A Day of Firsts - Updated

I DID IT!!! As you probably remember, I took up running in July. I WAS NOT a runner, I HATED running and I HAD NO DESIRE to become a runner. But my friend, Jenni, talked me into trying it and was such a huge inspiration and a great motivator. I started with a tenth of a mile at a time (yes, that's about one minute's worth). I set a goal to run the Turkey Day 5K and 4 1/2 months later, I just did it! Notice how happy we look. That's because we had just barely started running!


So I had actually done several practice runs that were 3.1 miles just to make sure I could do it and even ran 4 miles the other night. So I was pretty confident. I was only worried about running it outside because of hills and cold. We had practiced running outside, but not in a while. The first half of it was uphill and I really wanted to quit, but wouldn't let myself, of course. The 2nd half was mostly downhill, so that was really nice. There were a few little hills at the end.



Knowing Nate and the kids were waiting for me at the finish really helped keep me going. I feel really great that my kids know that I take care of myself and that I can set that example for them. It was so nice to hear Nate and Harrison both say how proud they were of me. Nate really was impressed, because he of all people knows how absolutely out of character that was for me. I guess I am a runner now, but I still don't really love it. I enjoy the sense of accomplishment and knowing that I am healthy enough to do it. I don't hate every minute of it like I used to. Who knows if I'll ever really love it, but I think I'm going to keep it up for now.
Here's a not very cute action shot!


I was worried that I would hold Jenni back because she pushes herself much more than I do. So we had said we wanted to do it in under 33 minutes. My fastest I'd done it on the treadmill was 32.24 and hers was 29 something, but her fastest in a race was 32.30. So we were shooting for around there. I am happy to say we did it in 31.06!!! We said we'd love to do one under 30 next time. We'll see about that! So now that I've got that out of the way, I need to conquer another first today. . .my first turkey! Somehow I've gotten out of making the turkey every one of my 29 years. Even the one other year I hosted. So today's the day. After talking to lots of people and doing research on-line I decided to try brining it in vegetable stock, apple juice, garlic, water, salt, brown sugar and a few other herbs and spices. Hopefully it will be as successful as the 5K. And hopefully I'll make it through the holiday without throwing up like I have the past two years. No, these were not bulimia induced episodes, although the thought crosses my mind each year. One was pregnancy related and one was stomach flu. On that appetizing note, I'm going to go start cooking! I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for all of my friends and family that I get to keep in touch with through this blog! (And a number of other things, but that's another post!)

So, it's later tonight. I just looked up my race results. We actually ran it in 31.04 (2 seconds faster than I thought). I was 535rd place in the race (out of about 2000), 188th place for women and 51st place in my division (female 20-29). I wish I knew how many women there were and how many were in my division, because otherwise, those numbers don't mean much.

As for the turkey. . .not as successful as I hoped it would be. It just seemed like a lot of effort that didn't pay off. It didn't taste any better than any other turkey I've ever had. In fact, it was probably some of my least favorite I've ever had. But that was probably because I had my hopes up that it would be amazing. Also, I took it out when the meat thermometer said it was ready, but then when I went to cut it, it was still not all the way cooked in the middle. That grossed me out/frustrated me because everyone was waiting and hungry, so it probably contributed to why I didn't like it much. Thankfully, all the side dishes were great. It was so nice that our guests contributed so much, and that what they brought was so good too. We also enjoyed their company! So overall, it was a great Thanksgiving. I guess it would have been too much to ask to have beginners luck in both of my Thanksgiving Firsts!