I was excited to run the Seal Beach Turkey Trot 10k. I hadn’t run a flat 10k in a while and I knew I could run a faster time than I have. What did that mean exactly… I don’t know. Most of the 10ks I’ve run aren’t flat, and I knew I could probably run under 6:45 pace, but my guess was somewhere between 6:30-6:40 on a flat course.
Before the Seal Beach Turkey Trot 10k:
I had a rough week and decided to work a half day and head to Seal Beach early. The drive to that general area can be messy. If you leave at a good time, it may only take about 2 hours, but if you leave during traffic, it’s going to be 3.5-4 with most of the traffic in the last 30 miles. I didn’t particularly want to deal with that, so I took a half day at work and left early. I picked up my race number, got a quick bite to eat, and then went to bed early. It was mostly uneventful.
I was concerned with the parking situation because of the small downtown and limited spots. I opted to get there early but somehow it wasn’t early enough. Luckily, I found parking and was able to get a 1.75 mile warm up in. Usually, I would do somewhere between 2-3, but that didn’t happen.
Seal Beach Turkey Trot 10k Race:
I forgot the Seal Beach Turkey Trot 10k and 5k line up together and man it was chaotic at the start. The course is actually a two loop course where the 10k does 2 loops and the 5k does 1. I get that it saves the amount of road closures, but it gets dangerous… especially when people are wearing headphones and don’t hear you coming up on the second lap. It was narrow in some spots and I was not a huge fan but it’s a turkey trot and I do like a good community race.
I got tripped up a couple of times but luckily didn’t go down. One of the times someone had their dog leash across the entire course LOL. When we started there were tons of women in front of me and I didn’t really think much of it. I hit the first mile of the Seal Beach Turkey Trot 10k in 6:27 and honestly it felt comfortable. I was surprised. During the first mile, there was a weird part where the 5k turned and the 10k did not, and we rejoined with 5kers who were running slightly slower. From there, we went on a short and narrow beach path and it was hard to pass. I made a mental note that this would be crazy with so many people on the second lap…it was.
I hit the next mile in 6:31 followed by the third in 6:34. We went by the Seal Beach Turkey Trot 10k starting line and the 5k runners peeled off, and we were just left with the 10k. A lead cyclist came and I realized I was in first place. I was actually really surprised. Right as we passed the starting line, a spectator ran out in front of me and luckily I was able to avoid them.
The next lap of the Seal Beach Turkey Trot 10k was chaotic due to how crowded it was and all the different paces on the course. When we hit the narrow part, it became really hard to avoid people, but I just tried to stay focused. I enjoyed the course because it was mostly flat and scenic. My last two miles were the slowest and I was definitely tired, but I was also weaving. I was happy to run mile 5 in 6:40.
Finally, we turned toward the finish line and I pushed as hard as I could. I was surprised to see a tape to break and ran through. I crossed the Seal Beach Turkey Trot 10k finish in 40:52.
Seal Beach Turkey Trot 10k Thoughts:
I’ve known I’m closer to this fitness for a while but haven’t run a hard, flat 10k in quite some time. Plus, it’s my fastest 10k since 2018. I enjoy Santa Monica Classic, but it’s a hard course, and running over the Coronado Bridge was not easy either. So I’m happy for a good course and a good day. Plus, it’s always fun when you get to break the tape.
You can see the Seal Beach Turkey Trot 10k on strava and see all race recaps here.
Questions for you:
Did you run a turkey trot?
What is your favorite 10k course?