Merry Christmas!!!

Traditions....what a great thing. For me, my Christmas Eve tradition has always been and will always be frozen pizza and shrimp. For as long as I can remember, we would attend the 5pm service, head back to the house for frozen pizza, pop and gifts prior to heading to my grandparents. My dad would get the fireplace going to burn the wrapping paper and we would sit in the backroom of the house as a family and have our own Christmas, prior to running from house to house to visit relatives.
This year is a little different, but not much. I still got my frozen pizza, no worries mom, and had a beer or 2. As I loaded the truck to head back to WI for the holidays, this is how the year is different. This year I have a multitude of different types of sporting gear to bring home.
Sport 1: Running. I have a marathon that I am "participating" in, not racing, in about 2 weeks. I have done approximately 15 miles a week on average for the last 3 weeks...I should be ready, right??? But I will have a cute little running partner to keep me company as I partake in her 2 hour run on Saturday. Oh how she'll love the roadways of EC and the snow covered trails from my high school cross country days.
Sport 2: Hockey. Evan, my nephew, called the other day and asked if I'd bring my hockey stuff back so him and I, along with his dad, my brother and niece can skate sometime during our stay in WI. Of course, not ever passing up the opportunity to put the ole skates on, plus I really want see how much him and Sophia have improved, I agreed to load those in the truck as well.
Sport 3: Cycling. I have my bike on the trainer in the living room, still in the corner from when it was "adjusted" due to the surprise Christmas tree. As I was planning my return trip home I needed to make sure that I had all of the proper training gear to join Kate with her sessions for the weekend. So, the bike will be dusted off, taken off of the trainer, loaded into Big Red along with her bike and trainer as well.
For those that are keeping score....thats 2 pair of running shoes, a pair of hockey skates, hockey gloves, helmet, stick, 1 adult bike, 1 "kiddie" bike and 2 trainers. I think I have my count correct.
Sport D: Tree Cutting. Perhaps one of my most enjoyable past times, for those that didn't know that, is tree falling. I bought a saw a few years ago to help a buddy clear ATV trails on a gentleman's property a little northwest of Eau Claire. When I bought my home it also came in handy for clearing some pines on my lot as well as helping my sister and brother in-law stock pile oak for the winter months to heat their home. Now that I rent, I have little to no use for the saw, unless my dad needs something tipped over on his lot, which to my luck he does. So, my saw has been placed in the back of the truck too.
As traditions go, a lot has changed for this holiday season for me, but some much has remained the same. I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!!

I could us a little wind here....

Bear with me folks, but this is the second post in a row regarding weather.....I really do see myself to be slightly more exciting than this, but I am snowed in, wishing I could fly a kite or at the very least go sailing!
After a rather long week of work, a few marathon days, I headed south for the weekend. I knew of this "Blizzard Warning" that was pending for Saturday.......just Saturday. As I crossed the border, the snow started. It was like someone drew a line and the snow machine AND wind started. It wasn't all bad though.....I only had about 40 miles left. No worries my friends, I made it to my end destination.
So its now Sunday, still trapped by the wind and snow. The wind is blowing a gentle 30-50mph...so its not that bad, right? I tried mightily to "scoop" us out on Saturday morning. I got the tractor stuck not once, but 4 times. Not overly happy about my success rate to clear a path out of said driveway to venture out into this wonderful winter weekend. My biggest accomplishment however, was getting out of the driveway with "Big Red" This in itself was an adventure; and all I want was treats from the store.
So today, starts another day of being "trapped" Its not nearly as bad as it sounds though....I have pretty good company to help me pass the time.
To steal a line from George Castanza with regards to wind...."the sea (wind) was angry that day my friends. Like an old man trying to return soup at a deli"

A little reminder for those that don't get to see a nice breeze in the Midwest

So, as I sit at the counter contemplating what do for the balance of the day, I keep coming up with the following options:

1) Drink coffee all day

2) Run twice, similar to yesterday (the treadmill is starting to suck though)

3) Switch to beer shortly after 12 noon and watch football

4) Go back to bed and hibernate like a bear

Oh the options I have!!!!

Mother Nature's Ugly Face

For the mid-westerner's that stop by this page, today was a great MN day for weather. The standing joke seems to be that the mid-west has only 2 seasons, Road Construction and Winter. But with the past few winters being rather mild, the Road Construction season has been extended to cover pretty much the entire calendar year. So with the rain that we awoke to this morning, it was a day to remain inside. As the morning started with watching the infamous white van head south, I returned to the couch to take stake for the day. Oh the naps were plenty....and needed. The past few weeks (maybe months) I feel like I've been going 100mph in about a thousand directions. So the couch was happy to have me hold it down all day. I did wait however for the worst part of the day to go Christmas shopping. By this time the rain had stopped long enough to glaze the roads with ice; the added bonus was the snow that started....with wind gal force winds. I might be exaggerating slightly here, but for those that got to feel the brunt of this beauty, it sucked

I sat on the bike today.....first time in about 3 weeks. Not sure why I picked today to get that going again....perhaps the Christmas tree that appeared in my living room that moved the bike and trainer to a different spot peaked my curiosity to see if I still enjoyed indoor riding. Lucky me, I do.

Its a little tree that fits perfect in the small room, I couldn't be happier to have a tree in the house

However, as bad as this morning started out, yesterday morning was great. Nice sunny skies, a great breakfast at Our Kitchen, a cute little diner in the Uptown area, and as always, way way to much food to consume. Judging by the photo below you can understand the amount of food this place serves.....but its so good.

The pancake that you sub for toast, yep, bigger than my face!!

Race mode and mood is starting to show its smug face again as well. We had a team meeting a few weeks ago to discuss the up coming season and that always gets me wanting to train and race. I have a marathon coming up in a few weeks, my average run volume a week is about 15 miles, and most of those come on during the Saturday morning group run...its going to be the best "fun run" ever. It might even beat the Sioux City half that I trained even less for....but I will have my same running partners and this time I promise to finish with her, not take off with a mile left.