December 18th: The Holiday Derailment Is Starting

Sorry I missed everyone last week. Prior to this morning's treadmill run, my most recent workout was on Friday, but I've just been too busy to write about it -- or to get back to the gym!

On Friday, I did core exercises and then an arms rotation, then 3.5 miles on the treadmill at a 1 percent incline, in 31:00. Nothing really exciting to report there. Today, I skipped the strength training because I wanted to log some more miles, and I got there a bit later than I'd wanted. 5 miles in 44:15, again at a 1 percent incline. That's an 8:50 pace, well below my target race pace, and even better is doing it at an incline.

But really, that's not what I want to talk about today. The holiday season has begun. And it's really, really hard right now to stay in the groove. The weather is cold, so opportunities for outdoor runs are few and far between. Everyone's bringing goodies into the office (myself included), and you can resist only so much temptation. And then there are the holiday parties. Let's face it: Beer is going to beat Gatorade more than once over the next few weeks. It already did on Monday night/Tuesday morning.

On top of everything else, it's just a busy time of year. Friday and Saturday were hardcore shopping days. We had a refrigerator scheduled for delivery Saturday morning, but the delivery guy said our doorway wasn't wide enough and we had to remove a door. So the delivery got delayed until Sunday morning. We had to get up at 6:00 a.m. to make sure the driveway and pathway to the back door were shoveled and salted, because we were told that the delivery would be once again rescheduled if the delivery guy thought the conditions were unsafe.

That ordeal is over now, and the new fridge is great, but it kept me from working out at all over the weekend, and I was absolutely exhausted come Sunday night. Monday morning, no way I was getting to the gym -- just too tired. Then Monday night, as I mentioned, beer beat Gatorade, so there went Tuesday's workout.

Now I'm looking ahead: drinks out Thursday night, Friday night and likely Monday night -- there's three mornings I probably won't want to work out. Sunday morning, my brother-in-law and I have to go pick up a family-heirloom desk at his cousin's house before the cousin moves. We have a Christmas Eve party, and then we're hosting Christmas Day dinner -- chances are, 12/24-26 are non-workout days. Rutgers bowl game in NYC on 12/28, which probably kills 12/29, too.

So my quandary: Do I just pack it in for the year and then begin the training in earnest come January 2nd, or do I try to squeeze some workouts in, even if they're substandard and rushed? Would I be smarter just to start the hardcore marathon training on fresh legs? How do runners get through December without letting it all go to pot?

My instinct is that a little bit is better than nothing, and weeks with fewer than 10 miles aren't going to put much wear and tear on my legs -- I'll still be fresh come January. But I'm not sure, and maybe just as importantly, I don't want to start feeling guilty and negative before I even really get going. So I have to think about it some, and I'd love any advice.

Hoping to get back to the gym tomorrow for another 5 miles -- especially if that'll be it for the year.

Total miles since starting the blog: 166.8