The Pine Needles and Snow Settle....(but not the Dust :)!)

Ah, December is by far my favorite time of year.  USUALLY, the weather is cool but mild- and I love the excitement of Christmas.  I try hard not to get too bogged down by the stress of all the activity- although if you ask Kris he may say that I am not always successful!  I LOVE seeing all my family and friends- and who doesn't love an excuse to bake or eat or party.  I am however, glad that we are wrapping up this month and holiday season- as it is very difficult when I get off my "schedule."  Plus, I think I am getting used to the extra sleep, and well, we just can't have that.  I had a blast at the annual Fro-Down, the Moscato's PIFF gathering, December Book Club (My Name is Mary Sutter), and first ever cookie exchange.  (seriously, I am going to have to back away from the trough soon- maybe in January)

The treasures from the Cookie Exchange!  Seriously, what are we going to do with all these tasty treats? 

Running was a mainstay during the holidays- as well, it keeps me sane, and I have a 50k "event" coming up in less than 2 weeks.  Steph and I have decided to call the Frosty 50k an event rather than a race, because the word race invokes too many nerves (and other not helpful emotions).  So, we are gearing up for our longest ever event.  Kris and I had our first ever recreational run over the break (on Christmas Eve) at Salem Lake (same location as the event)- since our early dating days 12 plus years ago.  When we were first dating, he was trying to impress me and be super sweet- so he would run my slow pace.  Now, he says it hurts his knees to run slow with me, so we don't typically run together.  He must have been in the holiday spirit, because he agreed to run a nice easy run with me (plus, I have sped up a little over the years believe it or not- of course, so has he).  It was nice to get out and do an easy 4 miler and chat a little about our lack of sleep the night before, and what we were going to eat when we finished our run!  Maybe he will run with me again before 12 years pass :) 
As most of you know, the snow started falling Christmas night, and continued to fall well into the next day.  Usually, I love the snow- but this year, I became the Snow Grinch....this snow was going to mess up my 20 to 22 mile run scheduled before I taper down for the 50k.  And so, as Kris will attest, the grumpiness set in on Sunday- please don't make me run on the treadmill for that long....this in itself could be used as a form of torture (along with sports bra induced chaffing- but that is for another discussion).  So, I settled for an easy run and waited to see what Monday brought.  Well- Monday was no better, and maybe worse.  What to do?  What to do?  How long can I sit around and figure out what to do before I was done and had to do something????  So, the decision was made- Steph and I would venture out to ATT for a snow run for as long as we could take it.  We ran in the snow in Umstead once last year, but it was not this deep, and it was a different snow- more compact and easier to run on- plus we had some ATV tracks to run in that day.  This run was much different- and MUCH more challenging.  My legs actually felt pretty good until about mile 5, which is where the significant slow down occurred!  We actually saw a guy on the trail cross country skiing????  Excuse me sir, can we borrow those???  The terrain was constantly changing and I have come to learn just how much I enjoy the grip and push off of my normal running stride :)  We managed to pull out about 2 hours and 38 minutes- which was not 20 miles, but felt like 26 plus miles by the time we were finished.  Ah, a slight feeling of accomplishment and no more stress about what to do- life was good again.  Or maybe I was too exhausted to know any better????  Either way, I was glad to have completed that run, and would ask nicely that we be done with the snow.  Of course, Ella wanted nothing to do with the snow, because that meant she had to put on her coat and boots- and in her mind princesses do NOT wear boots (except for ones with high heels!).
So- we move into the New Year and I am hopeful for some new inspiritation and challenges.  January has always been my least favorite month of the year- nothing to look forward to and dark and cold....this year, however, I have the Frosty 50k, with a recovery massage, of course AND according to Coach Ian some super challenging weekends coming up!  Stay tuned!

Quote of the Week:  Kris: "Come on, Ella, let's go see what Santa brought...let's go, let's go..."  as we are walking downstairs Christmas morning. 
Ella:  "Daddy, we don't need to hurry- nobody's gonna take our presents from us before we get there."

Ah, priceless- a common thread at the dinner table- Ella (or Kris), honey, you don't have to eat so fast, nobody is going to take your food :)  And let it be noted, that it took over 2 hours for Ella to get through her Santa....she meant it when she set the pace on the way down!