Running for the Holidays

I love my daily Garfield comic.  Especially around Christmas time because he is always up to something hilarious having to do with this most fun holiday season.  And like Garfield, I am always thinking about it and planning for it - my gift purchases, gag gifts for dirty Santa (Jason and I had a pretty good laugh about that last night), cookie baking, Christmas tree decorating, office parties, watching Caroline in The Nutcracker ballet, and writing Christmas cards.  Then there's looking forward to Christmas Day, and I'm like a 5 year old on Christmas Eve...beginning as soon as December gets here.

And now the countdown is on!  Only 9 more work days and 16 days total until Christmas.  I don't know how I'm supposed to concentrate at work.  I'm already planning to spend my lunch break getting a few last minute items and present wrapping tonight. 

There's also running during the holidays.  I love this time of year because when I am on vacation, I can run whenever I want!  I can still go early in the morning with the girls (and the promise of a nap later) or I can wait until the sun is high and the temperature is as warm as its going to get, and run then.  I can run long or short or twice a day if I want.  And lets face it, with all the Christmas goodies, a few extra miles in the sunshine is definitely warranted!

This past weekend was what would have been the 50 mile.  I thought of it Friday when Jason and I would have been headed to Florida, and I thought of it Saturday as I drove to meet Shannon for a brisk morning run and then as I met with my first Running Start client after that.  Sunday I realized I would have been recovering and wondered what the aftermath would have been.  But even as I thought all of these things, I was not sad.  Was it the Christmas season?  The fact that my knee seemed a little less angry?  Something else?  I like to think it was a little of everything with God's grace mixed in.  I think He knows the desires of our hearts and what brings us joy.  And despite the fact that I gave up the goal this time around, I still feel so blessed, so taken care of and watched over. 

So I'm not sad.  And my knee isn't either.  And as the holidays approach I will be able to run in the sunshine on a cool winter's day.  That's pretty great.  So is this second Garfield comic.

 

Hilarious!  Here's hoping you are all looking forward to some GREAT running for the holidays!