Yesterday’s race was the first time ever that I had a DNF (did not finish)…  It was for a very good reason though, and if you stay with me for a few minutes, you’ll see why!

Last week Bill and I signed up for the 20th Annual Ashburn Farm 10K, a race that we’ve run about 10-15 times over the previous 20 years.  This year they were expecting 2,700 runners to run in the 10K, 5K, and 2K races!  The race is very family oriented, the course is quite easy, and it’s become a Thanksgiving morning staple for many local families.

Because I’m an over-achiever crazy, I often go out and run several miles before the race starts and always enjoy seeing the crews setting up for the race.  It’s a part of my serene early morning Thanksgiving tradition that I always look forward to.  Yesterday I ran seven miles as I watched the sun rise on a cold, but beautiful Thanksgiving morning.

2013TurkeyTrotSetUp

 

On my way back home I ran past these two handsome fellows and my friend Leslie (the race director) took a quick picture of the three of us!

2013TurkeyTrotDebBalloonTurkeys

 

In order to tell you why I had a DNF yesterday, I have to go back to last year’s race when Julie told her brother that she would buy him a turkey costume if he would wear it in the 5K.  He gladly obliged her, and was the hit of the race!  Since I had signed up to run the 5K, I was able to be a part of their shenanigans and thoroughly enjoyed how much the spectators enjoyed seeing a turkey run by!

2012TurkeyTrotCruisersBeforeRace

2012 Cruisers

Fast forward to this past Sunday when Daniel, our youngest son, decided that he would run in the race… dressed as a pilgrim!  This year Julie got the honors of wearing the turkey costume, and almost as soon as we got to the race we saw another turkey and a chef.  The turkey was Julie’s friend from grad school, Brett, and his fiance Michelle.

2013TurkeyTrotTurkeysPilgrimChef
 

Next up we saw the Chick-fil-A cows and asked for a photo opp.  Before we knew it other people were standing in line to get photos of these four very serious runners!

2013TurkeyTrotChickFilASantaCows

 

I had signed up to run the 10K with Bill and my best running friend Susan, but after seeing the excitement of Daniel, Julie, and Joseph, I decided that I had to run in the 5K with them!

2013TurkeyTrotDebBRFSusan

 

While we ran, I did my usual “photo fartleks” by sprinting ahead so I could turn around and take pictures of the pilgrim chasing the turkey.  Daniel came up with a great line that he shouted over and over much to the delight of the spectators, “Come back here turkey, I just want to talk!”

2013TurkeyTrotPilgrimChasingTurkey

 

I crossed the finish line of the 5K in 29:58 (9:39 pace), but the time was unofficial.  I realized toward the end of the race that the 10K and 5K runners were all finishing together and I didn’t want to throw off the timers with 30-minute 10K finish.  I tore my timing chip off the back of my bib and gave it to a faster runner that was leaving the race and asked him to throw it away for me, so it wouldn’t go across the finish line with me.  He understood what I was babbling about and said, “No problem.”  Thus my DNF…

TornOffTimingChip

 

For your enjoyment, Julie and Daniel reenacted their little skit after the race!  Believe me, it’s worth six seconds of your day!

 

After the race, some of the Cruisers came back to Bill’s and my house for our annual Thanksgiving morning post-race breakfast. Yes, of course I have a turkey pan that I used to make banana bread.  I just forgot to take a picture of the finished product.  We also had muffins, fresh fruit, mimosas, and coffee.  What a fun way to start our Thanksgiving Day!

TurkeyBread

 

As with previous years, our race registration included a long-sleeved cotton race shirt.

 

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

 

  • Questions:
  • Have you ever run before a race to get a few extra miles in?
  • Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving morning race?
  • Did you run yesterday?