Mercer County Turkey Trot 5K Race Recap 11/27/14

I ran my first Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. I figured it would be a great idea to do some sort of exercise on Thanksgiving since I knew I would be eating lots of yummy food. When some running friends told me about the Mercer County Turkey Trot 5K, I was totally up for it. 

There was no expo, but you could have picked up your shirt and bib beforehand at McCaffrey's Bistro or at the Pre-Trot Pasta Event at Il Forno Cafe but I just did not have the time, so it was nice that they had packet pickup the same day as the race. The race was supposed to start at 8am but due to snow the previous day, the time was moved to 9am. I was happy that the time was moved as I got to get a little bit more sleep. :)

Packet pickup was available on race day from 7:30-8:30 so I wanted to get there before 8:30. I left around 7:50 and was at Mercer County Park (where the race was held) by 8:05. I parked in the West Picnic area where there was still lots of parking (probably because I was there early). It was easy to find the Pavilion and I had no problem picking up my bib and shirt. 

I was however, surprised that it was snowing as it wasn't in the forecast that morning. I picked up my packet and went back to the car so I could stay warm. Here is a pic of the shirt we got. It is very bright! :)

I left the warmth of my car around 8:30 to go to the restrooms and there wasn't much of a line which was awesome. I went to find my friends Minyee and Dana. Minyee was running the 5k while Dana's kids were running the kids run. It was good seeing them. Around 8:50 we walked to the start line, it wasn't far from the Pavilion where packet pickup was.

I moved up closer to the front as I was being ambitious. I didn't have a goal for the race, just because I had run the Philly Half last Sunday but I felt pretty good that morning.

I remember there being a countdown and I think it was a blowhorn that went off, and then I was off running. Below is the map of the course. (Courtesy of mercercountyturkeytrot.com)

It was a nice course and it was nice running in familiar territory as part of the run is where I have run with the Moms Run This Town group that I belong too. I felt good the first mile but started to lose some steam as I think I started out too fast. :p According to my Garmin my first mile was at 7:39 pace (fastest mile I've ever ran) Anyway, I slowed down because I just couldn't keep up. Below is the only pic I managed to get during the run. Notice that it is snowing. I was probably running fast because of the weather and I wanted to get done. :)

I ran the best I could through miles 2-3. It was tough but I maintained a reasonable pace. When I saw the finish I sprinted as much as I could and was pretty happy with my time. I knew I finished at 25 something I just wasn't sure if I PR'd for a 5K because I had not done a 5K since the Big Red Race last May and I couldn't remember my time.

Once finished, I walked back to the Pavilion where there was water, bananas, and even coffee from Dunkin Donuts. There was a lot when I finished, but when others started rolling in, the water and bananas went fast. Some of the later runners did not even get water or a banana. Hopefully that will be something they will work on for next year.

I did get a pic with Minyee post race. Notice that it stopped snowing. :)

Overall the race was pretty good. It is a small race in it's second year and it ran pretty smoothly. What is great is that through registrations and generous donations, more than $25,000 was raised for local charities. So just for that reason it is a great Turkey Trot to participate in. And despite the snow, I still did pretty darn good. I found out once I got home that I did PR. My previous time for a 5K was 25:55 so a 37 second PR!

I am so happy that I have been doing so well this season. Hard work definitely pays off. It is so cool to keep improving. This was my last run of the year. At least I already have some races to look forward to for 2015 with 2 half marathons scheduled in the spring! This will be a hard year to beat as I know I won't be able to PR every race.

I’m linking this post up with this week’s Workout Wednesday (WOW) Link Up! Brought to you by hostesses Diatta Harris | Femme Fitale Fit Club and Sheila Simmons | The Frugal Exerciser and co-hostesses: Amanda | Eat Hard Work Hard and Heather | Divas Run For Bling.