Happy Thanksgiving (although a bit tardy...)! Here’s a thorough recap of my day!
Thanksgiving can be a hectic time for everyone. Time is spent rounding up a bird/osterich to eat, preparing every side dish ever conceived, and napping. Lots of it... Ever since meeting Rach and her family, I have had the joy of attending not one (my parents’ in Topeka), but two (at her parents’ in KC) Thanksgiving Day meals each year. This seems like a pretty crazy day, and it is, with about 160 miles worth of driving spaced between 2 massive meals, but it is absolutely worth it. Seeing both families is important for us, and we wouldn’t have it any other way! But now that I’m all about endurance sports, I kinda view this as a Thanksgiving Day endurance race! Or more like an endurance eating adventure!
My body has been stuck in this weird cycle for the last few years, where I always get sick RIGHT before Thanksgiving. This year, it started after my LTHR training session on the trainer on Monday morning, and was in full force by the time I got home from work. After lots of rest (no training for 2 whole days), over-the-counter medication, and a lil bit o’ TLC courtesy of Rach, I was good to go for MEGAFEASTin’! Suck it, VIRUS!
My Turkey Day began with a wonderful and filling breakfast at the future-in-laws (creepy, I know...). The food looked amazing, but I was going to try to stick to my ‘pacing’ plan, as I didn’t want to blow up early in this race! I knew I had a LONG day of eating ahead, so I tried to pace myself as best as I could. I think I did a great job, and only had one massive plate of bacon, egg casserole, coffee cake, and slush. Props to me!
After breakfast, Rach, Max (our doggie), and I packed into my car and headed to Topeka (aka T-Town, Top City, the Capital of Kansas). We played with Max for a bit once we arrived (he got some new toys from mi madre), and sat down to eat again. Lunch consisted of turkey, potatoes, gravy, rolls, green bean casserole, red salad, stuffing, and my personal fave: cranberries. Love them! Again, I paced myself fairly well, and stopped myself after the 2nd heaping plate of food. I know my limits, and wasn’t going to try and exceed them... The food was great, my family has some superb chefs! After a piece of pumpkin pie, Rach and I grabbed some coffee, herded our dog into the car, and headed off to Kansas City for Round 3!
Okay, so this is where the day gets tough: The 1.5 hour drive back to KC immediately following a massive amount of Tryptophan. All I want to do is nap (operating a motor vehicle seldomly allows this). It’s actually somewhat similar to hitting “the wall” in a race! But luckily, this wasn’t my first roDAYo, if you know what I mean... Coffee helped avoid the “bonking”, I listened to the football game on AM radio, and was lucky enough to cruise by Lawrence, KS. Eventually, we were pulling into the “in-laws” again.
We arrived back in KC around 4, just as Rach’s family was beginning to eat. The timing was impeccable (but it ain’t no thang...). Around this time, my stomach was full. Not hurting, but full. But I knew I needed to eat again. Just like the last leg of a race, you KNOW you HAVE to FINISH. I asked myself, “MARK! Are you tough enough?!” I screamed back, in my head, of course, “I was born for this...” and I grabbed my plate, loaded it up, and devoured the food with a smile on my face! It was delicious. Nothing like some deep-fried turkey, a 7-layer salad, some stuffing, potatoes, gravy, oatmeal rolls, cranberries (YES!!!), and lots of veggies. Again, I am blessed to know such good cooks in the kitchen! The food was amazing! After my last bite, I relaxed in my chair, and pondered on my very recent victory. I had made it. 3 delicious holiday meals, 168 miles of driving, and zero fatalities. Sounds like a “W” in my book... I was pretty sore, but it was WELL worth it...
Here are my Thanksgiving Day Endurance Stats:
Thanksgiving can be a hectic time for everyone. Time is spent rounding up a bird/osterich to eat, preparing every side dish ever conceived, and napping. Lots of it... Ever since meeting Rach and her family, I have had the joy of attending not one (my parents’ in Topeka), but two (at her parents’ in KC) Thanksgiving Day meals each year. This seems like a pretty crazy day, and it is, with about 160 miles worth of driving spaced between 2 massive meals, but it is absolutely worth it. Seeing both families is important for us, and we wouldn’t have it any other way! But now that I’m all about endurance sports, I kinda view this as a Thanksgiving Day endurance race! Or more like an endurance eating adventure!
My body has been stuck in this weird cycle for the last few years, where I always get sick RIGHT before Thanksgiving. This year, it started after my LTHR training session on the trainer on Monday morning, and was in full force by the time I got home from work. After lots of rest (no training for 2 whole days), over-the-counter medication, and a lil bit o’ TLC courtesy of Rach, I was good to go for MEGAFEASTin’! Suck it, VIRUS!
My Turkey Day began with a wonderful and filling breakfast at the future-in-laws (creepy, I know...). The food looked amazing, but I was going to try to stick to my ‘pacing’ plan, as I didn’t want to blow up early in this race! I knew I had a LONG day of eating ahead, so I tried to pace myself as best as I could. I think I did a great job, and only had one massive plate of bacon, egg casserole, coffee cake, and slush. Props to me!
After breakfast, Rach, Max (our doggie), and I packed into my car and headed to Topeka (aka T-Town, Top City, the Capital of Kansas). We played with Max for a bit once we arrived (he got some new toys from mi madre), and sat down to eat again. Lunch consisted of turkey, potatoes, gravy, rolls, green bean casserole, red salad, stuffing, and my personal fave: cranberries. Love them! Again, I paced myself fairly well, and stopped myself after the 2nd heaping plate of food. I know my limits, and wasn’t going to try and exceed them... The food was great, my family has some superb chefs! After a piece of pumpkin pie, Rach and I grabbed some coffee, herded our dog into the car, and headed off to Kansas City for Round 3!
Okay, so this is where the day gets tough: The 1.5 hour drive back to KC immediately following a massive amount of Tryptophan. All I want to do is nap (operating a motor vehicle seldomly allows this). It’s actually somewhat similar to hitting “the wall” in a race! But luckily, this wasn’t my first roDAYo, if you know what I mean... Coffee helped avoid the “bonking”, I listened to the football game on AM radio, and was lucky enough to cruise by Lawrence, KS. Eventually, we were pulling into the “in-laws” again.
We arrived back in KC around 4, just as Rach’s family was beginning to eat. The timing was impeccable (but it ain’t no thang...). Around this time, my stomach was full. Not hurting, but full. But I knew I needed to eat again. Just like the last leg of a race, you KNOW you HAVE to FINISH. I asked myself, “MARK! Are you tough enough?!” I screamed back, in my head, of course, “I was born for this...” and I grabbed my plate, loaded it up, and devoured the food with a smile on my face! It was delicious. Nothing like some deep-fried turkey, a 7-layer salad, some stuffing, potatoes, gravy, oatmeal rolls, cranberries (YES!!!), and lots of veggies. Again, I am blessed to know such good cooks in the kitchen! The food was amazing! After my last bite, I relaxed in my chair, and pondered on my very recent victory. I had made it. 3 delicious holiday meals, 168 miles of driving, and zero fatalities. Sounds like a “W” in my book... I was pretty sore, but it was WELL worth it...
Here are my Thanksgiving Day Endurance Stats:
After weighing myself this morning (Friday Nov 25), I have shockingly lost 1.8 pounds since Thanksgiving morning. The loss of 1.8 pounds is just under my usual 3.5 pound loss for a race. Like I said, quite the endurance race....
In all seriousness, I am incredibly thankful for many things in my life, but at the top of that list is my family and friends. Thanksgiving is a wonderful day because I get to spend time with the ones I love most in my life, and just feel absolutely blessed. I hope you had a wonderful holiday, didn't kill anyone on Black Friday, and continue to be thankful for loved ones throughout the year!
I am also thankful for my readers! Thanks for reading!
1 comment:
and we're thankful for YOU ;)
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