Happy Thanksgiving! - The Drumstick Dash

Today I ran my longest race to date, The Drumstick Dash, a 4.5 miler. Over 5,000 people signed up for this race, which benefited Wheeler Mission Ministries, a mission that helps feed and give shelter to the homeless.

I finished in 48:13 at a 10:43 pace. I was hoping to run it in about 45 minutes, but I didn't. Here are my reasons *cough* excuses *cough*: It was 38'F, I had a cold, and I had never raced that far before. Pretty lame excuses, I know. But, I did have a cold, and I found out quickly that you cannot blow your nose while you're running. At least I can't. Anyway, I had to take quite a few walk breaks. The hills on the course were not very long or steep, but I felt them a lot in my lower legs.

Here are my splits:
Mile 1: 9:24
Mile 2: 10: 30 (19:54)
Mile 3: 12:01 (31:55)
Mile 4: 11:02 (42:57)
Finish: 48:13
I took along a small pen and a map of the course that I printed out while I was racing. At each mile, I recorded my splits as best I could while running. By the end of the race, the paper was a crumpled mess.

I finished pain-free, but tired. Happy to have raced longer than a 5-K. For a lengthy description of the race course, check out the post for the Drumstick Dash on the Run Central Indian blog.

I like the race shirt. It's a black technical tshirt from Brooks with the Drumstick Dash logo on it. It's me second long-sleeve race shirt... I wore the tech tee from my last 5-K during the race, and the ventilation was really nice.

Now, time to go eat some turkey with the family and watch some football. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!