2013 Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving! We enjoyed many wonderful moments with family in Dallas, Texas. Our time was filled with lots of laughter, a ton of food, and…of course…a little bit of racing!

When I first discovered that our Thanksgiving holiday was going to be spent in Dallas, I immediately began researching Turkey Trot races.



What I discovered in my search was a multitude of different races, distances, and locations. I went into my search knowing that I wanted to run more than a 5K, but less than a Half. (A 10K would have been the ideal distance.)

After much deliberation with my brother and sister-in-law, we finally chose the Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot, the largest Thanksgiving Day event in the country.



My brother and sister-in-law arrived in Dallas with enough time to pick up our packets at Luke’s Locker in downtown Dallas the day before the race. Thankfully, this saved us from beating the crowd of 40,000 + for race morning packet pickup.

The race began at 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning and our goal was to beat the crowds and find a decent parking spot before downtown turned into a madhouse. I read several race reports prior to race day that encouraged runners to arrive early. We made it to downtown about 1 1/2 hours before the race and had no trouble finding a place to park. All of the parking spots charged a fee, (our lot was $10), so if you’re planning on running this race, be prepared to pay for parking.



I was excited to run a race with my brother again – it had been several years since we ran our last one together. Speaking of running races together, two out of the three coldest races I’ve ever run have been with my brother. Hmm…



Did I mention it was freezing on race morning? Cause it was. You see my getup? I ran the ENTIRE 8 miles without taking any of it off. Brrrrr!

After taking a photo with the giant turkey (pictured way above), we began our search for the social media tent. We were awarded VIP passes earlier in the week via Facebook and had to pick up our wristbands in order to gain access to the tent.



I never saw my tweets pop up on the giant board, but I did tweet these guys several times throughout the morning! :0)



VIP wristband in place, ready for some pre-race fun!



Inside the VIP tent, Corner Bakery had a table filled with pastries! We also had a nice, hot cup of coffee which helped warm my hands.



It was Thanksgiving Day and I was at a Turkey Trot, I couldn’t pass up a photo with the turkey.
A new feature offered this year was the timed chip option. All of the racers (5K and 8 milers) began this race together – the difference is that some chose to have their times recorded. Those who used the chip timing option were granted access into a special area, closer to the start line. (Score!)



For such a huge race, the volunteers were awesome (there were a ton of them, too) – I didn’t feel as if any aspect of this race was lacking. Everything was incredibly organized and very well put together. It seemed to run like a well-oiled machine.



I purchased this awesome Turkey Trot Sweaty Band and I was bummed that it couldn’t be seen. Sad times.



Our corral closed at 8:40 a.m. and we arrived in plenty of time to secure a good spot. I’d read reports about the first two miles of this race being a nightmare, so I wanted to make sure we weren’t stuck behind a lot of walkers.



In front of us…(above)

and behind us…(below)



Keep in mind, only the timed corral is pictured here – beyond this corral was several thousand non-timed participants. Dogs were included in this race, too….and I loved it! Even dogs were given race bibs!

After jumping around and moving as much as possible to keep warm (it didn’t work), we were off!



The first thing I noticed when we started running was that my feet felt like blocks of ice. I couldn’t feel my feet or my toes at all.



The route took us past City Hall and away from downtown.




Once we started running, I never felt as if the route was too congested, or as if I was stepping on anyone’s heels. It was great!!



My brother and I actually ran the first two (almost three) miles together. He isn’t a runner and didn’t train a lot for this race, but he did great!


Approaching downtown…


After 2.8 miles, I said goodbye to Brian and continued my journey solo.



At first, I thought I missed the cutoff, but I am glad to say…it was very well marked!



The 8 mile route led us through Dealey Plaza and the Grassy Knoll, the location of the President Kennedy tragedy. As a matter of fact, we ran right over the X on the street, which I heard was covered up recently – I didn’t realize it was still there until after the fact.



Mile 5 (no, I wasn’t running THAT fast)!

Actually, it was around mile 5 when my right knee/IT Band began to bother me. I realized two things – 1, I foam rolled an hour and a half to two hours before this race (big mistake); 2, I couldn’t feel my feet for a solid 3 miles of this race – who knows what my running form consisted of.

I realized I should not push myself any longer and I began to walk – which I haven’t had to do in a while. I was bummed, but I knew if I pushed myself, I would encounter bad news at next weekend’s Half Marathon.

As I jogged/walked, I prayed for a distraction.



My distraction came in the form of a runDisney shirt. See it ahead? You’d be able to pick it out in a race too, right?

I sped up to catch him and saw that he was wearing a Goofy Challenge shirt. I couldn’t pass up my opportunity so I began talking to him! He was excited to talk to another Goofy Challenge runner and so we ran together for a half mile discussing all things runDisney. He ran Goofy’s Challenge in 2010 (which was the year of my first Half Marathon). That year was one of the coldest in Disney Marathon Weekend history, so we had a lot to talk about. It was just what I needed at that moment!
We parted ways and I realized I only had 1.5 miles to go! Yay!



We entered Downtown Dallas once again and before I knew it, I could see the finish line!



I spotted Jason and knew I was close!



Almost there!



…and done!



I didn’t reach my goal of  1 hour 12 minutes…or even 1 hour 15 minutes, but I did keep a good pace and despite my knee pain, I finished under 1 hour 20 minutes. I was ok with my results…not happy (mostly aggravated with my knee), but ok.



8 miles, done!

I crossed the finish line, grabbed a banana and a water, found my crew, then headed for the car to begin our journey home. After all, I had a fresh homemade batch of these guys waiting on me…



…and they were worth every mile! :0)

Final thoughts on this race:

• Arrive early!!
• Pickup your packets ahead of time if at all possible
• Follow them on Twitter for extra fun race-day perks
• Don’t forget to have fun!

Did you run a Turkey Trot on (or around) Thanksgiving Day? If so, which one?