Category Archives: C25K

Trying to Get it All Aligned

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“When the mooooooooooooon is in the seventh house
and Jupiterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr lines with Mars…“

Wait…that’s not what I mean…

You hear it all the time “get fit in the gym, lose weight in the kitchen.” While I have fought with this notion for a long time, I’ve seen how true it really is through out my weight loss journey. With that, it’s been easy to have one component of that statement down and have the other one completely lopsided.When I lost my first 100 pounds, my eating was at the forefront of this journey. Sure I worked out, but making smart decisions helped peel off the weight. Some time after that, I lost sight of that. I got caught up in the fitness side a little too much and it seemed to throw me off because I didn’t know how to refuel properly with my eating. Then, I started training for my first half marathon which kind of put my weight loss dead in the water because, contrary to popular belief, you don’t always lose weight when you train for long distance races like half marathons. So right now, I’m not training for a specific race. I’ve put on about 15 pounds since December so I want to get that off ASAP to get my weight loss momentum going.

Since I’ve been working out regularly, usually a combination of running and circuit training classes 3-5 times a week, I feel awesome and actually strong for the first time in close to forever. In the past, I’ve been quick to beat myself up when I want to go work out in the “bro den” (the part of the gym that has free weights, benches, awkward grunting) because I don’t feel like I belong. But how can I make progress if I don’t work out in there? (I’m going to talk about more on that in a post I’m working on. Stay tuned.) Anyway, the point is that good things are happening. After working out regularly like this for the past ten weeks, it would be really hard to stop. I just love it too much!

So now that I’m in such an awesome place with my fitness, I’m really working to change my eating. I’m eating fruits and veggies like they’re going out of style and I’m incredibly intentional about drinking water (#alltheclearpee).

But I’m not perfect…
Can I still pound down a bag of potato chips? Yessir.
Do I hoard candy sometimes like those spoiled brats in Willie Wonka? Sure do.
But…Do I immediately regret it? Now more than ever.

I really hate that feeling of regret after a mini-binge, so I’ve been trying to combat that with just abstaining as much as I can. I tell myself that I won’t miss it in 5 minutes because all they are are just impulses. For example, we walked by a cupcake store in Tallahassee and I thought I really wanted one.

I knew I had two options:
1) Keep walking and go on with my day
or
2) Go in, spend money on a dessert that I’m generally kind of ambivalent towards, and then sulk because I could have spent those Weight Watchers points on bacon.

So, I’m making progress with my eating! I really feel like I’m on the verge of everything lining up for some serious weight loss awesomeness.

Speaking of weight loss…

I lost 2.8 pounds this week! After losing 3 pounds or so two weeks ago, I gained it back last week. (Between kidney stones and traveling, the MacDonalds have been a little cray…) This week, I wasn’t perfect at all. In fact (and if you try to troll me on this, so help me…) I had McDonald’s for the first time since we’ve lived in Tallahassee. I drove to Jacksonville twice this week and I really needed some coffee and breakfast. So, I had an Egg McMuffin and a hash brown. It was 12 points. I counted it and I moved on. I also ate at Hardee’s for breakfast one day and I counted it too. So I wasn’t perfect, but I counted my points and I exercised to bring balance to the Weight Watchers force. This past week was once again proof that when you count regardless and exercise, everything will fall into place.

Count all the points

 

Day 558: Thursday and Stuff

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Hello!

I love all of you. There, I said it.

I still can’t believe my Facebook Page got to 200+ Likes last night!

This week I was feeling a little sluggish and lazy. Luckily I was able to pull myself out of it and have an awesome day! Good things. Alright, let’s get at it.

Breakfast: This morning, as per usual, we went to Atomic Coffee before class and school and stuff. I just had a bagel with butter and a little honey. It was fantastic and filling. Awesomeness.

Lunch: Today I had to go to a luncheon for a class. I walked from campus uphill both ways (yes, like your parents did when they were kids) to the downtown Double Tree. The menu had a lot of awesome healthy choices, but I was still thinking about getting something a little heavier. That was when my friend Andrew (the Edward Cullen lookalike) told the whole I was his dietician and then asked for a healthy option. It was the conviction I needed to make a much better decision. I ended up getting a grouper sandwich and instead of fries I got a salad with honey mustard. It was delicious, but it was also hard to conceal my picture taking ability in front of a bunch of strangers. When I got home I had a 100 calorie Klondike ice cream sandwich that was awesome. Then I ate two servings of chips.

Awesome Non Scale Victory: So today I was organizing my old fat clothes in order to sell them online (anyone want size 54 khakis or some really nice XXL polo t-shirts?) and then I found these bad boys. I bought these plaid shorts a few weeks before I started grad school. It was like folding up an American flag. Those things are huge. I was huge. Anyway, I held them up, thought for a second, and then got in one of the leg holes. They fit me in the waist. I know I’m not half them man I used to be, but I am making awesome progress. It was seriously the motivation I needed to get focused on losing weight. It also made me proud because this kind of picture is usually in an infomercial for some weight loss cookie or some shake that tastes like ground up chalk. This is proof that all you need is a healthier diet, a good pair of running shoes, a little patience and a persistent attitude. Oh yeah, and a bunch of awesome supportive friends doesn’t hurt either ;).

SAWS:So after that moment of NSV clarity, I decided I needed to keep it up so I can no longer fit in my current clothes and went to the gym. It’s kind of sad because it was one of my last times working out at Leach. I’ve burned a ton of calories in that place. Anyway, I wanted to keep up the same intensity I had when I was working with Joe so I went after it. I divided my hour into three 20 minute segments. The first 20 I did a circuit that involved stairs, burpees, box jumps, jump squats, push ups and running up and down stairs. It was awesome. Then, I got on the ARC Trainer and did 20 minutes on the weight loss setting which was a hill climb pattern of awesomeness. Finally, I did 20 minutes of abs. Elevated sit ups, this weird leg lift row and then holding a plank position. I felt like I made really good use of my hour, I did what I came there to do: sweat through my shirt.

 

 

 

 

Late Night Dinner: After staying on campus to try to get some work done, Megan and I went through the drive thru at Jimmy John’s (the only thing faster than their delivery dudes) and had a Turkey Tom sans mayo and a nice layer of avocado spread. Not to mention their classic pickle. The healthiest drive thru around.

So that was my day. Not too shabby. Although I didn’t write them down, I’m definitely back in the mindset of counting points and being better about what I eat. I was looking at an older post and I realized it took me 4 months to lose the last 15 pounds to break the 100 pound mark. It was because I was kind of a slacker and wasn’t strict with my points. With my new-found love for weight lifting, sticking with my points should be the perfect recipe for some serious weight loss. If anything my body would feel better, and isn’t that what it’s all about? See ya tomorrow.

 

Day 389: Tuesday

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So yeah, I messed up the day number. I’m losing my mind.

It was a pretty good day I guess, just another day in grad school. I’m ready to retire in to the real world. (Yes, you read that right.) Anyways, let’s talk about food and stuff.

Breakfast: I was out of milk and organic peanut butter (what’s a boy to do?) but we had some conventional Peter Pan Peanut Butter so I had that on my waffles. It just wasn’t the same.

Lunch: I just had some pretzels and hummus (you know, the usual) and it was good as usual.

Snack: I had a couple atomic fire balls which really aren’t bad but I had to get rid of the rest of them so I would stop eating out of stress.

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: Tonight, I made some chili awesomeness for dinner and we had it with some tortilla chips. It was one of the better batches I have made.

So as you can tell, it was just another boring day. Nothing too exciting. Maybe tomorrow will be a little better BECAUSE IT’S GAME 6 AND WORDLESS WEDNESDAY!!! Get stoked. See ya tomorrow.

Day 284: Saturday Night’s Alright For Blogging!

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I’m barreling down Book 5 of Harry Potter so again, a short but sweet blog.

Breakfast: I made some awesome whole wheat pancakes with some center cut bacon from Publix. It was the first time we had bought the Publix brand bacon and I think it was better than the brand we usually got (I think it was called Porky’s Delight…) 6 points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SAWS!!! So it was hot and completely disgusting outside so decided to run on the indoor track at FSU. It’s not the most ideal situation, but hey… free AC is good AC. The run went really well. I was pushing myself hard and I was making really good time. Well… I have no proof that I made good time because RunKeeper evidently doesn’t work indoors so it thought we had only gone 1.7 miles and my average pace was 21:08. I definitely knew something was up when the GPS tracker looked like that. Megan did some math and she figured we went about 2.6 miles in 30 minutes so either way Couch 2 5K has already helped my running. 6 exercise points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch: We had a pretty late lunch at Jimmy John’s right after our workout. It was freakin’ fantastic. I had the veggie sup and we I ate it at home, I put my own light mayo on it so save a ton of calories and fat. 9 points.

 

 

 

 

 

Snack: After our mosying about, we ended up at TCBY on Tennessee. Unlike the last TCBY we went to earlier this week, it was a self serve pay by the ounce. Now there are a lot of froyo places in Tallahassee, but that TCBY might have completely won over my heart simply because you can get a waffle cone or waffle bowl for no additional cost! The waffle bowl wasn’t that big so I couldn’t get near as much froyo as usual which worked well. I had cookies n cream with white chocolate mousse and some toppings. It was pretty awesome and about 4 points.

 

 

 

Dinner: So there was an issue with the chicken we had tried to de-thaw for dinner, so instead we went decided to go out. We’ve hear people talk about this Cuban place called Gordo’s close to FSU so we decided to finally give it a try. It was flippin’ fantastic yo! I had the pork sandwich and Megan had the Cubano (pulled pork and ham sandwhich) and we split an order of fries which turned out to be massive. Megan and I traded a half of each others sandwhich and made a dent in the fries. Overall it was a killer meal and I can’t wait to take my parents there (my sister loves Cuban food.)

So up until dinner I had only eaten about 19 points so with the workout points dinner was well within my daily points. Tomorrow is weigh in day and I’m hoping I will be back to where I was before my vacation which was 262. I’ve been pretty good this week and I’ve worked out hard too so if anything, I feel like I’m physically back to where I was before we left so that counts for something. See ya tomorrow.  

279: Fireworks and Other Awesomeness!

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HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

(As I am writing this it still sounds like the freakin’ War of 1812 outside. I love fireworks as much as the next guy, but at 11:30? Come on!)

The 4th of July was always my favorite holiday growing up. Even when I lived in Canada when I was little I always looked forward to going to my Uncle Loyd and Aunt Marietta’s farm in Montana and shooting off an armory of explosives. So many blown up plastic toy soldiers…

Exercise: This morning, Megan and I started the Couch to 5K… again… and it was great to run again. I like running behind our place, but it’s extremely hilly and it’s basically just loose soil so we decided to go to Lake Ella park near downtown. The track around the lake is six-tenths of a mile so it’s big enough that running around it numerous times is a problem. (For me, running around a tenth of a mile track I get bored and frankly a little dizzy.) Anyways, the first day is a five minute warm up and then 20 minutes of interval running with 60 seconds of running and 90 seconds of walking. On paper it’s not too bad but by the fourth time you have to run you are feeling rough. I felt good though because my pace was about 8:30/mile in the running so if I could keep that up I would be ballin! I also used Runkeeper, a running app that uses GPS like Nike+ but also has interval alarms which is perfect for C25K. Luckily we went early enough that it wasn’t too hot but by then end it was starting to warm up. No bueno.

Breakfast: I had breakfast in shifts today. I had PB and half a banana on a piece of toast before the run (a really good pre-workout breakfast) and then a Chobani with a little granola after. Both were really recharging and delicious.

Lunch: I just had a basic turkey sandwich with chips and Mrs. Renfro’s Peach salsa which is freakin’ legit! I love that stuff. (I don’t know a lady actually named Mrs. Renfro, it’s the brand’s name. Next time you see it, buy it.) The chips were also only 3 points for 14 chips so it was only a 5 point lunch thanks to the low calorie bread. Holla!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: This afternoon, we went to our friends  Jacob and Emily Ward’s apartment for a little chilling by the pool action with a cookout to follow. Jacob, Emily and I are all in the same department at FSU so it was fun to hang out and catch up. Anyways, after laying by the pool (which was interrupted by the loudest clap of thunder ever. There was a 1-2 second differential between the lightning and the thunder.) we had dinner. It was a BYOM (Bring Your Own Meat) dinner so I made some turkey burgers earlier today. They turned out really really well. I also had some beans, pretzels, chips and guac, etc. so yeah there was a bit of grazing but overall it was a great time! (I have more pics from tonight and I’ll put them in Worldess Wednesday!)

So overall, like I just said four lines ago, I did do some grazing that could have been minimized, but the rest of the week I will be on the straight and narrow to become hot and narrow. See ya tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

Day 204: Tuesday Times

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Sup yo!

So I went to the doctor and I found out that I just have some weird cold virus that is going around the school. The doc just said just drink a lot of water and to get some sleep and that will take care of it. It’s good to know that I’ll survive, but in the process, I got Megan sick! So we are in a bit of a role reversal where I’m playing nurse now instead of her (that sounded a lot weirder than it was suppose to…) Anyways, the last time I went to the doctor, my blood pressure was really high like 150/80. The nurse was a complete jerk and gave me a lot of crap about being big… but that’s for another blog. Anyways.. again, today my blood pressure was 108/50 and this nurse was thrilled! She was like “what ever you are doing keep it up you are doing awesome!” Then I told here about my weight loss and she was even more impressed. Pretty awesome trip to the doctor. Anyways, good times.

Breakfast: I was in a rush to get to campus to get in for an appointment so I brought a Fudge Brownie Clif Bar for breakfast. The Fudge Brownie one tastes a lot like those no bake haystack cookies that mom used to make. Pretty good 4 points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch: After being cooped up in the doctors office, I was pretty hungry for good lunch. I went to Pollo Tropical for some chicken and black beans and rice. It had been a while since I had the good ol’ 1/2 chicken combo so it was a good lunch. 13.5 points.

 

 

 

 

 

Snack: Before my marathon of classes, I needed some caffeine to get through. I had a skinny iced caramel macchiato and it was delicious. 3 points. (P.S. this might the weirdest face I’ve ever made on this blog.)

Snack: When I got home, I had matzos and cheese. 2 points

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: Since Megan wasn’t feeling well, she said that she wanted some Pizza Hut for comfort food. We had thin crust pepperoni, onions and tomatoes. It was delicious but, 16 points for four slices.

So I got up to 38.5 points. Ouch! I was going to work out today, but it did not happen. I am going tomorrow morning though and I am going to give the rowing machine a whirl. Should be a good one. See ya tomorrow.

Day 196: Special Monday Weigh In!

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What’s Up G?

So I really hadn’t a clue how this weeks weigh in was going to go but I have to say it went out better planned. I lost 4.8 pounds! Holy Coke. I don’t know how, but it totally worked out! I’m now down to 275.4 pounds.

Know why that’s awesome?

A) I have lost 81 pounds total which is sooooo close to 100 pounds!

B) I’m in the 270’s

and

C) The last time I was on a scale and it said 275, Clinton was in office and I was in 8th grade. It’s been a long time. Holla.

Next week, prepare for another awesome weigh in.

Breakfast: I went with the Wafflewich because they are awesome and delicious. So awesome. 5.5 points.

Lunch: I got up to the Capitol a little early so I went to the Capitol Grill and attacked the salad bar. It was pretty epic and about 8 points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snack: I had a cinnamon toast wafflewich with pb and awesomeness. 4.5 points.

Dinner: We went to Mellow Mushroom for dinner and it was soooo good. We split a calzone and a brushetta with balsamic vinegar on a bed of spring mix. It was about a 13 points meal which works because it was a ton of food. (And yes, I have a hot wife.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So today I got to 31 points so I’m on point. Sorry this is  brief post. See ya tomorrow.

Day 181: Weigh In Day!!!!!!

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Why Hello!

It’s been way too long since I have posted and for that I’m sorry. I have gotten a lot of guff (yes, I said guff) from people about missing two posts in a row and for that I thank you. I really appreciate the support and accountability this community provides. It is a key contributor to my success so far and with the century pound mark in sight, your support is appreciated now more than ever. So thanks for calling me out Matt DC. I know you were just giving me a hard time, but it meant more than you know. So this morning I got in the scale with low expectations. We had to eat out the majority of last week due to the insanity of our schedule (somehow this week is going to be more insane. What what!) Anyways, for the few posts I did have, you saw the cheesey goodness that I consumed in mass proportions so I was just hoping to at least maintain (it would have been gained if I hadn’t worked out.) Well, my metabolism must be better than I think. I lost 2.2 pounds! Pretty awesome stuff!!! I am sooooo close to being in the 270’s now. I weigh 280.4 so super duper close. So with this week’s loss, I am 23.4 pounds away from 100 pounds. It’s getting there! Like I said this week is going to be bonkers, but we are going to be smarter with meals so 270’s: see ya soon!

Breakfast: So I made two packets of double fiber oatmeal but had it in the microwave too long. It always feels like when you make two packets, it either has the consistency of snot, or it blows up and gets all over the microwave. Well… the latter happened, and a large portion of my oatmeal was everywhere. (No, I did not eat the oatmeal shrapnel left in the microwave.) It was about 5 points worth of oatmeal. Yumtastic.

 

 

 

 

Lunch: After church, we needed to eat somewhere pretty fast so Megan could meet up with her friends for their study marathon. We ended up going to the Panera next to our house. Panera’s food is deceiving because you expect it to be healthy since it’s fresh but then it’s more points/calories than you hope. Regardless, it’s delicious so we still go there :). I had the half asain sesame chicken salad and half a Mediterranean veggie sandwich. It was really good and the salad was huge for just being half a salad. For the salad, the sandwich and the yummy baguette, it was 14 points. Not bad for how good it tastes.

 

 

Snack: While I was studying, I had 3 points of pretzels. That’s 30 pretzels. Holy cow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: So this was a little different. While Megan was studying with our friend Catherine, I was at my small group and they had gotten dinner. By the time I was done it was 9:00 so I was starving. Megan texted my with news of leftover Chinese so I headed over there. I had Megan’s left over orange chicken with rice and an egg roll. I was good at the time. It took me back to my favorite super cheap Chinese place in Abilene where you could get a mountain of food for about $4. While the savoring moment lasted for a while, I still have the sodium taste in my mouth as I’m writing this. Not good. So it was high in points, and I have no real way of figuring it out, but here is what I know: I’m not the same guy I used to be. A meal like this was what I ate at least 3 times a week and it didn’t phase me at all. Tonight, I tried to go back to my old self and it wasn’t near as good as I remember. That’s so encouraging to me. To me it means that it would take a lot to get back to where I was, and that’s how I want it.

Snack: We went to Publix to get some groceries including watermelon and Cinnamon Toast Eggos which I have never had. They were delicious and  2 points.

So today wasn’t the best, but I have learned from my mistakes and I plan to work hard this week to lose a good chunk of weight. It’s going to be an interesting week. Bring it on. See ya tomorrow.

 

 

FSU WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SWEET 16 BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 112: Monday Mayhem!!!!

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Sup Gang!

Today started pretty awesomely, this week my blog is featured on Fitblogger! I wrote an article on what I’ve learned after losing 50 pounds. You should definitely check it out. It’s been cold and drizzly with sadly no snow in sight (I know school just started back up, but a snow day would be nice. Especially since I doubt it would take much precipitation for Floridians to shut everything down.) I just have one class today, so I got home, listened to jazz, habitually checked for comments on the article, and did homework. I have to say it was an okay day (rhyming not intended.) Anyways, let’s talk food.

Breakfast: I just had a bowl of Kashi Berry Crumble cereal. It was the bottom of the box and for most cereals that means a lot of sediment from broken pieces, but with granola it’s a dense amount of chipped away deliciousness. It was a thick 4 point breakfast.

Lunch: So I was going to have salad and a sandwich for lunch, but I didn’t get past the salad. As you might recall, I had this awesome salad last week that had nuts and dried berries in it so I tried to make my own with some trail mix. The mix we have is mostly pumpkin and sunflower seeds and pine nuts so it made it a lot more filling. I ate the first bowl and I liked it so much I made another! For two salads with Fat Free Honey Dijon was 6 points. Awesomeness. (Oh yeah, and green tea!)

 

 

 

 

Snack: On Sunday, we bought some Spicy Blue Corn Tortilla Chips from Earth Fare so I had some of those. They are pretty hot but pretty good and for 14 chips was 3 points which isn’t bad for chips. This face is of terror from their deliciousness.

Snack: Since we are out of Publix Multigrain Waffles 🙁 I had a piece of toast with peanut butter. 3.5 points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: It was my day to cook, so I made chicken spaghetti… again (and no I’m not saying that like it’s a bad thing.) This batch was a lot better. I baked the chicken with some sage, rosemary and thyme (no parsley, sorry Simon & Garfunkel) and some minced garlic. It looked and smelled really good, but my meat thermometer is broke so I dried them out a little. Anyways the chicken spaghetti was 13 points which is a lot of points but it was was a lot of food!

 

 

 

 

Exercise: Today was our round 2 of Couch to 5k and it went pretty well. Since it was cold and gross outside, we went up to Leach (WHICH WAS EVEN PACKED AT 9:30 AT NIGHT!!!!)  and ran on their track. The running surface has no give so I’m a little sore in weird places like my neck. Anyways, we had a good run and worked up a pretty good sweat. 

Snack: After the run, I had a banana and some Unsweetened Chocolate Almond milk that we bought on sale. It was good, but could have used a little sweetener. It was 3 points so a good post run snack.

So overall today, I ate 32.5 points worth which is over, but with the run I’m good. See ya tomorrow (and be sure to check out my article and let me know what you think!)

 


Day 110: The Tale of Two Exercises

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It’s been a pretty tiring day, but the lack of homework makes it okay. (The lack of homework actually means the lack of doing any.)

Breakfast: I was going to play basketball at noon so I bulked up with some peanut butter and waffles. It’s such a great breakfast before any kind of exercise. Hooray for 8 points.

Exercise: Basketball was great. It was a heckuva lot better than the last time we played when it was 20 degrees outside. We played 4 on 4 half court and I made a few decent shots. Overall, basketball is a lot easier than it use to be (a lot less wheezing and begging for death.) That was 13 exercise points.

Lunch: After bball, my friend Kyle wanted me to try his favorite salad at Chick-Fil-A really bad so we picked up Megan and went over there (I’ve never seen a guy so ecstatic about a salad.) We all had the Chicken Tender Salad and I went with Fat Free Honey Mustard. The salad definitely lived up to the hype. It was 15 points so a little high but really filling.

Exercise Round 2: Megan really wanted to go for a run but I was pretty tired. I went anyways :). We decided to start up Couch to 5K since there is a 5K at Disney during ESPN The Weekend that’s 8 weeks away that I really want to do. The first workout wasn’t too bad (and would have been a piece of cake if I hadn’t had played basketball earlier in the day.) I’m really excited to see how it affects my time. We’ll see how it goes. Anyways, I went 2.2 miles and burned 4 exercise points.

 

Dinner: We had chili and watched the Seahawks defy the odds and whip up on the Saints. It was fantastic and 8 points. A lot of food for not a lot of points.

So I had another good food day in my effort to finally get down below 300. (I’m so close!!!!) Anyways, I got to 31 points and with the exercise points I was well under. Other than my snafu on Thursday, it’s been a pretty good week. I’ll definitely have to keep it up! Before I go, I just want to give a shout out to my Parents and my Sister who tore up their 5k today! My parents shaved off more than 10 minutes on their times from the Turkey Trot and my Dad even won a prize for his age category! I’m so proud of y’all!!!!

Weigh in on Sunday. Bring it. See ya tomorrow