Christmas

Its the MOST wonderful time of the year: Scavenger Hunt Recap

/ Amy / 2 Comments

This past week has gone so fast! Jeff and I spent Christmas in Buffalo with my family, and although there was no snow (in Buffalo! for Christmas! Can you imagine?) it was still pretty easy to get in the Christmas spirit. I’d been ramping up all week with the Christmas Scavenger Hunt, and spending several days with family brought it all together. I didn’t get a ton of miles in (one per day to be exact, just to keep the holiday streak alive), but I did get some “cross training” at our annual family bowling competition. Unfortunately, I was unable to defend my title, and the Rudolph Cup has a new home for 2015.

2014-12-26 16.58.10Handing the trophy off to the new champ!

Now, speaking of the scavenger hunt, I said I was giving myself through the New Year to find everything on the list, but I feel like I’ve had enough time, so I’m calling it. Feel free to keep searching, if you’ve decided to play along!

I was looking for 8 items (some holiday in nature, and some tricky ones to keep me on my toes.) And here’s how I did:

SNOW

2014-12-24 16.38.20So lame. But, it’s still snow.

A CHRISTMAS TREE

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A HOLIDAY CHARACTER

2014-12-24 16.41.12Santa in his RV. Yeah, I don’t know either.

 A SNOWMAN

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A DECORATED HOUSE

2014-12-22 18.51.53So Awesome.

 AN OUT OF SEASON DECORATION

2014-12-24 16.33.46Someone forgot to peel the witch off their tree!

 SOMEONE WEARING SHORTS OR SANDALS

2014-12-24 16.44.40Yeah, that’s me, big ol’ cheater.

I did not find a runner wearing red or green. I didn’t actually see another runner at all. I’m sure they were there, but I mostly only ran a single mile at a time, so that didn’t give me much time to see anyone else. I could have worn red or green myself, but I thought I should probably only count myself for one item. 🙂

All in all, not too bad. Getting back to scavenger hunting was pretty fun, too.

Did you have a good holiday? Find any items on the Scavenger Hunt List? 

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It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

/ Amy / 13 Comments

If you’ve been running outside lately, I’m sure you’ve noticed that “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!” But just in case you haven’t noticed, it’s time to get your eyes off your running watch, and start looking around! Because Kristen from Run Away With Me and I are sponsoring (aka: we made up) a Holiday Running Scavenger Hunt!!!  (Try to contain your excitement.)

Since we both had a blast creating and participating in Running Scavenger Hunts this summer/fall, and are huge fans of the Christmas Season we joined up to bring you the VERY MERRIEST RUNNING SCAVENGER HUNT LIST!

ChristmasHuntList

 

Kristen and I will both be searching for these 8 items on our runs this week, and we’d love for you all to join us. So, bundle yourself up in multiple layers, hats, and mittens, and strap on your studded running shoes, and head out the door! (Unless you live in a warm climate…in which case, you can spend much less time gearing up.)

Feel free to let us know what you’ve found in the comments section of this post (or her corresponding post), OR create your very own post to show off pictures of what you’ve found.  I’m giving myself through New Year’s day to find these items, and then I’ll post my results.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hunting!

 

Holiday Running Streak: Christmas Week!

/ Amy / 2 Comments

Days 26 – 31: December 22nd – 27th

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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.

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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.

    2013-12-25 13.23.42

    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)
2013-12-25 13.01.10

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!

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