One year ago, I went out on Christmas Eve to do some last minute shopping. It was awful – the crowds, the traffic, etc. This year I did the same thing. Apparently I’m not smart enough to learn from my mistakes.
The Murrayest time of year!
But this year, it wasn’t so bad…I was much more calm this time around. The hoards didn’t bother me. In fact, I kind of liked all the people watching. I even had my sense of humor intact, as you can see in this 6 second video I shot in the mall.
How was I able to cope? I ran before hand, of course!
Following my Disney Dopey Challenge Hal Higdon training plan, I had 5 miles scheduled for Christmas Eve. I felt pretty good on my run. After a weekend that saw me run 38 slow miles, it felt good to do a fast five!!! I really believe that starting the day with a run really helped me cope with the holiday shoppers. Though it would come back to haunt me later…
My wife’s family always celebrates Christmas right when the clock strikes midnight. It’s always a night of fun and food, but these days I’m not much of a night owl. Since I get up so early to run most days, and since I’m always a little tired from said runs, I can’t hang like I used to. Once again this year, I had to be woken up at midnight to join the celebration. So I slept at a party, that’s the price runners pay, right?
The little girl was not a fan of the fat man.
On Christmas Day we had a small gift opening party with our immediate family. Naturally, I got some running gear. I always like to wear an Ohio University shirt at big races, as you can see…
Disney Marathon 2012
Then it was off to my parents house for a big get together of family and friends. A highlight was a gag gift exchange. I originally won this weird Russian box of chocolates, and my fake smile serves to contain my excitement…
If I ate that box, along with that bacon chocolate = me fat indeed!
All in all it was a pretty good holiday! Oh, and the little girl did get into the spirit once away from Santa…
The other Santa must’ve smelled like beef and cheese.
Back to training today. A short 4 miler plus weights. Almost time to get Dopey!
Did you have a Murray Christmas? Get any good gear? Does Santa make you cry too? Do you have any go-to race shirts?
Piratebobcat 