As Told By Molly

Flashback Friday

The year, 2007.

The day, Thanksgiving Day.

I woke up early and got dressed in the running clothes I laid out the night before. My friend Kristen met me out front and we rode into Mesa to join thousands of other crazy people who love to run, for no good reason, at the Mesa Turkey Trot. We got there just in time to sign in and wait in line to use the port-a-potty before the 10K route.

I was determined to finish this 10K (my third) sub 60 (under 60 minutes). I arranged the perfect playlist on my iPod that lasted exactly 60 minutes and recalibrated my Nike+ shoe sensor so that it would read the miles just right.

I crossed the finish line at 57 minutes. That’s what is called good enough for me. Then the nausea started. That’s what is called dehydration. I made a beeline for the bathroom and splashed cold water on my neck and lay in the grass for a few minutes while sucking on an orange slice. Guess I should have stopped at that last water station, but, oh well. I was sub 60 and it felt great. Dizzy spells and all.

My little family decided to branch out on our family tree and dine with my extended Richards family. We shared a beautiful meal at the Johnson’s home in Mesa and got to catch up with cousins I only see a few times a year, usually. The only thing missing were the black olives. I left five cans of olives sitting on my kitchen island in QC! I think it was the first time in Thanksgiving history that we dined sans olives. The kids’ fingertips were very bare last year.

As I sit here trying to remember what we did after we ate (oh, did we ate!) - I get nothing. Visiting the in-laws sounds like something we would do; probably so Olen could get his mom’s pecan pie fix. And we would also go see a movie with the adults in the evening. Must have been a very memorable movie…Anyways. It was a really great day! I do remember that.

This year my sister-in-law and I have been promising each other we would do the Turkey Trot together. But since we won’t be in town for Mesa's, we’re going to run our own 10K trot Thanksgiving morning. It’s the first race I could actually place in. I could either come in first or second! (bu-dump-bump!) I just hope it doesn’t snow. Well, not until we get home. Then, let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

The best part of running races is getting a t-shirt. I’ve got quite a stash of race t-shirts and I’m planning on having a quilt made by this quilting expert out of them. Carrie, I’m racing in January and another biggie in February and then I’m placing my order!!

The best part of Thanksgiving is family and being with those you love. I love teaching my children about the Pilgrims and their first Thanksgiving on those cold, rocky shores. How this day got started because groups of faithful families and strangers gathered and were thankful for their freedoms in this land that would provide for them and a God who would bless them. Funny. Hundreds of years later, things really haven’t changed that much.

(And I bet they didn’t have black olives either.)