A Thanksgiving Miracle

I conducted an interesting science experiment over the holiday weekend.  The title of my thesis was: “What happens when you attempt to run a mere two hours after gorging yourself with a Thanksgiving meal?”  Following the annual feast, I had hoped to spend the afternoon intermittingly falling asleep in a comfy chair and watching football – you know, normal Thanksgiving activities.  However, as I settled in, it soon became apparent that my two kids and four nieces had a commanding majority vote, which resulted in a Disney movie being popped into the DVD player.  Hmm.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy an occasional Disney movie as much as the next guy.  But this one just wasn’t doin it for me… in fact, I can’t even remember what it was.  So, being the triathlete that I am and now knowing my kids would be fixated on the tube for the next 90 minutes, my mind turned to getting a workout in.  But… was it too soon?  I mean, I could still taste the blueberry pie I’d downed, and I probably had some smeared on my face somewhere.  Undeterred, I tossed on my running stuff and headed out the door.  To my surprise, I felt good in the first mile or so.  As time passed, however, I realized there’s a reason you never read the following in a race report:

“I was staying on top of my nutrition and feeling great.  I grabbed a fistful of stuffing at the aid station and chased it with a cup of gravy.  This gave me the boost I needed.  I took a slab of turkey every 30 min with a slice of pie on the hour.  It was getting hot out, so I had the volunteers spray me down with whipped cream.  It was delicious and refreshing.”  

With each step I could feel my stomach getting more and more angry, like a sleeping warthog you continue to poke.  Just as I felt I was on the verge of displaying my enormous meal all over the street, a Thanksgiving miracle happened.  My stomach settled down, and I was able to finish off the run with a smile.  I must say, this flew in the face of my hypothesis.  In conclusion, I’d say doable, yet highly discouraged.  Please proceed with caution.

this is not my family