8 Mile Run and Then Cookie Baking Time

With Christmas being just 1 week away, I decided it was time to 'get into the spirit' and there's nothing like baking batches of cookies that make it feel like Christmastime at home. So, today I started my weekend off with an 8 mile run – my usual loop around Doylestown – and then I got out the mixer and went to town making cookies. Made 4 batches today and am planning to make 2 more batches tomorrow. Cookies at Christmastime just go hand and hand and bring back so many childhood memories of the fun my brother, sister and I had helping our mother with her baking. Even though we weren't together today, we may as well have been in my mother's kitchen, crammed around the table mixing the batters, filling the cookie press with dough, pressing the cookies onto the baking sheets, decorating our artistic creations and of course, listening to Christmas music in the background!

Today I didn't use a cookie press but I still had vivid memories of filling that metal cylinder with dough and deciding which design plate to use. Instead, I just resorted to dropping the batter onto the sheets – a bit more primitive I guess. Perhaps, 'rustic' would be a better choice of words. (It's nice to know that a word like rustic can be used describe 'easier' and 'less complicated'!)

So, here's my cookie list this year. I'll be filling decorative tins tomorrow to pass out to neighbors and friends at work this week. In my book, there's no gift better than one that came from someone's kitchen. Home is where the heart is and today my heart was in the kitchen (after my 8 mile early morning run of course)!

• Chewy Coconut Cookies
  
• White Chip Chocolate Cookies
  
• Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
  
• Peanut Butter Cookies with Hershey Kisses
  
• Orange-Frosted Cranberry Cookies
  
• Frosted Pumpkin-Pecan Cookies
  

Enjoy!
John

Intervals – Mixing it Up!

I realized this morning as I was heading out to the gym at 5:30AM that I really wasn't looking forward to the hum-drum boredom of what was quickly becoming my '5-mile duty' on the treadmill. I asked myself if my running had lost its purpose. After all, I had planned and trained for my first full marathon for 16-weeks and now that I have that behind me, I was feeling kind of lost. I also noticed that I wasn't feeling as excited logging my running workouts into my Garmin Connect account because I was classifying them as 'fitness' rather than 'training' events.

Could I possibly be suffering from Post Marathon Training Syndrome (PMTS)? Perhaps… It's been less than a month since I achieved a goal that I had dreamed of completing for more than 3 years. Certainly, it's understandable that I'd be feeling out of sorts, right?

So, as I was driving to the gym I realized that I needed to mix things up a bit today so I decided to run intervals. I stayed away from intervals during my marathon training based on advice I read for first time marathoners (especially those of us who are in their 50's) – I just wasn't willing to take on the risk of injuring myself.

But, today is a new day and I'm at a new stage with my running. I have a marathon behind me. I've already accomplished that goal. I can cross that objective off my bucket list.

Yes, running intervals was just what I needed today. The time on the treadmill passed quickly and I felt completely energized after my workout and through most of the day. Today I challenged myself to run 6x100 intervals with a 1-mile warm up and a 1-mile cool down. Certainly not the most rigorous interval set but it's a start.

Run: Intervals by jbaker614 at Garmin Connect - Details

So, in the spirit of continuous improvement and staying motivated, I hereby commit to run intervals once a week. No excuses. Thursdays will be the day – Interval Thursdays!

Happy and Safe Running,
John

Just for Fun!

Ok... with the holiday season upon us, many of you may be looking for gift ideas for that special runner in your life, or maybe a runner friend, pal, comrade. Check out The Running Store at Cafe Press!

Holiday Gift Ideas for Runners by Cafe Press