Thanksgiving morning began with hot cup of coffee as I headed out to the 7th Annual Mike Bratton II Turkey Trot. The sun was shining, the air was cool, and as I talked to people at the Turkey Trot the excitement of the event  began to build.

Throughout the week I had talked about going to  the trot and maybe doing the 10K… but probably just the 5K .. and it would be fine to just do the walk… After all, I had been using the elliptical trainer at the health club,  so how much harder can it be- it’s not like I was going to try and win the race or anything.

Well, over the next hour or so… and the ensuing next couple of days… reality reminded me that I have gotten older.

Lesson 1- Talking about running and actually running are two very different things.

Lesson 2- Just because I go to the club doesn’t mean I am prepared to run any distance.

Lesson 3- Just because I arrived early and spent time interviewing a number of people as they prepared to run does not mean that I warmed-up.

Lesson 4- Stretched out wool leggings don’t stay up when running. Lesson 4a) Its hard to run while holding up your pants while carrying a phone and recorder.

Lesson 5- Talking while running uses up much needed oxygen

Lesson 6- Humility and Humor- as I was passed first by friends, then coworkers, then the moms pushing strollers, and eventually moms running with their toddlers.

Lesson 7- Little kids say funny things like,  ” Sir- Sir- Are you ok?”

Lesson 8- I hurt for 72 hours longer than the 39 minutes it took to complete the actual event.

Lesson 9- I like riding a bike better than running.

Lesson 10- Remember lessons 1-9

But the real story is …. The Turkey Trot is a lot of fun for a worthy cause… I’ll do it again in a heartbeat- I’ll have to add new lessons.

So when asked next year if I am doing the 10K or the 5K… I can honestly respond, “It doesn’t matter, as long as I finish OK.”