Nothing Bad Happens at the top of Thanksgiving Mountain

that's my philosophy. So when I saw a road sign off the main road leading back to the resort on Saturday morning, I had to take a detour. I could have gone straight back to the hotel and met up with the girls for brunch without taking the road up the hill. I could have called it good, with about a three-mile out and back run, kinda rolling, but really mostly flat. I could have. But, when you're on vacation, and you're out running in glorious early morning Texas Hill Country air, and you're celebrating lifelong friendships and a new decade, it's tough to ignore a signpost that says Thanksgiving Road. So I turned.

The path was a two-lane street, very lightly traveled at that time of the day. Lots of scrub and nopalitos along the sides of the road, and the further I got from the main road, the steeper it got. Still, I managed to keep up with a run, a slow run, but I was running nonetheless. And then I came to a cross-roads, and I could have turned around there, and called it good. But something made me want to turn left, toward the Catholic church that I knew had to be at the top of the road. And the road got narrower and a little steeper. And then there was another turn, back toward the main road, but still climbing upward. It wasn't Colorado steep, but it sure as heck wasn't Suburbia South flat. And, then, when I got to the end of that road, I found the church, and more importantly, I found this:



And I realized, that, yes, I was right to have taken that detour. Sometimes, when you take the right road, even if it wasn't in the plan, even if it's not as easy a path as you were hoping for, if you put out the effort, and you do the work, at the end of the road, you get rewarded. And was I ever rewarded.

It was a glorious little surprise in my morning workout, and it reminded me of the reasons that I run, and it reminded me of just how lucky I am. And if that weren't enough, on my way back down the hill, toward the main road, I was greeted by a deer, who emerged from the scrub about 20 yards in front of me and stood there for a moment, blinking and nodding at me before running across the road and into the outcropping on the other side. Talk about a way cool start to the day!

Saturday ORN: 5 miles, :49 total time (I KNOW!!)
Sunday ORN: 7.6 miles, 1:22 running time.

Four weeks before Turkey Trot 10K, six weeks before the White Rock Half. I'm ready to get ready. Bring it!