I hope you are all having a happy holiday season! Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! It’s been a pretty good week. I’ve gone from feeling 100+ years old last week with a crippled back to moving around with ease. I’m not broken, but I’m not completely fixed either. I have an appointment next week to see my sport physician so he can hopefully give me some insight on what I can do to fix the “knot” I feel in my lower right side. I’m pretty sure it’s related to muscle imbalance but I don’t know what to do to correct it. This week I did run 25.25 miles. There are 119 days until the Glass City Marathon and my training plan will officially start on January 6th. I’ve got one week to eat all of the fudge and cookies in my house, and then cleanse my body of said toxic sugars. LOL!! I’m up for the challenge! But more importantly, it’s a little over a month until I embark on another epic ski trip, so I need to get strong for that. Here’s what went down this week…
Mon – 3 mile treadmill run. I tested out my back after my morning yoga stretches and hanging on the inversion table. Things are improving!
2 mile park walk with Mom. Look at us dedicated walkers! There were very few people out today (feels like 27 degrees!).
Tues – 4 mile run with the Nerd Herd. This running group has had a Christmas Eve morning run for many years now. I was so happy to be able to run this year. Interesting to note is the number of former runners who are now walking instead of running. I’m glad they still join in the fun. I had to cut this run short since I needed to get to work!
At night we went to the Toledo Zoo to see the lights display. Always an impressive display!
Weds – Merry Christmas! Slept in until 9am again but then got right into our holiday festivities. A lot of great gifts were exchanged. My daughter got me a pair of belay glasses. I can’t wait to use them! They are used to spot the climber while belaying (mirrors!), which eliminates the need to stare up at the wall for extended periods, which is super tiring on your neck!
The kids had the traditional Santa pancakes while I enjoyed a cocoa coffee cake.
3 mile run. I usually don’t run on Christmas, but the kids went off to their girlfriend/boyfriend houses so I took advantage of some down time. Have you seen any of these reflective, shimmery decorations? They are mesmerizing!
We played some hilarious Jackbox games in the evening. Back in the 90’s Alan and I played You Don’t Know Jack. That game and more are now in a party pack. I haven’t laughed so hard in a very long time.
Thurs – 5 mile run. Our son joined us for a run along the river. I’m glad he’s fit, and game, to knock out a 5 miler whenever I ask him nicely 🙂
Fri – 2 mile walk. Rest day!
Sat – 10 mile long run. What a great day for a run! It was 52 degrees and the sun even came out at one point. Wow! I have been working on my long run pacing and was happy with the consistency on this, with a “strong finish” (race pace) last mile. And, I got my holiday Starbucks. Yum!
We had our family Christmas with my Mom. My brother’s side of the family bailed due to other things going on, but we made the most of it with our smaller group. We played UNO and a new card game called “31”. It was fun!
Sun – Yoga for lower back & hydro massage at Planet Fitness. As I mentioned I have a big ski trip coming up. I’ve decided to do ski workouts (youtube!) in hopes of being a stronger skier this season. I also decided to ease into and only do half the workout today so I can still have an enjoyable run tomorrow 😉
It’s no secret that I enjoy giving photo gifts. My kids get a photo book every year of the summer trip we took together. This year I also gave them a metal photo ornament. I really surprised my son when he opened his ornament was a picture from his summer job at Rocky Mountain Conservation Corps. This has inspired me to start working on past “December Daily” books, which tell the story of our holiday season. It’s been fun to watch the kids read through them with their significant others. In addition to marathon training and skiing I’ve got a lot of scrapbooking to keep me busy this winter!
Need some more inspiration? I’m linking up with Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner and Kim from Running on the Fly for their Weekly Run Down. Check out all of the fun blogs there!
Q: Did you ever play You Don’t Know Jack? Or are a trivia game fan?
I’m a big fan of games and trivia games. I’ll be playing them on NYE!
I’ve thought about getting an inversion table I hear they are great. Hope it helps you get back to feeling good. I also need to get the sugar out of my house. If it is not here, I don’t miss it. But, when I see it, I want it
We’ve had the inversion table for quite awhile. Rarely ever use it, but when we need it, it’s so wonderful feeling!
That’s great that your mom is willing and able to go for those walks, especially in the cold temps! What a fun holiday week for you and the family! Gosh, I used to be a huge scrapbooker, but that all stopped when the smart phones entered the scene (I seldom ever print pics anymore), and I have never taken the time to them online.
Digital scrapbooking has always been much easier than having physical paper around for me. You’d be amazed at the mass quantities of digital papers, online shops and embellishments there are! There’s something for every occasion.
It looks like your holidays were fun!!! We’ve played that Jackbox game with the kids and it is hilarious! I forgot about it. We’ll have to bring it out next time we’re together with them.
Glad to hear your back pain resolved. I have that occasional knee thing but shhhh it’s been quiet lately.
Yes, let’s speak very quietly about the absence of pains! 😆
I was super happy with how easily it was to play those games on our phones. Very fun games!
It sounds like you had a great Christmas week! I love the Santa pancakes (I’m always looking for fun ideas for the grandkids). I haven’t seen any of those shimmery decorations around here, but bet they’ll be popular next year. The reindeer pictured is so pretty!
Happy New Year!
Debbie recently posted…Weekly RunDown: December 22 – 28 / Chill Christmas Week
A neighbor also has a snowman which is shimmery like that. Very pretty!
Oh yes, I can tell you kids of all ages LOVE Santa pancakes! This year I used raspberries for the red hat, but in all other years I’ve used strawberries. The kids reported that both versions were good!
We played a lot of UNO this week too. Current favorite variety is Mario Kart, which we also played a lot/. I haven’t seen those decorations in low light. Cool to see what they’re supposed to look like/ LOL at Mt. Laundry, especially with runners.
When my kids are back in college I have barely any laundry to do! Well, except for all of the winter running wear.
I totally SUCK at Mario Kart! I will play it with my family but I’m always the very last driver. Sad!
Your back is better- the best Christmas gift! I know what you mean about feeling like you’re 100 years old- that back pain is no fun.
Those Santa pancakes=life goals. I HAVE to make them next year!
Sounds like you had a really nice Christmas. Good luck fixing your back before the ski trip- sounds like you’re going about it the right way.
What a lovely festive week Lisa! So happy your back is feeling better. You really love Glass City! 🙂 It does seem like a good one and hard to beat the location for you!!
Love the photo memories, what a thoughtful mom you are!