The Hardest 5K I've Ever Run

I've been running 5Ks since I was 14. Sure, it was only one a year up until I turned 20, when running became fun and not swim team dryland torture. After running my first 3.1-miler ever, the distance got easier as I ran longer and trained harder.

But at the turkey trot I ran this year, you may as well have turned the clocks back to 1994 and put me right back on the course of my first Birmingham Lions Club Run for the Blind 5K. Yes, that's how tough it was--and it was only a 5K (which I'll get to explaining).

When I learned that the Chicago turkey trot I ran last year had been shortened from an 8K to a 5K, I scoffed, knowing I'd barely burn off my holiday dessert at that distance. When I knew I'd be running a 5K in Colorado Springs where the elevation is roughly 6,800 feet above sea level, I was thankful that the city's largest, and only, turkey trot wasn't any longer. A 5K at altitude is an entirely different animal.

When you run a 5K at altitude--and you're not even close to adjusted to the added elevation--it hurts. A lot. Every step of it. You can't wait to cross the finish line because it means you can stop running and the burning sensation in your lungs can finally subside. That lingering idea of a 5K not being far enough to run on Thanksgiving Day to make up for the food frenzy? The thought of doing a second workout to put more calories burned in the bank sounds preposterous. And the workout itself? Abandoned.

Gobble, Gobble: Run a Turkey Trot

Is it just me, or does it seem a little odd that we're boarding planes to see family near and far, buying turkeys and all the fixings, and watching the holiday decor turn on around the city? While the marathon seems like it was ages ago (even more than the month and a half that it actually has been) and my last 5K feels long forgotten (maybe that's attributed to the fact that I have no chocolate leftovers), I'm still in disbelief that it's practically Thanksgiving and I'll be chowing down on turkey, er turducken as far as tradition goes in my house, in two days time. But this year, I'm hoping to add another activity to the mix and hope that it finally sticks enough to become a tradition: the Turkey Trot.

Getting in a sweat session on Thanksgiving, or any holiday? That's a given: I can't remember a time where I didn't run around outside with my cousins, hike the hill near their house, run along the Lakefront or through my parents' neighborhood, sneak into the secret Spinning class at the gym, or push my way into a crowded yoga studio for a detox class. Besides, it gives me extra justification for the holiday smorgasbord. Healthy or not, you'll find me indulging on the holiday desserts that I swear I have a second stomach for, after stuffing myself full of turducken, green beans and sweet potato.

The Daily Feed: Sites We're Searching 11/30

Technically I should call this post the monthly feed since it's the last day of the month--talk about November flying by--and a Daily Feed hasn't appeared since October. And I've found myself looking at some of these sites more than once during the month rather than just once on any given day.

With the exception of Chicago Marathon Sunday and New York City Marathon Sunday, Sunday afternoons this fall have been consumed by tracking race results. Seriously. Yes, it could be deemed a strange hobby but my problem is there's usually at least one person I know competing so I want to see how they did. And of course, this weekend was no exception even we did just wrap up Thanksgiving. Turkey gorging or not, there were marathons to run, an Ironman to complete and calories to burn. So here's what I've been checking out:

• Just call November the month of Ironman. There was a full-distance Ironman every weekend in November with the exception of the 14th and 15th when the Ironman 70.3 World Championships took place. First it was Florida, then Arizona, and then Cozumel. Hard to believe that next year's World Championships already knows about 150 of its competitors.
  
• Sandwiched in between those Ironman races are the runs, especially the continuation of fall's marathon mania. The ING New York City Marathon kicked off the month, followed by Richmond, Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Seattle, to name a few. And before most of these even took place, the 2010 Boston Marathon had already closed registration, filling far quicker than usual--typically even January marathoners can slide in.
• I promise this is the last of the results and events I'll list...the Turkey Trots had me perusing calendars to convince myself to run one and then checking to see how friends ran.
• Get your ski on. I swore I wasn't going to get excited over the ski season as early as November since it leaves me wishing my annual ski trip came that much faster, but once again the Warren Miller movie put me in the mood and reading about resort openings and snowfalls only fueled the fire. In Colorado, Keystone and Breckenridge opened the first and second weekends of the month and by Thanksgiving they were joined by Vail, Beaver Creek and Steamboat, to name a few. That also means it's open season at Utah resorts like Park City, Alta and The Canyons with Deer Valley set to open this coming weekend. Uh oh, time to sharpen the skis and think snow. Some may say it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but I'm thinking it's snow season in full swing.
  
• And all of those shopping deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday? I admit...I was cruising the online stores for end-of-the-season sales and gift ideas.

I realize there's not much hear besides random race information, retailers and ski reports but by now, most of the stories have probably already been read, appeared on Twitter and Facebook feeds, or seem like old news. Maybe not much excitement going on here, which I unfortunately think was a result of the business of the month. I'll try to make December better. Photo of snowmaking at Keystone grabbed from VailResortsNEWS@Twitter. Posted by Kate

Turkey Trot Timing

Day-after Thanksgiving turkey cupcake anyone?

Did you give your metabolism a boost yesterday morning and head out to an area Turkey Trot? A Thanksgiving Day tradition almost as much of a ritual--or more so for some--as watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade or following the football games, the trots help get the Thanksgiving action started and rev the engine for the eating that ensues. Big or small, timed or untimed, Turkey Trots run the gamut in terms of race specifics, but regardless, they draw runners from near and far who are either looking to race or simply looking to run without caring about a finish line. If you did run and want to know how you finished, check out some of the Turkey Trot results posted below from races around the country. Just click on the event name to view the times.

• Thanksgiving Day Race 10K -- Cincinnati, Ohio
• Drumstick Dash -- Broad Ripple, Indiana
• YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase Turkey Chase 10K -- Bethesda, Maryland
• Naperville Noon Lions 5K Turkey Trot -- Naperville, Illinois
• Detroit Turkey Trot -- Detroit, Michigan
• The Capital One Bank Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot -- Dallas, Texas
• The 22nd Annual Feaster Five Road Race -- Andover, Massachusetts
• O'Side Turkey Trot -- Oceanside, California
• Turkey Trot 8K presented by Fleet Feet Sports -- Chicago, Illinois

This list is only a handful of the races that took place on November 26. Active.com posted results for roughly 75 different turkey trots around the country and that's still not all of them. Check out more race results at Active or The Running Network. Did you run on Thursday? Photo grabbed from kristin_a (Meringue Bake Shop) at flickr. Posted by Kate