Turkey Trot

Point of reference-- I decided not to use anybody else's name on this site early on. But for my sibs, K = older sister, J = older brother, M = kid sister.

J is close to my opposite when it comes to running. He likes to go as hard as he can right out of the gate-- and he is more motivated by a fast mile than distance. Reminds me a little bit of a six year old entering Toys R Us. In high school he and I played many of the same sports, but we had very different skill sets. J was an endurance and speed guy. His best sports were cross country, track, and though he may get angry with me for saying this, he sucked at baseball and soccer. My greatest skill was always hand eye coordination. I pitched on the baseball team, almost never struck out, la ti da. But if you lined the two of us up and had us race-- J would dust me road-runner-ditching-the-coyote style. Little chunkopotomus that I was and Gumby that he was-- the best match we always played was one-on-one tackle football in the backyard. He had 4 years and half a foot on me-- but if I connected with him, I don't think he enjoyed it. Oh one-on-one tackle football. Only us, J. Only us.

As we've gotten older, J and I have actually become more sports compatible. Sometimes he pisses me off with his time obsession on races, but he's done something truly great-- he's gotten many of my family members to sign up for a 5-K on Thanksgiving morning. I probably would have run that day anyway, but probably not in a race. I'm really excited to have a race again. Haven't had one since June. It's a fun feeling, dodging bodies, playing predator/prey, hearing the collective kalump of thousands of feet. Even if you hate running, it's tough not to get at least temporarily jazzed about it.

Just 5-K. But something tells me it will make the 2nd slice of pumpkin pie a little sweeter.