turkey trot week! workouts + brief race recap

The Tampa Bay Times Turkey Trot officially rounds off my summer/fall racing season, and my body is beyond ready for lower mileage and more casual approaches to workouts. I’ve experienced some burnout symptoms over the past couple of weeks, possibly also stemming from shoes begging for retirement. My quads and hip flexors ached, my knees creaked, and for a few days runs felt slow and labored as if marching through mashed potatoes.

Thankfully, by yesterday (Monday, at this point), a change of shoes and easy short miles appear to be mending the damage. I’m also conscious of amplifying my protein intake to facilitate healing and have returned to iron and B12 supplements. I’m hopeful the upward trend continues through the month of December and this deliciously cool weather we Floridians get to enjoy!

Related: Should I retire my running shoes? | A vegetarian Thanksgiving

Monday, 11/25: 10 min row & 30 min elliptical + 20 min strength

The erg still isn’t my friend and my legs weren’t up to run, so I performed an easy workout on the elliptical after the row with 5 x :45 level 7 and 1:15 recovery. Strength was all stability ball and resistance band work, more geared towards mobility than pure muscle-building.

• Resistance band: 3 sets of each: 15 clamshells, 15 lateral lifts, 15 kickbacks.
• Stability ball: 3 sets of each: 15 glute bridges, 15 hamstring curls, 15 leg drops. 1 min plank and :40 plank on ball followed.

Tuesday, 11/26: 4.39 miles, 8:58 pace + 20 min morning yin yoga

Legs felt SO much better today, no knee issues to speak of, so I ran a quick tuneup workout for the Turkey Trot on Thursday. After a 2 mile warmup I sped to race pace and below for 7 reps of :30, jogging 1 minute to recover between each. Intervals ranged from 7:05 to 8:07, though I doubt the accuracy of the 8:07. Don’t ask what my hair is doing in the below photo because I genuinely have no idea.

Wednesday, 11/27: 25 min easy elliptical + 20 min morning yoga

Thursday, 11/28 (HAPPY THANKSGIVING!): 5.86 miles, 8:38 pace, including the Turkey Trot!

Well, no PRs set today, and my effort was 100% mediocre, but I did okay regardless and won a mug and a medal since I finished in the top 125 females! Placed 106th, to be exact. The Trot itself measured at 25:09 and an 8:04 pace: I warmed up for 1.04 miles before and cooled down with 1.7 after while waiting for mom to finish her Trot walk. It was HUMID and the course quite hilly which I guess could be factored in, but overall a disappointing performance. Still a lovely, enjoyable tradition I’m so thankful is available on Thanksgiving morning.

The Trot mingles with neighborhoods surrounding Clearwater High School, and this year was its 41st year running. The course is well-measured and both this year and last I hit 3.11 miles exactly from start to finish. I think the 5K – and 5Ks in generally, honestly – could be organized better as far as corralling. This race IS competitive despite its loose, festive atmosphere, and for as many runners as do participate in Clearwater’s Trot, some kind of segregation between expected finishes and walkers would lessen the bowling-over at the start of the race. Several people purposely started up front despite knowing they were not in the competition for the mugs (I overheard conversations about it between fellow runners who did not fall back when they probably should have) and I even encountered several walkers in my attempt to find breathing room. As far as 5Ks go, this is certainly a repeatable race in my repertoire so long as I live in Florida.

Friday, 11/29: 25 min easy elliptical + 15 min resistance band workout + 20 min morning yoga

Spun very lightly on the elliptical to promote blood flow in my tired legs, and followed up with a short mobility session that felt really nice compared to my normal lifting routine!

All with a medium-resistance band:

• 3 x 15 standing lateral leg lifts
• 3 x 15 clamshells per side
• 3 x 15 donkey kicks
• 3 x 15 seated row
• 3 x 15 reverse tabletop

Saturday, 11/30: 3.36 miles, 9:40 pace

Sunday, 12/1: 5.04 miles, 9:49 pace + 15 min resistance band work

VERY humid on the run today thanks to an incoming front, but I ran past a snazzy Christmas setup in the park and it made me feel all kinds of holly jolly. Quick mobility and strength session to wrap up the morning workout regimen – all moves with the band:

• 3 x 15 lying abductions
• 10/12/15 narrow-to-wide squat
• 3 x 18 clamshells
• 3 x 16 toe taps (? I stood in a low squatting position and, keeping my core stable, stepped outward with one foot, returned to center, then repeated on the other side)
• 3 x 15 stability ball bridge

Total mileage: 18.65 miles