Gratitude, Turkey Trots, Giving Back & The Gift of Sobriety
Hey team — and happy Thanksgiving week. 🍂 Before life gets loud with travel, cooking, family, and feelings (…so many feelings), I want to bring us back to one quiet truth:
You’re not just running miles.
You’re running a new chapter of your life.
This week isn’t about perfection. It’s not about hitting exact paces or cooking the perfect holiday dish. It’s not about being the strongest runner at the Turkey Trot.
It’s about something deeper:
🧡 You have something to be grateful for that many people never get to feel:
A second chance at yourself.
Sobriety gives us back mornings. Running gives those mornings purpose. And together, they give us a future we can feel proud of — step by step, breath by breath.
This holiday, my family and I will be running our version of the Recovery Road Runners Virtual Turkey Trot in San Francisco with our two boys (8 and 9). After the run, we’ll be handing out goodie bags of hope to the homeless community — socks, snacks, handwritten notes, small essentials.
We’re doing it because we want to teach our kids early: why we run, why we choose connection, presence, and health over substances, why we show up for ourselves, why we serve, and why gratitude matters more than anything money can buy.
It’s one thing to talk about values. It’s another thing to live them with your feet on the ground.
🦃 A Thanksgiving Week Reflection Ritual
(Do it on your walk, run, or while prepping veggies.)
Ask yourself:
What has sobriety given back to me this year? (Peace? Sleep? Pride? Moments I would’ve missed?)
What has running taught me about myself? (Patience? Strength? Courage? The ability to try again?)
Who do I want to thank — even silently — for supporting me? (A friend, a therapist, this community, or YOU.)
What is one small thing I can give back this week?
A smile to another runner.
A donation.
A gentle word.
A mile for someone who can’t run right now.
A small act of service — just like we’re teaching our boys by passing out goodie bags to the unhoused.
Let those answers guide your pace — not pressure, not perfection.
🏃♂️ If You’re Turkey Trotting This Week…
A few reminders from your coach:
Start slow. Save some for the end!
Smile at people wearing funny hats.
If you get emotional (it happens a LOT), let it move through you.
Take a finish-line photo, even if it feels silly. Your future self will thank you.
And remember: every step you take sober is a step your old life never got to see.
Post your pics on the RRR Facebook or IG page and tag us!
And if you’re running with family, friends, or little ones — let them see the joy, the effort, the gratitude in your steps. These moments plant seeds that last a lifetime.
🧡 Gratitude Challenge for the Week
Write this somewhere you’ll see it:
“I am grateful for this new version of me — and I’m still becoming the incredible person I was always meant to be.”
Then tag your Turkey Trot photos, finish lines, family miles, or morning walks inside the community with:
“One mile for gratitude.”
Let’s flood this week with hope and heart.
I’m proud of you.
For staying. For showing up. For becoming someone you used to think you could never be. And for choosing a life that gives back.
Here’s to gratitude, grace, service, family, and good miles.
🧡 Happy Thanksgiving, team.
With Gratitude For You All,
Amber “Sobriety Is My Superpower” Graziano🏃♀️➡️🏁