Race Recap: Schaumburg Turkey Trot Half Marathon

Originally, I had plans to run 2 different half marathons this fall, the RnR Las Vegas Half and the Panama City Beach Half Marathon. Unfortunately, life happened and I had to change my plans. I hated to throw away all my training, so I looked for a local alternative. The Schaumburg Turkey Trot Half Marathon has always been a favorite and since I didn't have to work on race day, it was pretty much a no-brainer for me to sign up. My workout buddy Steph was all in, and having my friend to go with to the race made it a done deal.

Since this is such a late season half for us Chicagoans, the weather can be a factor and usually is. The past 2 times I've run this race, it's been bitterly cold. Last weekend, we received quite a bit of rain. But for this year's race, the weather gods smiled down on us. I woke up to blue skies and bright sunshine, with temperatures in the low 40s. Pretty much perfect running weather, in my opinion. With a race start time of 9:15 am, I took my time getting ready. Steph arrived at my house around 8 and we drove the 4 miles to the forest preserve where the race would be held. We parked across the street from the preserve and took school buses to the start line.

As always, the staging area was kind of a cluster with people dropping off their runners and the buses trying to maneuver around them. After sitting on the bus for about 20 minutes, the driver let us off and we walked the 1/2 mile to the start line. There were a lot of portapotties and we got in line. I sipped my pre-race Tailwind while we waited. The wind was starting to pick up and it was cold! Once we were in the start corral, lining up with the 9-10 minute per mile runners, it was only about 10 minutes until the start of the race. We would be starting with the wind at our backs and I was so grateful for that.

Prerace photo thanks to Natalie
She told me she reads the blog but declined to pose with us! 

My plan was to run the first mile and maybe 2 without run/walk intervals. This worked out well for me since the race is run mostly on preserve paths and it was pretty crowded at the beginning. As we moved forward, the runners started to spread out and there was room to maneuver. I turned my music up to tune out the guy ahead of me who was giving advice to his friends. Blah blah blah. At another point, I was totally annoyed by a guy I called "the clomper", who had such loud footfalls, you could hear him coming up behind you. As he passed me (thankfully, yes, he did), I was expecting to see a much larger guy! He also felt the need to yell to all the runners who were running towards us on the out and back portion of the course. Ah...people...I'm a cranky old lady...

I took my first run/walk interval in the middle of mile 2 and from there on out, I stuck to my 4:1 ratio. I tried to keep to the side of the path so as not to annoy the other runners. I played cat and mouse with quite a few people including Steph, but particularly 2 women who I saw the entire race. I felt really good but I definitely needed those walk intervals. At one point, around mile 8, my stomach cramped up and I did make a pit stop. When I looked at my splits, I didn't see any evidence of that, so I must have made up a lot of time on my run intervals. I looked down at my Garmin a few times when I was running and saw that I was really pushing my pace. At one point, I had this overwhelming feeling of joy and I remembered how much I love this sport. It's been a long time since I've felt that during a race!

While the course was mostly flat--this is Illinois--the course took us up and over a bridge 3 times. I ran up the ramp the first time, but the next 2 times my Garmin fortuitously alerted me to a walk interval. On the final pass over the bridge, a very peppy woman wearing a Boston shirt was encouraging all the runners up the hill but I told her I was saving it for the downhill. Which I did, flying down the hill so fast I had to stop and catch my breath at the bottom. Seriously. Only for about 10 seconds, though.

After this point, we had 2 miles to the finish. I know this course well since I train here in the summer and I knew another hill was coming near the finish. I so wanted to skip the walk intervals for the end of the race but by now, I was feeling pretty fatigued. We were also running into the wind and that made for an extra challenge. I walked up the final "hill" and then I put the pedal to the medal. I started to feel nauseous but I continued to run towards the finish. The final approach was lined with spectators and boy were they enthusiastic!

I crossed the finish line and was handed a medal. I stopped to catch my breath and I heard my name. My friend Judy, who I have known since 5th grade, was standing there. I knew she was running and I was hoping we'd meet up. Once I caught my breath, we hugged. She is really fast and won our age group! Soon after that, Steph crossed the finish line. We posed for pictures and after a few minutes of catching up said goodbye to Judy and went to get some post-race treats. It was really cold and windy and so we walked back to my car. The heated seats are always a win after a race, aren't they?

Judy and me at the finish
Friends for 45 years

I was thrilled with my race and my finish time of 2:07:21, which was the best of my 3 halfs this year. This race brings out the fast runners, and while the old me still wouldn't have placed today, I was pretty happy to come in 11th in my old lady age group. I'm pretty amazed at how fast I can still run using the run/walk intervals. Using the intervals, I was able to give the race my all and that is a great feeling! Sometimes it's just your day, and this was my day. I felt really good for most of the race and I believe I fueled really well. It was so nice to see the sun for the entire race and while it was chilly, 42 degrees in November is about as good as you get around here. My Inknburn long sleeve top was just perfect for the conditions--I wasn't cold at all until we finished and my sweaty self cooled off. Those Mizuno Wave Riders? Wow. Just wow. My footsteps were light and my legs felt fantastic. Two days later, as I recap this post, I still feel good. I am.so.grateful.

This race never disappoints me. It's so well organized and the runners who run it do really well. It's a great race for an end of the year PR! The course in the Busse Woods Forest Preserve is a beautiful setting--perfect for a fall race. The race organizer, All Community Events, keeps it no-frills, which also keeps the cost down--at $75 dollars, this was a relative bargain for a half marathon. Free race photos are always welcome! As long as I am able to run, I will continue to keep this race on my list.

Did you run a Thanksgiving race? What distance? Do you have a favorite race that you return to year after year? Do you get annoyed by certain runners on the course?

I'm linking this post with Marcia, Erika, and Patti for Tuesdays on the Run as well as Debbie, Rachel, and Lora for Running Coaches' Corner.