Jingle Bell 5k

I ran the Jingle Bell 5k the weekend before Carter was born so it has always had a special place in my heart. We had a few years there where they put on a super fun Ugly Sweater 5k and Beer/Eggnog Mile in Joplin. When they discontinued that race, we moved back to running the Jingle Bell 5k. With how Thanksgiving fell this year, I didn't realize there was only a week between the Turkey Trot and the Jingle Bell 5k when we signed up. I wanted to keep building fitness and I tapered off a little bit before the Turkey Trot because I wanted to run well and I knew I was going into it undertrained, so I ran a normal (for me for right now) volume with speedwork leading up to the Jingle Bell 5k. I knew for that reason and also because this race would likely be less competitive, I would run slower for this race, but I was hoping to still be under 22 minutes. There wasn't any pre-race communication sent out or if there was, we didn't get it, so we didn't pick up our packets until race morning. Elise was signed up for the mile fun run and Carter was in the 5k and planned to walk it with his Oma. Race start was 10am so we slept in and dillied around in the morning. I dillied a little too much because I was suddenly rushing around to do my yoga and get ready when it was almost time to leave. I ran 1.5 miles for a warm up and walked up to the race start with 3 minutes to race time which made my dad nervous because he had my bib. I ran the first portion of the race course but there was no signage on the course so I thought they may have changed the course. They hadn't, they just didn't put any signs out on the course except for at the 5k turn around. Thomas woke up late and arrived 9 minutes before the race start but had to use the restroom so he missed the race start by about 5 minutes. I didn't know that so I was looking for him at the start and couldn't find him. I figured he would pass me at some point at the beginning of the race.

I took off and had about 3 women ahead of me at the start, but by the half-mile mark I had moved into 1st female with 4 men ahead of me and by the mile mark I was 3rd overall with a sizable gap between the guy in 2nd and myself. My first mile was 6:48 and I was quite pleased. I thought it would be slower than that. We crossed the bridge to the other side of the river and it started getting a bit harder to keep pushing, especially knowing I wouldn't be able to catch anyone. I thought about slowing down a few times, but told myself to keep pushing to get in a good workout and finish in under 22 minutes. I hit the turn around and there were no volunteers there, just signs that said to turn around, no cone or anything. My 2nd mile was 7:04 and it was fun getting to see people still headed out as I was running back. I saw Thomas and couldn't tell if he was just coasting since he missed the start or if he was racing. He looked really strong. I was surprised to see Jeremy running with his dog, Moneypenny, because he'd told us he wasn't going to make it. Then I was even more surprised to see Elise as she was signed up for the mile. It turned out she missed the mile turn around because there was no sign and everyone around her was in the 5k so she ran all the way to the 5k turn around!

I tried to pick the pace up for the 3rd mile but was really feeling it and knew from the turn around that I had a nice lead on the 2nd female. My 3rd mile was 7:06 and then my finishing kick was 7:02 pace. When I finished I told Ty what happened with Elise, grabbed some water, and took off for a cool down to run back in with Elise. When I found her she told me, "Going out at my mile pace and then running a 5k was horrible." I was so impressed she just kept running. When I got to her, she wanted to do some walking so we walked a little bit together. Even going out at the correct pace for running a mile and not realizing she was in the 5k until she hit the 5k turn around, she still finished in 30 minutes which I found impressive! Her time isn't in the results since she didn't have a timing chip, but her time would have placed her in her age group had she been registered for the 5k. After getting Elise dropped off with Ty, I ran out to Carter and mom so I could walk in with them.

I was 3rd out of 209 overall and 1st out of 120 females with a time of 21:47. Thomas finished in 24:28 gun time, but 19:56 chip time. He was 13th overall based on his gun time, but was 2nd overall based on chip time. They used chip time for age group awards so he won his age group. Dad finished in 27:04 which was 33rd overall and 2nd in his age group. Jeremy finished in 31:51 which put him 77th overall and 4th in his age group. Mom finished in 52:52, 175th overall and 3rd in her age group. Carter finished with mom, but turned around a little early. He got lots of compliments on his Grinch jacket.

Past Jingle Bell 5k Posts:

2023- 21:38

2019- 20:32

2015- 20:56

2014- 23:05 (pregnant)

2012- 32:04 (the weekend before Carter was born)

Turkey Trot

Before falling during a trail run and ending up with stitches in my knee, my fall plan was for the Tulsa Run to be my target race for the season and then to key off that training to run a fast 5k at the Turkey Trot. I knew the Turkey Trot was growing and would be more competitive and I was hopeful I would still be able to compete for a top 3 female spot. With 2.5 weeks off and just a few weeks back running before the race, I knew I likely wouldn't be competing for a top female spot, but I could be competitive in my age group and was hoping I would be able to get back down under 22 minutes. I had been back to running for 3 weeks and I usually do a 3 week build before a back off week, so I decided to do a back off week the week before the Turkey Trot and hoped that would help me execute the race really well. I was super excited the evening before the race because my Garmin was showing I was "peaking" which it has never showed before. Usually it either shows I am productive or maintaining. I figured that was a good sign and I was ready to rock the race!

We left the right after school Friday before Thanksgiving and were in Topeka until Wednesday. Then we traveled to Pittsburg for the rest of the break. We packed for 9 days and we all know looking at a forecast that far out isn't the best. When I packed for the race it showed it would in the low 40's at race start so I packed capri tights. I thought about packing full length tights in case it ended up being colder than forecasted, but I didn't have much room in my bag, so opted to be optimistic that it would be warmer for the race. Race morning was 28 degrees, feels like 20 degrees and I was really regretting that choice. I ended up borrowing a pair of tights from my mom that were old and not super tight so they moved and slid as I ran, but it was better than being super cold! I ran from my parents' house to the race start and realized I was running the last kilometer of the race which was nice to get a little heads up on what the last portion of the race would look like. I ended up with 1.5 miles as my warm up with 4 strides toward the end to get my legs ready to run faster.

I found Thomas after a quick porta potty stop and we went to the race start together. He was coming off a Sunday half marathon so wasn't going to be in top racing form either, but he's in much better shape than I am, so I knew we wouldn't be running together. I saw Julie who I ran against in high school and who won the race last year as well as the younger girl who I outkicked toward the end of the race last year to take 2nd overall. I wasn't sure about the other women around me and what they were capable of, but I knew those 2 would be strong competition. We took off and I counted 8 women ahead of me. I felt really strong and was pleased when my first mile split was 6:50. I was slowly catching women ahead of me and by the 2nd mile mark I worked my way into 5th female. My 2nd mile was 6:52 and I was really excited with how consistent I was running. I was slowly closing the gap to the women in 3rd and 4th and felt good about my ability to catch them. I wasn't sure that I would be able to gap them once I did, but I was sure I could reel them in. 

We hit the 4k mark where I had run my warm up and the woman in 4th had overtaken the woman in 3rd and was looking really strong. I could tell the woman in 4th was fading and I was confident I could pass her with authority, but wasn't sure about the one in 3rd. I passed into 4th with a half mile to go and she went with me. We both pulled up next to the woman in 3rd as we turned a corner and I pulled ahead of both of them. A few strides down the sidewalk, the woman who had been in 3rd came roaring past me and I just didn't have anything left to go with her. I knew I probably should have coasted behind her for a bit before passing her, but since the other woman had gone with me and we were running side by side, I had wanted to pull away from her and passed into 3rd too soon. I felt like I was really pushing it, but my last mile ended up being my slowest at 6:58. I had pushed really hard the 2nd mile to move up in the overall female standing, so I think that took enough out of me, I struggled a bit the last mile. I knew the woman behind me was really close so I pushed as hard as I could to hold onto 4th female and ran the last section of the race in 6:44 pace. I finished with an official time of 21:39. They changed the course this year and it was a smidge longer so even though my time was slower, I averaged a faster pace with a 6:53 average.

I walked away from the finish line excited with my time, but also wishing I'd been able to hold on a little better at the end and finish in 3rd overall female. When I looked at the race results I saw it showed I was 5th overall female. I was really confused and then saw that the woman who got 2nd overall started the race late so her chip time was faster, but she finished behind me with gun time. I felt better about not holding on to the woman I passed at the end since she was 4th overall anyway. Had I not missed out on training with my stitches, I think I could have been more competitive and been in the top 3, but given the circumstances, I was quite pleased with how I ran and I was only 14 seconds off 2nd place. Thomas finished in 20:41 which put him 41th out of 713 overall and 3rd out of 31 in his age group. I was 24th overall and was 1st out of 47 in my age group. After I finished, I ran back out on the course cheering for everyone and ran back in to the finish with Dad and Elise who ran together again. They finished in 163rd and 164th overall in 27:38. Elise was 2nd out of 26 in her age group and the only girl in front of her was 12. Dad was 2nd out of 16 in his age group and was only 35 seconds behind 1st place. Mom, Carter, and Ty all walked the course. Carter got tired so he and Ty cut back a bit early and didn't cross the finish line. Mom finished in 56:45 which put her 661st overall and 6th out of 7 in her age group.

Elise was 2nd but they called her as 3rd because they had a 12 year old boy listed as a girl in the results.

Since I was first in my age group, I got a blanket again. I love that they do that. It's a very fun and unique award.

Last year's race post can be found here. Before this race started, we ran the Joplin Turkey Trot in 2019, 2017, and 2016 and a Turkey Day 5k in Tulsa before that in 2015, 2014, and 2013. This race is by far our favorite! We also did a Virtual Turkey Trot during Covid.

What I Read: November

I always love reading Native American and Indigenous authors in November and came across some really good ones this month! The first few books of the month were ones that rolled over from October as I hadn't quite finished them yet, then it was on to Native Authors for the rest of the month with a couple others sprinkled in.

Books:

• Dyslexia and Reading Difficulties: A Manual for Parents, Educators, and Students: Volume V- History of Special Education by David P. Hurford, Ph.D.- First of all, this book was written by my dad!!!! It was very thorough and did a great job showing how laws and action have come together over time to create the inclusive learning environments we have today. It also highlighted the work we still have to do to ensure students with dyslexia and reading difficulties receive the services they need based on the science of reading. 

• What the Fireflies Knew by Kai Harris- This was a beautiful story about a young girl wading ay through grief and trauma while still wanting the things all children want. "In life, we're going to get hurt. If we stay focused on the hurt, and nothing else, then we won't ever be able to heal. But if we focus on the healing, well, then we'll start to notice that hurt disappear. It's all a matter of what you choose to focus on." The ending was so well done and her description of the caterpillar was perfect.

• I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones- This one doubled as a book I wanted to read in October and didn't get to as well as a book written by a native author. There is so much I want to say, but so much I don't want to spoil. Stephen Graham Jones always ends his books in an unexpected way I didn't see coming, but it's so perfect, you can't imagine it ending any other way. I loved seeing a slasher through the slasher's eyes. It was an interesting twist after reading The Indian Lake trilogy which is written through the final girl's eyes.

With Halloween nails!

• The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava- This was hard to read at times because I wanted to talk some sense into Ember! She figured things out in the end, thankfully, and ended up with her Native Daddy. I went to a book event with Nava and she was an absolute joy and had so much fun energy, I would have liked her book even if it wasn't good, but it was!

Reading on the couch with my cuties!

• Dyslexia and Reading Difficulties: A Manual for Parents, Educators, and Students: Volume VI- The Application of Special Education Law by David P. Hurford- This comprehensive book on the application of special education law is a must read for parents who have children on IEPs. It takes parents through the entire process, shares their legal rights, and even details how to request accomodations on college entrance exams.

• Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline- Winifred is a lovable oddball labeled Wednesday Addams by her peers at school. She lives in a cemetery with her dad and her mom buried nearby. She has one human friend and her dog, Mrs. Dingleberry who is so fat, she pulls him around in a wagon. Then Phil comes along and changes everything.

• Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones- I read this in little pockets here and there and felt like I missed a lot of the underlying meaning because I didn't get the chance to sit down and focus on just reading the story.

• The First Cat in Space and the Wrath of the Paperclip by Mac Barnett & Shawn Harris- The kids and I went to a book event for the release of this book which made it even more fun to read. The addition of the unicorns was it for me. I also really enjoyed cat being a normal cat without his space suit. I loved this one.

• The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose- I started this one after Thanksgiving and it was so short, I finished it before December! I was expecting a different kind of mystery, but this was so Molly! What would be obvious to anyone else was a mystery to her. This was a fun, little novella to start the Christmas reading season!

eBooks:

• The Answer Is No by Fredrik Backman- I came across a free version of this short story before it was officially released. It might be the one good thing that has come from Facebook ads! This short story had me laughing quite a bit. It was quirky and fun with a few interesting twists. I love Backman!

• Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger- A girl who can call ghosts to her, a ghost dog, a ghost mammoth, fairies, vampires, good friends, and attempting to solve a suspicious death. Need I say more?

• Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse- This book was setting the stage for a war in book 3 so it wasn't quite as exciting as the first book, but I loved getting to know the characters better. There were some surprising reveals throughout the book. It was chock full of incredible female heroines and I loved that! I listened to the first book as an audiobook which was nice because I knew how to pronounce all the characters' names for this one. I asked for the 3rd book in the series for Christmas and I'm excited to read it as a regular book.

Audiobooks:

• The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix- "Ever wonder what happens to those final girls after all their plans go belly up and all their weapons fail... they turn into women and they live." The Final Girl Support Group follows final girls who have joined together to support each other through their trauma, only to be targeted again. I enjoyed this take on the lives of final girls after the movie ends and before/while the sequel begins. My mom and I are going to an author event for Hendrix's new book in January so I'm catching up on his newer books which I hadn't read yet.

• LaRose by Louise Erdrich- I didn't like this as much as her other books, but it was good. I may have struggled to get into it as an audiobook and would have done better as a regular books. I've read her other books as physical books.

• Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse- I knew I was likely in for a book without an ending when I saw it was the first ins a series, but talk about a cliff hanger! It took a while for me to sort out the timeline and piece all of the characters together since I was listening to this as an audiobook, but once I did, it was so worth it! Every character was so complex and left you rooting for each one. I loved this book and am so excited to read the sequel.

• Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology by Shane Hawk- When I first saw this book and read all the authors listed I was blown away. There were so many incredible authors in one collection! I'm not always a fan of short stories because I want to stay with my characters longer, but these were all awesome!