If you don't know me personally, do not let the title of this article fool you. I by no means am a fan of running unless it's toward a sale while going shopping.
For about seven or so years now, my family and I, along with family friends, have had the tradition to run on the morning of Thanksgiving Day. None of us are running enthusiasts, but there's something about the accomplished feeling that you get after you cross the finish line.
Turkey Trots are very popular and I'm sure there is one in your city or somewhere near you! While running may not be for everyone, Turkey Trots accommodate to anybody and all skill levels. The race that we have in my city offers a one-mile run that is great to do with the kiddos or the fur babies, 5K, 10K, and even a 15K for the most daring (usually not me 100 percent of the time).
As I have gotten older I have grown to love this tradition!
While it does not sound like an appealing thing to do at 8 o'clock in the morning when you could be sleeping in, the feeling you get after makes it so worth it. I love seeing hundreds on top of hundreds of people coming together to help each other to cross the finish line. While many of the runners are people who sign up to beat records, there are also a lot of people that just do it recreationally. Seeing all the different types of runners gives me the extra push that I need when I am trying to get past the last hill, and past the finish line.
At my local Turkey Trot, they time the runners so when you finish the race you can see what your finishing time was. For me, this is my favorite part because I like to beat my time by as much as I can to improve my time over the years. Even if I improve my time only by ten seconds, it is better than nothing!
At the end of the race, people are cheering you on as you cross the finish line and if you have family or friends who run with you, they can also be there to cheer you on as you finish. After you cross the finish line, you receive a medal and a festive water bottle with the logo for that year (who doesn't love a good water bottle?).
Do you have a family tradition on the morning of Thanksgiving? Try running your local Turkey Trot! You may be surprised when you end up loving it.
