It was Cold! It was Early! But we were undeterred! November 27, 2007

Well…we finished.  And that was our goal.  We were not dead last.  We did not get passed by the police care bringing up the end of the race.  In fact, when we crossed the finish line and turned around, all we could see behind us was more people.  We exhuberant!  We were triumphant!  We were ready to ingest 2 feasts in one day–well almost.

 I was very proud of Kate.  She jogged the entire 5K and could have finished ahead of any of us.  I was also proud of Loren.  She finished with a minimal amount of complaining and only had to be carried two blocks.  Nolan, who is usually the most easy-going of our children decided to cry for large portions of the last half.  We could not get him to tell us what was wrong.  I suspected that he was too tightly wrapped in his blanket, making his feet go to sleep. 

I asked him about it yesterday.  I said, “Nolan, remember when you were crying in the Turkey Trot?  Did your feet go to sleep?”  He replied, “No.  I was cold.  And crying made me warmer.”

So there you have it.

We all agreed that we should do it again next year.  It was a family fun way to kick off Turkey Day.

 Oh…and sorry.  With trying to remember everyone’s gloves, hats, scarfs, thermal underwear, etc., I forgot to bring the camera to the race.  So all I have is this post-trot shot.

Running with Turkeys (aka family members) November 18, 2007

Well, it’s official.  Our family has signed up for the Turkey Trot for Thanksgiving Day.  This was done with some degree of hesitation, but…I promised.   The girls’ PE teacher entered the Sunshine Run in October and invited her students to participate with her.  We could not go because it was the weekend we moved.  So I suggested…and later promised…the Turkey Trot as an alternative.

So why the hesitation?

I was actually quite excited about the prospect of a fun, fitness oriented family activity (especially after the news that they are closing the Small World ride for 10 months to deepen the canal to prevent boats from bogging down–i.e. Americans have gotten so large that we are sinking the boats).  And the registration fees benefit three charitable causes–so I was even on board with that.  But the reactions of certain members of my family lead me to this adventure with some trepidation.

First, there is a pint-sized member of our family that does not understand why 7 year olds can’t ride in strollers and who believes that walking to the parked car at Silver Dollar City (downhill—all-the-way) is nothing short of cruelty.

 Then there is a certain spouse who believes he can’t possibly enter a 5K without having had several months notice so he can “train”–and whose only motivation is the T-shirt.  Me, “It will be fun.  We’ll have great family memories.  We are teaching the kids the value of being active…blah blah blah…it’s for charity…blahblahblah…and you get a long-sleeved T-shirt.”  Him, “Well why didn’t you say so.  I’ll do anything for a long-sleeved T-shirt.”  Help me.

Now, it’s not that I’m exactly the running type.  I’m more of the Elizabeth Bennett walking type.  I walk far…and I walk very fast.  Ask anyone who’s ever walked with me.  But I am not a runner.  It hurts.  And I’m a wimp. 

I used to aspire to be a runner.  Running a marathon used to be on my list of things to do before I die.  Then I started thinking about the practical implications of running 26 miles.  Potentially being nauseated.  Potentially throwing up.  Potentially watching others throw up.  And more importantly—where and when do you go to the bathroom?  This is a valid question when you’ve had three babies sitting on your bladder for 10 months a piece.  –Scratch that from my list! 

So.  We are officially registered.  Rain, shine, or snow.  It promises to be entertaining.  There will be pictures.  Oh, yes.  There will be pictures.