(Christmas) Week in Review

81 miles
3 doubles
4 AFDs
6 states and a district (NC, VA, DC, MD, WVA, PA, OH)



Yes, I realize that skipping straight to the "week in review" is cheating. I'm doing a disservice to the entire week by not detailing the City Sports run club where we posed for a photo in front of the White House Christmas tree, or my 11-mile run around the Mall with Jordan, or the frigid runs in Ohio where I trudged along solo after Jordan and I traded Achilles injuries. But, simply put, I'm going to fall even farther behind if I don't wrap up the Christmas week with a neat little bow (no pun intended) and move on to the final week of the year. Don't worry; I'm including a few photos to make up for my laziness.


Madison and Tyler finish opening their Christmas presents. They already
got up and opened their "Santa" gifts while the rest of us slept--at 3am!!

As you can see from the stats above, I once again managed to notch a respectable mileage total despite all our traveling and despite my Achilles not being 100% (although it's like 98.4% right now, I swear). I still don't have any workouts to speak of, although I did sneak in 12x1 minute intervals on Christmas Eve morning around the streets of Mason. Nothing crazy, but it felt good to pick up the pace a bit. As I mentioned, Jordan is now experiencing some lower leg issues of his own, which meant that I was left to fend for myself most days. That inconvenience was coupled with the snow and ice that rendered the two parks within jogging distance of our home base in Mason completely impassible. Our only other option, a 100+ mile bike path a short drive away, was even less hospitable. So not only would I spend the majority of the week running by myself, but I also would have no idea where to go. Fortunately that's where Jordan's uncle Dave stepped in. Dave, a middle school principal who has the rest of December off, happens to be an avid runner and a solid 3:30 marathoner (and, at a mere 42 years old, he has already completed a whopping 58 marathons). He also lives a literal stone's throw away from Glenn and Eloisa's house, which made meeting up for runs incredibly convenient. So Dave became a lifesaver for me, accompanying me on at least half my runs and steering us through pedestrian-friendly streets and neighborhoods. He made for great company and a reliable tour guide and more or less salvaged my Ohio running. Though I know he doesn't read this blog, thanks a bunch Dave.


When he's not running, Dave mixes a mean cocktail.


Jordan icing his Achilles the old-fashioned way--with snow from outside.
Little bro Tyler wanted to compete in the "tough guy" contest as well.

And so, with one final week remaining in 2010, it's almost time to reflect on the past year while simultaneously setting goals for the next one. I hope to close out the year with a bang--and by that I mean a week of high mileage and a long-awaited workout or two--and start off 2011 feeling healthy and fit. With Jordan pulled up lame and Caitlin out of town until 12/31, I will probably be solo for most of the week once we return to Charlotte. If I can make it until Saturday, however, I'll be rewarded with the first annual CRC Hangover Run at McAlpine, a guaranteed opportunity to see tons of running friends and swap New Year's Eve stories. Until then, it's time to finish this year off right.


Jordan really liked Whitney's glasses... ...so he decided to try them on. Looks like a perfect fit!



Enjoying our Christmas dinner. Happy holidays, everyone!