900+

Ah, the end of the year. A time for reflection. A time to look back and look ahead. Today, if you'll indulge me, I'll take a little look back at the year that was.

As of today, I've run 904 miles. Since I have one more run planned, I should end up with 909 miles for the year. That's a lot! Not a lot like Deena Kastor but a lot for the Happy Runner. I've been feeling good about my overall mileage and when I looked back at prior years, I've felt even better. Here's how the last few years have stacked up for me:

• 2008: 500.52 (didn't run in Jan/Feb)
• 2007: 210.88 (prego for half the year -- started running in July)
• 2006: 373.32 (started with the prego -- didn't run after Sept)

So, to have run over 900 miles in 2009 is super for me! Sure, I would have loved to double my 2008 mileage but it wasn't in the cards. Running the number of miles that I did was what I needed for this year. For next year, though . . . I'm gunning for 1010 in 2010!

I'm not one for resolutions, per se. I do like setting goals, however, and I've been thinking about what my goals (beyond the 1010) will be for next year. I'll post about those early in Jan. Since this is the "look back" post, here is what I wrote down as my 2009 goals:

1. Run a sub-23 minute 5k. Nope. Didn't happen. It caused me some sadness that I couldn't accomplish this goal but I'm over it. I may even set this as a 2010 goal.
   
2. Do some trail running. Unfortunately, this didn't happen, either.
   
3. Continue cross training. Yay! I did this! I was much more consistent with cross training this year.
   
4. Decide whether or not to run a fall marathon. I did this -- I decided not to run a fall marathon. Why did I make deciding a goal? That's weird . . .
   

So that was that. Looks kinda weak but, in reality, I think 2009 was a good one for me, running-wise. I was more consistent with my running than ever before. I ran some new races, I finally went to the podiatrist and got custom orthotics, I ran injury-free all year and, most important of all, I truly enjoyed my running. Sure, there were days here and there when I felt sorry for myself or my hammies ached or I felt like I was too feeble to run for real but overall, I loved my running and running seemed to love me!

I continue to be grateful that I have the wherewithal to get out there and run. I love it!

Now. I have some New Year's Eve plans to attend to. So, I'm outta here!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone! I hope you all have fun and enjoy good health and lots of happiness in 2010!

~ Felice

The one about the headlamp.

So, channeling my inner running geek is, apparently, easier than I ever could have thought:

I love my headlamp!

Yup, the headlamp rocks. It does what it needs to do, which is to light the road and light the runner. It definitely did both. Here's the one that I have (Owen gave it to me for Christmas -- I guess I hinted a little):

It's the Princeton Tec Fuel. You can read all about it here. You can also check it out on Amazon here.

Anyway, I was excited to get the headlamp. I've overcome my fear of the cold and have been running outside whenever there is daylight. The dark has been tough. I'm afraid of the icy patches on my route (and there are many) because my weak little flashlights just don't show the ice well enough. So the headlamp should have been the answer.

Luckily for me, it was. I wore the headlamp during last night's run. It was already completely dark when I headed out but it didn't matter: the headlamp lit my way. I didn't really know what to expect when before using the headlamp. I'm used to the inefficiency of those old, weak flashlights so, wow, the headlamp is WAY better than those. I turned the lamp on high (the first setting) to get full illumination. I could see probably 10 feet in front of me and everything was fairly clear. Ice patches were obvious, as were the sewer grates and some stray pieces of trash. Without the headlamp, I would not have been able to comfortably run last night. I would have slid on some of the black ice, or I would have been running with such a stilted gait and careful step that I probably would have hurt myself. With the headlamp, I ran just as if it was daytime.

Why didn't I get one of these sooner?

Good question. But at least I have one now. So, bring on the dark runs!

Of course, today it is only 10 degrees and the gusting winds are bringing the "feels like" temperature down to -10. MINUS 10. Too cold for this gal, even with the headlamp. And the fresh new gloves. I'll sit out the run and do something else. Tomorrow is supposed to be a balmy 26. I'll take what I can get!

Have a good day!

~ Felice

Happy running!

I hope you all had a great holiday and weekend!

This here Happy Runner sure did. We had a terrific Christmas day spent with tons of family (35 at dinner!). I even got a few (much needed) gifts: a pair of fresh Nike running gloves and a headlamp! Who's the cool runner now, huh? That's right, it's me!

I put the gloves to use this weekend, although I didn't have to wear them for long because it was pretty warm (it was 45 degrees on Sunday). Tonight, I plan to test the headlamp. With all that illumination, the ice can't scare me now!

Although I didn't run on Christmas day, I did run on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday and it felt great to be outdoors. They were good runs -- each right around 5 miles at a nice, easy pace. Totally enjoyable. I love runs like that and to have three in a row? Well, that's the best!

What about you? Did you enjoy some running? Get any fun gear that I should add to my list?

Happy Monday, everyone. Hope you're having a good week!

~ Felice

Merry Christmas!

Ho, ho, ho!

I'm skipping out on Five Things Friday today because it's Christmas so it's a day of family, family, family! But I am not, however, skipping out on Cans for Comments. That's too important.

And so today, of all days, please consider supporting my Cans for Comments campaign. For every five comments left on my four Cans for Comments posts this month, I am donating a can of food to the Food Pantries for the Capital District. The organization provides much needed food to the poor and hungry in the greater Albany area.

I'm not going to tally up my comments until Sunday, so this will be Cans for Comments weekend! Leave me a comment today, tomorrow or Sunday to boost my donation!

Through the first three posts you left 103 comments.
Will you help me get to 125? 150? Please?
THANKS!!!

OK, folks. I'm off. Like I said, we have lots of family to spend time with today. It will be great. I hope you all have a great day, too.

Merry Christmas!

~ Felice

Three things Thursday.

1. I'm not doing a Five Things Friday tomorrow but I'll still have a Cans for Comments post. It will be my last one so stop over some time between tomorrow and Sunday to help me increase my donation to the food pantry. Thanks!
2. After three days of cross training instead of running, I am SO looking forward to hitting the roads this afternoon for a leisurely run. (And I hope to run tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, too.)
   
3. Tomorrow will be a great day in Happy Runner-ville! We're having my parents and my siblings over for brunch and to exchange gifts in the morning. In the afternoon, we'll head to my parents' house for dinner. My mom's whole family will be there (she's the oldest of 6) so there should be about 32 of us for the delicious sit-down dinner. Can't wait!

Have a great day, everyone!

~ Felice

Fitting it all in.

My fear of encountering ice while out on a run in the dark kicked into high gear this week. There's ice all over in the back part of my neighborhood loop. So, my evening runs have been shelved. At least for a little while.

And I am totally OK with that because I've been using this time to shake up the cross training. After two great runs over the weekend, I got in an hour of cross training on Monday and yesterday. Today, I awoke with a tired butt, arms and hammies. I guess that cross training has been working!

I'm looking at this period of lower mileage as a necessary part of the cycle. In January, I'll pump up my mileage again, in preparation for the marathon relay, and I'm sure I'll be better off for these weeks of relative rest. And my strength should be improved from all of the cross training. I hope so, anyway.

Now, there are a bunch of other things going on that I wanted to share today:

• I've been continuing to post my reviews over at my review site. My latest review, of GoLite, is here.
  
• I've also joined a little challenge to run 1,010 miles in 2010 at RunninAround's site here. Check it out!
• Today, I received some Mia Mallows in the mail -- a gourmet giveaway that I recently won! And, OK . . . YUM! These are decidedly not your regular ol' grocery store variety marshmallows. These are decadent. They come in tasty flavors like coffee, lemon, strawberry, eggnog and a bunch of others. My son and I have tried them out and love them! Here's a quick pic of what I won:
  

And on that yummy note, I'll sign off. Happy Wednesday!

~ Felice

Wicked!

OK, not writing about running today because I just couldn't resist: Some friends and I went to see Wicked last night and it was terrific! Man, oh man. What a great show!

It started out with dinner at a burrito place across from the theater. Four mamas, chips 'n salsa, margaritas -- yay! We were a little dorky at the start, barely able to contain our excitement at being OUT! We had lots of laughs and some good conversation. Unfortunately, two of the four dinners were pretty lousy and then there was a whole thing where we never got the check. The waiter told my friend he was too busy! Who doesn't give a table a check? We had to figure out what we owed and leave that. It was just crummy and we ended up having to rush to the theater. But there was no way we were going to let any of that mar our experience!

We shouldn't have even worried. From the start, the show was just awesome and we forgot about the not-so-great dinner immediately. Wicked is the "untold story of the witches of Oz" and it is a great one. The story was fun and the show was a real spectacle. (You'll never look at the Wicked Witch of the West -- or Glinda -- the same way after seeing this show.) All four of us left the theater thinking that we just wanted to tell everyone to go see it. We liked it that much. And, no, the margaritas had nothing to do with that! Ha!

Here we are at intermission:


Such fun! If you haven't seen it and have any interest at all, I say do it! It's a great time!

So, with all the excitement of last night, I did not get to run. I did get in an afternoon workout, but no run. I hope to get out there today! Remember, longer days starting today. Woo hoo!

~ Felice

Welcome, winter!

Here we are on the 21st of December, the first day of winter, Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. I'm all about this day because it signals a return to lengthening days. Even though today may be the shortest day, from here on out, the days will be getting longer.

Yay for longer days!

I need longer days. In my effort not to be a winter wimp and to run outdoors instead of in, I've been struggling with the dark. I feel that I've conquered the cold but the dark still has a hold on me. Last week, for example, I headed out for an evening run and even though I didn't think there would be any ice on the roads, there were a few slippery patches. In my neighborhood loop, there are some areas that get icy early in the season and just stay that way. For months. Those spots just don't get any sun.

So, on that evening run, when I slipped, I got a little scared. I could only imagine slipping for real and falling. On my butt. Or on my head. Or twisting my ankle. Fear makes for a great run. Or not!

Yeah, I need to deal with the dark. Since today is the shortest day of the year, tomorrow will be longer. Wednesday will be even longer and Thursday longer still. Before we know it, it will be light enough for comfortable, confident outdoor evening runs!

At least that's what I'm telling myself.

So, for now, cheers to you, winter. Your cold can't break me (did I mention my two awesome, super-chilly, super-windy runs this weekend?)! And I'll figure out how to deal with the dark, at some point.

To all of you dealing with the snow, I hope it isn't too bad (hate to say it, but we didn't even get a single snowflake here -- the storm missed us completely).

Happy Monday, everyone! Happy Winter Solstice!

~ Felice

Five things Friday, ep. 7: And, Cans for Comments #3!

1. We're signing up! Suzy is on board for the Winter Marathon Relay so our team is all set: Amanda, Suzy and me. We still need to figure out who will run each leg (9.2, 5.7, 11.3) but we have some time since the race is still two months away.
2. I reviewed Chocolate #9 energy gels over here. (I also posted the winner of my last giveaway.)
   
3. My plans to run in our local Winterfest 5K this weekend fell through. I procrastinated, so it's my fault but, really, I never thought the race would sell out. And yet it did. When I went to register earlier this week, it was closed. No more entries available! Argh. Oh, well. That's what I get for waiting until the last minute to sign up for a race.
4. It is ridiculous how long a silly song from a kids show can stay in your head. Ridiculous!
   
5. Today is the third Friday in my Cans for Comments campaign. Comment away! Remember: For every 5 comments left on my site each Friday in December, I'll donate a can of food to the Food Pantries for the Capital District. So far, we're working on 13/14 cans -- help me to increase that number! Thanks!!! (5.1: Marlene at Mission to Another Marathon is doing Cans for Comments, too!)
   

Have a great weekend, everyone. Stay warm! And thanks for reading!

~ Felice

Relay?

I think I may have gone nuts.

Amanda from Manderz Road to a New Life asked me if I wanted to run a race with her. She lives near me and although we haven't had a chance to meet up yet, I know she's cool from reading her blog and from our email "conversations." So, I agreed to the race. Only, it isn't just a race. It's a marathon relay. In February. Have I mentioned that we live in upstate New York where the winters are cold and the average temps in February range from 16 to 34 degrees?

Sign me up!

It's a three-person relay and Amanda has asked another blogger as well, but she might have a conflict that weekend so she's not sure if she can do it. I think it would be awesome to run the marathon relay with these two other bloggers. I mean, what fun! But, the weather . . . it could be tough. We'll see what happens!

In the meantime, I'm returning my running shoes. I contacted the store and they said they'd take them back so as soon as I can get on that, I'll get on that. I've been running in an older pair of shoes -- same Brooks Addictions -- and I've had no problems at all. I'll stick with those until I get a replacement pair. So, yay for that.

And with that, I'm off. Have a great day!

~ Felice

PS: TODAY is the last day to enter my Winter Motivation Booster giveaway!

The tongue bruise.

Sounds weirder than it is. The bruise is actually on my ankle, but caused by the tongue of my beloved running shoes. My trusty Brooks Addictions, the shoes I adore and have worn for years and years and years with great success, are causing me pain.

Sad day. Sad few weeks, really, because these shoes have well over 100 miles on them. I guess what is happening is that the tongue of my right shoe is digging into my ankle. I've never had this happen before! Like I said, I've been wearing Brooks Addictions for years and have never had a problem with them at all. I love 'em!

But, this new pair has been different. The tongue bothered me on my first run and I chalked it up to the shoes being new and needing to be broken in a bit. Then I felt it on the second run. And the third, fourth, and so on. I've tried moving the tongue to the side and that doesn't help. I've also tried lacing my shoes differently and that doesn't help either.

Now, I'm bruised:

The photo doesn't do my bruise justice (but it sure does show how veiny my feet are!). Imagine the bruise a little worse than shown and you'll be right on.

So, here's what I'm wondering: Has the tongue of your running shoe ever bothered you? What have you done? Should I send the shoes back? Should I try cutting the offending edge off of the tongue?

It's such a bummer. Black toenails I can handle but bruised ankles? Not caused by clumsy tripping (who, me?)? No thanks. My shoes are otherwise fine and exactly as expected. It's just this slight pain and the bruising that I don't go for.

Anyway, that's that. Have a great Tuesday, everyone!

~ Felice

Don't forget to enter my Winter Motivation Booster giveaway here!

Better.

So, no lie, last week was a tough one for me. Who knows what was up -- it was just tough all around. I had the cruddy treadmill run and then I sorta crumbled under the weight of my own insecurities and doubts. It wasn't limited to my running, unfortunately. I had plenty of doubts related to the rest of my life, too. I'm going to chalk it up to a bad week.

Please don't think I'm all Debbie Downer all the time! This is, after all, The Happy Runner blog.

After writing my post on Thursday, I felt like a weight had been lifted. Just saying what had been going on was liberating and your encouraging and supportive comments totally buoyed my spirits. And, I admit, your comments made me realize even more just how ridiculous it is to compare oneself to others.

I met a deadline and had a nice evening with Owen and Conal on Friday, and went for a nice run, finished decorating the tree and had some delicious Japanese food on Saturday. All good.

And the frosting on this gingerbread cookie of a good weekend? I received an awesome package of running goodies in the mail from Jill (onelittletrigirl) at Finishing is Winning. I won her giveaway a little while ago and it was as good as advertised!

Check out what she sent:

Who's the lucky runner now? Me! Me! Yup, I am. (It has taken all of my willpower not to rip open the Pretzel Slims and eat them all.)

Thanks, Jill! I love it!!

Hope you all are enjoying the weekend!

~ Felice

AND PS: Don't forget about my winter motivation booster giveaway over here!

Five things Friday, ep. 6: And, Cans for Comments #2!

1. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your comments on yesterday's post. It's silly, I know and I am working to stop judging myself and comparing myself to others. I appreciate your kind words and sharing your own stories. It's good to know I'm not alone -- although I do wish that none of us judged ourselves!
   
2. I have a FUN giveaway up at my other site. It's my Great Winter Motivation Booster package. Who doesn't need a little motivation these days, right? Well, go now and check it out!
3. If you don't do any pushups for a week, and then try to jump right back into them . . . ouch!
4. It's so freezing here! And so windy! We've been outside a bit here and there but, oh, man. It is so cold and tough to get out there. I'm hoping to get out for some sunny (and freezing cold) runs this weekend.
   
5. Today is Friday and that means this is a Cans for Comments post! Last week was such a good start to the campaign. You all left a total of 37 comments so we're well on our way! Remember to leave a comment on this post to be counted in -- I'll donate a can of food for every 5 comments. Thank you!

Have a great weekend, everyone! Thanks for reading.

~ Felice

Stop judging yourself!

Be warned -- a bit of a rant ahead . . .

Stop judging yourself!

That's me (The Happy Runner) yelling at the other me (The Self-Judgmental Runner) for getting into a yuck-o running funk where I tell myself that I suck as a runner. Where I judge my abilities and determine that they are sub-par. Where I look at what I've accomplished and feel like it's not enough.

Stop judging yourself!

What I should probably be saying is, stop comparing yourself to the rest of the running blogosphere.* It's not exactly productive.

See, that's what has been happening. Counter-productive comparisons. Gradually, since I started blogging and reading other people's blogs, I've started to look at the number of miles they run each week, or the speed of their 5ks, or the number of marathons they run each year, or whatever, and I compare myself to what they're doing. What you're doing. And I've let it get me down and it is silly.

Back when I ran my first (and, so far, only) marathon, I was SO HAPPY with my time. I wasn't a super runner and I trained by myself just tacking on miles to my long, solo run each week. I thought I'd run a 4:20 and I crossed the line in 4:12. Talk about a happy moment! That year, my husband gave me a framed 8 x 10 of me with arms-raised-in-triumph crossing the finish the line. And I love it.

But, somewhere from there to now, I started to think that it wasn't so great. Another blogger wrote about how she's seeking "marathon redemption" in 2010 after running her first marathon this year in 4:11. Hey, that's only one minute faster than I ran! Should I be seeking marathon redemption? Was my time actually a cruddy time?

And then there are the days when I go for enjoyable 5-milers and then read about others who've logged 16 speedy miles. And I feel like a chump.

If so-and-so can run that fast, why can't I? If so-and-so can run that much, why can't I? If so-and-so can run that many races, why can't I? What is WRONG with me?

What's wrong? For starters, I'm not taking my own advice. I am not running my own race. I'm looking at what others are doing, comparing myself to them, and coming up short. I'm being judgmental -- and overly harsh in those judgments. Instead of running my own race, I'm trying to fit a mold. But there isn't one mold. There are many and I need to realize that my life is its own mold and it is a perfectly fine one at that. I need to run my own race. I need to stop judging myself!

If a friend spoke about herself the way I've been talking to myself, I'd let her have it. I wouldn't stand for it! So, I shouldn't stand for it when it comes from me.

Easier said than done, I'm afraid.

I want to be a better runner, just as I want to always strive to be a better mom and a better wife and a better friend, daughter, writer, and person in general. I guess I just need to find the balance between striving and being overly self-critical.

Am I alone here? Gosh, I hope not. But, in keeping with my advice, if I am, I guess I need to accept that. And run my own race. Stop judging myself. Just get on with it.

I need to get back to being as happy with my accomplishments as I am with everyone else's accomplishments. Fear not -- I'm not going to get all Stuart Smalley here. I'm just going to work on not judging myself when I run. Or when I don't run. Or when I don't run as fast as I'd like to. Or . . . you get the picture.

Have you struggled with comparisons? Self-judgments? How have you shaken the thoughts?

I, as always, appreciate any and all advice :-)

Have a great day, everyone!

~ Felice

* It might seem like I'm blaming blogs, and I'm most definitely not. Reading running blogs, and the comments left here, have helped me to become a much better and smarter runner! I love this virtual community!

The wrong decision.

OK, so, I've been talking about how I'm getting tough this year and running outside. All winter. In the cold. Like a Toughie McTougherson.

And, um, well, I've been moderately tough. Until today. I made the wrong decision today. It was chilly this evening when Owen got home from work. And dark. And I was afraid that the hilly part of my neighborhood loop, the part that is notoriously icy in winter, would, in fact, be icy. So I decided to run on the treadmill.

All I have to say now is . . . why?!?! Why did I do such a silly thing? It stunk. My run just plain stunk. I couldn't find any sort of rhythm and every quarter mile felt like two miles and it was just all wrong. I ran 4.25 cruddy miles on the 'mill. Ugh.

I have no idea why I often have cruddy treadmill runs. Sometimes I can get a good pace going and enjoy my 'mill runs. But then I have these cruddy ones. And, for some reason, they are far cruddier than the cruddiest outdoor runs.

Chalk it up to making the wrong decision. I hadn't run on the 'mill in ages so I'd forgotten. I need to remind myself that a cold run is most likely better than a treadmill run. And I need to get some of those stabilicers or yaktrax or something so that I don't have to fear the ice.

I don't mean to be a treadmill downer today. Tomorrow maybe I'll hit the roads. Or, considering we're supposed to get a storm, maybe I'll run on the 'mill during the day and it will be better. We'll see!

~ Felice

Bracing for winter.

Saturday's snow seems to signal that our mild fall is over. We've been really, really lucky and have had tons of warm sunny days. More often than not, I ran in shorts in November. It was great.

But then, like I said, we got some snow. All of 2 inches but, still. Snow. And then it was cold. And I am normally a cold weather wimp.

However. This year, I proclaimed that I was no longer going to let my wimpy side win. This year, I would brave the cold. This year, I would be tough!

If you're going to make loud claims, I guess you have to follow up on them. So, on Sunday, with temps in the low 30s, I headed out. With a base layer of tights and a long sleeve shirt, a second layer of running pants and a wind jacket, topped off with gloves and a fleece headband over my forehead and ears, I felt perfectly comfortable.

Sure, the first mile was c-c-cold. Then I warmed up. By mile 3, I'd shed my gloves. At mile 4, I wanted to run all afternoon. But, to protect my usually wimpy self, I had planned to just run my neighborhood loop so at 5.21 miles, I called it a run.

I was SO happy that I went out there and ran in the cold. With the right gear, it wasn't tough. I need to recall this feeling whenever I'm convinced that a few miles on the dreadmill are preferable to some cold ones outside. Must channel my inner tough girl!

There you have it. I had a great weekend (Conal LOVED going to see the model trains yesterday and we had a nice dinner with some friends on Sat)! I hope you all did, too.

Happy Monday!

~ Felice

The snow came.

And I did not run.

I wimped out! I could have run in the snow but I just didn't. I ran 5 super-duper miles on Friday, in the sun, while my son played with the neighbor's kid. It was just great to get out there.

On Saturday, I had tons of errands to run in the morning and then I had to get ready to have some friends over for dinner. Still, I had time to run. And yet, once it started to snow I decided not to run.

Owen told me that I needed to get out there. Needed to prove my toughness. He was probably right but I didn't listen to him.

No biggie. It was a good day overall. Sunday will bring better running weather and I'll be out there, logging some miles. In the meantime, here's a peek at how much my son enjoyed the snow:

(We got about 2 inches of snow, but it was good packing snow, so it was perfect for snowman making!)

I hope you're all having a great weekend!

Oh, and THANKS for all the comments on Friday's post! My Cans for Comments is off to a good start!

~ Felice

Five things Friday, ep. 5: The Cans for Comments version!

1. After canceling my post-Race for the Cure races, I'm going to get back into racing this month. Way to pick winter to start anew, huh? Yeah, that's me. We'll see what happens. But, right now, I'm looking at the Albany Winterfest 5K on 12/19. But I might run a 3-miler the weekend before. Both races look fun so it will probably come down to which day has better weather. (Note to local peeps: I recently wrote about upcoming races here.)
   
2. I didn't finish my book reviews so those aren't going to be posted until next week. :-(
3. Although today is a gorgeous, sunny day, we're supposed to get our first real snow tomorrow -- a slushy mix of up to an inch. Yuck! But, other than the forecast for snow, the weekend should be decent and I'm looking forward to some good runs and kid-centric fun at a train expo.
4. I'm sending good luck vibes to everyone racing this weekend -- especially those marathoners tackling CIM, Vegas, Memphis & Santa Barbara! Yay -- have a great time!
5. And last but SO NOT LEAST! Today begins my month-long Cans for Comments campaign. Each Friday during December, for every 5 comments left on the site, I'll donate a canned good to the Food Pantries for the Capital District. This organization is a coalition of 50 food pantries that serve the hungry in the Capital District (which is the greater Albany area in upstate New York). It's a wonderful organization that fills a huge need, one that seems to grow and grow. So, show me some love and help increase my donation! At the end of the four Fridays, I'll give you a total of what I'm donating. Let's hope it is a lot :-))) Don't be shy! Feel free to just say hi, or ask me a question or let me know how you handle running in the snow. Or say anything else that you'd like to say!
   

Have a great weekend, everyone!

~ Felice

Comments. And November wrap-up.

I'm stealing an idea from Marlene: Cans for Comments. Every Friday during the month of December, for every 5 comments left on my post I'll donate a canned good to a local food pantry. I'll keep a tally and let you all know how much I donated -- if I'm on top of things, I'll even take a picture!

So, stop by on Friday to run up my donations!

On to the stats . . .

November stats

Running (miles): 67
Cross-training (sessions): 7

I was back in cross-training action last month with several sessions of Jillian Michaels' The Shred level 3 and No More Trouble Zones. That's the good for the month. The bad is the low mileage. I don't know what happened -- I'm just punky. I had some super runs, outside in the sun, wearing shorts. But, I slacked when it came to evening runs and since that's mostly what I'm able to do, I need to get better about them!

OK, have a great Wednesday, everyone!

~Felice