"Some memories are unforgettable, remaining ever vivid and heartwarming."--Joseph B. Wirthlin
It’s that time of year where everyone gobbles until they wobble and tramples each other over sales.. I mean spends time with family and watches football. Thanksgiving is an odd time of year not to mention the historic issues associated with it that no one ever thinks about anymore. Being a group fitness instructor and a relatively healthy person I tend to dislike Thanksgiving only because of the fact that I have no self control with portions and desserts when presented to me in a buffet style. It’s pretty much a free for all going on in my brain and stomach that propels me forward and tells me “ you know you want ALL of this. Get 5 plates and then we’ll see if you’re full. Tomorrow I’m going to guilt trip you and make you spend all day at the gym. Enjoy!”
This year wasn’t like that at all…thank goodness. Yes I ate more than I usually do. Yes I had deliciously scrumptious food that I have zero regrets over. Yes I spent the next day working out slightly more than usual. However, Will and I started a tradition 3 years ago that I’ve really come to love. We run a Turkey Trot 10k in Virginia Beach around Mount Trashmore and the surrounding area in the morning then go to the Thanksgiving festivities later in the day with our families.
This year we left Greenville, NC (our current home) Wednesday night and drove the 2.5 hours to Knott’s Island to have dinner with his Dad, brother and random friends his brother, Nick, had brought. We ate lots of homemade skillet pizza, which is his Dad’s specialty everyone always requests. It’s never bad. Never. We started our vacation off there so we could leave Atlas with his best furry friends and we would know he was getting worn out and also be extremely happy. It’s the same people from previous blogs who are professional dog sitters and the house is doggy heaven. Obviously he was happy for the few hours we left him gallivanting around the backyard chasing balls and wearing all of the other dogs out.
We woke up bright and early, had a quick breakfast and drove the 45 minutes up to Mount Trashmore. This location is already a favorite for runners since it makes a loop around a large lake and even has gym equipment along the way, a skate park, and a children’s play park. It’s a neat place. Race day it boasted inflatable start and finish markers, thousands of runners (some in costumes and lots in turkey hats), bagels, bananas and donuts from Krispy Kreme, not to mention free coffee. They know how to start and finish a race off well.
We both wanted to improve our PRs and trained much more than usual. The race started off with both of us running together, but I made sure Will ran off and actually ran at his pace since I’m slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter. I’m slow, but I’m in it for the long haul. I never stop and I always pace myself. We both finished and realized we CRUSHED out personal records. Will blasted his by 10 minutes and I knocked off 5 minutes from mine. Killed it!
The rest of the day consisted of lots of driving… not as much eating. We drove back down to Moyock to shower at Will’s Mom’s house. I then drove off to Williamsburg to see my family and had a blast catching up with my family. I only get to see them a few times a year so it’s always nice catching up. After that I drove the 2 hours to Knott’s Island, picked up my pup and drove to Virginia Beach. At this point I had spent more time in the car than I had with family and friends on the holiday that celebrates just that… Plus no one saved me ANY turkey as promised. Slightly upset, BUT we did roast our own 2 days afterward to make up for it and holy crap was it delicious. Anyway…
I’m not one for Black Friday. I hate that people are so caught up in buying that one gift everyone else is getting and doing anything possible, even trampling someone, in order to get that specific item. I only go out on Black Friday to browse calmly once my parents head to bed and only if someone is going out and needs to get something. Thanksgiving to me is about being thankful for what really matter and what you already have. That being said I found myself in Target browsing for video games with Will and his brother. It was surprisingly not insane and we had a good time walking off all of the food we ate.
After the not so much madness we rounded up all of our stuff and made the drive back to Greenville. There’s something to be said about being away from home…even though I hate Greenville… and falling in to bed after a really good time away.
Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings."--Williams Arthur Ward
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