Time to chase the turkey...

My baby sister, Elisabeth, and I have a tradition of turkey trotting on Thanksgiving Day.  She uses turkey and fixins as motivation, like dangling a carrot, and for me the goal is preemptive damage control to make up for my total lack of self-control...my name is Alison and I have a pie "problem".  Typically, we do a 5k but this year she decided to step it up a notch and shoot for her first 10k on Thanksgiving Day. Ambitious, but we share the same DNA so I was not at all surprised.  What DID surprise me was that she was not at all deterred by this weather report...

Brrrrrr!

I am a fairly experienced cold-weather runner and I have to admit that I REALLY was not looking forward to what "feels like 20 degrees" feels like.  The plan was to meet up with the Bard family. What a great crew, they made us feel right at home.  Simon showed us what he got for Hanukkah the night before and told us all about the family hierarchy (Grandma's the "number one boss" because she's a day older than Grandpa).  We suited up and readied ourselves to brave the cold together.

Good looking group of runners.

It was such an incredible honor to meet this young lady, Addie. 

Look at that smile.

This was Addie's first 10k as well, she is 12 years old.  Yes, you read that right, 12 years old.  I was blown away by her guts and determination.  This is one special gal, expect awesome things to come from her.

My sister finished strong in a very respectable 1 hour and 4 minutes.  Addie and her dad, Larry, were not far behind. It's always such a pleasure to be with a runner the first time they complete a new distance.  There is a moment when you can see in their eyes that their mind has changed and they realize that there are endless possibilities. Something inside ignites...it's pure magic. 

Days like this make me feel incredibly grateful for everything that running has brought to my life.  I have seen the most amazing things and met the most amazing people, sharing moments that have changed their lives.  There is a bond that develops when we lace up our shoes and come together to run the streets.  There are no strangers among runners and today was no different.  I got to see two young talented runners hit a major milestone, spent the morning with the most wonderful family, and when I got home there was pie...

Happy Thanksgiving.