QT: Thanksgiving Running and Eating All the Food (Best Of-ish)

This post was originally part of Episode 337 released in November of 2016 and is more or less copied and pasted from that post. The audio, however, is a new take on the topic.

Is it just me, or have the number of Turkey Trots/Thanksgiving themed races increased in the past few years? 

Before I started running regularly I admittedly didn’t pay much attention to these types of runs so maybe I just missed them.

That said, it seems like more and more people (runners and non-runners alike) are participating in a run on Thanksgiving morning before eating all of the food.

Amen! (One of my fav GIFs ever, BTW!)

Whether or not you’re planning to run an “official” race on Thanksgiving Day, I hope you’re able to get a few miles in at some point.

And if you do, here are a few things to keep in mind…

4 Things to Remember About Thanksgiving Running

You’ll Take in More than You Burn

Calories, that is.

If you think a few miles in a Turkey Trot is going to cancel out the caloric damage of the second round of green bean casserole, mashed potatoes + stuffing (both covered in gravy, obvi), and 2-4 pieces of pie (gotta try all of them, or is that just me?) you are sadly mistaken.

I’m planning to run some miles on Thanksgiving morning and then planning to eat all of the food on Thanksgiving afternoon. So I’m certainly not going to tell you to push back from the table early during the big meal.

Just know that a few easy miles won’t burn as many calories as you might hope.

Have Fun

If you’re participating in a Thanksgiving day race, have fun!

A Turkey Trot is a perfect race to not race, if you know what I mean.

Bring a friend or family member, even (especially?) if they aren’t runners and just do the race with them. And if that means stopping to walk, so be it.

Laugh, tell stories, whatever… Just have fun!

Don’t Be “That Guy”

No One Likes “That Guy”

If you are planning to actually race at this year’s Turkey Trot, and that’s a great place to pick up a podium finish so go for it, don’t be “that guy”.

Which guy? The running elitist snob asshole that no one particularly cares for.

What are the signs that you are behaving as said guy? Well…

This list is far from exhaustive, but here are a few things “that guy” does at a Thanksgiving Day race.

• Talk loudly, and to no one in particular, about the strategy for this race and his goal time
• Complain about all of the “non-runners” at the race and the lack of etiquette on display
• Force his way to the front of the pack because he was warming up until the last possible second instead of queuing up

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with racing on Thanksgiving Day.

Couldn’t Resist…

Just recognize that there will be lots of non-runners also taking part in the race.

So don’t be a douche, ok?

Be Thankful

At the end of the day, we are pretty lucky.

Take a moment today, and this really should apply to EVERY DAY and not only on Thanksgiving, to simply be thankful for all of the blessings in your life.

Your life may not be perfect, Lord knows mine isn’t, but if I’m honest I have much more to be thankful for than I have to bitch about.

And I’d be willing to bet that if you have the means to read this post/listen to this podcast, you do to.

So take a minute, take a mile, take your whole run–I don’t care!

Just take this opportunity to be genuinely thankful at some point during your run.

Be Happy Y’all

Running on #thanksgiving? Turkey Trot or not, here are a few tips to keep in mind. #runchat Click To Tweet

What are You Most Thankful for this Year?

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