Turkey Trot with Presley: November 27th

This is Presley's second year participating in Girls on the Run. 

Every year Girls on the Run ends with a 5K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. 

I dreaded it last year and I dreaded it this year. 

Logan and Rylan offered to run with Presley this year, but she told me she was really counting on me to do it with her.  

I am not a runner.

But it's really not about that to her.

She wanted to be with me, to jog with her, and to finish that 5K hand in hand. 

So we did it together this year.  

 I'm always glad for the time with her. 

The girls were really excited to see each other this morning. 

They spray painted their hair and came in tutu's and long knee socks.

They wore headbands they made after school stating what they were thankful for. 

Presley forgot hers but its painted with the word "family".

Last year, she ran way ahead of me and would slow down and wait for me. 

This year she ran side by side with me for most of the race. 

As we were running we would talk and make little goals.

She'd look ahead and say, "let's run to the next mailbox or the next brown pole or the next crosswalk"

But then when we'd make it to our goal, she'd say "I think we can go just a little further mom".

I was impressed as I thought about this is how her life will be, just going a little further than she thinks she can.
Challenging herself. 

 I was trying to telepathically tell her this, because let's face it, I was a little out of breath. 

Mid race she said, "Let's finish this holding hands mom"

And we ran almost the entire 5K, up hills, down long streets, past houses with little girls waving in the window at us, down the hills, as parents and coaches cheered us on from the side, as cars zoomed past us.  

And at the end there was a marker that showed 3 miles and we knew we only had 0.2 to go.
She held my hand and said, "let's sprint to the end".  

So we did, just me and her.

Angela, Presley, and her teacher Mrs. Lammert.

At the end with her Girls on the Run medal.