Prepping for the Dallas Turkey Trot

One of the races I have been looking forward to since I started running this year has been the Dallas Turkey Trot.  Seriously, who wouldn't look forward to running with close to 40,000 plus people?  To me this may be the closest I get to running a race like the Boston Marathon in prestige and size for some time to come and I am really looking forward to this.

Here is a little history, directly from the Dallas Turkey Trot website:

The original Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot was held at the Old Fairgrounds back in the early 1940s, but the long string of consecutive years began with the eight mile race back in 1968.
The unique eight mile distance was created when the one hundred and seven participants were instructed to run along the shores of White Rock Lake “to the big oak tree and back”. By 1979, the race had become so popular that it was moved to the downtown area to accommodate more runners and to showcase “Big D”.
The 3 mile Fun Run/Walk was added in 1984 to accommodate the increased participation of individuals and families. In 2009 the distance was changed to 5K and the course was certified.

 Here is a picture of what I am expecting to find this Thursday morning:

Who would NOT want to run in something like this?

To prepare for this race, I actually started Saturday with a 7.68 mile run, just to see how far I could push myself.  I feel like I could do the 8 mile race, but I want to be competitive doing it.  For this year I will be doing the 5K race instead.  Here is the route I will be taking in the 5K race:

The red line designates the 5K distance

I will be honest here; I am not sure what to expect as far as trying to accomplish my current goal of running a 5K in under 30 minutes, especially with as many participants as they are expecting, but I am going to do my best, that is for sure!  I plan on doing two more runs this week: a speed run tonight and a distance run tomorrow night.  I will be taking Wednesday night off to make sure I am rested for the race Thursday morning.

I urge you to come out and see the race if you are not going to be running in it.  Cheer us on as we run this race!  If you don't want to run, there will be other family friendly things to do here.  From the Turkey Trot website, there will be clowns, pony rides, bounce houses, live music, and many other things to do!  I hope to see you there!

It's a new Thanksgiving tradition for me and my family, and I am really going to enjoy this.  If you would like to register then click here and you will be taken to the Turkey Trot's registration page.

Have a great rest of the day and as always, thanks for reading!