I wanted to have something to do as the weather gets colder and the days get shorter, so when I saw a Turkey Leg 5K just blocks from my house, I thought about signing up. Then when I saw that it was being put on by a friend (of a friend:)) from Wasatch Running, I was sold. We were going to be having Thanksgiving at my aunts house nearby, so I sent an email to my family inviting anyone that wanted to come run with me. I was a little surprised and very happy when 4 of my 5 brothers signed up (only missing the one who couldn't make it from Denver), and my Mom and Dad even said they would walk it. I was wondering how it would turn out with the weather being unpredictable beforehand, and forecasts for single digit temps for the start, but everyone just bundled up and headed out. It was a little chilly as people milled around waiting for the start, but I kept my big coat on and felt pretty good. Took a jog around the park with my oldest brother to get the blood flowing and the heart rate up. Said hi to Jun who was there to watch his son run, and also met Aaron and Nan, which was fun. We got our place near the front of the pack, two of my brothers sporting their VFF's. We started off fast for the first little bit, I had to reign myself in a little so that I didn't overdo it. I had planned for a 7 min first mile, then see how much I could push it after that. My two older brothers ran right with me as I kept our pace. When the Garmin beeped for mile 1 I looked down and our time was 7:00 right on the nose. At the turn just after the first mile there's a very gradual incline, just enough to slow you down a little, but I tried to keep the pace consistent, though we didn't really go any faster which I was hoping a little for. Once we hit the top of the hill we dropped one of my brothers, I think the cold air was bugging his allergies/asthma, so he slowed down a little. We blew past a few people on the downhill (about mile 2) and then ran past the park where the finish is and into a neighborhood that would loop us back. I pulled a little ahead of my oldest brother, but could still hear him breathing behind me, still staying hooked to my shoulder. We pulled into the park and ran the 'lap' around the park that takes you to the finish. With about 100 yards to go, my brother pulled up beside me and said "OK, on three! One Two, Three!" and we began our sprint to the finish. I couldn't keep up with his long legs and he pulled a few seconds ahead to pull off the win - though he won't take credit for it, saying that I did all the work pacing the whole time. Brother three came in 1 minute later, with the younger two finishing their first official 5Ks in 25 and 29 minutes. The two of us that finished together then ran backwards on the course to find my parents, and caught them just at the top of the hill as we ran up it. We walked/jogged with them as they finished their first official 5K as well. My mom had also run into some people from the old neighborhood where we used to live, so they had a fun time catching up. I was proud of my Mom and Dad for coming along and finishing the course. They had a great time. The weather ended up being just beautiful for the race - clear and sunny (and yes cold) and the race was very well done. Roads and paths were well marked and well salted where needed, and the Tech tees that came with registration were sweet. They changed the course up slightly due to ice conditions, and I actually liked the changes, as it took you past the finish so that spectators could see you run by. While I was hoping to try and push for a sub 20 5K, I'm very happy with my PR of 21:15 (unofficial - 6:52 average), along with the fun it was to run with my family and meet some very cool people from the blog. This will have to become a Turkey Day tradition.
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