Days 26 – 31: December 22nd – 27th

Merry Christmas!

Part 1: The Running

Jeff and I spent the week of Christmas in North Tonawanda with my family.  In between all the eating, gifts, and games, I was able to squeeze in my minimum 1 mile per day for the streak.  Aside from 12/22, the day before we left, I kept my runs for the week all under 2 miles.

12/22 was my first “long” run in a while.  We did 6 miles, heading over the bridge into Salem for the first time in a few weeks.  I had a bit of a tough time on the long gradual uphill about halfway through the run, but I was able to pull it together and finish strong. I’ve been going faster lately, but I still can’t believe that my long runs a couple months ago were 20+ miles long…how on earth did I do that?  I was tuckered out after my 6 mile run, and I think it was a good thing to have a bit of a rest for the next 5 days.

There are two adjectives to describe running in North Tonawanda:  flat and snowy!  Yes, I’ve had a couple snowy runs in Beverly, but it snowed EVERY SINGLE DAY we were there.  🙂  While I generally enjoy running in the snow and I wouldn’t want to run on Christmas without it, it can be kind of a drag after a while. It requires a lot of focus to not slip and fall, and it’s rather slow going.  Lucky for me, my mom has a treadmill, and  I did my 1st two indoor runs of the streak.

Snowy Shoes

I was driven inside by the fact that I didn’t get around to running until after dark on Thursday, and I didn’t bring any of my running in the dark gear.  I had to improvise a bit with clothing (I only brought outdoor gear), but it was only a mile so no need to be picky.  I really don’t mind running on the treadmill, and it was WAY faster.  In addition to eliminating slipping and sliding in the snow, it really cut down on my prep time.  With the multiple layers, hat, mittens, and waiting for a signal on my GPS watch; it actually takes me longer to prepare to run a mile outdoors than to physically do it.

Part 2: The Running Gifts!

What kind of Christmas post would this be if  I didn’t tell you all about the  awesome running related gifts I got for Christmas?

•  Knuckle Lights – We cheated a little and Jeff gave these to me before Christmas. They are awesome!  The battery on my head lamp is dying, but even before that, these are so so so much brighter.  And having the light in my hand (I’ve only used one at a time so far) gives me more control and is much more comfortable than wearing the head lamp.
  

  Christmas Morning Run!

• Running Journal – On the Saturday before Christmas, Jeff gave me another running gift: a running journal. I have been thinking about using one for a while, and now I have one!  I haven’t had much of a chance to check this out too much yet, but I’m hoping to sit down and go through it before the New Year.  You know, get a plan together for my new year’s resolutions.

• Race Bib Holder Thingy –  My sister found this one, it’s called a BibFOLIO.  I haven’t set it up yet, but I think it looks like a pretty neat idea. It holds your race bibs, and I have a lot of those! I think I’ll use it for special ones – maybe PR races? Pictures to come when I get it all set up.

• Swirlgear Running Jacket – I got this gift from my cousin in law, Kaseedee, who is an ambassador for Swirlgear.  I haven’t had a chance to try it out yet, but she swears by their stuff, so I have high expectations. (Side note: check out her facebook page for fitness tips and product recommendations)

My New Kicks!

• Newton Boca AT Sneakers – These were on my wish list to Santa.  Actually, Jeff and I both asked for sneakers for Christmas, but when we got to my mom’s house there was only one shoe shaped box under the tree…and, it didn’t have my name on it!  So, imagine my surprise when I opened a Victoria’s Secret box to find these inside!  I’ve taken them out a few times, and so far so good.  They are my 3rd pair of Newtons, and my first pair of trail shoes.  To be honest, I don’t really ever plan on running on trails, but they’re waterproof (aka: snow, rain, puddle, sleet proof), so I had to have them.  🙂

P.S. I made this cool collage of pictures from Christmas. I’m not sure why it’s so tiny (???), but it was fun…so, enjoy!