St. Bernadette's Turkey Trot - race #11

     What a great way to get rid of the guilt of eating all that turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie!  On a warm morning two days after Thanksgiving I was ready to race away the calories at St. Bernadette's Turkey Trot 5K race in Drexel Hill on Nov. 26.  Over 200 people took part in the race, which benefitted the children of St. Bernadette Church and the school community.  (See photos and video of the race at http://tinyurl.com/6mhqc7m).
     Arriving at the church, I picked up my bib and got in lined up on Bond Avenue with the other runners, including Kevin's sister Kathy and her boyfriend Ian.  With tons of energy, we headed down towards Agnew Drive, where we turned left and passed Hillcrest Elementary School.  We then banked left onto Marvine Avenue for several blocks.  I ran in this area last May during St. Dorothy's 5K run and it's great!  The terrain is mostly flat and the tree-lined streets and stone homes are such a gem of Drexel Hill.  Compared to the hot, sunny day at the St. Dot's race, the cooler and cloudier weather was more my running style.
     After a quick left onto Ormond Ave. and a short right onto Bond Ave., we turned left at Lindale Ave.  I felt good, though a little winded, and I was excited when Kathy informed we clocked an 8-minute mile.  Once we made a left onto Dermond Ave., I was happy to see the residents who were cheering us on at 9 a.m. on a Saturday.  The race volunteers were awesome too and the turns were clearly marked throughout the course.
     Nearing the homestretch, we made short lefts onto Blythe Ave. and then Marvine Ave. before turning right on Wilde Ave. and then Cedar Lane for the near straight shot to the finish line.  With a left onto Shadeland, we turned at Bond Ave. and up a little hill (though by this point it felt like a gigantic mountain) and to the finish line with a time of 28:37.  I was happy with my time and the race was a lot of fun!  A new post-Thanksgiving tradition.
     This Saturday is the fourth annual Reindeer Run at the Lansdowne YMCA.  I've run this race every year and it's a great way to kick off the holidays, I mean Santa runs with us!