Woot! Woot! I ran a Turkey Trot this year.  Last year I was laughing at all these people getting up early to run a 5K or 8K race before settling into a food coma the rest of the day.  This year, I was up and getting bundled and out there with them.  The local running club, Triple Cities Runners’ Club, held an 8K Turkey Trot to benefit its scholarship program.  I ran into many people I know that were also running this race and it was at a great location – Otsiningo Park in Binghamton (still kicking myself for not getting a photo of the sign at the park entrance).

The 8K began at what use to be a rest area on Interstate 81 North.  This rest area was closed – as far as the road was concerned – several years ago but it has been usurped into the park.  This is great as it means that there is a heated bathroom for the start, not porta-johns or nothing.  The race did two loops around the rest area and then headed out to Otisiningo North.  The course is a paved trail that parallels the Chenango River.  It is mostly flat and always being used by walkers or runners.  I will definitely head out to the park this winter for some of my runs as the trails tend to get cleared.

I ran a very fast 9:52 first mile and then settle a bit into around 11 minute miles for the remaining four miles.  I finished the almost five miles in under an hour which would have been my prediction if anyone had asked.