6-mile island

It's official. Early evening runs during the holiday season are the best. The decorated houses and Christmas trees tucked into the front windows of neighborhood houses make this best time during the whole year to be a runner.

I ran 6 miles alone in the dark without my MP3 player tonight. It felt pretty lonely for a while. A cold front was in the process of cooling the area to the point of freezing. A light breeze was blowing the fallen leaves and the smell of firewood hung in the air. I kept myself entertained by checking out all the decorated homes around our neighborhood. Some of the displays are impressive. But then again - I'm a real sucker for all the Christmas decorating, holiday music, etc. Heck - I even like the crowded malls during the holiday season. There are few events that really get under my skin make me come alive: The Christmas season is one, the Olympics (summer or winter) a second, and well, geez, college football season.

The run tonight included 2 3-mile loops which start and end at the driveway. I put a couple of water bottles on the front lawn for a makeshift drink station. The first 3-mile loop was a dream. I was really in the zone. The second loop was, well, it took a lot more effort than the first. It was a great way to burn off the first day back to work.

Looking ahead - This next weekend is the last free weekend of the year. We're planning to hit the town on Friday night. T will be at home with a sitter, which means grown-up food and drink. I'm hoping for steak! Then, we'll spend some time Christmas shopping downtown. We've got 2 5K race weekends, ok - fun run weekends, coming up after that. It should be pretty fun. I can't wait to see how much my times have improved over my first 5K back in August. Then, Christmas and New Years.

Should be fun times. I'll keep you posted.