Thanksgiving + Running Thoughts.

“Imagine if tomorrow morning you woke up and only had that which you thanked God for today.” – church sign

At the risk of playing favorites, I must announce that Thanksgiving is THE most wonderful holiday of the year.

Seriously.

I love all the holidays.  Christmas, July 4th, New Years, you name it (except Halloween, go figure!)  But when it comes to playing favorites, Thanksgiving always wins.  It’s like the chilled out cousin of Christmas.  A day to simplify…to soak in family, good food, and long walks (and even longer conversations.)  LOVE!

My family spent Thanksgiving at my parent’s house.  I overate on stuffing, turkey, potatoes, sweet carrots, pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce.  And then I did it all again for the second time in one day.  I think my body is THANKFUL that Thanksgiving comes but once a year. 😉

Left to Right: My Mom, Sister and Me.

My Nephew, Brady (aka, Mr “B”)

Left to Right: Dad, Mom, Me, Brother, Sister

I headed out for my usual turkey trot this year as well.  A trusty, steady, slow-paced 5-miler.  It felt delicious on my legs.

My brother and Dad joined along as well, but I only saw them, oh, I dunno…once or twice when they decided to turn around and check in on me.  A fast runner, I am not…ha!

In other news, I (a) finally registered for the half marathon that is now only two weeks away and simultaneously (b) have been stricken with some sort of virus.  Fever, swollen lymph nodes, burning throat, etc.  Lovely!  I’m trying to stay as positive as possible with all of this, reminding myself that it’s more important that I take care of myself versus putting in some extra last minute mileage.  I’ve trained hard for this upcoming race.  I’ve put in the miles.  Taking off a few extra days for rest or cutting back on this upcoming weekend’s long run will not deter me.

As a side note, I have discovered that the Registered Dietitian side of me tends to flair up even more when I’m sick.  I’ve been focusing as much as possible on eating the healthiest foods possible for my immune system, while really keeping up with adequate fluids.  My appetite isn’t what it normally is, but I have been consistent with meals and snacks.  Even if I can’t run like normal this week, I’ll for sure be eating really well. 😉

And, for the record, dark chocolate is part of my plan for eating really well.

And that is all.

QUESTION: What is your most favorite holiday and why?