Happy New Year!

It’s a new year and time to reassess my goals and priorities. Since we returned from our mini-retirement in Buenos Aires, I have done very little physical activity, let alone running. I think it’s safe to say that I’ll be pretty much starting over with my mile training once I get back into a training routine.

Jingle Bell Jog

I did, however, run in the 8th annual Greater Blain Jingle Bell Jog 5K at my wife’s house in Blain, PA. For the last 8 years, on Christmas Eve, her family and friends gather at their house to run in a fun 5K. The rules are:

• You must wear jingle bells on your shoes
• You must yell “Merry Christmas” to everyone you pass on the run

Though the thermometer read just barely 20 degrees for the race, the sun came out for us and made for an excellent run. The next few days were full of clouds and freezing rain, so we definitely lucked out. I think this may have been a record attendance at 12.

And here’s a close-up of B and me after the race:

The Future

With the lack of sunlight during the short winter days and the general unfriendliness of running on snowy/icy sidewalks in Pittsburgh winter, I don’t plan on getting many quality running workouts in until early Spring. Instead, I’ll be spending more time in the rock climbing gym and planning a concrete training plan for when the weather improves and the daylight gets longer.

Until then, I wish you good luck on your own New Years’ goals and resolutions!