Training Log Archive: TomN

Warm-up for Turkey Chase. I got to the event around an hour before the start. I had to pick up my race packet, and I wanted to get a decent warm-up. The arena was huge, and it took me 10 minutes to figure out where to go for the packet. They were out of T-shirts my size (annoying). Dressing for the race was unusually hard, since it was around 30F at 7:30 but got up to near 50F by finish time. My warm up was slow for 30 min, then about 5 min at race pace, then slow again with 4 strides. That was perfect. Ditched my warm-up clothes and worked my way up the start lineup with a couple minutes to spare.

Bethesda Turkey Chase 10K. Billed as the biggest race in Montgomery County, 4000+ competitors. 43:38 was a good 10K time, I wasn't sure I could go under 44:00. And good enough for 2nd place in 60+, for an award! There are a few local age-group runners who can beat that time, but the winner was from the Boston area.

This was the first time I've run this race, and it was a good one. The start discipline -- so sorely lacking in other races I've done recently -- makes for a much better running experience. Here it was "wave" starts, and I went out towards the end of the first wave at the 7:00 per mile pace, and I held it pretty evenly. The roads were wide enough to handle the traffic, and the course was top notch. I finished just after Dave O. and Ted G., both wearing their QOC colors. Nadim led the QOC pack, far enough ahead that I couldn't see him. I'm sorry I missed the memo and didn't display team spirit.