What a fantastic weekend! I had an impromptu visit from this chica and her little chic-ette, including take out dinner and frozen yogurt in sweats – perfect! Next, had a great visit with Mom (been way too long), who also brought gifts - little does she know SHE'S the only gift I need. Added a lovely dinner out to celebrate a big anniversary with friends. Sprinkled in some running and other random productive things and voila – fantastic weekend! The weekend also seemed to point towards what I’ve gravitated to as the theme of this post – longevity.
Thanksgiving morning found Scott and me at the Feaster Five race that’s grown to over 10,000 participants! They even had Matt Damon take part one year. Scott’s cousin Frank (aka Rusty) and his two kids Justin and Kara came prepared to walk the 5K portion of the race. Nephew Keith rocked the 5K and PR’d by 2 minutes – go Keith! When Justin commented something to the effect of “this will be boring/slow/etc for you guys”, I reminded him that it’s not always about the speed. We’ve met up to walk this Thanksgiving morning race for the last 3 years for both the healthy and the social aspects. Although we all live fairly close to each other, we’re all busy. That means we, like many, don’t get together as frequently as we might like. This race has given us an opportunity to catch up over an hour or so, while walking….while participating…. Yay for familial longevity!
We also got to see some very interesting and creative participants:
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| Random people dressed the part! Homemade "Mayflower" that carried the family dog and dressed to the hilt as Pilgrims! |
Our motley crew posing at the end of our Feaster Five jaunt –
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| Justin, Me, Scott, Kara, and Rusty - Keith was way too fast to be in this shot! |
This morning, my head wanted to run 10 miles, but my body knew I needed to reign it in. I’m still practicing patience and after this weekend, feeling like it’s starting to pay off. Today’s run was without my watch or any expectations. So on this cold, windy November morning, I listened once again to my body and feel extremely satisfied with my 4 miler. I’m banking on patience to insure I completely heal my muscles and don’t invite any recurrence later, when I’m ready to resume training for….something. Yay for personal health & fitness longevity!
Even better, my run rid me of the food hangover from last night’s surprise anniversary dinner we helped our friends Sue & Wynn celebrate!
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| Happy 20th anniversary Sue & Wynn! |
Sue was completely surprised as each couple arrived unexpectedly at their house. She kept uttering, “I’m so confused!”. It was great! There were 6 couples in total, and of course, the topic of length of marriage came up. Interestingly, all 6 couples have been married for 20 years or longer – which now includes Sue & Wynn. In a society where the divorce rate is so high, it struck us as pretty amazing that we've all been married for so long to the same person. Yay for marital longevity!
Longevity is my goal in all aspects of my life. I want to stay healthy in body and in mind! I want to celebrate my 50th (or maybe more) wedding anniversary with Scott! I want to appreciate and savor my time with family and friends! I want to be running forever and someday be winning my 80-89 age group! I want it all!!! But I can’t have it all today. And that’s OK. I expect to have a long life ahead of me so I definitely need to pace myself.
After all, it’s not always about the speed.
great goals, Lisa.....sometimes I feel like part of the reason I run is to acheive immortality....but I'll be happy with increased longevity!
ReplyDeleteThanks Bill! Staying healthy & happy when we're old and grey IS mortality, isn't it?
DeleteOops, I meant "Staying healthy & happy when we're old and grey IS immortality, isn't it"
DeleteI love that you all got out and walked/ran a turkey trot! It feels so good to do races with friends/family...those are always my favorites :) Longevity is such a great goal, especially when it's being enjoyed and appreciated! You seem to be doing great at both!
ReplyDeleteAW thanks! AFter a summer full of intense long runs and the anticipation of Stone Cat, it actually feels good (most of the time) to chill. Of course, the other part of the time, I'm creeping on race sites!
DeleteGreat post!
ReplyDeleteThat race is huge! I don't think I've ever seen a Thanksgiving race that big.
I love the home made Mayflower. That's pretty awesome!
Thanks Michael! Yes, it's pretty big - almost too big if you really want to run it. There's also a kids race before the 5K/5M, so really, there's something for everyone.
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