I love Thanksgiving.

I need more days in my life to think about all the things that I am grateful for. In preparation for Thursday, I’m going to drop a few of my top picks here on you. Please, if you’re so inclined, add your own thoughts in the “comments.” There’s a lot of griping out there, let’s try and shift the balance.

I’m thankful for the following:

Joe Juneau, a former NHL star, he’s dedicated his working time to developing a regional youth hockey development program in Northern Quebec. Largely made up of Inuit children, the program is a logistical hairball. Participating towns are hundreds of miles apart and the only way to get between them is by plane. But Joe and his team of caring adults are not dissuaded. They’re making the program work, instilling some positive fundamentals in children’s lives and inspiring at least this writer to find a way to do more in my life to give back.

My Mother: 86 years old and still rolling with an impressive joie de vivre.

Year after year, the New England Patriots achieve excellence with bold decisions, a “team first” attitude and an unwavering adherence to the principles that have got them to 4 Super Bowls in the past decade. I understand why people don’t like them but I’m eternally grateful that they are and always have been, my team.

They hog the bed, they sleep on me way too much but every time I pull out my shoes, my dogs get fired up to run. When it comes to getting out there and getting it done, their reliability and joy is like grease on my wheels.

Jack Felling running a sub5 minute mile and taking the time to send me an email right after. Mark Levy doing the same after his first half-marathon. And Ryan Yeager and Tom Davidson, for walking me through every step of their triathlon experience this fall.

Massage therapy. Just wish I could afford it more often.

The US Alpine, SkiCross and Boarder Cross teams. Simply the best natured, most approachable athletes I’ve been around. If you don’t watch them this February in Vancouver, you’re missing out.

Specialized. They made an affordable, kick ass mountain bike that I just wish I could get out on more.

Andy Schleck for having the stones to take on Astana. Nobody appreciates Lance more than me but this Luxembourger kept the ’09 Tour  interesting and will make the next one positively gripping.

Lulu’s cookies. Sure, I’ve got to run a few extra miles because of them but they’re worth every moment of suffering.

My brother Bill for buying me my first running log. He gave it to me when I was a teenager and though he hopefully marked the date in the log when I would run the Boston Marathon, it was almost twenty years before I actually got around to it. And by the way, it was the worst race of my life. The point is that the log gave me a structured way of approaching my running. For the first time in my life, I was encouraged to think about planning, taking stock and setting goals. It’s a process that I’m still not very good at but the little success I’ve had in running has certainly stemmed from the stub root of that book.

Open spaces, public parks, national forests and the people that care enough to maintain them.

Fiona’s reading.

Drew’s compassion.

My good luck.

College football on Saturday nights

Coffee and the Sunday paper

My front porch, free time, and laughter from the yard.

MC, my favorite “talent” in the world.

The Finish line.

And my best friend.

See you out there.