Outback Steakhouse Distance Classic Half Marathon & 6K

What better day to race than on Thanksgiving, burning off that extra piece of turkey you'll later consume. The three of us (me, Dad, and Tania) all trotted off to PRs on Turkey day in what were perfect conditions for us to achieve our goals. The day started off to the usual 6:00 AM wake up, each one of us getting up after each other. We were out the door by 6:45, all prepared to seize our chances in these perfect conditions to PR. My goal was to get top 10 in my 3-19 age group and beat my time from two years ago. Tania's goal was more or less the same, also trying to break her time from two years ago. Dad's goal was to beat his previous half marathon time (his best time since we moved to Florida in 2006) that he achieved at the Jacksonville Marine Corps Half Marathon in October. After a short half mile warm up we toed the line, each one of us with our goals in mind. When the gun would go off Tania and I would be gunning to complete the 6K while Dad went on to complete the half marathon. Once the race crew was ready, they fired the cannon and we took to the streets. I got into my desired pace and cruised through the first mile in 6:40. I tried to speed up but couldn't. My calves were very tight due to my previous day's speed workout. But I kept on pursuing my goal. By mile 3, fatigue started to set in. I was right on pace for a 25 and I continued to endure the pain until the finish line, which I crossed in 25:07. I placed 9th of 135 runners in the 19 and under age group and earned 25 more Grand Prix points. But that was just the beginning of one of the three PRs that would be set that day. Directly after my finish, I set out to find Tania and help her with her goal. I met her right in time as she pushed the pace for the last half mile and crossed the line in 38:20, a 45 second improvement from two years ago. After my sister's finish we got some fruit and then I set out to fetch my dad and help him towards a PR. Once I met up with him I gave him his sports drink as he pushed the pace. Apparently, he saved too much in the tank because I couldn't even keep up with his break-neck pace for the last mile. Dad crossed the line in 1:42, a three minute improvement on his best time from just a month ago. Dad is starting to feel more confident about his chances to run a 3:30 in the Jax Bank Marathon on Dec. 21 and qualify for the Boston Marathon. It was a good day for all of us and it gave us some comfort knowing that we could go for that extra piece of turkey afte having burned a plethora of calories. This race marked the end of my serious training as I start to taper for the AAU Cross Country Nationals in Decatur, Alabama next Saturday. After that I will get back into the base phase and gear myself up for the long distance racing season. So long and keep running!