Thanksgiving Recovery

I thought I was going to die. This is the honest truth. You might think I would have chose to prepare for the 5K I ran on the morning of Thanksgiving 2011, but I didn't. I didn't...much. I did purchase proper foot attire and started running around the track on campus but then I discovered spin. I love spinning. Spinning kicks running's ass. It just does.

I did, however, run my race. And I did not die. Surprisingly. I ran my first 5K coming in at 40:11, placing 340th out of 412 and 33rd in my age group. I also decided to sign up for another 5K. Some might say I am a masochist like that.  I just can't help but to want that feeling back; that feeling of accomplishment, of knowing that I can do something I never thought I could do.

  These are my friends and colleagues Anna and Tyler who ran the race with me. We each finished, Anna coming in 1st, Tyler 2nd, and me 3rd. It doesn't matter to me who finished in which order. What matters is that I finished. I had never set a PR before so I figured I was a winner just by showing up.












Onto Dinner! Anna graciously opened her home for our Vegan/Vegetarian Thanksgiving potluck. Below are some of the delicious food we were so thankful for!

 Cranberry, Apple, and Walnut granola Crisp (Above)

 Roasted Harvest Vegetable Couscous (Above)

 Pictured above is Brussel sprouts with Tempeh Bacon and Vegan Stuffing

 Anna's Amazing Avocado salad

 Also pictured here is homemade cranberry sauce and vegan balsamic mashed potatoes.

All in all, it was a wonderful holiday spent with people I love very much. This was my first year engaging in a vegan tradition where I didn't say grace to my invisible sky daddy but rather expressed what I was grateful for to the people I was grateful too. Is there some mystical force to whom I should pay thanks? I don't know. What I do know is that if I spend all day thanking some unseen, improbable force and not engaging with the people who touch my life on a daily basis, how thankful am I really?  So during this holiday weekend, let me take a moment to thank each of you who look at my blog, comment on my blog, and those who will do so in the future.  I <3 you all.