Cleveland Turkey Trot 2008 Race Report

This is my full race report. Short recap is also available.

About the Race:

This is a really cool race in downtown Cleveland Ohio starting and ending at the Convention Center. They close the roads for the race, so you get to run on city streets past sights such as the Rock-n-Roll hall of fame and the Browns stadium. It is a really exciting race venue for this ‘country girl’. The course is mostly flat, with one small hill, one long gradual incline down, and one back up. There’s also a section near the lake that is always against a strong headwind.

Pre Race:

Weather was 25 deg F when I awoke to prepare for the race. Brrrr! I considered skipping it, but decided I really needed to burn some calories.

Race start was at 9:30 am. I arrived a bit late, at 8:45, so the roads were already closed off. I had to park about a 3/4 mile away, in a dumpy secluded parking lot on Front Street. There were plenty of other runners parking there, so I wasn’t too worried about safety. I jogged 10 minutes to race site, picked up my packet and attached bib and chip. Wanted to pee, but the line was huge. There is only one set of bathrooms for over 2000 race participants. Decided to skip it.

I jogged back to car to ditch my down jacket. I was pretty sure it would be gone if I simply left it near the start line. After all, this was downtown Cleveland, Ohio! I hoped I’d be okay in two layers of technical t’s, a fleece vest, gloves and fleece ear warmers.

Butt Show:

When I got to the car, two other runners were locking up their cars. It was now 9:12. I had to pee even worse. No way I’d be able to jog back to convention center to pee, then make it to the start line. And I could NOT do a 5 mile race with a full bladder! So, I looked around. The two runners had gone. Nobody in sight. So, I pulled my running tights down, squatted, and peed right there by my car. I wasn’t too worried about other runners seeing my bare butt, as they’d have understood! However, I was afraid some creepo might be lurking nearby. Luckily, I survived to tell the tale, tho I did freeze my ass off!

Event warmup:

Jogged back to start line. It was a great warm-up jogging back and forth to my car. That is super important for cold weather races. Also, did some strides on the grass and stretched a bit right before jumping in line.

Race Details (including how Spitting helped me):

I jumped in the line about 20% back from the start. When the race started, I kept pace with the folks around me. It was hard, but still doable.

I had to spit, but did not want to slime anyone near me, so I leaned forward and spit down toward the ground. Amazingly, I felt my speed pick up as I leaned forward. I have always wanted to grab this feeling of free speed by using gravity, but have never really found it. I found it today 🙂

I haven’t been feeling great about my running the last couple weeks, so I wasn’t going to look at my stopwatch. I just decided to go hard and burn calories. However, as I approached the one mile mark, there was a guy with a bullhorn yelling off times. I heard 7:22. Then 7:30. Then 7:45 as I passed the mile marker. Yay, I was running fast! I decided I might as well keep track of time and push hard for my goal pace of sub 8m/m.

I was feeling good and focusing on form. I was visualizing Caitlin Snow’s (women’s pro winner of IM Lake Placid) fast, short strides. I chanted things like “fast and short” and “snow, snow, snow” in my head. Each time I felt my energy wane, I leaned forward to spit, and grabbed onto that free speed. Time was 15 at the 2 mile marker. I was feeling super!

I started to get hot about this time. I did not want to peel off my vest. That would waste precious seconds, and how would I carry it? A vest cannot be tied around the waist. A while later, I took off my ear warmers and held those in my left hand. That seemed to do the trick.

By the end of the third mile I was getting tired and it was getting alot harder to maintain the pace. I slipped away from the front crowd. Then I realized my goal was also slipping away with them, so I dug deep. But digging deep does not work to make me go faster. I makes me work harder yet lose form, so my hard work does not go toward forward movement.

I kept trying my spit technique, but it wasn’t working so well. I kept chanting things in my head, and at one point, I leaned forward to do my spit thing, then thought of “Use the force, Luke”. The force of gravity, that is. So, then I chanted “use the force” the rest of the race. That got me through to the end.

I thought I was on target and would have no problem finishing sub 40 minutes. But I didn’t realize how much I had slowed down in the last two miles, until…as I rounded the last corner, another guy with a bullhorn was yelling out times again, and screaming that there was just 1/4 mile to go. I glanced at my watch and it said 38:00. Oh crap, I’m cutting it too close! I ran all out as fast as I could until the end. I wanted to puke when I was done. But I did it! I did a sub-8 pace for a 5 mile race. I was thrilled!

Official Results

Chip time was 39:41

AG Place Bib #  Age  Chip Time  Gun Time      Diff        Pace
6        1666    45   39:41.20    39:51.56    00:10.36    7:56/M

What would you do differently?:

Now, several days later as I am typing my mile splits (see end of this post), I’m not too pleased with how I slowed down so much in the last half of the race. Something to think about.

Never mind…I just plotted out the course elevation, and it is mostly down on the first half, and mostly uphill on the second half. So, I feel better now. Not big hills, just gentle inclines, enough to slow you down.

Warm down:

Collapsed on grass to catch my breath. I briefly considered sticking around for awards. In some past years, my time was a third place finish. It was unlikely, and I was already feeling guilty about not being around all morning to help prepare for family turkey day gathering, so I left.

Event comments:

Made a PR and my dream pace of sub 8. Came in 6th out of 83 for my AG. Felt like I was going to puke after sprinting the last 1/4 mile to beat the 40 minute mark. Later that day, I felt like I was going to puke after eating too much turkey dinner!

HR Data:
1) 7:43 / 176 avg HR
2) 7:19 / 173 avg HR – PR 🙂
3) 8:02 / 172 avg HR
4) 8:23 / 172 avg HR
5: 8:23 / 174 avg HR