I decided this morning last minute that I would run the local turkey trot here in Kennewick, WA. I figured it would be a small local race with 100 or so runners. I showed up early to get registered and couldn't believe how full the parking lots were. Turns out this is a huge local race and there were a couple 1,000 participants.
Being out of state I how no clue who my competition would be. There were a couple of kids with University of Idaho track shirts on, another kid with a "NCAA Regional Cross Country Meet" shirt on, and tons of high school kids.
They started the race and the kid with NCAA shirt on took off fast with one high school kid. I was in third. The course is mostly flat and is an out and back (which was a huge logistical mistake). I passed the high school kid about 0.5 miles in and caught up to the NCAA kid at the mile mark. Mile 1 4:51
I pulled slightly in front and tried to pass the kid, but he tucked in behind me and matched my pace. So, around 1.5 miles in I threw in a surge to test if I could drop him, but he matched it. At mile 2 were we virtually together. Mile 2 4:51
Then it got crazy, the last mile we were running through a crowd of thousands of people that were spread across the entire road. There were strollers, kids, dogs on leashes...just mayhem. We were darting back and forth constantly looking for the best path to run through all these people. Lots of weaving and dodging. I managed to avoid two or three very near collisions. During this stretch I was like 5 seconds back from the other kid and it stayed that way to the finish. Mile 3 4:42
The last 0.15 we finished with kids doing their one mile run so once again it was tons of weaving and dodging. 0.15 miles in 44 seconds or 4:57 pace
In the end I was 15:09 for 3.15 miles. I don't think the course was long, I think the extra 0.05 came from the weaving in and out of thousands of people. My wife, Amy, said the clock was to 8:00 before all the racers had crossed the start line. Crazy.
I talked to the winner after the race and he runs for Wash St. and was a 8:55 steeplechaser last spring and hopes to run 8:45 this year. He was a nice kid.
The bad news is, I think I may have a stress fracture in my right tibia. I woke up yesterday morning and it hurt and then it hurt bad on the run yesterday and all day long after the run. It hurt even more running today. Hopefully, I'm wrong and it's something else. But if it is a stress fracture I figure I may as well run this race this morning and get one last good race in with my good fitness, because stress fractures require several weeks of laying off. Everyone keep your fingers crossed for me that it's something else! I will take tomorrow off and test it out on Saturday. | 
