Tough Turkey and Gobble Gallop Race Reports

My fiancee and I decided to head up to Duluth and celebrate Thanksgiving with my parents this year. After some consideration, we decided to go up the night before: that way, we could sign up for the Gobble Gallop Thursday morning. Unfortunately, while I successfully signed G up for the Gobble Gallop 5k, I accidentally signed myself up for the accompanying Tough Turkey 1 mile, which would take place 20 minutes before the 5k. 

Since the organizers are two friends of mine from church growing up (I can’t remember meeting them), I figured there would be no issue signing up for the 5k as well as the 1 mile. My training plan called for a 1 mile time trial and a 20 minute time trial, and while it also called for a few days’ rest between them, I figured this might work for both. 

True to my expectation, there was no issue at all signing up for an additional race last-minute. My friend Grant, completely overestimating my abilities and fitness level, asked me if I was going for the course record, which is pretty “soft” at a little over 15 minutes. 

After my last 5k, I wasn’t quite sure where I would end up in these races. I knew that my time between races would basically be a run back to the car to switch up my race numbers before jumping back out on the course for the 5k, so I decided to take it as a warm up for the 5k, and just see how it went. With the last-minute signup for the 5k, I didn’t have much time for a warm up in any case, so I figured there was no chance of a decent time or position in the mile. I opted to shoot for a sub-6 mile (which I figured should feel easy) and a sub-20 5k. Given my relative lack of serious training, I thought those would be good targets. 

My goal for a slowish start in the mile turned out to be unavoidable: the front of the field was packed with somewhere around 30 children sprinting off the line. One younger guy from NDU took off in the lead (he was running both the mile and the 5k as well), and several others tried to stick with him. Rather than race, I opted to settle into a fast cruising speed and wait for a while. The course was an out and back, starting from Duluth Running Company on London Road before veering left onto Superior street to the turnaround around Fitgers. All along Superior Street, I was feeling comfortable at around 6 minute pace, gradually reeling in runners who had started too quickly. With the final drop back onto London Road, I figured I’d kick it up a notch and bring it home at higher speed. 

Turns out, that worked out pretty well, and I cruised home in third at around 5:53 on the watch. One part I had not expected was the pure number of people cheering for me by name in the home stretch. I guess that’s what happens when you race in your hometown for the first time. As it turns out, two of those cheering were my parents, who showed up in time to see me finish. Since I had very little time, though, I crossed the finish line and just kept running the three blocks to my car to switch numbers for the 5k. Unfortunately, this left my parents very confused behind me. 

Fortunately, that went quickly, thanks in large part to G meeting me with my number in hand. After a quick run back to the car (again) to retrieve my gloves, I lined up in the 3rd row of about 2000 runners (!) who showed up on what had fast become a cold, slightly windy, slightly snowy Thanksgiving morning. There was no gun, just the announcer counting down (if I remember correctly), and unfortunately, in the process of getting under the starting arch with 2000 other people, I must not have crossed the timing mat. 

As ever, I started a little too quickly, but not out of the realm of sanity, and I quickly corrected and settled into a solid 6 to 6:10 pace down Superior Street. I say “down,” because the first section of Superior runs downhill to Lake Ave, before a slight uphill for 5 blocks to the turnaround at 5th Ave West. I slowed down just a bit on the uphill, but I was starting to steadily reel in more runners who had started just a bit too quickly. 

The fatigue started to hit me just a bit at around 2 miles into the 5k, or about 5k into my racing for the day. This was the first point where I had to concentrate at all on my pace, and I let it slip for just a few meters. For the entire race, I had been just behind the lead woman (“Anna,” who many other runners knew by name), and I passed her around 2 miles into the race, only to be passed by another woman.  Still, I was passing runner after runner who had apparently overestimated their fitness. As it turns out, another friend of mine from church growing up ended up as 2nd woman, some 5 seconds behind me. 

Once again, I kicked it up at the turn onto London Road, which is around 300 or so meters from the finish. Despite the brief moment of fatigue at 2 miles, I still felt pretty good at the end of the race. The large number of people cheering me by name (again), at the finish area help as well. At the end, I crossed the line at 19:30 on the watch, feeling like I could have run a good 45 seconds faster without too much difficulty. 

After finishing, I got the chance to talk with Grant a little bit as I walked over to the tent to grab some coffee and warm up a bit. He seemed a little surprised that I was back as far as I was, having more confidence in my abilities than I do myself. And thinking on it, perhaps he was right. I think I get too focused on where I think I should be, or what I think I can do, and don’t let myself achieve what I’m capable of. The fact that I can rattle off a 19:30 5k less than 20 minutes after finishing a (decently) fast mile gives me some confidence, particularly given the training I’ve been doing. 

Coffee now in hand, I proceeded to walk back along the course to find my fiancee in the crowd of runners still racing. True to form, she had jumped into the race on a whim, with no training, and with the goal to have fun before settling in for Thanksgiving. True to our last Turkey Trot-style race, I ran back along the course and took the chance to run/walk in with her, which for me is usually the favorite part of the race. 

Thinking ahead, I think I might still do a few more shorter races in the next few months. I’d forgotten how much fun I have with them, and how little they really interfere with the rest of my training. I’m also considering entering a number of shorter trail races over the next year (short here meaning anything below about 25k, or around 2 hours or shorter). 

My sights remain set on the Border Route Trail for next fall, however. 

Race Report: Tiger Trail 5k

A few weeks ago, on a whim, I signed up for a race: a 5k that came up in the Minneapolis Running monthly race calendar, run as a fundraiser for a local nordic ski team. At 5k, it was 1/4th of the distance of my shortest race since moving to Minnesota two years ago, and less than 10% of my longest race to date. But, it seemed like a fun course, for a good cause, and more importantly I thought it might get me pumped up for running again. 

Going into the race, I was feeling pretty fast, given my low level of conditioning. I was hitting 5:30 pace in striders and intervals without noticing the effort all that much, though the intervals were never longer than a block or two. My short tempo runs had all ended up at under 7-minute pace for 3 or 4 miles. I figured I could probably run a decent 5k in under 20 minutes.

I was wrong. 

Getting to Theo Wirth Park on Saturday morning, I saw the ski team running around and goofing off (as they do). I started to think that I was about to get my ass handed to me by a bunch of high-schoolers (pardon my language). I was none too concerned about this, as I was anticipating this somewhat even before I showed up. It is a bit of an ego blow, even so. 

The course itself, as I saw on a preview lap, was set up in a double-loop pattern, just over half a mile per loop. Even warming up, I realized that this was not going to be a fast 5k, since it took place on short, steep hills on a winding course. I figured I might still be able to hit 20-21 minutes, given a decent effort. 

I didn’t. 

With a blowing of vuvuzelas, the race was on. I quickly realized that, though I was unlikely to be the first one home, I was going to be in the top 5, as me, 3 high schoolers, and the RD distanced ourselves from the rest. My primary goal for this race was to run as even as possible throughout, while still giving a good effort. This equated to running with the RD for the vast majority of the race. 

I felt reasonably comfortable with the pace, as I should have. I ended up running just 20-30 seconds per mile faster than I did at the Night Lights half marathon last year, coming in at 22:50 for 3.2 miles, for my slowest 5k ever at about 7:09 pace. My mile splits were 7:07, 7:17, and 7:13 (though they can’t be directly compared). I wish now that I had taken splits at the laps as well, so I could compare more directly. 

All in all, though, the race served its purpose. These small, almost neighborhood level events are the ones that I seem to enjoy the most. Before, during, and after the race, the adults in the group were consistently introducing themselves to me and asking about me. The race itself rekindled my running fire, and in the days since I have been focused even more on my training and getting back into form.