case of the turkey trots

For the past 3 or 4 years, I have been registering my family for Maricopa's Turkey Trot, a mile-run or 5K-run on Thanksgiving morning. Every year I tell Blake after we are signed up, because otherwise, if asked if he wanted to, he'd say something that sounds like WellNo. Every Thanksgiving morning, I wake my husband and children up when it's not a school day (something I'm dead against, since it means I have to be out of my bed to do it) and it's dark and it's cold and nobody wants to go but me. But, they all allow me to layer and transport them across town just to run. I pretend their reluctance is superficial and deep down, really really deep down, somewhere under all that fleece, they are glad they get to spend Thanksgiving morning running in the cold instead of dreaming of pie in their snuggly beds. I know it's true.

Look at them in this rosy-cheeked post-race pic: they don't look like they are miserable, do they? Once we are there, and the timer starts and we hear, "Go!" and the crowd takes off, and the reporter taking pictures gets trampled (this really happened last year and it was pretty funny. I mean, what do you expect when you crouch in the middle of the track?) there's a certain excitement you can't get anywhere else. The adrenaline is flowing, our bodies warm up, and we are racing! Actually what I'm doing is futilely trying to keep up with my boys.

A friend of mine started the Turkey Trot here. She wanted to participate in one and the closest in the valley was an hour drive away. She wanted to have one here. So she and her husband organized it and got sponsors and spread the word, and off Maricopa trotted. I love that people do that! I admire her tenacity and willingness to use her skills for others to benefit. The best part is, to register for the event, the cost is one can of food for the Food Bank here. Over 200 cans were collected, and 200 people pre-burnt Thanksgiving feast calories.

Jen and Dave Mix, you are awesome!

I like to think it's because they are from Idaho that they are so awesome.


Side note: This picture features Blake's entry in the month-long beard-growing competition at his work. This is the longest he has ever grown out his facial hairs. He won 3rd place and a gift card for an amount we do not yet know. I'm trying to decide just how much would actually make having to kiss through that thing worth it???