December 2024 Running Update

December, in terms of running, was awful. I ran the Zoom Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving and needed a few days off after the race. I ran on Sunday, December 1. Then, the girls had extra weeknight ballet practice for their Nutcracker performance. I got chased by a dog on December 6; please leash your dog in public or at least pick it up if it chases after someone and that someone stops so you can pick up your dog. After ballet, I was busy preparing for finals and then grading finals. After spending a Saturday decorating the church for Christmas, I finally had a chance to run on Sunday, December 22.

I assumed the 12 Days of Fitness occurred during the last 12 days of the month (like in 2023). You need to record 10 20-minute activities for that badge. With a December 22 start date, I figured I could earn the badge by the skin of my teeth. Then I discovered on Christmas Eve that the window was December 15-26. Nonetheless, I decided to chase the other two December running badges, December Time to Run (record 10 hours of running activities in December) and December Rundown (record 50 miles of running activities in December). I finished the year with 6 1-hour easy runs and watched my fitness slowly come back.

My activity led to some interesting graphs on Strava (look at that dip in the weekly mileage) and motivated me for one of my 2025 running goals. I can’t allow myself to take so much time off running if I am not hurt or recovering from a race. The catchup is worse than finding time to run (look at that drop-off in fitness from being half-marathon fit).

Ultimately, I earned the December Time to Run and December Rundown badges. I also earned my fifth (in a row) Strong Finish badge and my sixth (in a row) Strong Start badge. I tracked 1078 miles for 193 hours, 49 minutes, and 30 seconds for the year.

How did your December runs go? Please let me know in the comments below.


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