Long Run & Christmas Eve

Happy Christmas Eve!

It’s hard to believe these past few weeks have come and gone and Christmas is already here!

This past Saturday, my friends and I celebrated the season with a long run. Well, we weren’t actually celebrating anything, we were just out for our usual Saturday long run for our upcoming Marathons. It didn’t even feel like Christmas…or December…or even Winter for that matter. The air was hot, humidity was high, and the forecast called for rain. In fact, I’m only wearing a long sleeve shirt because I changed after my run.

My distance on Saturday was 17 miles – in training for Rock n Roll NOLA. At the last minute (aka three weeks ago), I decided to bump my registration up from the half to the full marathon. My base mileage has been ok all season, my only concern – I hadn’t run a long run (beyond 13 miles) since February of this year. Yikes! After speaking with my coach, she advised me to run 16 ish miles on Saturday, then 21 miles two Saturday’s from now. 

Both of my friends ran 21 miles because they are training for Houston. It was Erin’s first ever 21 mile run and we are so proud of her!! I love how our schedules intertwine, even though we are training for different races.

I was kind of scared how my knee would hold up during this long run, but I wore my knee brace with extra Atomic Balm and I was all set! Thankfully, I wasn’t sore that afternoon or the next day, either. Saturday’s run definitely gave me more confidence for this Marathon. While it may not be my fastest, I do feel better about finishing.

Ignore the time on my watch, I don’t ever stop it on water breaks while out with my running group because I always forget to restart it.

After my run, I enjoyed a little Panera for breakfast with a Non-Fat Peppermint Mocha. Yum!

Tonight, we are going to Jason’s family’s house to spend the evening with them. I love being with his family, especially at Christmas – the love and warmth in the air is palpable.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Eve! What are your plans? How are you spending Christmas Eve?