Millersville Turkey Trot 2012 Race Report

Five days after my Philly marathon, I took on the Millersville Turkey Trot. The 5k race was held at Penn Manor High School. It was a big race for a small-town 5k, with nearly 1,000 entrances. While I was waiting for the start in the high school gym, I looked around but did not see anyone from my high school days.

Runners were given disposable time chips to wear on our shoes, but there was no timing mat at the start.  I lined up at the front, by the left side, along with some 10-year olds and a stroller. All the obviously fast cross country high school and college boys lined up front and center.

Mile 1: I felt strong and fast. I reached 1 mile before 6 minutes.
Mile 2: All the rolling hills got to me. I slowed down, but strangely, no one passed me. I reached 2 miles around 12:30.
Mile 3: I was dying. My stomach was turning upside down. I felt like I was moving in slow motion. As I entered the high school track for the finish, I could not kick for a strong finish. I tumbled toward the finish line, clearing up a spot to get rid of some nasty stuff that came out of my mouth.

My final time was 19:41. I came in 36th out of 917 finishers and 3rd in my 35-39 age group. Technically, it was a 5k personal best for me. I had done better in training so this PR wasn't as sweet as my marathon PR but it was nice to have a 2nd PR in less than a week!