I am so full. I ate way too much today. But today was a good day...despite one mishap.
I've been doing a local 10K Turkey Trot for the past 3 years but it's on Saturday so I've never raced on Thanksgiving before. When I figured out that I would be spending Thanksgiving in Arizona, I looked to see if there were any races I could do and I found the Arizona Road Racers Thanksgiving Day Classic. There was a 10 Miler and a 5K and I decided to sign up for the 10 Miler. I've never run a 10 Mile race before so it would be an automatic PR! The only thing was that I didn't know how I would feel after the Flying Monkey Marathon.
Turns out, I was a little bit sore and tired but not too bad. I felt like I could put in a good run at the 10 Miler, probably between 1:30/1:40. I just wasn't sure how hard I wanted to run it since I have my usual 10K Turkey Trot on Saturday too. The first time I've ever done 3 races in one week. I kinda sorta am floored that I'm in this place in my life right now where I can run a marathon, a 10 miler, and a 10K all in the same week. You know?
So, this morning I got up and ate and got ready and then drove over to the Peoria Sports Complex. I got there way early so got my shirt and bib and then went back to the car to stay warm. When it got close to race time, I headed over to the start and while I was waiting there, I saw RIF #66 Robert (@bateluer) and met some of his friends. Then it was race time so we headed to the start line.
The race was supposed to start at 8 but we didn't start until 8:15. It was supposed to be a warm, sunny day but it was cool when we started. The course was a lollipop course with most of it along the river bike path, all paved except one tiny section from the road to the bike path. It was also flat except for the little bumps when we went under and then over the street overpasses.
I decided I felt pretty good and was hoping for a 9:15/9:20 avg. I kept that up for most of it and felt like I could maintain it or pick it up at the end. I was carrying water so didn't have to stop at any aid stations. I was waiting for mile 7 and then going to pick it up for the last 3 miles.
The plan went really well until just past mile 8 when BAM...I caught my foot on a rock next to the path and did a spectacular diving fall into the pavement. My first thought was OW. And my 2nd thought was CRAP, MY TIME! I'd hit both knees, my left elbow, and my left hand but the scrapes didn't look too bad and I felt like I could run. Two runners stopped to make sure I was okay and I told them yes and then started running again. I'd lost a couple of minutes and I slowed down a little in those last 2 miles but I thought I could still make 1:35 so I picked a couple of runners in front of me and tried to catch them.
I crossed the finish line just as the clock turned over to 1:35 but I think I was under that since I didn't start near the front. So I'm pretty sure my time was 1:34 something and I am pretty happy with that. I was a little slower than I'd hoped but not too much slower.
After I finished, I grabbed some water, banana, and chips and wandered around a little so I wouldn't stiffen up then went to my car to clean up. My knees weren't too bad but when I took off my arm sleeves, I saw that my left elbow had taken the brunt of the fall and it was a mess. Oh, and my brand new Run It Fast shirt was a mess - dirt, and concrete, and blood. Damn it! I have got to talk Josh (@bayou) into ordering black shirts.
I drove back to my sister's, stopping at Wal-Greens for band-aids along the way, and then got ready for Thanksgiving. Yeah, that shower was not fun! And I really wanted to spend the day icing my knee and elbow but didn't get a chance to until this evening. I am a little stiff but I think I'll be okay to run the 10K on Saturday. I hope.
At dinner, we went around the table and each said what we were thankful for. Of course, I said I was thankful for the fun times I had with the munchkins and being able to spend Thanksgiving in AZ but in my mind, I thought "I'm thankful I didn't break anything today!". :)
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! Thanks for reading!
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