I'll second Tramp's greetings and wish everyone a glorious holiday season. Overnight we had a quick thaw and the day brought sunshine, low 40's but very gusty winds. So, Marj and I decided to take advantage of the tailwind and did a point to point and took the subway home. Love running in different parts of the city especially when the roads are mostly deserted and you can run down the middle of a downtown road. One of the highlights was running past a Christian Orthodox Church and the bell ringer put on a Christmas melody as we ran by, waved to us and we waved back. Got in 7 miles.

Happy holidays and good eating to all!!! 12/25/08 ran Pennsylvania ave to the white house. 4.59 miles in 53:32 for an avg 11:40 m/m. Splits: 11:26, 12:19, 11:13, 11:20 and that last .52 at 12:28. 46F feels like 40F Windy and sunny. Along the route bleachers have sprouted like new spring plants and yellow tape flutters in the wind, their attempts to keep people out overtaken by the windy weather. I watched as the secret service reunited some tourists with their abandoned bag. Hint to visitors to DC: do not drop your backpack and walk away from it, especially in front of the white house. You are bound to get a Christmas experience you will never forget. Today I hope everyone gets to have as many pain free miles as they want. Another lesson that this last injury period allowed me to learn: Give my body time to recover. Whatever time that may be. I must recognize my limits and honor them. When I do this my body is able to continue on. I had the following conversation with my P/T on Monday: me: I broke myself over the weekend. Him: how? Me: I did an 18 mile week, including 3 miles on Sunday that were faster than my usual pace, and now my ankle, foot, etc, etc. hurt. Him: on your stomach. Me; ok (head hanging low) As he begins to work his magic (he calls it therapeutic massage, I say he pokes me till I cry out in pain) I realize that the achy areas are not as painful as I expected them to be. He tells me I am in good shape and to go run, just don’t overdo it as my body is telling me it has gone as far as it can with the 18 miles. I grin from ear to ear. So, I was ready to go for a run Tuesday night, but I had a bit of a ache in my shin, so I told self I would wait for Wednesday. Plus, it was soooo cold…I was ready to go for a run Wednesday night, but then I realized that if I went for a run Christmas eve, I would not be able to run Christmas a.m., and my shin was still a bit achy. So, I didn’t run. I got up this morning and went for a run and all body parts feel just great!!! I was speedier than I planned, but it was what my body was comfortable doing. And now I will go for a nice long run this weekend. I know that because I did not stress the shin when it was already stressed, and gave my body time to recover from the last week I will be able to get the miles in this week. But, no more than 18 of them….. In the past I would of heard the message you are fine and to go run, but blocked out the part about just don’t overdo it. And I would have run Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and my body would have broken. I hope that I can continue to follow this lesson learned. I would like to offer a long overdue note of thanks to Mr. Ribs. Some time ago on CR Mr. Ribs shared some job interview tips. I saved them, not ever thinking I would need them. Recently I saw an opportunity for a career change and threw my name into the hat. I made the selection list and they interviewed me. I used Mr. Rib’s guide and questions for that interview. I will never forget the look on the interviewer’s faces (there were three of them) when they said: do you have any questions for us, and I said well, yes I do, and I proceeded to pepper them with the Ribs questions (tailored for the type of interview I was in). After each question asked, they would say, wow, that’s a good question. Oh, and I got the job. Thank you Mr. Ribs for so freely sharing your knowledge with us. You all rock!!! Happy Holidays!!!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Liz - that is a great lesson to share with us, thanks! You are right that so often we block out the pain, not listening to the body, and pay the price later. My DD came down with a stomach bug last night after bedtime, coming to me for help when she threw up in bed. Poor thing, said, "I'm sorry Mommy." for what I'm not sure, the mess I guess. I assured her it was okay, got her cleaned up and changed, bundled up her bedding, and set her up in a sleeping bag and blankets (the mattress would need to be cleaned), and a bucket. Luckily, by this morning she seemed fine, and had great fun opening her presents with DS. UNfortunately, DH came down with the same thing by midmorning, taking to bed with a bucket shortly before our first guests arrived, and missing out on Christmas dinner. Terrible timing, because he LOVES the sumptuous holiday meals, and is usually my cooking's biggest fan. Of coures, I am thinking with regret about the doughnut I shared with DD yesterday, and the kiss I shared with DH this morning. Wish me luck....

Holly, best of luck with that. I hope your DH recovers as quickly as your DD has seemed to. Bill, nice year. Tim, you're an inspiration. Liz, nice to see you back and congratulations on the successful job search (and your return to running). Roy, glad to see you again, too. Ran an easy 4 this morning, I guess around 9 mm pace. Getting ready for another hugh meal. It's ok, I have my buffet pants on so I'll be comfortable. Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays, everyone so inclined. Regardless of our faith or beliefs, the end of year is a good time to reflect on our good fortune and to share with others.

Thinking of you all and hoping you are happy today, or at least content. Took Frank to a fenced area where we could take off the leash and he ran like a greyhound. He smiles when he does this. And looks beautiful. He is the joy of running. 4 for DH, 8.4 for me (I started out early from home, he drove to the bikepath, so we were there together). grins, A ps: It got to 40 here! Feels like 60 compared to what we've been having.

Glorious 5 miles of speedwork on the boardwalk this morning. A tiny bit more windy than I would have liked, but otherwise absolutely beautiful. Fantastic way to start the day before lunch and gifting with the godsons and dinner with the family. Eliz