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What If I Ran 8 Miles Thanksgiving Day 2008

29 Nov 2008
Posted by Pete Carapetyan

So far, I have run in at least these following Turkey Trots:

 

  • 1999
  • 2000
  • 2002
  • 2003
  • 2004
  • 2006
  • 2007
  • 2008

I missed 2001 and 2005 going to Austin to have dinner with the family, but it's not such a shabby record all things considered, what being geriatric and all.

Here was my result for this year's run, this time I ran in the 8 mile version.

  • Position: 6262 of 7000+
  • Time: 1:33
  • Minutes/Mile: 11:37


Could have been worse, I could have not run, or even done the 3 mile instead of the 8. After all, not everyone beat me, just 6 out of 7

Just as couple reference points, here was my boss. You'll notice I let him beat me by a couple minutes a mile, just for job security.

  • Position:3067 of 7000+
  • Time: 1:13:48
  • Minutes/Mile: 9:14

 

Here are times for my son and my nephew, who ran together:

  • Position:4785 of 7000+
  • Time: 1:121:22
  • Minutes/Mile: 10:10
  • Position:4785 of 7000+
  • Time: 1:21:22
  • Minutes/Mile: 10:10

 

And here was the top guy

  • Scott MacPherson, age 21, from Plano, TX
  • Position:1 of 7000+
  • Time: 40:07.67
  • Minutes/Mile: 5.01

Here are ALL the results for the race

If you aren't familiar with the trot, where 30,000 people supposedly showed up this year, here is the site.

This kind of stuff is very hard on my 54 year old body, so it's always best to finish off the day with something pleasant. As a natural consequence, after slamming down a quick Thanksgiving meal, I headed for the White Rock Lake and did my usual mid-week ride. It's 36 miles and a heck of a lot nicer than the grueling 8 mile run.

I didn't prepare enough for the race this year,. As a consequence, I was very sore for a couple days after this race.

Is It Worth It ?

Have you ever run with 30,000 people before ? It is a definite rush. The prep is hard, but the anticipation was pretty fun too.

The best part of the whole thing was going to the race with my daughter Alice, who did the 3 miles - her first! Go Alice!

That might seem unkind to feel such a special delight for my daughter's presence, because Paula Neff, my girlfriend went too, but Paula's entry wasn't so surprising. She's been a walker for decades, so no big surprise that she would do something like this.

Next Year

 

My goal for 2009 is to get my speed up to something a bit more respectable. It seems like a doable objective, even being elderly I should be able to hit the 10 minute mark with a little diligence.

 

 

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