Yesterday morning, I woke up bright and early to run the 20th Annual Dreamcatcher Classic, a road race to celebrate the life of Julie Rodick, who tragically died in a car accident at the age of 30. Her family established this race 20 years ago as “a way to bring people together in Julie’s name and because she liked Indian Culture.”
Before the race, I fueled up with a two-ingredient pancake with peanut butter and half of a glass of Dandy Blend with almond milk. (I only drank half of a glass because I didn’t want to pee a zillion times before the race). Mal was still in bed (he wanted to sleep as long as possible), so I read an issue of Runner’s World for a little running inspiration while I ate breakfast.
After breakfast, I took Murphy for a walk.
And then I got ready to run! I rocked my Pink Ribbon 1/4 Zip Top and SmoothFlex Runs from Reebok.
Once Mal and I were ready to go, we drove to the Weymouth Elk’s Lodge for the race. It was a smaller race (only about 1,500 runners), so we had no trouble finding parking on the street.
We didn’t want to wait around in the cold, so we got there about 15 minutes before the start of the race. (Ok, it was about 45 degrees, so it wasn’t that cold, but stillāĀ¦.)
About 5 minutes before 8:00 AM, the race director asked everyone to line up at the start line. It was kind of crazy for a few minutes, but, eventually, everyone settled in.
Quick photo before the gun!
And then we were off!
Within seconds, I lost Mal in the crowds. Not that I was planning to run with him (he’s insanely fast), but I thought maybe I could keep up with him for a half mile or so. Between the crowds and his speedy legs, it just wasn’t going to happen. But, not even 10 seconds later, I heard someone call my name. It was Kerrie, my CrossFit/running buddy! Hooray! Kerrie and I ran together at a speedy pace for the first couple of miles, but I couldn’t keep it up, so I lost her after the second mile.
- Mile 1: 7:45
- Mile 2: 8:03
As I approached mile 3, my shins were burning! I’m not usually someone who deals with shin splits, so the pain seemed to come out of nowhere. I wasn’t wearing new sneakers, so maybe I was running funny or something? There were a bunch of rolling hills on the course, so maybe that was it? I still have no clue where the heck my shin pain came from. I’m sure it slowed me down a little bit, but it was more annoying that anything.
- Mile 3: 8:28
Between miles 3 and 4, I really started to struggle. The course had a few more hillsāānothing crazy, but just one after another. I felt tired and blahāāmy legs were heavy and my stomach started to get a little iffy, which, of course, wasn’t a good combination for race day. Blah.
- Mile 4: 8:29
When I saw the final mile maker for the race, I started to feel betterāāwell, sort of. I guess I just knew the race was almost over, so it was easier for me to deal with my discomfort. I picked up the pace and actually passed at few people on the final half mile. Usually, I’m the āroad killāĀ at the end of the race with everyone passing me, but I cruised along and picked off a few runners!
- Mile 5: 7:45
I finished in 40:36 (8:07 pace), which is a good time, but I wish I had pushed myself more, especially with regard to the mental aspect of racing. Physically, I struggled, but, mentally, I just wasn’t into this race. It was Thanksgiving morning, so I wasn’t thinking about a PR or racing strategy. I just ran as fast as my body would allow and barely looked at my Timex GPS watch or paced myself. Maybe if I had paid attention to my time, I could have possibly broken 40 minutes? Who knows, right? I guess I have a goal for the next 5-miler I run!
After the race, Mal and I headed to J.P. Greers to meet some CrossFit friends, who also ran the race, for a celebratory drink.
J.P. Greers opens early on Thanksgiving, so a lot of runners end up there after the race. The place was packed!
I ended up drinking a mimosa while I was there. (Doesn’t a mimosa at a bar in a plastic cup remind you of college? I can’t even tell you how many Andre mimosas I drank over the years!)
The Dreamcatcher Classic was a fabulous road race and an awesome way to start my Thanksgiving. I’ve always wanted to run a Thanksgiving Day road race and the Dreamcatcher Classic was a great one for my first!
Question of the Day
Did you get your sweat on yesterday morning before Thanksgiving dinner?
26 Comments
i’m in college now and i seriously love hearing that you just enjoyed yourself in college. i’m also thinking i should be making smarter decisions, but it’s great thinking about how you seemed to just embrace all the aspects of it and are still leading a healthy life after it. so thank you!
I ran a turkey trot 5K with my dad! I was worried I’d have to bow out early because of my IT band, but I wanted to push my dad to his best time so I kept going, luckily my knee held out! It was a fun way to start the day!
I ran Dreamcatcher too! It was my first time doing it (and my second race overall). I finished in 46:06 and I’m pretty happy with that! š
I loved reading your race day piece! My wife and I ran it ( she’s a k-fitter) and had a great time , nice coarse, challenging but not a killer. We run with our neighbors and had mimosas at their house after maybe greers next year!
My brother, niece and nephew and I do a turkey trot every year. It’s just a 2 mile loop around hte neighborhood, but I expanded on it a bit: I ran the 1.8 miles to his house, trotted, and ran back. Running is the best way to start T-giving in my opinion!
I managed to squeeze in 45 minutes of gym time yesterday morning and a long walk– it wasn’t a total sweat calorie burner, but I was so happy after I did it- something is def better than nothing on Thanksgiving! Your race looks like fun and your pink reebok shirt is really cute
I did an hour spin class bright and early, and then headed to a neighborhood 5k my friend was hosting. It was a blast, and the weather was perfect. Hustled back home, showered, and had lunch with my family for the holiday. Perfect day!
I ran 5 miles in 60 degree weather. Today it’s 30 degrees with 35 mph winds. I’ll be taking my workouts indoors!
I also ran a 5 mile turkey trot yesterday! I was slower than you but fast for me š 46:24 mins 9.34 pace š
Definitely want to run a race around Christmas this year – there is a 5k on Stephen’s Day, totally inspired by all the Thanksgiving races I’ve been hearing about! Well done on the race…at least you got out and got your sweat on right! What time did Mal finish in?
He finished in 32-something.
Nice job, Tina! I ran an 8-K turkey trot yesterday. It went pretty well, but I didn’t really push myself or try to PR. There was definitely a more festive/celebratory atmosphere at the race, and it didn’t seem like too many people were concerned with breaking records.
What a fun race!! We went to our gym because they were having a special even with breakfast and free coffee mugs. I really wanted that mug for some reason!
I hate to be the one to point this out but “Indian Culture”… eek. I think the term is Aboriginal or Native American.
“Indian” refers to those from India, which isn’t what you’re referring to, I’m assuming. I would use the term “Native American” because they aren’t interchangeable.
@Shelley: Although this is correct, Tina was just quoting directly from the website. They are the ones who used the inaccurate terminology.
I went to the gym yesterday morning and did 45 minutes of cardio and some weights. Felt great to workout yesterday morning! I was pretty proud of myself considering I am out of state and technically on vacation. I have a planet fitness membership so I put it to use! I am trying really hard to establish a good workout schedule now that the holiday season is in full swing!
After watching my 7 year old run 3 miles, I took an outside yoga class with my dad. It was lovely!
I consider YOU fast, so how fast is Mal’s pace??
I ran a 5k at a local running store bright and early yesterday morning. I live in Tampa, FL, and it was 45 degrees here yesterday too! Crazy it was the same temp!
It felt good to bust out a few miles, though I definitely ate whatever I burned off!
Oh, the Andre mimosa! Brings me right back to a simpler time in life. I’ve done that race before and it never really captured my heart like other road races have – such a bummer when a race doesn’t feel like you expected/ hoped but at least you were able to work up an appetite for thanksgiving dinner š
Loving that you brought up Andre mimosas!! Ahhh college. So many memories with Andre, haha! Also love that Mal has a Team in Training shirt on – go team!!
Congrats on an awesome race!!
Shin splints can also come from jumping rope (AKA DOUBLE UNDERS!) I know I get them when I practice DUs. Just a thought.