Thanksgiving 2008
Written by Ashley Kelmore, Posted in Adventures
I had such a great Thanksgiving yesterday. It started out with a bit of a challenge – the Turkey Trot! No, it is not an intestinal issue resulting from too much Thanksgiving goodness; it’s a five-mile run in Prospect Park on Thanksgiving morning. And, I’ve been running for three weeks, so OF COURSE I’m totally ready for five miles. I’ve never run more than two at a time, but hey, whatever.
I had two goals – to finish in under an hour (I’ve been running just under a 10-minute-mile pace for my two-mile runs), and to not stop to walk. I’m quite happy to report I accomplished both goals! Even on the painful uphill during the third mile, I jogged. As I neared the finish line my legs actually felt a little like Jell-o. But Santa was there, ringing a bell and pushing us, so I made it. And my final time was 51:55. I came in 902 out of 1288. So, y’know, in the 25th percentile. Sweet!
In the afternoon I grabbed my desserts and headed over to Herman and Kathleen’s, where they were, for the third time, hosting us orphans. It’s always a fun evening – we’re even getting to the point where we look forward to each other’s side dishes. Instead of missing my mother’s potatoes, I look forward to Megan’s sweet potato cranberry marshmallow dish. Herman makes a WICKED turkey, and we have enough side dishes to feed us all for a few days.
Plus, there are a lot of laughs as we down mulled wine. Last night we played pit, which is a great game for a group of people with a few drinks in them.
This year I’m thankful for so much. I have a job I like that fits with my education and training. I’m jamming with some friends every week or so. I’ve started running and I’m really enjoying it. I get to live by myself, within walking distance from nearly all of my NYC friends. And, of course, the big ones – I’m generally healthy. I have a great family, and friends whose kindness, humor and general awesomeness I cannot begin to describe.
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and were able to take some time to think about what really matters to you right now.