The Matawan Turkey Trot will always hold a special place in
my heart. It was the first 5K that I ever ran.
In 2011, I knew that one of my goals was to run a 5K. But intimidation
got in my way and majority of the year passed without me running a 5K. Fast forward to November… I had gotten closer
to someone from Weight Watchers and she asked me to run this race with her and
a friend from work. I immediately said
yes and then started focusing on running.
I remember asking my friends and family for advice. I was excited and
nervous. But I was mostly excited. When race day hit, I had a million worries
running through my head. My goal was to finish the race in 35 minutes or less. I remember just running and so proud that I
was doing it. I was going to accomplish a goal.
I remember the runner’s high upon completion. I had run my first 5K AND
I did it in under my goal time. My time was 33:27! I was bitten by the running
bug. I was a runner.
Due to Hurricane Sandy, this race was cancelled in
2012. So when it came time to sign up
for 2013, I couldn’t wait! Saturday morning was cold! Getting ready for the
race I put on tons of layers.
Unfortunately the registration table for preregistered runners was VERY
disorganized. Due to this, the race
started 15 minutes later. While we were
standing around, my feet were so cold (despite having two pairs of socks on)
that I lost feeling in the toes on my right foot. I was also very annoyed because once again
right before a race, I lost the cover (this helps the earphone stay in your
ear) for my Yurbuds. Thankfully my hat helped hold the ear bud in place.
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| My dad and I before the race. He was at the first one too! |
Once the race started, I felt really good and felt like I
was fast. The first mile went pretty quickly.
I ran about a 9:25 mile. At this point, I was starting to feel my toes
again. Which was great, but it made me realize that I had a stinging sensation
in the rest of my toes. The second mile
went by rather uneventfully. I regained
feeling in my big toe, so the stinging sensation was still there but generally
speaking not as bad.
Then mile 3 was a little hairy. There is a steep before you get to the “home
stretch” which is about a ¾ mile or so from the finish. The first time I ran
this race, I remember thinking once I get up this hill. I am almost there. I remember it seeming pretty quick and easy…
It’s amazing what two years could do on your perspective. This “home stretch” sucked… immensely. We
were running uphill. All I kept thinking
was “Put one foot in front of the other.”
“Just keep moving.” “You are almost there.” This home stretch felt like
it took forever. Finally I saw the
clock! Normally when I am close to the finish line, I will sprint towards the
finish. I somehow managed to turn it on
right before the finish and pass a couple of people. And go figure, I got full feeling back in my foot after I
crossed the finish line.
I was really hoping to PR during this race. I didn’t, but it
was a difficult uphill course. I am proud of my time of 28:24. I averaged a
9:09 mile throughout the race and finished 13/56 in my age group (30-39),
50/252 out of females and 149/471 overall.
I guess you can say that in in the two years, since running my first 5K
I have become a stronger runner.
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| The difference of two years |
