Last run of the year

Today was my last run of the year. Crazily, The weather was in the upper 70's...and beautiful!
It was not an easy run, and I had to resort to walking .15 every mile and half-mile after 4 miles. However, I enjoyed the run. It didn't bring me much clarity when it comes to my New Year's resolutions like I'd hoped, but here's what I came up with:
1. Eat healthy 5 days a week (no sugar or white carbs)
2. Run or cross-train 4 times a week
3. Read my Bible 3 times a week
4. Strength train 2 times a week

Mileage Report
Weekly: 11.7 miles
YTD: 809.95 miles

More than 800 miles for the year! I'm thrilled with that! My goal was 1100k, or 683 miles...and I totally got that! I'm working on a specific number for next year...stay tuned :)

So off schedule

Between Christmas festivities, getting sick and no work for my husband and me, I am so off schedule. I thrive on routine, so this is hard for me. I know I should just chill out and enjoy the laziness, but that is just not my nature. We are getting things done...just not on a scheduled plan. And knowing our break is three quarters of the way over is sad. I never feel like I got as much done as I wanted or enjoyed the time as much as I could have.

So, here's a plan for today. If I have a plan, I will at least feel better.
1. Run, even if it is a short one
2. Shower
3. Nap
4. Catch up on some magazine reading. I think I have about 6 magazines on my Nook that I haven't even seen yet.
5. Make dinner (it has been so easy to just eat out!)
6. Play with the kids

Ok, so nothing on there is earth-shattering, but it's a list. I will feel like I have accomplished something if I can check them off the list.

***Update: I managed to run, shower, and play with the kids. That's half the list. We're heading out of town tomorrow for the day, so I'll take care of the nap and magazines then :)

Disappointed

I have had a sore throat since Friday evening. I didn't run Saturday even though I wanted a nice long run. Not sleeping well and getting up early didn't sound like a good mix with the sore throat and cold weather (especially since I felt better Saturday morning than I did Friday night when we were out in the cold looking at lights). Of course, Saturday and Sunday were crazy, busy Christmas fun, so there wasn't any room for a run...not that I would have felt like it.

And here it is Monday and my throat still hurts and I don't feel like running. I know that supposedly you can still run if it's above the neck, but I can't imagine sucking in air through this throat of mine.

Then there is that never-easy question of when do I actually give in and go to the doctor. I seem to be ok...just the sore throat. I am off this week, so at least I have time to go if I decide I should. Of course, it looks like we may be taking my little buddy in too. He either has a cold or sinus infection. I just never know when to take him to the doc.

My husband has now completed Week 2 of C25K. I am so proud of him! With the Hot Chocolate 15k/5k in about 6 weeks, I don't want my training and endurance to get derailed.

Three Thing Thursday

1. I am still so very behind with all things Christmas. I did manage to wrap a lot of presents today with the help of SB. It was just us since little brother was at the grandparents' house. We still have several gifts to buy tomorrow, but Chad is off. I'm hoping we can divide and conquer.

2. Because it was just SB and me for most of the day, she declared it a girls' day, which meant doing basically whatever she wanted to do. I painted her nails with a candy cane stripe, had a tea party and played princess games on the Wii. Yes, that meant I didn't get as much done as I'd hoped, but we had a good day.

3. Tonight we had a friend's birthday party to go to. It was 80's themed. Without much notice or time, I was able to pull together a decent outfit. It was nice to get out of the house tonight for some adult time.

Reasons to Run

Ok, I have lots of reasons I run...but here are two that I think are especially worthwhile this holiday season (and before you start thinking in the highly sentimental vein, they are both high-calorie, yummy goodness).

#1 S'Mores Dip
A friend brought this to a Christmas party a couple of weeks ago, and when I found out last-minute that I had to bring a sweet treat for our luncheon on the last day of school, I called her for the recipe. It was so easy and good that I took it to my sister's ornament exchange last night too.

And here's how:
Mix 12 oz of semi-sweet chocolate morsels with 1 can sweetened condensed milk. Melt this in the microwave for about one minute. Stir. Add 13 oz of marshmallow creme (or 2-7 oz jars will work). Mix. You can mix well for a even smooth dip or leave swirly. The chocolate will sink to the bottom as it cools. Stir it again or reheat if needed. Serve with graham crackers.

You can also find this recipe over at Tasty Kitchen (this is their picture, not mine).

#2 Happy Holidays Hot Vanilla
This is a take on my hot vanilla that I drink every ice bath. I started drinking this last year after we were snowed/iced in for several days using this recipe from Family Fun.

I made a big batch for the ornament exchange last night. I heated 8 cups of milk in the microwave and added it to the crockpot on warm (bumped to low if it seemed cool). Add 1/3 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. The "happy" part comes next. Add an ounce of Kahlua to a mug, add the hot vanilla, and top with whipped cream and mini-chocolate chips. Cinnamon would be a nice addition as well. If you want to make an individual serving, mix 1 cup of milk with 2 teaspoons sugar. Heat in the microwave. Add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and any extras you want. Yum!

And those two treats are why I ran at 4 this morning even though I'd been awake since 2.

Surprise!

I was thrilled today to receive a package...my Secret Santa gift from the blogger exchange over at Run With Jill. Here's what I got...4 sparkly Active Bands...aren't they cute?!

I tried to get my daughter to take a picture of me wearing the pink one, but those didn't turn out so well :)

I wore one to workout at the Y with my husband (week 2, workout 1 of C25K). I loved it. It held back all those little flyaways and didn't budge.

The only thing is my Secret Santa didn't tell me who she is...just signed it Secret Santa...so if you are her, please let me know who you are! And thanks so much! These are awesome!

Feeling a little lost

No training plan...a race two months away. I'm feeling a liitle lost. In all the Christmas craziness, I haven't had time to sit down and make any kind of plan. I keep thinking that with a couple of weeks off, I'll be able to catch up, but I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. With two kids at home every day, it's a lot more likely that I'll be breaking up arguments, cleaning messes slightly slower than they're made, making breakfast, lunch, and snacks, doing laundry and dishes, and trying to entertain two "bored" kids.

So, what would I like to do with the time off instead?
1. Make a training plan
2. Read
3. Wrap gifts (because there isn't a single gift under the tree)
4. Nap
5. Restock my breakfast cookies by baking with the kids

But I know I will be able to enjoy these things so much more if I get caught up first. First thing in the morning.