Runners stream across the finish line at the Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot in Austin in 2017. Photo courtesy Thundercloud Subs

I love a turkey feast as much as the next person, but I like it even better when I’ve put a few miles on my legs before I sit down to eat.

Look for me at the Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot in Austin this Thanksgiving Day, along with roughly 20,000 other people – many wearing turkey or pilgrim costumes – who want to work off a few calories before they pack more on. 

TCloud’s race might be the biggest in the area (it’s second only to the Dallas trot in the great state of Texas) but it isn’t the only game in town. 

Check out these all options:

A crowd gathers at the Long Center after the 2017 Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot. Photo courtesy Thundercloud Subs

1. The Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot starts and finishes near the Long Center, 701 W. Riverside Drive, in Austin. Proceeds benefit Caritas of Austin, which works to ensure that people have a safe home, food, jobs that provide a reliable living wage, and educational opportunities. Registration is $32 for an untimed 5-miler, $37 for a timed 5-miler, $27 for a 1-mile walk and $12 for the Kids K (prices increase on Thanksgiving Day.) The kids’ race starts at 8:45 a.m., followed by the timed run at 9:35 a.m. and the 1-mile walk/run at 9:50 a.m.

To register go to https://thundercloud.com/register/.

2. The Round Rock Turkey Trot 5-mile race and 2-mile walk/run follows paved roads and trails through Old Settlers Park, 3400 East Palm Valley Road. Enjoy a post-race party with sponsor booths, refreshments and prizes and giveaways. The 5-miler starts at 8 a.m.; the 2-miler begins at 8:15 a.m. Registration is $15 at https://runsignup.com/Race/TX/RoundRock/RoundRockTurkeyTrot. Proceeds benefit the Round Rock Serving Center, Operation Blue Santa and Backpack Coalition. 

3. The Georgetown Running Club and Sertoma host the 5-mile Georgetown Turkey Trot and 1-mile walk. Race starts at 8 a.m. on Main Street. Proceeds benefit Williamson County Meals on Wheels and Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation Department. Bring a nonperishable food item for The Caring Place. Entry is $35 online at http://www.georgetownrunningclub.org.

A few years ago, partway through a 15-day backpacking trip on the John Muir Trail in California, my feet hurt, my backpack felt like a rhinoceros on my back and all I wanted to do was lay down on the nearest rock and fall asleep.
Why in the world had I set out to hike roughly 200 miles through the Sierra Nevada mountains, eating dehydrated meals and wearing the same set of clothing day after day?

I wanted to bail out.
That’s when my husband pointed way down the trail, to a glimmering dime of water far below. That’s where we’d camped the previous night, he pointed out. I’d started there that morning, but look how far I’d come in three or four hours.
Something clicked in my mind. I gnawed on a hunk of beef jerky and sipped a little water I’d filtered from a stream as I turned that thought over in my head.

I would darn well keep walking, all the way to the end of the trail on the other side of Mount Whitney.

I did it, too, and that cheeseburger at the end tasted better than anything I’ve ever sunk my teeth into because I worked hard to get it.

That experience stuck in my brain, and I’ve carried it with me ever since.
It’s kept me outside, seeking adventure, finding the joy in the rugged path along the way. It taught me that when something feels impossible, I can keep moving, even if it feels like elephants are dancing on my toes.

Get outside, people. Explore your world. Find adventure in everything.

And if you need a little inspiration, follow my blog to get it.

Take fitness. Does it really matter exactly how many steps you took, or how fast you ran that training mile?

Sometimes it does, but if your goal is to improve your fitness, maybe what you really need to do is focus on something simple, like getting outdoors.

That’s the idea behind Blipic’s Sunshine Challenge, which wraps up this week with a celebration on the lawn in front of the Seaholm Power Plant.

The event takes place noon to 3 p.m. Saturday on the lawn, 800 West Cesar Chavez Street, and will feature tents and tables manned by challenge sponsors, plus activities like an easy run around Lady Bird Lake, yoga and some good old-fashioned lawn games. The public is invited; kids and pets are welcome.

Chris Eddy, an Austin tech worker and creator of an online interactive fitness platform called Blipic, created the challenge, which has drawn about 100 participants.

I love the grassroots nature of what Eddy is doing. 

Blipic’s goal is to get people moving. Unlike some corporate wellness programs, it’s not intimidating and feels attainable, even to folks who don’t regularly log miles on the hike-and-bike trail or swim laps. And aren’t those the people who need it most?

It feels more like a social platform than tracking fitness – you can tap into a local feed of photos taken by other Blipic members, and learn about fun and cool places to visit in the area. It’s easy to find organized activities like walks or workouts, volunteer opportunities and parks to visit.

As we talked at a bench atop the Pfluger Bridge last week, he checked his watch. Even minutes spent outside chatting with friends count in the Sunshine Challenge.

“The goal is to get folks outdoors, healthy and connected,” Eddy says. “We’re trying to build community.”

For more information about Blipic, go to https://blipic.co.