Turkey, Sand and Sun

Success!  At least that’s what I’m going to call it.  I did eat quite a bit, but it was Thanksgiving and I was visiting family so that’s to be expected.  I only went overboard a couple of times and that was balanced by some exercise.  We arrived on Wednesday evening and we were hungry and tired.  It’s weird how sitting for hours on end can make you tired. We arrived and I started munching on Chex mix and found a random piece of See’s chocolate to eat.  My mom had cooked a mini Thanksgiving meal complete with a roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, etc.  She cooked the mini-feast because we were going to my uncle’s for Thanksgiving dinner and she wanted us to have our own leftovers.  I ate a lot and felt way over-full while I washed dishes.  I was a little disappointed that I didn’t pace myself better with the food intake and told myself I’d try to do a better job the next day.

On Thursday we had a nice leisurely breakfast and enjoyed catching up with family.  Miguel ran to the local gym and had a workout.  When he got back he took me to the beach so I could run along the boardwalk while he ran some last minute errands for my mom.  The weather was made for a run.  The air was cool and crisp but not cold, just a slight breeze and the perfect mix of sun and clouds.  I did a three minute warm-up walk and then started jogging.  I had my garmin tucked into my shirt and my heart rate monitor on.  I used my heart rate as a guide for my pacing.  I had a little shin discomfort in the beginning but that went away after maybe 15 minutes.  I’d decided to do a 5k, my own personal Turkey Trot.  I figured on 40 minutes based on my 5k time during the triathlon.  I jogged along, taking in the beautiful scenery, the sand, the sun, all the people out being active – and I felt so incredibly grateful. 

After 20 minutes I turned around and found myself running into the breeze and sun.  Good thing the breeze was slight.  I was feeling so good, just really enjoying myself.  I am enjoying running in a way I never thought possible.  Around the 35 minute mark I decided to go for 45 minutes instead of 40.  And during the last minute I ran as hard as I could to simulate what I’ve been doing on the treadmill.  Done!  I felt great!  I got to cool down and stretch a bit before Miguel picked me up.  In total I did just a bit over 4 miles.  I have a feeling the Turkey Trot will be a family tradition before too long.  It’s the perfect way to start the day and goes a long way to balancing out all the food.   

We headed over to my uncle’s for the big meal with family.  I told myself I’d eat light since I had a turkey dinner the night before but the run made me hungry and the food was so good!  I enjoyed a good meal and definitely did my part to clear the table but I didn’t feel painfully full like the night before.  I considered that a success.  I also enjoyed some really good pies, including my own pecan/currant tart.  Yum!  All the kids somehow ended up playing soccer in the street and I joined in for a good while.  I know I burned a few calories playing with them, but more importantly I had a great time kicking the ball around and laughing with the kids.  I felt grateful for both the desire and the ability to play with the kids.

We got back to my grandparent’s house and Miguel said he wanted to go shopping when some of the stores opened at midnight.  I said I’d go with him but by 10pm he was falling asleep on the couch so we gave up on the shopping plan and went to bed.  Thank goodness because it sounds like it was madness out there!   But we did try to go shopping on Friday morning.  I say try because it was still pretty crazy when we arrived at the mall at 10am.  I managed to get a few toys for Christmas.

The weather the day prior inspired plans to go to the beach so after the mall we hit the sand and sun!  It was so fun!  Marek was in heaven but Myra took a bit to warm up to the waves.   Once she decided the waves weren’t going to “get” her she had a ton of fun too.  Here are some pics of the kids on the beach.

 

 Myra trying to drink the sand.

 Marek running from the waves, his favorite game at the beach.

Watching the surfers.

Myra toddling in the sand.

Don't they look cute?  We had so much fun!  After 2½ hours of sun and ocean we were pooped and headed home.  

We put the kids down for naps and Miguel and I dragged ourselves to the gym.  I did 25 minutes on the upright bike followed by back/biceps/core for strength training.  I finished up with 2 minutes on the step mill and then a nice stretch session.  It felt really good to get some exercise after all that eating.  I walked out of the gym feeling good.  Back at my grandparent's we had turkey dinner leftovers for dinner and went to bed totally wiped out. 

I was halfway hoping I could get to the gym on Saturday too but that didn't pan out.  My cousin's baby shower was that afternoon and we just had too much going on.  I went to the shower while Miguel took care of the kids and packed up the car.  They served a yummy chicken salad and butternut squash soup for lunch.  And there were giant bowls of m&m's which I helped make a dent in.  I ate a bit more than was necessary but it was a party so I didn't feel too bad about that.  The good thing was the cake and other deserts weren't super tempting so I dodged some calories there.  

And here we are, on the drive home.  We stopped at In-n-Out burger and I had a double/double with some fries for dinner.  I wanted a single w/ no cheese but Miguel misheard me, which was fine.  What's a few more calories over Thanksgiving weekend?  That mindset led me back into line for a milkshake.  It just sounded good.  But while I was waiting in line I look up at the menu and see "590 calories" listed under the milkshake.  Ugh, that's just too much.  The menu-calorie-listing strikes again and I got out of line.  We head to the gas station and I'm still feeling like something sweet so I have Miguel buy a Snicker's bar for me.  So far I've only taken one bite of it.  We're about an hour from home and I'm not feeling like I want more of it so maybe the one bite will be it.  

So I didn't get to weigh-in on Friday.  I meant to bring my scale but I forgot and you know I'm not going to weigh in on a foreign scale.  Random scales cannot be trusted.  I'm trying to decide if I want to weigh in tomorrow and count that for this week's weight or just shoot for next Friday.  We'll see how curious I am in the morning.   I'm looking forward to the coming week. With a light schedule I'm planning to get my full 5 days in without much juggling.

I hope you had a fun, happy Thanksgiving and are looking forward to the remaining winter holidays!!  I know I am :)