Festive Running

It’s that time of year when celebrations and family events, along with the limited daylight hours and regular hangovers mean running is squeezed out of your schedule. For me the festive season always starts a bit earlier than usual because my (American) family celebrate Thanksgiving at the end of November (I am writing this from my mum’s house as we wait for everyone else to gather together and for someone to pick up the forgotten cranberry sauce).

Thanksgiving is quickly followed by my birthday and then suddenly there are only three weeks until Christmas and the nights are filled with office parties, friend and family gatherings, card writing and last-minute shopping. What makes things slightly more complicated this year is that we now live a good three-four hour drive away from parents, friends and in-laws so, like we have done this week, tend to stay for a few days or a long weekend each time we go visit. Of course, I usually take my running shoes with me, but families have a way of planning things for you and when you aren’t in control of where you are going or when/what you are eating there isn’t time to fit in a good run and you have to grab ‘spare miles’ where you can. Having said that, for the last few years I have managed to run on both my birthday and Christmas day and they’ve become one of the best things about those days, as well as some of my favourite runs. On Christmas day runs there is no-one else on the roads and I usually put some jingly music on and whatever new running gear I have received. My birthday runs are usually more reflective occasions, where I find myself thinking about the past year and what I want to achieve in the next one.

Back to Thanksgiving and I have just stumbed on an opportunity to run: we still have no cranberry sauce so a trip to the supermarket is needed and I’ve suggested it is perfect running distance. Running back again with a jar of cranberries in my hand will bring a whole new meaning to festive running!