Six days out of seven featured a decent run outside last week. I announced my goal on Wednesday to continue running 6 of 7 days a week for the rest of the month, so if I include Monday and Tuesday of last week it will actually end up being 22 out of 25 days of winter running joy before 2010 comes around. Getting out there was a bit of a challenge for the first part of the week when we had single digit temperatures and sub-zero wind chills. Actually, it wasn’t bad after bundling up properly and starting, but knowing it’s that cold and windy does present a significant mental barrier. I did it though, showing myself who’s boss on a routine basis this past week.

Yesterday by the time I ran off in the afternoon the temperatures were up around 30, which was a welcome break from the cold, but it meant the snow on the trail and the sandy road I often cruise along on had softened and my footing was rather precarious. Thankfully I’ve been blessed with flexible, strong ankles and they held up. Let’s hope they continue to hold up.

One of the best parts of making a regular practice of running is that when I get out there even when not feeling like it I am able to reinforce a valuable lesson despite my stubbornness: You are much more than the whiny voice that’d have you seek comfort and wallow in lethargy— an active body and mind bring a more profound tranquility. And also, almost as importantly: You like Christmas cookies too much to not be running!

One week down: 31 miles, 5 hours, 4,688 calories.