So you signed up for a Turkey Trot. Or someone signed you up. Same difference.
Whether you had the best intentions for training, or you were taken totally by surprise, life happened and now Thanksgiving is almost here. Those 3.1 miles are coming, if you’re ready or not. You may not be able to become an elite runner in 14 days, but you can show up prepared enough to finish, have fun, and be home in time for the parade and pie. Let’s do this.
Start At The Beginning
Before you do anything else, lace up and head out for 20 to 30 minutes. Walk, run, mix it up. Just do whatever feels right that day. Pay attention to how long you can keep moving and how you feel the next morning. This is your starting point, and this is the foundation on which you can build. If something hurts, back off and walk. Turkey Trots are for fun, not for injuries.
Keep The Next Two Weeks Boring
At this point, you don’t need speed work, hill repeats, or a complicated schedule. Three run-walk days a week is more than enough for your upcoming Turkey Trot. Try 25 to 35 minutes at a pace where you can carry on a conversation (or complain about the person who talked you into this). Add one longer outing on the weekend, maybe 40 to 50 minutes, even if you’re mostly walking. In between, walk when you can. Stretch, if you like stretching. Sleep is always good, too, The goal is consistency.
Practice Race Morning Routines
Do at least one morning session in the shoes and clothes you plan to wear. The rule is nothing new on race day, not even cute socks. Figure out breakfast, too. Some people need toast and coffee a full two hours before. Some of us roll out the door with half a banana and hope. Find out which one you are before race day, while the pressure is low and your bathroom is close.
Pick A Reasonable Goal
PRs are fun, but they’re not the only goal worth pushing for. Your goal could be finishing without walking the last mile. It could be keeping your intervals steady, or staying with your sister, or getting one decent finish line photo. Turkey trots get crowded fast. The first mile is usually a mess of strollers, dogs, walkers in jeans, and one guy dressed as a turkey who went out way too fast. Settle in. Let them go.
Race Week Is Not For Catching Up
When race week falls during Thanksgiving week, people tend to get a little panicky and try to cram everything in. Don’t be those people. Take it easy that final week. Go for a couple easy run-walks, rest the day before, lay your stuff out early so you’re not tearing the house apart looking for a bib belt at 6 AM on race day. Check parking and packet pickup the night before, too. Give yourself extra time, use the bathroom when you see one, then use it again. If you know, you know. Just be as prepared as you can be, and go have fun.
Two weeks isn’t enough for a perfect training cycle, and that’s just fine. Move a little most days, keep it simple, and walk into Thanksgiving morning with a plan. Turkey trots are supposed to be a fun start to the holiday. Finishing sweaty, hungry, and laughing a bit sounds like a pretty solid win to me. Are you racing yours, taking on intervals, or walking and chatting the whole way?
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