Lincolnwood Turkey Trot Race Report
Shh! I broke the “rules” at the Lincolnwood Turkey Trot on Sunday- I wore the race shirt to do the race!
It wasn’t planned, but it was absolutely necessary! Don’t turn me in! Ha ha. On the ride down to Lincolnwood, I realized it was 13°F out, 10 degrees cooler than my run the day before*. And I had been cold on the previous day’s run… while wearing more clothing than on my way to the race. Oops.
So when I picked up my packet and saw a long sleeved tech tee in it, I was excited to have another layer! I even had an extra pair of gloves in my car to layer up my hands, too**. I think I’m just going to leave some extra gear in the car for the future*** – I won’t always be that lucky! Do you leave any running gear in your car?
Anyway.
Erin has told me how great this race is in the past – especially how flat it is and easy for spectators to find their runners. I’ve wanted to do this race for awhile and this is the first time it’s worked with my schedule! Anne showed me a deal to do it for a discounted price and we both signed up to do the 5k together! Erin ran the 10K, and my friend Kelly from Essential Fitness did the 5K too!
Anne, me and Erin
Me and Kelly
Thanks to Erin’s husband for the pics! Steven was planning to come spectate, but he’s sick. And standing outside in the cold seemed like a bad idea!
Lincolnwood is just north of Chicago, and the race start was super close to the highway, so it was quick to get to, and easy to find, with free parking. I loved that it didn’t start until 8:45 am and I got to sleep in until 6:30. Woo hoo! I don’t mind a race start at that time when it’s cold out****! And they had a sponsor tent and fire pit to hang out in and stay warm before the race. I actually got there a bit too early since it was such an easy drive so I just hung out outside until I saw my friends. I even used the race’s gear check. Normally I just throw my stuff in the car, but I wanted to keep my coat on a little bit longer this time. Ha ha. Anyway, it was great to have that service offered! I think they announced that it was the 38th year of this race, and they really have the organization down.
Oh! The actual race! Hee hee. Our plan was to take it easy! I am coming off the marathon, Anne was recovering from the flu, and we just wanted to have a good time. We were successful! The sun was shining, the course was pancake flat, and the race went off without a hitch (even thought it was so cold that I almost slipped at the aid station because all the spilled water had turned in to slick ice! ha ha). The sad part is when it ended and we didn’t get to chat any longer. We’ll have to take more time at the next race/run. It’s just so nice to catch up with a friend by doing a race together. 5K’s just not enough! Or maybe I talk too much? Nah…
*But less windy, which does count for something.
**This walk to the car to change must be when I lost the sock? Who knows. Ha ha.
***Or, I could actually go outside and see how warm I feel in my outfit before leaving the house. Ha ha. I just tend to dress really cold for runs and am usually okay. Not so much this weekend. Derp. It’s not like they announced 5000x on the radio how cold it was going to be, or anything.
****In the summer that would be a deal breaker!
Themocracy
I was wondering if you were cold on Saturday! I was thinking to myself, “I hope she has an extra layer or 2 on that I don’t see!” I had 2 layers on under my fleece vest and felt pretty good most of the time.
This sounds like a fun race! I’m glad you got to do it with Anne. 🙂
When I did the Polar Dash with Riyanti they actually handed out bottled water and gatorade at stations to avoid some of the spilled drink ice slicks. I thought it was weird at first until I realized their reasoning and it helped. I was reading Pete’s race report and he mentioned the aid station ice too! That’s dangerous!
Ha ha ha. You know me! That was it for my layering. And you know I go commando BUAHAHAHHAHAH TMI.
It was a fun race! I didn’t mind the cold but it was unfortunate for watching people come in after. I got a bit cold (should’ve grabbed my jacket earlier but wanted to watch the 10Kers!).
Good call, Polar Dash! And yeah, that was too bad with the slipping!
Sounds like a good one. Close to my old stomping grounds too. I’m such a dunce I saw the discount for this race but assumed it was on Thanksgiving so ignored it. Would’ve been fun. Glad you had an extra layer. Brrrr.
I have a bunch of gear in my car, but more because I’m not that organized than anything else. I drive a big car and in the winter, I just leave stuff around and eventually have a collection in the trunk. Plus three or four pairs of shoes, because why not?!
Love your hats 🙂
Sounds like your car would have been VERY handy this day! 🙂
Thanks! I love silly animal hats! 🙂
How embarrassing to run with someone wearing the race shirt. Sigh. Are you a newbie? J/K, if I hadn’t been wearing 2 shirts under my jacket already, I would have done the same 🙂 And those are nice shirts!
I loved our run together, but you’re right, we needed more time! Next year, a very leisurely 10k!
I should really have gear in my car – I’ve needed it on so many occasions, but never remember to throw stuff in (like extra layers, gloves, hat for when it’s raining, etc.).
Ha ha ha! Will you ever race with me again?!!?!?! 🙂 I think I will keep this shirt! I quite like it!
Yes, very leisurely. I am thinking… let’s aim for a 10K PW on purpose? Can we just walk it? With chai lattes in our hands?
Hmm, I can’t think of a time you would ever want a hat for the rain. Nah. 😉
Only if we race in extreme weather! And I really like the shirt, I need more long-sleeved tech tees 🙂
I’d love to do an intentional PW (personal wUrst, right?) sometime. Let’s not even bother with running clothes LOL
See, and despite that time, I still haven’t put a hat in the car!
You guys could have kept on the 10k course instead of following the 5k signs. Then you could have talked a little longer. Oh well, maybe next year!
And here I am, whimpering about the low of 51 degrees for my Turkey Trot on Thursday. I have thin Florida girl skin! Haha. Probably sounds WONDERFUL to you! The problem is, it’s going to be in the 70s EVERY OTHER DAY but Thanksgiving. It’s like Mother Nature hates me.
sounds like fun, again..I know I said I don’t pay attention, but you look very strong and lean
Another cool (cold) race report, love the head gear. I did the Lincolnwood Tofukey Trot years ago and recall it being a great race with a local feel to it.
Yeah it is BAD to run in the race shirt but 1/. you had a valid reason 2/. it was under wraps.
Think the only extras I keep in the car is a spare pair of shoes for after especially handy after running a mud trail and a pair of gloves. Maybe keeping a spare running kit might be a good idea incase you are driving past an area and see a trail and think hmmm wonder how far and where that goes.
I’m glad you finally got to run this race! Hopefully you can do it again next year and hopefully it won’t be sub-freezing temperatures!