My compression socks are on and I'm ready to taper!

That's right, it's just two weeks until the London's Run Half Marathon and until I see how well this 3-day-a-week training plan has worked for me. During this last week before the taper, I racked up 28 miles - a lot for me, especially when you consider they were done over just three days.

The plan calls for a final long effort of 12 miles, but, instead, I opted to do the Tucson Trail Runners' Los Robles Adventure Run which turned out to be a variety of distances depending on how many times you got lost For me? 14 miles.

There was full disclosure about the "adventurous" nature of this run. The run description sent via email stated, "The Starr Pass and Los Robles trail networks are VERY confusing, and I fully expect people to get lost." Then, just before taking off, we received a more detailed, verbal trail description that included phrases like:

"When you see the hub cap, you know you're on the right trail."
"You'll come to a nice, wide trail. DON"T take that one."
"You'll see a sign post, but there's no sign on top."
"When you come to the second hub cap, DON"T take that trail."



Shari, Rachel and I quickly realized that we were the "slow" group and stuck together with the idea that being lost is less scary when you're lost together. Lo and behold, after only about 2 miles, we missed an unmarked, hairpin turn in the trail and wandered off the course for a bit until the run director came and found us.

As we got back on the correct trail, we were joined by Mike, another lost runner, making for a loyal group of four that stuck together for the remainder of the run. I owe them a debt of gratitude as they (all training for ultras) could have left me (training for a measly half marathon) in the dust at many points.

There were numerous stops to pore over our maps and a few instances of backtracking, but we managed to find our way back to the start in just under 3.5 hours. Surprisingly, this was exactly the time I had told Paul to expect me.

I did a lot of walking toward the end and my legs and feet are toast. However, the trails in that area are beautiful - lots of single track with rolling hills. And we began the run with an amazing sunset. I originally thought that the run should have been scheduled 30 minutes later, but it turns out that the timing was perfect.

The day after Christmas, Paul and I drove out to Worcester for the annual MHC holiday gathering at Susan and Jen's. It was a small group this year, but we had a great time catching up.



Next up was six nights at my parents' ski house in North Conway, New Hampshire. For me, this part of Christmas vacation is the most relaxing time of my entire year. Family and friends come and go over the course of the week, and the house, which sleeps 14, always seems to be full of good conversation, good food and good times.

We read. We hit the outlets for the post-Christmas sales. We napped.







We played Wii and board games.



We played with the little ones.















And we skied! While most of the others are downhill skiers, Paul and I prefer cross-country. Some days, we used trails practically outside the doorstep. One day, we drove into Jackson to the Nordic center.







And Paul took me on my first snow hike up Hurricane Mountain Road, which he then skied down. The snow was fantastic and so beautiful!







Finally, we celebrated the New Year with a delicious Italian feast of Eggplant Parmesan courtesy of my step-brother Jimmy.



Here we are, our final photo of 2009. All in all, a very fine year. Best wishes to you for a happy and healthy 2010!

The proof:



My sister's family staying overnight at my parents' means that I get to witness the magic of Santa Claus. It's like being a kid again. Except that they left milk for Santa while we used to leave bourbon. "To warm him up," is what they told us.

There was a flurry of gift-opening on Christmas morning. Hannah loved her new CD player and was rockin' out in no time.





Emily was overjoyed with her new dolls.



CJ was not the least bit impressed with Santa's offerings, but had a blast with one of the old standbys. Although not new, it was very clean as Becky had to take it apart and wash it the previous evening after CJ dumped the tray of stuffed mushroom down the tubes.



And Jon showed his enthusiasm for the Patriots while enjoying Christmas breakfast.



By late morning, we were loaded into cars and headed to Aunt Cathy's for a wonderful Christmas meal and the much-anticipated annual Pictionary game. I also had way too much fun playing Hungry Hungry Hippos with the kids. Love that game!







Then, it was back in the cars to visit the Curtin side of the family, especially Nana who is holding her own at age 96.

Despite living 2,500 miles away, I have yet to miss a Christmas with the family. And so, on December 23, Paul and I endured a 5-hour flight and a whole day of travel which took us to my parents' house in Stratham, New Hampshire which, as always, was beautifully decorated for the holidays.



The next day, we managed to squeeze in a Christmas Eve morning run (in brisk 30-degree temperatures) followed by a Wii lesson from Hannah.





Then the whirlwind of family, food and presents started. With 18 people for dinner, it was a festive evening!









More to come...

Half Marathon Training
On track with 41 days to go! Of course, I leave on Wednesday for nine days in cold, snowy New England. I'm not sure how the plan will hold up in the face of inclement weather and family parties, but the fact that it requires running only 3 days a week definitely works in my favor.

Food
I spent a large part of the weekend making 4 dozen chocolate truffles. Mmmm... I learned a lot - the next batch should be quicker.



Work
One day of work left in 2009 - WOO HOO!

Dogs
Still putting a smile on my face every day and keeping me warm every night. You may notice a fourth furkid in the photo - this is Otto, a holiday visitor.