Miles 555-564, 565-570, 571-574: A Race, a New Route, a Night Run, and a Video for Winter

This post is not going to be nearly as long as the title.

I write on the tail-end of what I hope is my last sinus flare-up for 2011. Sadly, this has shredded any last bit of hope I had for puling out a victory on the 711 goal front. But despite falling short, 2011 has been a great year for running.

We rounded out our race season with my first 10-miler. I missed my goal of sub-90 minutes by 30 or so seconds, but the race was still amazing (and crowded with some fast runners!) and an awesome experience for our little gang.

The following Sunday, Glenna took James, David, and I to the Greenway, a neat spot in Smithfield. It's a nice out-and-back six miles and we warmed up afterwards with a Cracker Barrel breakfast.

This past Tuesday, James and I ran a quick four miles together in the still and chilly night. The tightness and dryness in my chest should have clued me in to the illness that was coming, but when you're feeling good and running well, you don't always want to believe your body's signs.

So since Wednesday, I've been resting and letting my body catch up on sleep and vitamins.

As Christmas draws close, I offer this beautiful video as a meditation on the gifts we are offered everyday.

The Arctic Light from TSO Photography on Vimeo.