November 5K – Check!
So far this year, I’ve run a 5K in May, September, October and November. And damn, it feels good.
I decided to run the Lynnfield Turkey Trot this month for a few reasons. First, it was super close being in the town right next to mine. Second, it had “Turkey Trot” in the name and we all know how much I love anything holiday-themed. Third, it started at 11am. Hello extra sleep!
The morning of the race, I slept until 9, made my pre-race breakfast (2 slices of light wheat toast with peanut butter) with lots of water, and drove over to Lynnfield at around 10am with Stephen to pick up my race packet and free t-shirt. Fun fact about me: I love t-shirts, especially free ones.
The race started right at 11 and I was ready for it. I made a great playlist complete with the songs “Sexy & I Know It” and “We Need a Little Christmas” Glee version. My strategy was simple: run slow to start, run smart the whole way.
And that’s exactly what I did.
The Highs:
– The weather. It was the perfect day to run. Cloudy with some sun, 60 degrees with a nice cool breeze.
– The course. With the exception of one HUGE hill, the course was very nice. I ran around pretty Lynnfield neighborhoods and there was still enough foliage to keep the sun off of my over-heating face.
– My stomach. Woo hoo, it cooperated!! The only time I wasn’t feeling so hot was when I sprinted at the very end.
The Lows:
– No PR. I honestly thought that I had done enough to get one and when I saw the clock and realized I missed it by 40 seconds, I got upset. Like very upset. I crossed the finish line, grabbed a water bottle from Stephen and demanded we leave right away (I didn’t even know I missed the free bagels!). In the car, I came very very close to tears and almost had an all-out tantrum.
But then I stopped being a 5-year-old and thought about the race. I ran almost the entire thing without stopping. I didn’t think I was going to throw up or pass out. I wasn’t hurting (yet) or want to quit running right then and there. I felt good, accomplished and for once in my whole life, I ENJOYED running. Genuinely enjoyed it. Go figure.
December is so close and at this point, I haven’t signed up for a race yet. Since I’m nervous about running in the snow, I wanted to do the Beverly Reindeer Run 5K on the 3rd and pray that the snow holds off. But now I might have to do shooting for school that day. Dilemma.
Your turn: How do you feel when you don’t PR? Do you throw a tantrum or chalk it up to a good experience? What holiday races in December are you running and can you recommend a good one for me?
chocolateandwineblog.com 
Don’t be a big baby lady. Sometimes you won’t finish in the time you want but you just know next time you need to push yourself harder. It’s only 5K you just have to push through the burn and get that shit done.
I say we do that one that was out the butt expensive but hey, youll have the best running buddy in the world — ME.
Marie, congrats on running yet another 5k, you’re awesome! You inspired me this summer to get back into running, and I definitely thought of you when I finally ran my first 5k! I’m running my second on Dec 3rd, the Rockville “run with santa” and I’m really excited to run in costume 🙂 I’m glad that you managed to enjoy the running experience during the Turkey Trot and hope that you can let yourself be proud of that even though your time wasn’t what you wanted. Good luck with your winter running endeavors and with the last few weeks of your semester!