Manasquan Turkey Trot and Under Armour Sunglasses

Today I ran the Manasquan Turkey Trot for the second time. This is a very popular race at the Jersey Shore, and I was so glad to her able to run it again. Last year it was cancelled because of Sandy, so it was extra special to those of us who love here all year round!
I arrived fairly early at the race, because I was running with a team of Kilt Runners. Yes, I said Kilts. Manasquan will be hosting a Kilt Run in March and we were all showing the Kilt Love Why a Kilt Run? The race directors have a goal of making a Guinness Book Record of the most people wearing a Kilt at an event, with a goal of 2,000 Kilt wearers! I won't be able to attend the run, because I will be running the Allstate NYC Half Marathon with my good friend and blogger Gigi from Running on Candy, but the fam and some friends will be running it. I was more than happy to help the directors advertise at the Turkey Trot.

Don't we look fabulous?

The race started at 11:00, so at about 10:30 we made our way to Leggett's where the starting line would be. We met up with some other friends and hung out until the race was ready to begin! It.was.freezing. The temp was about 40* and there were 20 mph winds. The wind was very cold, but as long as it wasn't blowing it wasn't too bad! We started right along the ocean, which didn't help! It was not chip timed, so we stayed as close to the front as we could, without being too close. We didn't want to get trampled!
The gun went off, and away we went. I started out very fast, and my lungs were burning, but I soon found my rhythm. I wasn't expecting much, my knee has been achey on and off, but I did want to beat my course time of 57:30. My best time ever was 53:33 but I was not even considering beating that!
The time flew quickly, I saw my little Track Star friend R, who wins her age group a lot, and has gotten in the top 3 females at 5Ks. She even slowed to wave to me, which I thought was sweet! She is in 8th grade, so it means a lot that she would slow down to waver to an old lady like me!
I saw Dave the Trumpeter shortly after and waved. That is when I realized that I had already run over 1.5 miles. Wow! It was speeding by! I barely remember the scenery, I was just concentrating on my pace, and every time I glanced at my watch it said my pace was roughly 10:23. I was in shock! It didn't feel that way, and I was sure that my watch was wrong!
Somewhere, at some point that I can't remember now, I saw the best sign. It said something to the effect of: "Sandy didn't keep us down, happy 30th Anniversary Turkey Trot". Yeah, I cried.
At the 2 mile mark, we passed my favorite group of spectators. The home owners stand out there with their littler kids and they cheer and yell, and extend their hands for fives. It is so energy, and it really perked me up. I hit mile 2 at exactly 20 minutes. WOW! Would I run out of steam? I felt like I was on fire, like nothing could stop me.
And then my Running Buddy fell off.
I worship my Running Buddy. It is the best purchase I ever made, and I am thrilled to be an Ambassador for them! The incident was through no fault of theirs, for sure. It was the kilt. I kid you not. It was one size too big, at least, and even with my capris on, it was just so loose around the waist. It was too thick to put my RB on over both the skirt and capris, so I just attached it to the skirt. There was no bouncing, but the weight of my iPhone, etc plus the looseness of the skirt worked against me. I pulled over to the side and attached it to my capris instead. Problem solved, momentum lost. Dang kilt.
Mile 3.2 was the beer table. For real. This is not a race table, some of the locals put it out for racers. I don't drink beer, but there were a lot of happy racers around that table!
I hit mile 4 at about 41:30. I couldn't believe I was keeping up that pace! I saw Dave again shortly after, and waved, and he made some hysterically exaggerated motions that I was almost there, just around the corner.
I couldn't believe I was almost done. A timing clock at that corner said 44:30ish, and I checked my watch. I had less than half a mile to go! I picked up speed at that point, and there were lots of spectators, lots of cheering. I pulled off my ear buds (race rules) and zipped through the finish line.

 Do you see that time?
Hoy heck!
I could't believe it! My eyes didn't leave that clock until I crossed the line. I was breathing so heavily, and really wished for my inhaler. I haven't used it in about a year, but boy oh boy did I want it. I headed over to the food tables to collect my water, root beer, chips and juice box. Still not breathing real well, but I didn't care. I did forget to pause my watch, though, so the time is off.
I scored a 6 minute race PR and a 2 minute distance PR.
What propelled me? Just before the race, my mom called me to tell me that my (former?) Aunt's son had died. He was only 28 and left behind a toddler. I was devastated for his family. When my Uncle got divorced I wanted to keep my Aunt, and lose him, but we don't get to pick our relatives, do we? She is an amazing lady, and we have kept in touch. Her second husband and children and are all amazing, and I am so very sad for them all. I couldn't stop thinking about it during the race, and I think that is what moved me forward so quickly. 

Overall, it was a fabulous race. My friends all did well, and I love racing with them, even though we don't actually stay together for the actual race. seeing them before and after truly make the day better!


Under Armour Sunglasses

***I was given a pair of Under Armour sunglasses (see them in the picture above!) as part of a Girls Gone Sporty Gear Girl Review! I was not compensated in any way, I was merely required to give my honest opinion after trying them out!***

Check out the link above to see some reviews from me, and some of my fellow Ambassadors, about several different styles of these sunglasses!
I chose the UA Surge glasses, because I liked the color (I chose the ones with the purple accents, although they only have all black available now).

They are my go to sunglasses now for running, and I am loving them! I have been wearing Under Armour gear since I began running two years ago, and am more than happy to add sunglasses to the long list of gear that I own! Check out the other reviews, to help you choose the best pair of sunglasses to fit your needs! They are high quality, just like their clothing line!

Are you running a Thanksgiving themed race this week?