turkey Trot 10k. Originally, I was just going to run the 5k but changed my mind when I learned that Disney required at least a 10k time for corral placement in the Princess Half Marathon. Unfortunately, this race was not chipped-timed so while it was a good experience, I was unable to submit the time for corral placement.
The morning of the race, it was cold. Super cold by Florida standards. It was around 40 degrees. I arrived at the race site, Clearwater High School, at about 7:45am, a full hour prior to start time. I parked close to the finish line and then followed the crowd to the start area.
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| The Start Line |
Race started a couple of minutes late. The first mile was a blur. I skipped my first couple of walk intervals. I was so cold that I just kept running. The course went down a street and then turned into a neighborhood. There were some spectators throughout the course and a couple of them even played music for the runners. There were 3 water stops along the course with great volunteers at each.
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| The Course |
My goal for this race was to finish at around 90 minutes or 15 minute miles. I was super happy when I crossed the finish line at 1:31:10. I probably could of finished under the goal if not for that last hill. There were no medals for this race so I just picked up a water, banana, and fruit snacks from the food line and walked back to my car to ride home.
This race was a good first test for my training. I would only run it again if I could convince some friends/family to join me. The registration fee is super reasonable ($15) and the shirt was cute.
