Goal: Finish without turning my cold into pneumonia
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| Photo: katmeresin |
We had originally planned to do this race all together as a family event for Thanksgiving morning, and my parents, who were visiting from out of town, were even planning to cheer us on. But our plans were dashed by a nasty head cold I developed earlier in the week. I wasn't even sure I'd want to run, let alone with the stroller. But the hubs and I have a tradition of racing or doing a long run on Thanksgiving morning, and this year was no different.
I went to bed on Thanksgiving Eve, coughing and tired from hours of Thanksgiving meal prep, but not before I set out my running clothes. When we woke up, it was sunny but chilly, and we decided the little guy might have a better morning hanging out at home with his grandparents, in a warm house full of yummy Thanksgiving treats. We took advantage of the free childcare and headed out to the race, just the two of us — for the first time since having the little one.
It was fun to head out on the Metro in the cold and shiver our way through the prerace waiting before lining up at the start. And then, as always, we wished each other a good race and moved our separate directions in the pack, me toward the middle and him toward the way front. And then it was time to run!
It's always great to run a Thanksgiving race, if only to overhear the snippets of breathy conversations some people are having about recipes, favorite dishes and meal prep. It's sort of funny to hear someone gasping about their grandma's sweet potato pie while he tries to keep pace with a friend.
The chilly air made it a little hard to breathe, so I was motivated to quickly sniffle my way through the sea of turkey hats to the finish line. It was nice to get glimpses of the sun when the course weaved out from behind the shadows of tall buildings. I planned for this to be a fun run, and I wasn't aiming for anything other than not turning my cold into pneumonia, so I was good with my finish time, though I could've done without the laryngitis that followed. (Oh, and, gunky cold and wheezing? Conditions report.)
After we finished and collected our swag, we hung out a little bit to chat briefly with one of the dudes who had set up for Occupy DC, in the tents right next to the race start and finish. I suddenly felt a little silly to be spending my Thanksgiving morning running a race. That I paid to run. With a cold. In the cold. Well, at least it was for a good cause, right?
Thinking of all this, I suddenly felt very lucky and extremely grateful that I could have this little luxury, along with all the other blessings in my life — a morning out with my husband and a dash through a fun race before heading home to our warm house filled with family and all the amazing aromas of Thanksgiving.
© 2011 GUF
