2016 PNC YMCA Turkey Trot race recap

This year marked my fifth consecutive running of the PNC YMCA Turkey Trot in Pittsburgh. It has become an annual Thanksgiving Day tradition.

Admittedly, I came close to breaking the streak this year. I didn't arrive in Pittsburgh until very late the night before. I considered not even signing up due to the quick logistical turnaround required. Then, the meteorologists predicted rain on race morning, which made me consider DNSing. However, I've always enjoyed this race and I think it sets a good tone for the day- so ultimately I followed through.

The festivities include a 1-miler, a 5K, and a 5-miler. I did the 5-miler only.

On race day, Adam and I arrived just as the 5K was getting underway. It was fun to watch. Unfortunately, I eventually had to Frogger my way through the running masses since I needed to do race-day packet pickup.

Packet pickup was a breeze, and there were no lines at the portapotties. Excellent.

As I was waiting for the 5-miler to start, I noticed the organizers were blasting fantastic 80s music over the loudspeakers. It helped energize me. When this old classic came on, I shamelessly broke into the best Wahlberg-esque moves I could muster:

Next, I got a couple of pre-race photos:

One of the ever-iconic bridges

With the Bill Mazeroski statue

Time to start. Shortly after I got underway, I saw Adam stationed at the side of the road with his phone. This was an opportunity for a jumping pose. Yeah!!!

The result wasn't horrible. But again it didn't come out quite the way I hoped:

Do I look like I'm doing Wahlberg-type moves while on the run?

Ah well.

Having run this Turkey Trot so many times, I knew the course well. I elected to run without my phone, which felt surprisingly invigorating. It enabled me to focus entirely on all the sights and sounds without thinking about photo opps, text messages, etc.

This was the first running I'd done since the Rock N Roll Las Vegas Half, so I wasn't sure what the paces would feel like. At the very least, I wanted to break 50 minutes.

Within the first half-mile, my Garmin said my pace was around a 9-minute mile. The idea momentarily crossed my mind that if I kept the pace up, I could attempt a sub-45. Then, a 9:00 pacer blew by me, which immediately brought me back down to reality. He passed with so much alacrity, it reminded me of this:

Either the pacer was going way too fast, or my Garmin was off-kilter. Either way, it was an easy decision to slow down and refocus on enjoying the course atmosphere.

My favorite parts of the course, as always, were the bridges. In previous Turkey Trot renditions, I've felt the bridge inclines quite acutely. With this in mind, I braced myself each time I approached. What a pleasant surprise to find the inclines didn't bother me at all. The hill training I did earlier this year apparently had stronger staying power than anticipated, woo hoo!

This Pittsburghese, as seen on several runners' shirts, just seemed appropriate to say here.

Around Mile 3, I spotted Molly and Julie on the course and shouted a hello. I saw them a second time around 4.25, and shouted another hello. Always so uplifting to see friends on the course!

With about a half-mile to go, I saw Adam again. Time to attempt another jumping pose. Check out the action stream he captured:

Still not quite there yet, but getting much closer - especially with #3!!! =D

With less than a quarter mile to go, I saw a man ahead of me wearing a banana suit. I instantly decided I didn't want to be beaten by the banana. I turned on the jets as best as I could and did manage to pass him shortly before crossing the finish line. It's funny what kinds of random encounters end up motivating you, eh?

My official finishing time was 48:01. Had I known how close I was to 48 minutes flat, I would have pushed a little harder to break 48. Even so, my time ended up being a course record for me by exactly 30 seconds. More importantly, my legs and lungs both felt really good throughout the duration. That was a nice morale boost.

Adam and I ran into several friends afterwards, including our friend Jared (who we didn't even know was running!) It was wonderful to catch up.

L to R: Adam, me, and Jared
Jared actually finished just a few seconds after I did, but surprisingly we never saw each other on the course!

Brian, Laurel, Julie, Adam, Hudson, me, Molly, Jacob

In summary, I was very happy to run this race again. I love the festivity, the atmosphere, and the backdrop. It was a great way to close out my 2016 racing season. Let's get the streak to six next year!

With that... I now have exactly zero races on the future calendar! Let's see how long this lasts...!

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Linking up with Marcia, Patti, and Erika for Tuesdays on the Run.