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There is something about a Turkey Trot that brings all the joy of fall together.
The brisk air, the community atmosphere, the freshness that comes with being outside for a few hours, the cooking turkey smells when you come in the door post race.
It is not an event to be missed.
Thankfully, Turkey Trots happen all over the country on Thanksgiving, so you do not have to miss out on this event, but can join in the fun whether it is your first race ever, or you are a veteran runner.
With all the focus on the holidays themselves, starting the training for a Turkey Trot now may be completely off your radar. However, if you enjoyed your summer, and are well aware of the new school year stress, then you need to start planning and training for your Thanksgiving day movement now.
Regardless of your limited time, you can easily train for a Turkey Trot. It does not take hours in the gym, or seriously long runs to get to finish line ready status, but rather 4-5 days a week of focused strength workouts and interval training.
These nine tips will ensure that you are ready for that Turkey Trot start line even though your time is short and missing workouts is a regular occurrence because of schedule changes, needing more time to lesson plan or grade, and kids being sick, needy, or refusing bedtime.
Many of these tips are the same ones I used when training for my third marathon and finished with my best marathon time to date.
Time On Your Feet
The race itself is not the only physicality you need to be prepared for. Often times, these Turkey Trots come with a longer walk to the start line because of parking and crowds, some standing around at the start, the race itself, some socializing afterwards, and the walk back to your car.
If we assume the race is a 5k, you could be on your feet for anywhere from 2-3 hours, which means you need to be able to be on your feet now in your day-to-day life for that length of time.
As teachers and moms, many of you can already do this, and longer. However, if you have fallen into a rut of sitting throughout a chunk of your teaching day, push yourself to start standing and roaming the classroom for longer periods of time. You could also get a standing desk (or use the top of a file cabinet like I used to) for your stationary work of grading, emails, and parent follow ups.
Have a Clear Training Plan
Instead of spending your short, valuable time researching individual workouts and hemming and hawing over what to do when you show up to exercise, take the guesswork out of it with a done for you training plan. This way, you will know exactly what you need to do each day for the next few months or weeks as you prepare to crush that Turkey Trot finish line.
The Finish Line Strong Training Plan is ideal for a Turkey Trot since it comes with a beginner (think couch to 5k), intermediate, and advanced training plans. With intervals, longer runs, and strength workouts each week, you have exactly what you need to do at your fingertips to make this your quickest, easiest, and most fun Turkey Trot yet.
Grab your Finish Line Strong Training Plan here and get started!
Eat Well
Even though this is the season for indulgences, and you should, do it in moderation. Stick with lots of vegetables and lean proteins to help fuel your runs and recover your muscles. Some vegetable loaded meals you can easily make ahead include:
Strength Train
When runners come to work with me, they are usually 100% focused on the running. Yes, the running is important, but so is strength training.
As runners, we are not working all our muscles and tend to be very quad dominant. Runner specific strength workouts that focus on hamstring strengthening, core stability, shoulder strength, and balance can take your running from good to great.
Just 15-20 minutes of focused strength is all you need.
Hydrate
Drinking water on race day is not enough! You need to hydrate every day and especially kick it into gear four days out from your race.
Aim for half your body weight in ounces each day. You might find yourself running to the bathroom more frequently at first, but be consistent for at least a week to give your body a chance to regulate itself. You will start to notice less bloating, clearer skin, more energy, and an awareness of when your body is lacking water.
Snag your Hidrate smart water bottle for $5 off with code Brooke5. Good until 11/24/19, so you can have it in time to hydrate before your Turkey Trot!
Do Core Work
Your legs will be exhausted long before your core gives out. At least that is the way it should be. When you see runners towards the end of races crossing their arms in front of their chests rather than having their hands go from shoulder to hip, their core is failing. This means they are limiting their lung capacity and their bodies are not moving efficiently.
Check out what I mean in this Facebook Live. Skip to minute 5:25 to see running arms in action.
By doing some consistent core strengthening, you can avoid this sign of fatigue. Work in some core building (think planks, extensions, sit ups) at least two or three times a week. You can easily fit in a quick core routine after a run. A few to check out:
- Core Stability Workout
- Core Burner Workout
- Cardio & Core Circuit Workout
- Sprint Core Crusher
- Tabata Abs
Be Accountable
Sure you are intrinsically motivated to cross that finish line, but having a coach, trainer, friend, or coworker keep you accountable to your workouts can help prevent you skipping workouts. Especially as it gets colder and that frost covers the ground. Those mornings are going to be harder to get up and out.
Be Ready For Race Day
Whether a turkey trot or another 5k, you want to be prepared for race day as much as possible. You have done the training, but there a few specific things to expect on race day that you might not have been prepared for. During my first marathon, I could not believe how long we were standing in the corrals waiting to start!
Have fun with it!
Turkey trots are designed to be fun. Many of them raise money, food, or winter gear for others and offer motivating prizes like pies or turkeys.
Join in on the fun with silly costumes, bringing your friends, or making it a point to just enjoy the race scenery and energy.
Grab your Finish Line Strong Training Plan here to be confident and ready for race day. Not only will you comfortably cross that finish line regardless of your ability level, but you will be ready for more.
Some must have gear for runs that I personally cannot run without:
- Arm Band
- Nathan Handheld Water Bottle
- Endurolyte Salt Pills
- Yurbuds
- Garmin Forerunner 265
- Gu’s
- Body Glide
I’m Brooke Selb, a Personal Trainer and Health Coach specializing in helping busy moms and moms to be to easily juggle mom life with family friendly recipes, and easy exercise routines to help you achieve your fitness goals that fit in with your already busy life with sound nutritional advice.
