Last week marked the annual celebration of Thanksgiving. As we had done the previous year, we decided to run the Huffing for Stuffing 10k to benefit the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. Not only does this race support a great cause, but it also get us off our lazy rears to do something good for a change. Last year’s run hovered around the 0Ëš mark for most of the race, which made for an incredibly uncomfortable run, expounded by the fact that our stomachs, for whatever reasons, were unhappy with us. Thankfully, this year brought above freezing temperatures, sunny skies and only a few sections of dicey raceway.
We started our day early as Jess had some preparations for our Thanksgiving Day meal that we were hosting later that day. Also, she had prepped some caramel rolls to be put in the over after our race. I woke up with her, helping with the dishes, playing a couple rounds of cards between batches of dishes. Jess’s parents came over shortly after eight and we headed off to the Museum of the Rockies, where the race would both start and end at. There is always something about races that I don’t like, that is I can’t take a camera with me. Sure I can snap some quick pics on my phone, but they don’t live up to my standards, neither do most point-and-shoots for that matter. We did have a point-and-shoot camera, but we recently gifted it as we would only use it on rare occasions, and Jess’s D40 was usually compact enough for the job. I decided to test the D40’s ability to go on a run for this race. I almost grabbed for my D7000 but decided it would be a bit too heavy to lug on the 10k+ course.
The race started just before 8:00 and we were running just a tad late, so we scurried up to the start line, running into Krista and a friend of her’s along the way. The morning air was full of excitement. PA’s blared with instructions, seasons tidings and encouraging words. We only had to wait but a few moments before the starting gun/turkey gobble signaled the start. With the D40 in hand, I snapped a few pictures of the race start. We set off on the course, working our way around the people who had poorly chosen their starting gates. Jess and I weren’t in this for competition, a good thing since I’ve not been running much over the last month. Jess was nothing but jubilant during the entire race.
I continued to snap pictures along the course that meandered through the streets of south Bozeman, usually trying for an action shot of Jess, something that proved rather difficult as not only was she moving, but I was moving as well. It was a gorgeous autumn morning, a rarity in Montana, as there is usually snow and the days spend more time below freezing (if not zero) during this time of year. It was a great experience, much better than last years. Towards the end, I could feel the lack of training hitting me as my lungs felt a little tight, and I in turn felt somewhat tired, especially as Jess charged for the finish line and I of course kept up with her stride, snapping my last few running photos as we crossed the line.
After regaining my composure and downing some liquids, we headed to the sidelines, just before the finish line. We waited as various friends and family crossed the line. I had a good time snapping some motion-blur action shots of Krista crossing the line. After seeing our family cross the line, we prepared to go home for what was to be an excellent Thanksgiving day with the family.
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