Let's Train!

I'm supposed to be training for the marathon. But…do you really expect me to do that during the holidays? Do you know how many obstacles appear this time of year? Have you seen how much snow there is up here? Do you know how cold it has to be in order to make that much snow? Do you know how important that Yankee Swap is? Do you think I would be accepted if I showed up to a New Year’s party with running shoes and tights? Me neither. And if you are stressing about a marathon four months away over Christmas vacation for Lord's sake then you are not going about this the right way. So let’s just say I’ll start training in a little while.
I’m not scared.

In the meantime, we can chat about other things. For instance, my relatives, who get up early on Christmas morning to go running for, like, an hour and a half before breakfast. PS. We live on a hill that goes basically straight up for half a mile so whether or not you like it you are hill-running. We could also talk about each of my family members asking me how the marathon training is going and me having to continually assure them that it’s okay that I haven’t exactly started yet. Really. I’ll start soon. I did it once, I can do it again (nervous laughter). We can also talk about my lucky-ass brother who moved out to Wyoming to be a ski-bum. He sends photos of himself, waist deep in gorgeous fluffy snow, smiling as his new skis break through, blowing a cascade of magazine-photo-worthy flakes around him. He ditched me on Christmas; I’m the youngest one here by twenty-five years and have no one to give those looks to, the “ok, sure, whatever you say crazy lady” looks. I am also partial to the under-the-breath side-comments like “not” which are totally mature, of course. But they’re only funny when someone (who is supposed to hear) hears them and can’t stop laughing but obviously can’t explain what is so funny. So I keep explaining about the training: it’ll happen.

Most days on vacation in the New Hampshire woods I settle for a thirty-minute walk around the property with my mutt. He doesn’t judge me when I sleep until 8am and eat breakfast before letting him out. Plus, he’s really cute so you can’t lose. When the weather cooperates we run the 5 mile loop, ending with the painful hike uphill, but somehow it’s really different without the “training” label attached to it. So, when I start officially training, I’ll let you know.