No better way to boost my metabolism and have fun in the community than to participate in the 43rd Annual YMCA Turkey Day Fun run.

I knew what to expect as far as chilly temperatures.  I ran in the same conditions a few days ago with my group.  I purchased a pair of Livestrong women’s lightweight running gloves to provide protection to what was early signs of frostbite the other day.

I arrived at the Northeast YMCA an hour early and there were plenty of parking spaces.  The atmosphere was very laid back and family oriented.   I chatted with a college student majoring in Kinesiology up in Wiscosin to pass time.

I spotted a familiar face of Lynn Riedling.  She’s one of my running idols.  At 54 years old, she slays 5ks like a high school cross country champion.  She’s a 1st grade teacher too.  Lynn totally rocks!

The race started at 8:30 and the feel like temps of 14 degrees were no joke!  I used vitamin E oil to protect my face and blistex for my soup coolers.  My hair was in a protective bun with coconut oil. 

My first mile split was 6:56.  My hands were still cold with the Livestrongs.  I even doubled up with a pair of the freebie cotton gloves from a race last winter. 

It was so cold that the half way water stop had to use bottles because the smaller cups would have frozen.  I felt so bad taking two sips from a slushy water bottle and tossing. 

Finally, I can hear the DJ and announcer so I knew the finish line was near.  I dug deep for the last quarter mile and sprinted towards the finish. 

My time was 40:35 landing me 3rd in my age group.  The race is advertised as a 10k but part of the fun is to guess the distance up to a thousandth of a mile.  The official distance was 6.040.

The top three men and women were awarded turkeys and trophies.   First place in each age division were awarded trophies as well.

I stuck around for the door prizes and I saw a family from the Throo the Zoo race.  The mother told me her boys have been doing this Turkey Trot since they were 2 yrs old. 

I sipped hot tea and cheered on the women’s division winners before I parted ways.  This will be an annual event for me as it is for many others.  There were participants from 23 states.

♡KelsieLou♡