Turkey Run Five Miler recap

Yesterday was my fourth year registering for the Turkey Run in Manasquan, but only my third year running. In 2012, they had to cancel because of damage caused by Sandy. The first three years it was called the Turkey Trot ( and for many years before it, although I wasn't running it) but this year it changed names when it changed hands.

The hubs stopped on Thursday night to get my tee and bib, and although I was loving the tee I was disappointed that the new race director stopped giving out mugs with the registration. All of the emails said everything would remain the same, and I was expecting another mug for my collection. 

When I woke up on Saturday the temps were in the 20s, and when we arrived at Leggetts, it was about 35. A lot of runners were keeping warm there until the race began!

It was finally time to start the race, which meant going outside. Ugh.

I found my friends Cheryl and Ronnie  and we posed for a picture before the race started.

The course stayed the same as previous years, beginning just outside of Leggetts and heading south before turning into

Town. The locals are amazing during this race, no matter the temperature! They were cheering, offering up high fives, and handing out beer. My only complaint was the number of dogs and strollers on the course. Now before you get worked up, here is why. The race info sheet said absolutely no dogs or strollers, and I am sure a lot of people who would normally bring one or the other stayed home. To allow those who showed up to race didn't seem right to me. One guy even had both, which amused and angered me at the same time. A rule is a rule, and to make that rule and not uphold it seems irresponsible to me.

I went into the race with no expectations. I am recovering from a cold and not feeling all that great. I figured I would take a lot of selfies and just get it done.

I hit mile one in about 10:40 and each mile after was similar. I couldn't believe it! I felt pretty decent, too, until about mile 4.5 when I started to feel tired, run down, and a little nauseous. Breathing was hard. I was having images of passing out at the finish, but I was determined to finish as well as I had started.

My finishing time was exactly 53 minutes. I was so thrilled with that time! It is not my best ever, but it was a PR for the year! Wow! So unexpected!

I got some water and a bagel half and found Cheryl. We decided to wait for Ronnie to finish and we cheered her in. From in and eating settled my stomach, which was nice.

The hubs wanted to get pizza at Leggetts but it was far too crowded so we settled for Surf Taco instead.

A pretty good end to the morning!

How did your Turkey Run go? I hope it was warmer than mine!