Today I got up ate a pre-run breakfast, dressed in the warm layers I’d laid out the night before for my Turkey Trot race, packed hydration, made a new mini-playlist, and headed to the race.  I was excited to wear my new Reebok Cold Weather Compression tights that I got a super good deal on at the new Dick’s Sporting Goods that just opened near me.  Things were going smoothly.  Except halfway through my 45 minute drive to packet pickup and the race I heard the local radio station talking about turkey trotters running past their window and how cold they looked.  Say WHAT??!!

I promptly asked Siri what time the Turkey Trot started only to find that it started at 8:00 a.m. not 9:00 a.m. like this past weekends trot.  I had it in my pregnant brain that both trots started at 9:00.  After triple checking my error, I turned the car around full of disappointment.  I might have even cried a few tears.  I know… no use crying over my first missed race by mistake except this was more than just a race for me.  It was likely my last race before a long winter of mostly indoor runs and not racing.  It may have been my last race pre-baby.

While I’m super excited to have this little one here, they are not going to be here for a while.  And that is a long while to not race.  I miss having a race on the calendar to look forward to.  I miss anticipating the miles of the race ahead and the sights of the course.  I miss having a training plan to follow.  I miss running FAST!!  Not that I would have been going fast today, but it would have been a race regardless.  In Wisconsin there are very few races between December and March and the few that take place may be too snowy and slippery for me to do so I can’t really count on those.

So I let the tears come and went on my own turkey trot around my neighborhood.  It was a slow trot as it was snowy on the roads.  I’ll admit I worry about people’s judgements about pregnant woman running outside in the winter, but I also know I’ve run in the winter outside for the past 14 years and I know a thing or two about winter running.  I also would never run outside if I didn’t feel it was safe or that I’d be risking anything.  A few miles later and I felt so much happier, calmer and ready to be thankful for everything I have and for this little one on the way. So grateful to be having a healthy pregancy and baby thus far.

Tomorrow we are halfway to their arrival. I know that halfway will feel long in terms of running and racing, but it seems so exciting and terrifying that in 20 weeks I will have a child. Crazy! I know all the runs inside and the fewer miles will be so worth the blessing on the way. Running always brings me perspective and calms the thoughts in my head.

Hopefully your Turkey Trots went as you planned and you were given the chance to find some perspective and gratitude on this Thanksgiving Day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sarah