(G) It’s a few days before Christmas and so far the only thing on schedule and accomplished is staying on task with exercise. I consider it to be a public service to stay with it. Otherwise, I tend to be a little dangerous… or at least grumpy.

A Running (sometimes walking) I Will Go
Our #RunEveryDay Challenge with I Love to Run continues. I have committed, for whatever arbitrary reason, to 5 miles a day. Days like yesterday I was wishing I had committed to one mile. Lesson officially learned!

A Pedicure of Sorts
As Lowi and I have mentioned more than once our feet are not our best feature and our toenails tend be in all stages of healing most of the time. Since our race in early November, I have had one toenail that just couldn’t decide: Should I Stay or Should I Go? Well, he decided to go and now heading into a new year I am still without a full set. That is not unlike me… always a little short.

In Hindsight (Pun, Intended)
Oh, this #$%^^ Squat Challenge!!! In case it hasn’t been said or it’s unclear, 100 squats, 2 days in a row is hard. I do feel like I am getting stronger so that’s a plus. But I think somewhere in the back of my mind I believe that I am going to arrive at the end of one of these challenges and my booty is going to miraculously look like Beyoncé’s. It’s OK, you don’t need to tell me, I am starting to grasp that possibly that’s a bit unrealistic. But really, how great would it be to get up in the morning, look in the mirror and there’s Beyoncé. You are Beyoncé!!! Amazing, right?! Christmas miracle!!

Nothing Sweeter Than Fruit
Yep, I can’t decide if I am proud or slightly pathetic that this close to Christmas I am still sugar-free. It seems I should be indulging in sugar cookies in the shape of stars and dipping candy canes in hot cocoa. But, no, I am holding out and for what feels like a really good reason. I had a friend say to me last week that most sweets never taste as good as you think they are going to. I mean, if you are really, really honest most are a bit of a letdown. That kinda stuck with me. So yesterday when I was stressed out about life and such I sat there looking at about 24 cinnamon rolls that were freshly baked and asked: How good will it taste? Will I still feel as stressed as I do now on the back side of the cinnamon roll? Shock, another Christmas Miracle, I opted to not eat one. Let’s be clear, I think all this Nice instead of Naughty behavior is a fluke. And there is also a potential that I could use some sweetening up. We’ll see how long it lasts.

(L)  Last week I told all of you about my neighbor who voluntarily by mistake might have agreed to begin training with me.  I really did think that perhaps she was considering her bailout options when this week we went almost 4 miles and most of it was running. Jenny, is now my official running partner and Jenny, if you are reading this: THERE ARE NO BAILOUT OPTIONS!  

Everyone, meet Jenny.

You can see from this photo she is happy to be my new partner, okay, maybe it was the end of our run that she was happy about, but she is smiling.

While we are on the subject of running, I have continued to stick with my #RunEveryDay Challenge. I only committed to run a mile each day although I have tried to do at least 3 every day. The last two days I have been happy that I only had to go a mile considering the weather and the fact that I don’t have a treadmill for the next couple of weeks. Brrrrrrr.

One day I mentioned that my legs were kind of tired and I wasn’t sure why.  Then I did my second day in a row of 100 squats and I remembered very quickly.  That is a lot of squats in case you haven’t tried. I like to do mine in front of a mirror as it reminds why I am doing them, especially during this time of year.

Until next week, Happy celebration of ALL holidays!

Sunshine & Sarcasm,

Lowi & G