HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Janae!
I’m so thankful for my family and our health! I’m also thankful for you. Every morning something you write or share inspires me!
Enjoy your day with your family ❤️?

Happy thanksgiving Janae and family! And to all my fellow readers/commenters here! I’m grateful that we have a place to talk running, food, and life in general here. I hope everyone has a great day!
I think you should develop a “Hungry Runner Crew” race… maybe just a 5k or 10k so we all have an excuse to come run in the gorgeous area you’re always showing us, and a reason to eat and run together!! :)

I MORE THAN FULLY APPROVE of your approach to donuts and Thanksgiving cooking! Donuts for everyone!!!
So this morning I ran my 5K for November. My time was bloody slow, even for me, but I don’t care. I ran just thankful that my knee was up to it and my right ankle (which has been sensitive lately) didn’t give me problems. And I felt a love for my Launch 4s–which I have been running in since last Spring–beyond what I had felt up until this morning. My iPod decided not to work when I reached the start line, so I sort of struggle-bussed my way through without music. But I didn’t give up or bow out of freak out when something that I have come to depend on was not part of the picture. My body–though I so often blast it for being so awkward–is SO strong. And my heart is so open and joyful. And my mind is focused, determined, and sharp. Throughout my run, I kept on reminding myself of this and to be grateful for my ability to run (instead of blasting myself for how I run, or how slowly I run, or how far I can’t run at this point in my life). And I finished my 5K with a ginormous smile on my face, picked up my personal-sized pie with my finish line snacks, and drove home with nothing but blue skies and clear roads (…and MAY have stopped at Whole Foods and treated myself to four cookies as “breakfast” because it’s race day AND a holiday and cookies that are each about 1/2 the size of my face are special and worthy of such occurrances, right?!?!?)

Today I’m grateful for everything. Even the times when I am struggling, because during those times I am taught a lot about friendship–the fact that I am *not* so consumed by my struggles that I can not hold space for the people around me and that even when I struggle and feel like I have so little to give to the world around me, I am open and willing to receive all the love that comes my way. Even the times when I am high on top of the world because *everything* is going right that it would be too easy to take my life for granted. Even my students when they’re acting like little sh*ts. Even my internet friends who I have yet to meet in person and give big hugs to and chat the afternoon away with over taco salads and mugs of tea. Even my small, new, fledgling blog that I don’t think anyone reads (yet?). Even the annoying administration at my university that is treating people in my professional designation not so well, because it’s reminding me that despite my passion for *teaching* academia *is not the whole world.* Even cruddy jobs I have had in the past as ‘survival’ to help me pay my way through some really tough times, because some of the bosses I have had have become friends and even mentors. All of it. Everything. The good, the bad, the glorious, the raw. :)

And right now I am grateful for a roof, a soft sofa to sit on, floppy oversized hoodies, my cats, my husband, and watching old episodes of Great British Baking Show on Netflix! Tom and I are far away from family and really just have the little world we create together and the down time before he is off to his store and I get myself focused on grading papers.

And I am grateful for you, your blog, the virtual group of kick-butt, strong, amazing women who read and comment and somehow have become a strange(ly awesome) sort of community! I hope you have an excellent Thanksgiving, Janae!

PS–ONE MORE 5K (which is on December 2, so just a few days away) and I will have completed my “one 5K a month in 2018” goal. Tom is running it with me, and I could not be more excited! We are turning the whole day into one great big “date day” and giving ourselves permission to press a serious pause on the outside world in the middle of a chaotic time with retail twilight zone/holiday shopping season and my end of the semester grading-tornadoes! I love that he has just given me space to find my own love of running this year (and to take time off of running when I have needed and he has reminded me to just trust the incredible amount of cross-training I do to see me through these 5Ks…) and that he is going to run this last one with me. He also ran my January 5K with me too. What a lovely thing to have this small endeavor bookended with a shared run like that! :)

Happy Thanksgiving! I enjoy reading your posts everyday so much.
I am grateful for another year that God has given us life and is alway merciful in taking care of us. Today we had the opportunity to celebrate thanksgiving at Disney Magic Kingdom Park and tomorrow it’s even more especial because it’s my daughters 2nd birthday can’t wait to celebrate!