 posted Nov-25-2007 06:48 AM
  
Talking Turkey 6 mile race at the Holyoke Reservoir in Holyoke, MA
November 24, 2007
1 PM---Sunny skies, calm winds, 33FShort version: 250/1064 overall
8/128 women in 40-49 age group
44:56 (7:30 pace) Gun time Not so short version: This is an incredibly popular race and now 29 years old. The area is well known to New England runners due to the St. Patrick’s Day 10K race just down the road that attracts well over 3,000 and the Holyoke reservoir weekly summer race series also supported by the Elks Club. The Talking Turkey usually draws the local speedsters, high-school stars fresh off their cross-country seasons, families extending the Thanksgiving holiday and more. The reservoir course is wonderful----packed dirt and a few forest trail areas and very little pavement. When it’s raining or snowing, this race is more like classic cross-country, but I was happy that we had sunny skies and very few mud patches to navigate. The Elks always put on a great event and the crowd was full of cheer from start to finish. The 1 PM start seems so late in the day and yet it allows for some to say farewell to visiting family without rushing off to a race. Fashion report: Long sleeved red InSport wicking shirt, black Asics gloves with fleece lining, black InSport “pants”, lucky socks----don’t know the brand, black, white and day-glo green Nike Structure Triax sneakers, black micro-fleece cap I usually don’t wear long pants until it dips below 30F, but it was only 16F in the morning and the furnace went out at my house. I was really chilled as a result and decided that warmth was more important than aerodynamic race attire for this race. Of course the front-runners were in singlets and cross-country spikes, but those days are long over for me. No running in underpants unless I am escaping a fire or something! The start area is in the woods near the entrance to the reservoir and fairly narrow. I lined up in the middle of the field on the side. This race was a part of my November goals and my original intention was to run at talking pace. I did that for the most part. The cannon went off and we were off. It took me 50 seconds to get to the start line and since this wasn’t chip timed (it will never be a chip race and that’s cool) I hit my watch as we crossed under a huge American flag suspended by a crane that served as the official starting line. My splits went as follows (based on remembering what I heard as they were read off) 8:55----lots of congestion and I decided not to do the weaving and bobbing---just bided my time 16:30---picked it up and made it over narrow bridge without falling into the reservoir 23:06---threw in a few surges and worked on lowering my arms 30:35---focused on staying strong and relaxed---“controlled aggression” was my self-talk mantra 37:???---still focusing 44:21 by my watch and 44:56 by the race clock I work with a coach (my coach from college) and the goal for this race was to have fun and work on even pacing and relaxed form. I was pleased and more than anything had so much fun out there. I had some great conversations and heard some good jokes---lots of talking turkeys here. I’ll admit to kicking hard enough to beat a 21 year-old at the finish---just couldn’t resist! I am building the mileage back up and will start the 2-3 times a week workouts and really long runs in a couple weeks as it will be 18 weeks out from Boston. Coach calls this race a “remember how to move your @ss race”. The post-race festivities included a DJ spinning a mixture of holiday tunes and pop favorites in the Elks Club Lodge---door prizes and raffle contest give-aways and great food---clam/corn chowder, pasta, cookies and lots of beer. The race has a very family friendly and low-key feel and accommodates the focused racers as well as the recreational runners. Thanks for reading and if you are in this area next year, add this race to your list! CNYrunner
IP: Logged |
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