Apologies to you truckers

It’s official. The posts about me shaving went down a treat. I wish I had more of that type of content to please my perverted audience. I’ll have to think about that.

I have been in Ohio with my in-law’s for the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who are in the United States. On Thanksgiving morning, I decided not to do the Cleveland Turkey Trot alone. It just didn't seem right. So, instead of being out-performed by a man wearing a turkey costume, I ran some intervals on the Rocky River High School track. Out of respect, I stayed in lane 4. It’s a fairly new track and it was hard to believe that it was my very first time running on a real all-weather track. 

It was unseasonably warm, the sun shone and I was really happy to be running strong as I watched some dudes preparing for a football game in the center. My son Charlie (5) even managed a mile walk/run and said “I didn’t know that when you run far, it feels like you are playing.” Well said Charlie. I feel the same way. After I had finished my workout and sat there on the track, I reflected on what I am thankful for in relation to running in 2011:

• I’m thankful for the role running has played in helping me to lose 40 lbs. It’s probably more than that when you factor in leg muscle development. My body has transformed.
• I am thankful for not being on asthma medication for the first time in my adult life. I’m not sure why I was finally able to run without exercise induced asthma but I’ll take the gift willingly. Diet played a role but as soon as I was able to run, it has done amazing things for my lung capacity.
• I am thankful that in one year, I have transformed myself from an easy pace in the 11 minute miles to the 8’s and I’m still improving. Not bad for a 43 year old first timer.
• I am thankful for the added confidence that running has given me. It’s a mix of feeling better, looking better and achieving things I never thought my body could do.
• I am thankful to love running. It’s a great place for me to clear my mind, de-stress and feel like a part of something bigger. I pray while I run. I like to pass on that positive energy to others who may need it and give thanks in the moment.

And what do I hope to be thankful for next year? Well, it’s a bit early for resolutions but I am thinking it may look something like this:

• Thankful to finally run a half marathon without pulling-out due to injury.
• Thankful to start trail running and maybe thankful to run a trail race. I so want the ultra experience in future. I have to move toward that.
• Thankful that New Balance recognized the role I could play in inspiring real people to love running. Yes NB running team, we will do something together in 2012.

OK, I’ll leave you with a funny Thanksgiving travel story. We pulled into a grimy rest stop on the highway for a bathroom break. There was a sign on the men’s toilet that said “Closed for cleaning. Use the trucker’s showers at the back of the building”. I read the sign to Charlie (5) and we went through the building, through the “trucker lounge” and found the trucker showers. As soon as we got in, I lost Charlie. Suddenly, he came out from behind a shower curtain. I asked him why he was in there and he said “I peed in the truckers shower”. I said “Charlie! That just meant to use the toilets in this room (pointing to a urinal), not the shower”! A man who was washing his hands laughed his ass off. Charlie just shrugged. My apologies to you truckers. A-pee-Thanksgiving.