Yep. Today is a double post day. It has been a busy week and weekend and I feel like I finally have a chance to sit down and get some blogging done. I spent some time catching up on everyone’s blogs and am now catching up on my own.
While the snow has not yet fallen, the Christmas season is getting started in full swing. It seems like things start to kick off earlier and earlier each year. Following suit, we had plenty of holiday fueled activities this week.
Wednesday
On Wednesday, after Jennie got home from work, we headed up to Rockford for their Christmas Open House. The open house basically involved all of the stores being open with holiday specials. The event that had Jennie most excited was that one of the photography companies had a free photo booth. And if you know anything about Jennie, the word “free” is like crack to her – haha. So, she quickly scoped out the photo booth and we walked away with this:
After hitting up a few of the stores and being disappointed with their lack of free food, we headed out on a run. We wore running clothes so that we could take advantage of the change in scenery for our run.
Training: 3000 yards at the pool and a 2 mile run with Jennie
Thursday
No Christmas activities. There was supposed to be an open house in Gaslight Village, but it was a bust because there was no one there when we drove through.
Training: 4.84 mile run, mile run with Jennie, and 60 minutes on the trainer
Friday
This was the Yule Run, I’ll Walk 5k. I did a separate race report here, feel free to check it out.
Training: 2000 yards at the pool and the 5k
Saturday
I started out Saturday with a long run. My goal was 18-20 miles. When I started out, I thought it was only going to be 18 – my legs were pretty tired from racing only a little more than 12 hours prior. However, as I trucked along, I felt better and better. I ended up doing 20 miles in 2:45:50 for a comfortable 8:17 pace. The weather was absolutely perfect for a long run. It started out in the upper 30’s and warmed up to the 40’s by the end of the run.
By the time I got home, I was a little sore, but there was no sitting around. I had some recovery drink (chocolate milk) with lunch, threw on my calf sleeves and headed over to my mom’s house to help her with a home repair project.
After that, it was time for another Christmas Open House. This time in Holland. We have gone to this open house the past 2 years and it is very well done. Jennie and I purposely went prior to the official start of the festivities at 6:00 to beat some of the crowds. It didn’t work – the place was absolutely packed. Nearly all of the stores had free food (cider, hot chocolate, donut holes, cookies, etc.) as well as special holiday pricing.
Training: 20 mile run
Sunday
And that brings us to today. No rest for the weary. I started off the day with a hour of playing video games spinning on the trainer.
After that, it was time for yard work that concluded with putting up the Christmas lights. This is the earliest I have ever put up the lights. I usually wait until after Thanksgiving, but I couldn’t pass up the warm-ish weather today.
Here I am rigging up the lights. Maybe someone can explain to me how strands of lights that were perfectly good when I put them into storage last year no longer worked this year? I had 4 strands that were either dead or half dead. Luckily, I was able to find the bad bulbs on 3 of the strands, but the 4th is still DOA.
Not the best picture as it wasn’t quite dark yet and there isn’t any snow on the ground, but here is what it will look like based on a picture from a previous year.
Training: 60 minutes on the trainer
What’s Next?
Jennie and I just registered for the Gobble Wobble on Thanksgiving morning. It is a 4.1 mile run in Gaslight Village (only a mile away). It is a casual, untimed event and will be perfect for Jennie’s longest race ever. So far, she has only done 5k’s, so this will be a big milestone. Anyone else Turkey Trotting or Gobble Wobbling?
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Matt Oravec
November 22, 2010 at 8:24 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
HAHA, as I was reading I felt it was an endless quest to try and find a christmas open house haha.
Man you are throwing down some serious training over there! Really impressed with your sustained volume. I can’t wait to see how my running is after over 5 weeks without running a step. Should be a mess haha.
Right on with the trainer. I made a rule, NO playing video games unless I am biking. I think I can handle that one for now.
Have an awesome thanksgiving man! Good luck at the fun run!
onelittletrigirl
November 22, 2010 at 11:44 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I can recite that movie, line by line, from start to finish.
clark…is your house on fire???
Ironman By Thirty (Kevin)
November 22, 2010 at 6:28 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
One of these days I am going to memorize Clark’s entire rant at the end of the movie. I would love to bust that out at a holiday party. haha
lindsay
November 22, 2010 at 2:31 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
wow. christmas lights already is just wrong. i like christmas, but give the pilgrims and indians a chance at the spotlight sheesh! the new-neighbors (little pimp) have a *white* tree on their front stoop and their lights up already. i guess at least it’s not a bunch of inflatables.
i, too, enjoy that movie, and just might have to watch it this week.
Ironman By Thirty (Kevin)
November 22, 2010 at 6:32 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
The lights are up but not on! Fear not. The pilgrims and indians get their day. And it is just lights. No inflatables here. The only inflatable we ever owned we got as a gag/white elephant gift. It now has a new home at Goodwill.
BDD
November 22, 2010 at 3:55 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Is it really that time to put the lights up!!!! Sighhhhhhh, OKKKKKKKKKKKK
Gobble Wobble is just fun to say, gobble wobble, gobble wobble, gobble wobble, gobble wobble, gobble wobble, gobble wobble
I would do the race just to go “gobble wobble, gobble wobble, gobble wobble, gobble wobble” for 4.1 miles alone
Ironman By Thirty (Kevin)
November 22, 2010 at 6:30 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
For the record, the lights are up, but no ON. I won’t turn them on until at least after Thanksgiving, but probably not until December 1st. I am just sick of freezing my fingers off trying to hang them in the cold.
It is fun to say. I should see how long it takes Jennie to smack me during the race if I keep saying “gobble wobble” over and over. I give her a 1/10 of a mile. Tops.
Jeff
November 22, 2010 at 5:50 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
After the header title I was very afraid you went out and purchased a faux wood paneled station wagon!!
brad
November 22, 2010 at 9:46 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
“Dad, you taught everything there is to know about exterior illumination” CWG
Ironman By Thirty » Blog Archive » Thursday Ramblings
December 2, 2010 at 10:18 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
[...] hesitant to mention our Christmas lights again after the crap I got last time for putting them up too early. For the record, I may put them up early, but we just turned them on for the first time this [...]