I am not a huge Thanksgiving fan, other than my love of pie, but one event I never miss out on since starting running in 2011 is the Boulevard Bolt. The Boulevard Bolt is a 5 mile run held in Belle Meade in Nashville, TN every Thanksgiving supporting charities to help the homeless population here. I have years with great times (2015 being the fastest) and years where I am just happy to be out there running (this year).

This year, I have not been running enough, or really at all. I think my longest run has probably been about four miles, and I have accepted that, so I ran a little (one three mile run and one 15 minute treadmill run) to get ready and not hurt myself this past month. I know leaving the race I will not run over four miles for two weeks to make sure I build up slowly as I move into trying to start some consistent training again. I am beginning to find myself in a good place with a three days on, one day off plan to get started again.

Another thing about the Bolt, you won’t find chip times for majority of the runners. Only people who are actually competitive or want to deprive someone who is competitive of their chance at an age group place get those bibs. There’s a limited number for money reasons, so most of us are literally just there to support the charities, enjoy a run, and maybe have a little extra room for an extra slice of pie at the end of the day.

As for my run, it was about what I expected and I wanted. I started in the middle with other runners, so there would be no zig-zagging through walkers like I have dealt with other years. I sprinted for a minute to get out to where the crowd thinned out, and then pulled back to a comfortable pace.

The remainder of the rolling course I know so well, I tried to keep my pace steady, which my husband makes fun of me for. I consistently run at the same pace I ran my marathon at during Ironman Louisville in 2016, and I do that because it is zone 2 when I am in shape, and if it isn’t zone 2, then I need to get it back there.

I got passed by a Santa, an elf, a turkey (plastic turkey costume), a Native American, some pilgrims, construction workers, and a guy in a cut off business suit. The only disappointing part was that the guy who normally shows up in a suit covered in Perky Jerky (a brand of Turky Jerky) was absent this year, and normally I feel good as long as I do not let him beat me.

Overall, I had a good run and a good day. I have leftover pumpkin pie that will become breakfast pie this week, and I am looking forward to being in maybe slightly better running shape by this time next year, depending on how my accounting classes are treating me.