25 on the 25th

Christmas is a time for celebration and happiness. What better way to spend Christmas morning than waking up before dawn to get in a long run before everyone else wakes up to open presents? Alright, I'm sure there are better ways, but I like running now, remember? I'd been looking forward to this run for days, really! Maybe this is how you know you're finally a runner. Maybe that's how you know you're going crazy.

My alarm did not go off at 5:30 as planned (it was set for PM rather than AM, this is why I need to set all my clocks to military time), and I was instead woken up by my work alarm at 6:20, only 10 minutes before I was supposed to hit the road. Oops, I guess pancakes will be a little later than expected. Then my iPod quit working at about mile 4. Then, around mile 9 the bag with my nutrition in it split, which didn't mean that lost it, but it meant I'd be sweating all over my beans and blocks for the next 2 hours and my back would be sticky. And around mile 13 I ran out of fluid (which I was rationing because I knew there would be nowhere to get more). But, a Christmas miracle happened! I have a short temper, but I wasn't pissed off about any of this stuff! I must have been filled with the Christmas spirit!

And that was not the only Christmas miracle, the weather wasn't too cold (up around 30*), and our relative heatwave over the last couple of days (highs in the mid-30s) meant that I could see the sidewalks again! And a Christmas angel must have been carrying me along, because even though I'd smacked 2 monster hills in the middle of my rout, I didn't start to get tired and sore until the very last mile. I got to see the sun rise over a frozen lake, I ran around the country club and got to see the pretty, decorated houses that the rich people live in and all the unspoiled snow covering the golf course. It was almost like running through a postcard, but we all know that I wouldn't be as cheezy as all that.

The run was supposed to be 25 km (15.53 mi) for the 25th of December, but I only made it 24.31 km (or 15.11 mi). I could have made up the distance by running around one more block, but I feel that, since we're all full of the Christmas spirit, we'll give me those last 690 meters. (To see a 3D map of the course with google maps, click here, and to see the elevation profile and other MapMyRun doodads, click here).

And then it was back home to sit by the fire and open the toys that Santa Claus had left for me: ~a Garmin Forerunner, so I'm never off by 690 meters again
~2 Underarmour cold weather tops, so I don't have to look like a ninja all the time
~new running tights, so I can save the figure skating tights for really special occasions
~lacelocks, because all the cool kids have them

I hope your Christmases were as merry as mine!
(*Note: I did not take any of the pictures in this post except the ninja one)