Turkey Trot 10k Thanksgiving Tradition

"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

My First Triathlon!

"If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you"--Unknown

A few years ago I weighed in at almost 160lbs... at 5'3" my tiny frame looked pretty chunky and so did my self esteem. Don't worry this isn't a sob story; it's an I kicked my fat's a$$ and got in the best shape of my life story. In 2010 I weighed the most I've ever weighed in my life and I honestly didn't even know how bad it was until I saw a picture of myself one day and it completely clashed with what I saw in my own brain.

Luckily, I had an amazing support system and my best friend at the time, Laura, was going through the same thing. We launched our fitness goals at the best gym imaginable, ACAC. I started taking Zumba and kickboxing classes and got addicted to how amazing I felt after having my butt whooped, the feeling of sweat dripping, and the exhaustion...but mostly the endorphins.

Long story short....

1. I've lost almost 40lbs and haven't gained any of it back in the 5 years I've dedicated to changing my life

2. I don't eat processed food ALL THE TIME. Don't get me wrong... I LOVE ICE CREAM, but I learned to eat less awful for you desserts and also in moderation. I also learned to love veggies and if I say so myself I make some amazingly delicious healthy food. Don't ever let anyone tell you eating healthy tastes bad, lacks flavor, and is expensive. I'm living proof it's not.

3. I became a Zumba instructor and Body Step instructor and typically teach 4-5 classes a week, run 4-8 miles a week, walk my dog a few miles every day, and bike everywhere possible.

4. I work my butt off. It takes work and I'm fully committed to that. Are you?

5. Has working out made me a bitter, envious of fast food eaters, sweaty all the time person? No. I'm extremely happy and couldn't imagine going back to the way I was.

6. I started running 5ks and 10ks. Turkey Trot 10k before Thanksgiving dinner? Don't mind if I do. Quick 4 mile run while on vacation? Heck yes, let's see more scenery and discover new places. Color me Rad, Neon Vibe, Cosmic Run, and Foam Fest runs? SO MUCH FUN.

7. I started competing in bike races   58 miles to be exact and I did it twice and shaved an hour off my time. I just can't get enough and guess what? I'm the healthiest and happiest I've ever been.

All it takes it motivation and perseverance.

Okay back to the main story, because let's be honest you definitely needed some back story.



I have been wanting to compete in a triathlon for a few months now, but I wanted to do a small one to ease my way in to this whole other realm of fitness that I knew I would either love or hate, but mostly likely love. It just so happened a very small triathlon, Life's A Beach, was coming to Hampton aka 30 minutes from my house. HECK YES! Here was my opportunity and I ran with it...among other things.



Life's A Beach Tri was a 300m swim, 5 mile bike ride, and 2 mile run. All of those distances were easy for me on their own so I didn't think I'd have a problem come race day. I'd prepared, but I could've actually practiced swimming more..oops.

I got up bright and early, kissed my pup and boyfriend goodbye and booked it to the race. I was super excited and ready to start. My heat started at 9 and of course I got there early, but it was worth it. The swimming was up first and after years of SCUBA diving I was mentally prepared and probably a little cocky...which I'm sure is why my wardrobe malfunction occurred.


The heat started promptly at 9am and while I in no way want to insult anyone I'm pretty sure that 90% of the people competing were morbidly overweight and walked most of it. While that is fantastic for those people who are WAY AHEAD of everyone who sat at home on the couch, I had every intention of really competing and going all out. I wanted this race to set the precedent for all races to come so I sprinted down the beach and plunged in to the water.

Great start right? Yes...if by that you mean my super fast start in to the water... no if you meant I kept all my clothes on.. I did the race in board shorts and a sports bra. Super versatile right? Right. Said boy shorts fit snugly on land...said shorts became a circus tent in the water. The second I dove in the water they wafted out from my hips and became a gigantic air filled ballon hovering around my mid thigh. I immediately went vertical in the water, yanked them up...by doing that I'm sure it looked like I farted the fart to end all farts and the air bubbles all came bursting to the surface, and went back to swimming.


Had I actually practiced swimming I would have known that in the years that I've lost weight I also gained a LOT of muscle. Muscle weighs a lot more than buoyant fat. SO as my pants flew off and as I   yanked them back on I sank like a rock to the ocean floor. I spent the entire 300m doing an awkward breast stroke since it was the only stroke I could do while also keeping my shorts on. I also fought gravity and what I thought would be my easiest part of the trip quickly became my most embarrassing and difficult as I dragged my heavy as bricks body through the water. The good news? I passed almost everyone in my heat, came out of the water without flashing the photographers, kids, and onlookers on the beach and I didn't drown. A for effort right?


It blew my mind that I was literally the only one running to the bikes. Almost everyone changed clothes casually, switched out gear, etc. I'm sure I looked insane and there are plenty of blog posts about that really hyper red headed girl who was soaking wet the entire race and how I probably made them feel slow.. oh well. I was doing this to please myself, not everyone else.


I jumped on my bike, unlocked it and pedaled like there was a bear chasing me. I completed the 5 miles in what seemed to me to be a very very quick time, which was fine by me. I didn't have any malfunctions, wardrobe or otherwise so that was a plus. Also, I was still wet so the blazing hot 90 degree heat didn't feel bad at all!


Up last was the 2 mile run with 4 obstacles. Running on the beach is no easy task! I did my 2 laps, my army crawl under a giant net, slid through a plastic tube, and hurdled over some beach chairs. It. was. glorious. Running over that finish line was the best feeling I've had in a long time. I did have a quick moment of terror as I jumped over the beach loungers since I thought I was going to trip, but thankfully I didn't. As I crossed that finish line I felt so happy, accomplished and just proud of myself and all that I had done to get where I was in that moment.

The results were in later that day and I finished the race in a whipping 42 minutes!!!!!! I was top 20 of all racers, and to top it all off I was first in my age group. This NEVER happens to me. I'm usually super slow in running races, but I kicked it up a notch and made sure I never let myself slack off. You know what? It paid off. Now I'm signing up for a longer triathlon for September and can't wait to attack that one head on!

"Will it be easy? Nope. Worth it? Absolutely."--Unknown

Dirty Girl 5k Mud/Obstacle Run

"Exercise to stimulate, not annihilate. The world wasn't formed in a day, and neither were we. Set small goals and build upon them."--Lee Haney



Lets' be honest here. I'm a fitness freak. I teach Zumba and Body Step classes 4 days a week at my local gym; I lift weights several days a week, walk my dog a few miles, ride my bike, and basically adore anything else active. I hate sitting for hours on end. Moving around gets my brain working and keeps me in shape and happy. I've done quite a few fun runs/mud/obstacle runs with my boyfriend and a few friends, but this time I went with my best friend and former college roommate, Ellie. Ellie does not share my passion for fitness, but I've rubbed off on her and she has set small goals for herself and even takes gym classes a few days a week! Awesome!

She had been talking about wanting to do a 5k so I went on the hunt for a super fun one. I found an all female race benefitting breast cancer foundations. Personally, I don't care if it's all female, but it was the next race coming to the area and it looked like a CRAZY amount of fun. They advertised mud, sweat, obstacles, team work, etc. What sealed the deal? I Living Social deal for a half price entry! Heck yes. I love fitness and I love saving money on fitness, so this was perfect.

We both signed up and started counting down the days. Ellie was more nervous because it was her first race. She didn't train too much, but she did her best and that's all that matters. I wasn't nervous at all I just wanted it to be race day! I had been training non stop in the gym, running with my dog, and lifting weights. I wanted to make sure I was prepared.

Race day had finally arrived! We donned our running clothes that we knew we wouldn't care about getting dirty and drove to the Sportsplex where the race was held. There were lots of vendors set up that we briefly checked out. We dropped out change of clothes and towels off and made sure to get pre-race pictures. We knew we'd look like we'd run thru a very muddy hell and back after the race so we wanted to be able to show the crazy difference.

Ellie set the pace and I told her that we could walk whenever she wanted, but I made sure to challenge her. She almost made it through the whole race without complaining about the running, but that last mile really did her in! There were so many obstacles! I couldn't get enough. I ran right up to each one and went all out no matter what. There were tubes we climbed through, balance beams where people launched large inflatable balls at us, army crawls through mud pits, inflatable slides where you bounced off the bottom into a muddy water pit, rope walls, barriers to climb over, we even went down a fire pole!

Needless to say by the time we could see the finish we were COVERED from head to foot in mud. The last obstacle was right before the finish line. It was a gigantic mud pit. We looked at each other and took off running for it. I tackled her right at the end and we both ended up face down in the mud and had to roll around to get out. Priceless. We ran across the finish line together and were given our finisher's medals, which were HUGE. The goodie bags we received also had shampoo and conditioner. They know how to make us feel good after a race!

After we had finished and had collected our bags we set off for the picture stations! After that we decided it would be best if we used their "shower" area to literally hose ourselves down. It honestly looked like a mud bomb had gone off over there. They should've made it the new obstacle for all the mud that was there. The only downside? The water was FREEZING COLD. We washed our legs off and shoes, but it didn't do much good. After heading home, we both gunned it for the two bathrooms in my house. It took quote a while, but we managed to get the mud out of our ears and off of every surface imaginable on our skin.

All in all, it was one of the most fun races I've ever had the pleasure to take part in. I just wish they had had more photographers! Although, if that's my only complaint then I can't even complain! It was such a fantastic day and we had an insane amount of fun. Ellie ROCKED her first 5k and I got to run around with her on lots of obstacles. If you get a chance don't miss the Dirty Girl 5k. Sorry guys. It's a vagina only event. No wieners allowed.

"The reason I exercise is for the quality of life I enjoy."--Kenneth Cooper