Turkey Trot Race Review!

Just for a little fun, and as my first official effort back since my time off to rest the hurt quad, I participated in a little Turkey-Day 5k in Gig Harbor, WA yesterday. We were in Gig Harbor to visit Jen's parents for Thanksgiving, so why not.

That's what I thought when I signed up anyway...

When I woke up on Thanksgiving morning, on very little sleep, I checked outside real quick and, oh yeah, we were definitely back in the Puget Sound. The rain was coming down furiously. Uh oh...I had barely talked Jen into the race in the first place - she wasn't going to be happy about the rain.

So we suited up: me in shorts, a tech shirt and a light jacket. Jen in sweat pants, t-shirt, hoody sweatshirt, and puffy down vest. Yeah, she was ready. As we stood at the start line waiting for 8:00 am and the start gun, our clothes soaking in pound after pound of rain, I asked Jen her race plan.

"No plan," Jen said. "I'm going to run very slowly. I'll be lucky to beat a half-hour. You just take off and I'll see you at the finish."

Yeah, right. I had heard this before. "You know as soon as we start, you'll be trying to beat me and everyone else within striking-distance."

"Not this time, I'm not in good enough shape," Jen said.

Hmmm...

So after a few more damp minutes, we started and I moved ahead as fast as my stiff little achilles would take me. I felt like I was moving along pretty well, even though I was shuffling along and not really striding out.

Still, I felt all right. I was passing up a few people. I felt like I was pulling away a bit coming up on the mile one marker. Then...

"Wow, I almost lost you on that first hill. I barely caught back up," Jen said.

And then you can picture me with my ego deflating like a popped Macy's parade balloon. Somebody grab a mop.

"Oh hey," I said. "Nice to see you."

And of course, from that point, there was no way I could lose her. Even though she had to take off her vest, then her hoody, then tie the hoody around her waist, then put the vest back on...still couldn't lose her. She even sprinted away from me on the last uphill to finish three seconds ahead at the finish.

"I KNEW it," I yelled after crossing the line. "The old bait and switch again. Just like always."

Jen just smiled. When you finish in front, it's easy to take the losers' complaints.

Grrrrrr, when's the next race?


Thanks to KOMO for the rain map.