Thanksgiving and the Return to the Front Range

This Thanksgiving Meg and I made a roadtrip out to Wisconsin with my parents, sister, and her husband to visit relatives in the land of beer, cheese, and brats. However this time it was the land of desserts! Thanksgiving and other Holidays are the time of year when I run less and eat more- especially regarding foods that I rarely enjoy during the rest of the year. Here's a small smattering of the guilty pleasures I indulged in that led to the gaining of a solid 5 lbs of muscle:

Multiple Dairy Queen Buster Bars, Mint Oreo Blizzard, Lots o' Pumpkin Pie, Lots o' Lemon Meringue Pie, Lots o' Apple Spice Cake, Multiple Manderfields Bakery of Appleton Persian Doughnuts, 1 Coca-Cola with REAL sugar- no HFCS for this guy! Multiple Taco Bell bean burritos that fueled the drive, my favorite post race breakfast meal- Biscuits and Gravy topped with 3 scrambled eggs and Cholula! The list goes on...needless to say fun was had by all!

When I wasn't eating I'd get out for 6-10 miles most days and explore some of the county parks that have great Nordic terrain once the snow accumulates. On Turkey day morn the Burch clan headed out for the local Turkey Trot in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Coming into the race I wanted to run hard and have fun, not knowing at which mile my fast twitch muscle fibers might kick in. It had been awhile since the turnover has been running around 6 min/mile pace.

I started out conservative clocking the first mile in 6:20. The body felt good and I didn't feel any lactate build up so I began to pick up the pace. Around mile 2 I slipped into 3rd on an icy patch but managed to stay upright. For the next 1.5 miles the course was blanketed by a cush 1'' layer of snow atop a bike path. I passed 2nd during a descent out of the park around mile 3. The last two miles I continued to increase the pace and finished 2nd in 30:32. First place ran a strong 29:43. For my effort I won a 20 lb turkey to assist with my tryptophan induced food coma that would occur later that day.

Back at the house I went online to see the official results. My timing chip failed me! There was no indication that I started, finished, or was even at the race! How I love technology! Overall it was a fun time. I may even run a handful of shorter road races for 2011...can't believe I just said that! Most things go full circle in life...

Speaking of which, Meg and I are returning to Fort Collins for 2011! After we returned from Wisconsin we blitzkrieged to find housing and we move in January 1. Meg will start a grad program and I will continue the quest to find sustainable income and a "career." I will miss the Drums, Callahans, and Parrs of the world and the frequent summits of Signal. Upon my return I will be doing some recon work on my runs to find a lesser Signal in Fort Collins. This will probably be some obscure high point on one of the foothills ridges since I will be starting from the doorstep with a 2.5 mile paved warmup before hitting the dirt. Also looking forward to reconnecting with the Clarks, Hansons, Godings, and Joneses of the world. Enjoy your holiday season and here's to 2011!