First and foremost, just wanted to say thanks for all of the positive feedback (via facebook!) on the last post and the Blog overall, I really appreciate it and am glad everyone is liking the blog thus far! And I officially have 3 wonderful followers, yay!
Secondly, tomorrow is...dun dun DUN The Turkey Trot! And I cannot wait. I actually can't believe how excited I am to be honest, usually I look forward to it but this year I am ridiculously anxious for the race to begin haha. I am not sure how I will feel tomorrow when it is cold and possibly raining though! Lets all say a prayer that it does not rain tomorrow for all of my fellow Turkey Trotter's, Stuffing Strutter's and Mashed Potato Miler's ! There are a few things to keep in mind for tomorrow's big race, whether the weather is rainy or not...
1. Make sure you get to the race nice and early! I do not have experience of Turkey Trots outside of Detroit, but the Detroit Turkey Trot usually draws 20,000 runners alone, that is not counting spectators for the race, volunteers and workers, and spectators for the parade...so be ready to face a crowd all morning (but a nice friendly crowd at least!). The 10K starts at 7:45 ( I think the 5K starts at this time as well) and the latest I would be there by is 7:00am, I will probably try and be there by 6:45am just to be safe. You want to make sure you use a bathroom, stretch (preferably outside!) and line up!
2. Please, if you are bringing spectators with you, designate a meeting spot! As I said, thousands of people will be there, and you don't know who will finish the race in what time or if your spectator will be able to make it to the finish line to see you, so just pick a spot like the car (probably a great place) or somewhere in Cobo to meet!
3. Parking is at Cobo I believe on the roof, and Joe Louise. Also there are plenty of parking around the area too, I park usually at Wayne County Community College on Jefferson and the exit from that lot was a lot smoother than from the Cobo Roof, but park wherever you feel is good for you!
4. Like I said, try and stretch outside, your muscles will thank you! You should be outside or try to be for at least 20-25 minutes before start time so you can get your muscles nice and ready and used to the cold. I have skipped this step before and ended up with very very sore muscles! There will be plenty of runners outside by the start and inside Cobo, but do what is best for you.
5. Have fun! This is such a wonderful race, it is my favorite I have ever done. There are tons of people cheering you on, especially for the first 1 or 2 miles down the parade route. Be sure to try and grab water as there is only 1 water stop, and have a good time! People at this race are usually very friendly so if you feel ok, maybe cheer on some people around you that may look like they are having a rough time! They will greatly appreciate it I guarantee it! And finish strong, once you see that Finish line in reach, just go all out for it! There will be a ton of people cheering there as well! If you feel tired or like you want to stop, just think about all the delicious Thanksgiving food you will be eating later...maybe you don't want to think about food on mile 5 (or mile 2 in the 5K) but think of all the calories you are burning off and how much easier it will be to enjoy those mashed potatoes or pumpkin pie later...that always helps push me haha!
Here is an approximate schedule that I will follow for tomorrow, I suggest you try to make a schedule for yourself (that fits with you, does not necessarily have to be like mine!) just so you can feel great and ready by 7:45am tomorrow!
10:00pm : Try and get all of my clothes ready for the race, set out shoes, socks, pants, shirt and over shirt, get my gloves and head band as well so early tomorrow morning I am good to go.
10:30pm : Try to drink some more water to make sure I am fully hydrated and get ready for bed!
11:00pm : For me, this is the latest I would like to be going to sleep since I plan to get up at 5:25am! Make sure my alarm is set, I will probably try to set my alarm with an upbeat song off of my running playlist :)
5:25am : Time to wake up! Do the usual morning stuff wash my face brush teeth blablabla and make sure I am eating no later than 5:35/5:40am.
5:40/5:45am : Have some breakfast, usually for me something with carbs, not too much fiber, a little protein, and not any dairy. I usually opt for peanut butter toast with bananas! Dairy might be ok for some, and though I am not Lactose Intolerant, dairy is still hard sometimes on the stomach which I do NOT want! Drink some water with it, maybe a tiny sip of Coffee, but please do not drink a half cup or whole cup of coffee, that will just dehydrate you and you will feel like crap. Literally lol.
6:20/6:25am : After breakfast get ready in running gear, and relax some with some morning tv (or whatever is good for you!) and plan to leave my house by 6:20am!
6:45/6:50am: I hope I am parking by this point or already at the race! After park, walk into Cobo, see some runners (maybe some friends!) and walk out to the Start area by 7:10am!!
7:35/7:40am : This is the latest I would go line up, I would already be outside by this time though!! It is fun to get in line early, they sing the National Anthem, introduce some awesome runners, play some music, it is a lot of fun!
7:45am : Start! Now you more than likely will not even cross the START line until at least 4-5 minutes after the gun goes off, but you are about to start an awesome race! GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6:00pm : Chow down on Thanksgiving yummy-ness and replenish calories burned at the Turkey Trot x 3 :)
I hope everyone has an awesome race, and an awesome Thanksgiving! If you are unable to Turkey Trot this year, please keep it in mind for next year!!!!!
Before I go....for those of you looking for some running inspiration I found 2 awesome stories on Runners World this morning, if these guys can run marathons, I sure can run a marathon, and you sure can too! They are truly two amazingly inspiring people!
Happy Running! And Happy Turkey Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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