Sunday, November 24, 2013

A Brutally Cold Turkey Trot

I want to start by saying this was the coldest race ever but was it really?  I've done some pretty cold races.  Let's see......I did one in the Albany winter series that was brutal.  I had been sick during the typical January race and needed to find one.  Jameson went with me in spite of the long drive.  Yes, I drive a long ways for cold races.

Another really cold race I did was about 4 hours away - another 5K.  When I signed up I was thinking it was about 2 1/2 hours closer - oops. Emily went with me to that one.  We huddled in the car until the very last minute. It was another brutal day.  I think these two stick out because of the distance I drove. But I'm not one to back out of a race because it's cold and I have done others close to home.  I can remember one race where the RD let us all stay inside until about  1 minute before the start.

But this was certainly top five.  I'm not used to the cold yet. The temperature was about 17 which isn't bad but the wind was strong, biting and brutal.  I did have just a thought this morning of backing out. But I am cheap, I had paid and I needed a November race. So off I went.
We are huddled trying to stay out of the wind before lining up.

The problem was - well one of the problems is that you get bussed to the start. Which of course means then you just wait around.  I didn't get on the first bus but stupidly I didn't get on the last either.  I really didn't dress as well as I could have. Just don't remember how yet. My pants were too thin and I should have worn a hat, not a headband.  A coat wouldn't have hurt either.
I'm not sure how I managed to smile at the start.

Finally it was time to start. I was very motivated to pick it up a bit.  I had my fingers stuffed inside my gloves, my hood up and my feet were cold in spite of running.  But what I really noticed was my nose. It was freezing!  I felt like I needed a face mask.  My nose was running like crazy and I didn't really care.  Lovely.

Of course we were running into the wind the majority of the way. At times it felt like it was stopping you and pushing you back.  I also found myself enjoying going up hills because I felt I would  warm up more.  Crazy, right?

I'd say I warmed up in the last mile although I was never what you would call toasty.  Usually at the finish I hang around a bit and watch others come in. But today I headed right inside.

I hung around forever waiting for the random prize drawing.  A lot of people from "away" come to this race and I think it is the prizes.  They give turkeys away (20?) from a really good nearby farm.  There are many many good prizes. They were drawing numbers for at least an hour.  And again this year I sat there the whole time and got NOTHING as those around me kept clapping and cheering!

I did not get a medal because the age group was 50 and up.  I was 4 out of 18 (just missed it) and 60 out of 167. One of my goals is to be in the top half which I did.  My time was 29:46 which was actually one of my better times this year.  Must have been the hurry to get inside.

I'm glad I went  or I wouldn't have this very lovely t shirt.  I do seriously
like orange but I wish it was long sleeve.


18 comments:

Christi said...

Way to brave the cold!

Unknown said...

Brrrr. I bet the wind was killer. You needed a balaclava!

Char said...

Sounds tough. I don't think I'll ever have to run in weather where the air is so cold that it hurts to breath.

The movie Iven and I went to see was Catching Fire - the 2nd of The Hunger Games. I did enjoy it despite the distraction and would definitely recommend it if you like genre of film.

Anne said...

Thanks for your nice comment ajh and all the Yays :) I am so not ready for the cold yet! That was definitely a big plus of running in Philadelphia. I have never read Louise Penny, so I'll check her out...thanks :)

Laurie said...

Great time despite the wind. Way to stick it out. That's what I called 'Hooked". Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!

Anonymous said...

First - a four hour drive to a race? A 5K no less? Damn, if it takes me longer to find parking than to run the race, I don't go...

The important thing to remember, other than that the prize drawing was obviously rigged, is that you beat the cold!

christa said...

This is one day, where I was ok that I can't run.

Darlene said...

I got up to run today but it was 10 degrees so I went back to bed. I have a race on Thursday and the conditions may be similar to yours. Not sure if I am as hardcore as you.

EB said...

Congrats on surviving such a cold race!! Maybe the cold make you run faster to stay warm.

Kandi said...

I was glad my race this weekend was Saturday evening and not Sunday morning! A world of difference in temps. Nice job on your time and AG place! 4th is still pretty rad even if you didn't get a medal.

Jackie said...

I did a 7-mile cross country race this weekend with 6 stream crossings (including up and down steep banks). It was 8 degrees with a windchill of -7 when we started. Brutal!! I've done this race for 10 years and it is the first time that I didn't have to throw away my muddy shoes as it was too frozen to be muddy!! What doesn't cause frostbite makes you stronger...

Kate Geisen said...

Man, I felt for you yesterday! Our temps were as low, but we didn't have so much wind to contend with, and we had protection from the trees and hills out on the trail. Way to tough out that cold and run a strong race! And soooo close to an AG medal!

Teamarcia said...

Oh man that sounds miserable. Please tell me you had a base layer under that hoodie....although you needed a windbreaker for sure. Way to push on through though. I saw the 50+ age group once this year. That is a farce.

Fran said...

I'm getting cold even reading this. Looking at the photo's you can see how cold it was.

But you did a great job! Congrats!

Michael said...

Your conditions sound similiar to my half marathon this weekend, though our wind wasn't as bad...it was just freaking cold!!

congrats on finishing above the top half! You are a rock star in my book!

Alisa said...

Oh man I would have wimped out! You northeasterners really are a tough bunch.

Way to gut it out.

I'm planning my first run post-IM to be a short trot on turkey day.

Cinthia said...

Congrats on your time and glad you got your race in. Cold wind is the worst. It's just impossible to stay warm. And I know what you mean about a runny nose because mine always drips in the winter (I think my nose runs faster than I do).
P.S. Love that you once drove four hours for a 5K race. Too. Awesome.

Giorgio said...

Congrats on your time taken! Great achievement considering the weater conditions.