On Thanksgiving morning, as I prepared to race the 3-mile Piedmont Turkey Trot through our community’s hilly neighborhood streets, I asked myself, “Why do I put myself through this?” I have a love-hate feeling toward the 5K, tipping toward the negative now that I’ve become more of a long-distance trail runner. But what I dread about it — the intensity, the self-imposed pressure to meet my goal, the fact that seconds matter, the feeling that I’m going to be sick and my legs will collapse — is also what compels me to do it. In addition to the physical challenge, I bring to this little hometown race more mental baggage than any other running event. It’s for that reason as well that I race it: to work through those issues rather than be weighed down. (more…)