Travis' Thanksgiving Trail Turkey Trot Thru the Trees

Notice all the T-words in the title there?  I know you're impressed.  Anyway, since Turkey trots are the topic of late, I didn't want to leave myself out, so here's my story.
The last time I ran on trails was my YUTC race on Sept. 17th so this Thanksgiving, I decided that's what I was doing the morning before the feast.  It was nothing fancy, basically just a trail run that I did by myself on Thanksgiving.  I left the house early, drove to a place called Boston Store (the start of the trail I usually run) and hit the dirt.  The weather was clear and not too cold.  We had some rain early in the week but a few days of dry weather had me thinking the trail wouldn't be too muddy.  Turns out I thought wrong.  See, Ohio has lots of leafy trees that drop all their leaves in late October.  All those leaves made a nice covering over the trail that trapped the moisture in, making for a decently slippery trail.  Soon after starting I realized that I'd likely end up either on my face or my butt before I was through.  Turns out I was wrong there too (thankfully).  But it was muddy enough that I kept thinking I would get to a certain spot that would probably be too muddy and I'd have to turn around.  Every time I got to those spots, though, it wasn't as bad as I expected and I'd keep going.  Trails have a way of doing that.  I always end up going longer and further than I plan...but I never regret it.  Anyway, I made it to the turnaround - Pine Lane - and started to head back.  Somewhere along the return trip I looked down at my shoes and thought, "hey, I swear these shoes were blue, not black."  My main concern was keeping myself upright so I hadn't paid attention to how wet and  muddy my shoes had become.  Below is a pic of them after they dried.  One of the many benefits of minimalist shoes -- throw them in the washing machine and they'll come out looking as good as new.













 The trail was a bit muddy but it was a blast to run.  I was happy to see some other people out enjoying the crisp Thanksgiving morning as well.  As I got closer and closer to the end of the trail I realized I wasn't quite ready for my run to be over yet...but I knew I had to get home to my family.  After all, that's what holidays are all about - spending time with the ones you love.  The last lines of a Robert Frost poem popped into my head just as I exited the forest onto the gravel road that led to the parking lot:
"These woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."

This Thanksgiving, I was thankful to spend an hour enjoying the sport I love, surrounded by God's beautiful creations.