A nice Christmas Eve jog

Since our gym is open today but doesn't have daycare, Ben graciously watched our niece (1 year) and nephew (4 years) while my sister and I went for a run. Six months ago, I would not have been able to say that. My sister, a smoker for over 20 years, did not run. It was not her thing.

But, she started taking Chantix and has been smoke free for 4 months. Go, Cherie! And now, she's addicted to the gym and has started running. She even did a 2 mile race on Thanksgiving. She was in a bit of a panic about no gym daycare today, but was excited to come over and run. We got in 3.1 miles in about 35 minutes, which was a lot faster than she thought we would be. She kept apologizing for being so slow, but I honestly didn't care. I am not fast compared to a lot of people, and I've quit apologizing for myself. If I'm too slow for you, save me a banana at the finish.

Now, if I could only get her into some tech fabrics....

Merry Christmas.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, whatever you celebrate!

Mr. Cheese reluctantly wishes you a "HAPI CRIMOOS".
At least that's what I think he said.

Over the river and through the woods...

Well, it was more like through some trees, down some rocks, by a river, up a nasty hill, through some more trees....This morning, Ben and I ran the Otter Creek trail race. We opted for the 8 miler, tho if we had been ambitious, we could have gone for the 16 miler or the marathon.

I love this race. We did it last year, and it was cold and dry. This year, it was in the low 40s, and wet. There was a lot of fog, mud, and squooshy clay. There is also one part just past the half point where you don't run - you climb. And of course, that part was covered in clay. But lord, that race was so much fun. I didn't even fall this year (as compared to 3 times last year), tho I did have several moments where I went stumbling about, arms pinwheeling.

After we finished (Ben tried to push his way in front of me at the finish "line"), we trekked back to the car to clean up. I had mud all over my legs. It was fantastic. My shoes were a mess, my gloves were filthy (I grabbed a lot of trees for balance), and I had salt on my face. Yay! Then it was back to the nature center for soup, chili, and gingerbread.

Once we got back home, it was almost noon, and Ben and I both passed out on the couch. A good day.

P.S. I even peed in the woods.