Don’t forget: TROY NIGHT OUT IS TONIGHT! Hello Pretty City will be doing a show LIVE at the Frear Building on 3rd St. See you there!

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2010 marked the year I started making an actual habit of running, which led to my first race back in August. I was happy with the milestones I was able to achieve in a handful of months: I ran my first competitive race in my best 5K time at that point (26:30) and generally felt good about myself.

Yesterday I ran the Turkey Trot with mixed results.

I placed 894 out of 4,866 total runners (within the top 20% overall) and placed 74th amongst my age group (25-29; just outside of the top 30%) with a time of 26:38.

A lot of the complaints that come about with any big race applied: it was a crowded field, which made forward progress difficult, awkward, and at times hazardous. At the start of the race, I literally got stepped on three times. In an attempt to get out of the crowd that was bumping, shoving, and stepping on me, I ended up in another semi-collision with another runner who I didn’t have time to apologize to.

It’s especially annoying because I knew it was going to happen. I wasn’t at the front of the race, per se, but I was within forty to fifty feet of the starting line. I was simply standing still at the start and people were still bumping into me and trying to squeeze in-between myself and the runners around me.

What’s so annoying about that is that it’s a timed race. Meaning your time doesn’t start with the clock, it starts when you cross the starting line. Squeezing in front of me and contributing to the congestion did not improve the time for those people; if anything, it probably hurt it.

What do you want? I'm only 5'8" and he's The King.

Still, it was good to have the experience of running for the very first time in cold weather. It was also good running (figuratively speaking) into an old friend from High School, Eitan, who’s involved in a start-up company called Fire Hose Games that’s getting a lot of press and buzz in the gaming community for their forthcoming release.

The highlight of my day came after the race, with Eitan and I running through a crowd to pursue an Elvis impersonator in the Troy Atrium while yelling “ELVIS! HEY ELVIS!” which resulted in the picture you see to your left.

Not so good was the huge disappointment I felt in my own performance. As annoyed as I was with the congestion (as well as things like people being in the front of the starting line only to start walking at the halfway point in one large group that blocked half the running lane), the 26:37 time is my responsibility, and those aforementioned factors can’t excuse it. I didn’t train nearly as much as I wanted to or should have, and I let my diet lapse a few times in the weeks leading up to the event. I also allowed my social schedule to become a priority over my training schedule, and for that I only have myself to blame.

26:37 is a miserable time considering I know I can – and have – done better.

Where to from here? Well, the Last Run 5K on December 18th in Albany is appealing. My one concern is the potential for hazard because of wintry weather and ice, but I’m wondering if I should chalk that up to another experience and challenge that I should rise to.

Know what? I will. To Hell with the ice and my excuses. Let’s do this. Who’s with me?

 

8 Responses to Running Regress: the 2010 Troy Turkey Trot

  1. James Cronen says:

    The Turkey Trot is a ridiculously annoying race to set a PR in. Don’t be too hard on yourself.

    This was my fourth Turkey Trot. I stopped trying to run the race for speed and just enjoyed myself this year. I’m going to do that again for the foreseeable future.

  2. Eileen in Selkirk says:

    I think you did great! If you want less of a crowd…you could always try the Delmar Turkey Trot which just started this year and even that had over a thousand people running.

  3. Gman says:

    Aw, hell, Kevin, let the Kenyans worry about times. Just be happy you ran. You’re a Local Treasure. As such, you must recognize that social life and epicurian diversions will likely preclude you from turning into a Kenyan overnight (I would like to read a version of Metamorphosis in which Gregor turned into a Kenyan instead of a cockroach).

    You did fine. Uncle G is proud of you.

  4. Jerry says:

    The Troy Turkey trot Is a fund raiser race. If you really are concerned about your “competitive time” run other races. Sorry Kevin, I love your writing but, that’s the cold hard truth.

  5. Alan says:

    I can’t decide whose pants are worse – and I don’t care if running and impersonating ARE involved.

  6. Kelly says:

    ITA with James – you simply can’t PR in a race with more than 1,000 people – Freihofer, Corp Challenge, Turkey Trot, Boilermaker – you need to find a nice and small, flat and fast little race – in the Crossings or starting at the Corning Preserve.

    At Troy’s finish line, in the two seconds that myself, my husband and 6 year old finished, there were *14* other finishers, making the final push a really crowded one. It was also perfect for a 6 year old’s complete lack of pacing, because it was all about sprinting from one open pocket of space to the next, and then a quick break while you’re trapped until you can find the next pocket to sprint to.

    The Troy Turkey Trot is a just a fast, albeit fun, moving parade.

  7. Tony Barbaro says:

    I am waiting for next year’s “Crossgates black friday trot”..the day after Thanksgiving, you grab a TV at best buy and run to your car w/ out paying for it. If you make it home, you win.

  8. A runner in the ALB says:

    Hey Kevin – the HMRRC hosts a whole series over the winter every other Sunday starting Dec. 12th they all start around the SUNY Albany track. It SUPER low key. Most people do it to stay in shape or as a workout over the winter … you should check out their site!

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