Hills, I tell ya! I was not prepared for that when the cowbells (yes, cowbells) signaled the start of the 15th Annual Turkey Trot 5K/8K. I am still new to Mississippi and guess the topography just slipped my mind.

                                                               Ready to run!

I almost backed out of today's race. Thursday I caught the dreaded stomach bug and was in bed... all day long! I wasn't sure I would be well enough to race today, but I had been training and had really been looking forward to race day. I ended up having to go solo (husband got sick and stayed with our little one).

I was up at 6AM to leave by 6:45 to head to Starkville, MS on the campus of Mississippi State University, where the race took place. A record number of runners showed up this year: 233. :) I signed up for the 8K, but most people were there for the 5K distance.



                                                          A chilly 8AM start!

When the race began and we started climbing hills I honestly thought,"If I can just FINISH I'll be happy." There were no mile markers as we ran around the MSU campus so throughout the whole race I had no idea how many miles I had logged and how many I had to go. I would even joke with the volunteers helping with the race as I ran by them, " Please tell me I am almost done!" I guess it was good not knowing how much farther I had to go because I was running much faster than I anticipated.

At one point the 5Kers keep running forward and the 8Kers take a left. That split left about 12 people in front of me that I could actually see (the fast ones were way ahead!) and I wasn't sure how many 8Kers were behind. I would typically just pick a person and try to eventually pass them. I ended up passing 11 of the 12 people! I kept up with a girl I named "orange shirt girl" whose name was actually Holly (I met her after the race). I tried to just stay in her shadow, thinking I could take her when the time came. Again, I was clueless as to how much longer I had to go at any given time.

I predicated I would probably finish in about 50 minutes (an 8K is 4.96 miles). My watch said 35 minutes had come and gone so I just kept plugging away. I caught up to the tail end of the 5Kers and lo and behold I turn left and THERE IS THE FINISH LINE! Home girl was just in front of me but even with a sprint I couldn't quite catch her. She ended up finishing 3 seconds before me.

The finish line!

My 40:55 official time put me in 3rd place overall for the 8K females. I couldn't believe it! The one race I actually place in no one is there to cheer for me :) Oh, well. I was floored and super pumped about my finish. I thanked "orange shirt girl" for her awesome pace because it totally pushed me. I ended up having to stay for the awards ceremony and got some MSU paraphernalia (too bad I am a FLORIDA fan). Regardless, it was the first race I have ever placed and I was thrilled.




                                                            The loot!

It was a fun race with a mad crazy pace (8:14 mile) for me. It was lots of fun and yet again, I am ready to pick out my next race! Who is with me???


OFFICIAL RACE RESULTS HERE  !!!