Turkey Trot!

My original goal was to run my first 10K next September at the Detroit Zoo --- where I have run my two 5K races (one while 5 weeks pregnant with Ben, one when he was 4 months old). But Scott mentioned the Turkey Trot, and though I initially said, "NO WAY!", he told me that there was a really cool shirt to be had and I was in. It must have been meant to be because that day, I found an 8-week training program that was doable and if I started the next day, it would end right at Thanksgiving. Perfect.

So, despite having two kids and Scott having a back injury, we made it (much thanks to Scott for making sure I could get 4 training runs in every week) and ran with Kimberly on Thanksgiving morning. Ten months ahead of schedule, Team Francis was back in full effect for a 10K.

We were a bit late arriving, which always stresses me out, but silly me -- I did not fully comprehend what it was like to run a race with roughly 15,000 other people. We made it there right on time, but still had to wait about 10 minutes to even cross the starting line. It was nuts. (The picture is not from our race, but looks just like it did on Thursday morning.)

I'm not gonna lie... it was a tough run for me. For some reason it was much more difficult than any of my preceding long runs and was the longest distance I have ever run. I had been counting on the promised Christmas carolers, cookie station and festive inflatables to keep me entertained, but they were seemingly non-existent, which really disappoints me. Thankfully, Scott was right there and we crossed the finish line together. Kimberly probably had had breakfast and a nap by the time we got there. She was all smiles and Doug and Judy were there for hugs and pictures.

My parents and Josh were nice enough to come down to watch the kids and it was great to have breakfast with them afterward. Scott and I are talking about making this run a tradition, switching families each Thanksgiving morning. We really liked getting to see everyone on Thanksgiving. It was also REALLY nice to feel no ill effects -- guilt or otherwise -- after a day of big eating!

I can't believe that I actually ran for over an hour straight. Yes, I am SUPER slow. But I did it without walking and I'll only get faster. Next... Kim and I run the Candy Cane 5K in Clarkston on December 12th. Anyone want to join us?