Monday, November 30, 2015

Alarm clock wake-ups are SO over-rated





Whew!  It's not very often I am blessed with three consecutive "not-setting-the-alarm" mornings, but I'm feeling pretty wiped out. That's not a complaint; actually, quite the opposite. I'm lucky to have a lot of things happening, and I'll gladly take "wiped-out" over "bored-out-of-my-mind" any day.

My first "not-setting-the-alarm" morning was Thursday, also known as Thanksgiving in my household.  I usually host Thanksgiving dinner, so I have the routine down to a science. I had baked the pumpkin pie and assembled the scalloped corn casserole on Wednesday evening, so all we had left was to make the dressing and stuff the bird (the husband's job---eeew! I'm not putting my hand in there!) and cook the potatoes (and mash them, add the extra "secret" ingredients, and put them in the crockpot until mealtime).

Fresh out-of-the-oven goodness
We also had a local Turkey Trot to get to at 8:00AM (after putting the bird in the oven). A friend, the husband, and myself have organized this Trot since its inception, and this was the fourth year. It's a free event, and we encourage runners (of all abilities) and walkers to participate. We have 1, 2, or 3-mile options, and also have donation boxes on site for non-perishable food items (that we take to the local community food pantry).

We got very lucky with the weather. Rain had been in the forecast all week, but the temps were going to be in the upper 40's. And guess what? The rain held off until after the Trot was finished, so we had great attendance!



Our Thanksgiving dinner (at 1:00) went off without a hitch, and we spent the afternoon scanning the newspaper ads in search of must-have Black Friday items. For the first time (in a very long time), nothing grabbed my attention. Sure, I saw a lot of things I liked, but nothing that warranted fighting the crowds in the late hours of Thursday evening (or the wee hours of Friday morning). We decided to post-pone our Black Friday adventure until late Black Friday morning.

With two college kids, it's rare to have all of us under the same roof

 My  the second "not-setting-the-alarm" morning was Friday. Even though I didn't set my alarm, I was still awake by 6:30 (an hour later than my usual rise-n-shine time). I did a quick Streak run, rallied the daughters (the husband and son elected to stay home), my sister picked us up and we departed around 11:00 for our Black Friday girls' day. Surprisingly, the stores weren't too crowded. We did find a few good bargains, but nothing stellar. We made it back home in the early evening, and spent the rest of the night watching movies.

The third (and final) "not-setting-the-alarm"day was Saturday. Did I mention that I'm doing the Runner's World Holiday Running Streak again this year? Participants are encouraged to run at least one mile everyday from Thanksgiving until New Year's Day (37 total days this year). This is my third year doing the Holiday Streak. Normally, I am not an advocate for daily running. On occasion, though, I do take part in short streaks. Saturday morning (already my third day of streaking) had me lacing up and heading out .

Once back home, I got started on putting up Christmas tree #1. We have vaulted ceilings in our living room, so we have a 9-ft. tree (which still looks dwarfed). We bought this tree several years ago (the day after Christmas), for next to nothing. It's a basic tree, and it's not pre-lit. Guess what? The pre-lit trees made their big debut the following year! So, yes, we totally missed the boat on that modern invention. I can usually have the tree set up (with umpteen strings of lights) within a couple hours. I have learned to do the lights on each row of branches (row-by-row, as I'm putting the branches in place), instead of dong all the branches first and having to wrestle with the lights in between the rows. It takes quite a bit longer, but it ends up being a much easier process.

Tree #1...stay tuned, the ornaments are coming
Next on the agenda was a photo session at our church for the new pictorial directory. The timing of this photo session was ideal since our two college kids were home and able to be in the photo. We even took our dog along, and he cooperated and smiled for the camera (sort of).

Sunday arrived, with the usual 5:30AM alarm wake-up. A group of runners have been meeting on Sunday mornings at a nearby nature preserve and running the trails. After a tough and frustrating excursion the weekend prior (in several inches of snow), I kind of had some unfinished business to resolve. All of the snow from a week ago had melted, and left us with a lot of mud and damp conditions. I was surprised to find the ground so wet; even though the snow had melted, I was expecting the trails to be somewhat frozen.

We ran with a decent pace, and finished in our usual time (just under an hour). The temps were in the upper 20's and the air felt great! I didn't dress as warm this week, so I was completely comfortable. My pretty shoes need a bath, though, and my favorite socks are playing peek-a-boo with my big toe.

I hustled home, and was able to make it to church. Later, after lunch and a movie with the husband and still-at-home daughter, I got Christmas tree #2 put up and lit (also needs ornaments).

Tree #2, this one resides in our family room
This is the first year I have thought of utilizing our ficus tree as a Christmas tree. This poor tree fought a long battle, and when it was finally declared non-living, I spray-painted it black to make it look like a decorative tree (it's tall and helps fill up the space in the corner of our sun room). It reminds me of the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Although it doesn't have lights, it currently is the only Christmas tree in our house sporting ornaments!

Tree #3...eat your heart out, Charlie Brown!

And, last but not least, I have successfully surpassed my goal of 200 planking minutes for the #plankingontheflyCHALLENGE. My November planking minutes (as of Sunday evening) are at 202. There will definitely be a few more minutes added before December arrives on the calendar. I'm good with that. Onward!


Planking.....yadda yadda yadda


Do you treat yourself to "not-setting-the-alarm" days once in awhile? Or, are you like me, and wake up early without an alarm on the days when you can sleep in? Do you head out or stay in for Black Friday? If you put up a Christmas tree, do you do it all in one shot or stagger the decorating (adding the lights and/or ornaments) over the course of a couple days?

I'm linking up with Holly at HoHo Runs  and Tricia at Misssippipiddlin  for their Weekend Wrap. Head over and check out all the happenings of fellow bloggers. 
















23 comments:

  1. I look forward to Thursdays--my boys start later and so there is no alarm setting on that day. Gee, maybe I actually sleep until 6...6:30 if I'm lucky....

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    1. I seldom get to sleep in...even with no alarm, my body wakes up on its own, usually before 6:30 (if the dog hasn't already done so). #life

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  2. I suppose this is why I don't run a lot with others on the weekends, because I HATE setting my alarm when I don't have to work. LOL!!

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    1. I don't mind the early mornings, especially if I have "someplace" to go to ;-)

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  3. Wow!! You had a jam packed weekend! I love all of your trees. We only have one and have already decided we are getting a BIG one to replace it next year ;) So glad you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

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    1. Thanks! Yes, it seemed like I was in constant motion....limited time for "social media" stuff, but that's OK ;-)

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  4. Good luck with the streak. I tried it one year but when it's cold, it takes more time to put on all those clothes that to run one mile.

    I did NO shopping on Friday & ran 2 trot on Thursday.

    Big news - I planked this am for 60 sec. it;s a start.

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    1. I agree....many days, I do spend a lot more time getting dressed (and undressed when I'm done) than I actually do in my running shoes. I don't especially love streaking, but I do like that it gets me out of my comfort zone, doing something different once in awhile. Congrats on that plank!!!!!

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  5. How fun that you have so many Christmas trees in your house! I have not got mine up yet but plan to do so Saturday afternoon with my daughters' help. Last year, I finally traded my tree in for a pre-lit one. It's not as full or tall but it's way easier. I guess I'm getting cheesier in attempts to make prep easier. I am not really ready to get rid of my fall decor yet, but the kids will insist. Although I have never done it, it seems like a run in your temperatures could feel quite refreshing. We don't really go much below 50s out here.

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    1. The cold weather runs take some time to acclimate...different kind of breathing, etc. But, I simply cannot do the 'mill (unless it's wicked icy with massive wind). Just cannot do it ;-)

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  6. I'm a naturally early riser and even when I did work outside the home (which was decades ago), I usually didn't use an alarm.

    And now I certainly don't need one because at the moment Chester wakes me up before I want to get up anyway.

    Even without him, though, it's really a rare day that I sleep past 5 am. But I'm in bed by 9 pm.

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    1. I'm kind of a night owl and an early bird. I get by on 5 +/- hours of sleep, but I know this lifestyle will not last forever.

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  7. I can't sleep late for the life of me! And, I never set an alarm (not necessary!). I love your black tree. I have a small black iron tree I use in our dining room. I think it really makes the ornaments pop! Your pie puts my pie to shame. So pretty! My socks look like yours and that is something on my Christmas list. Great job on the turkey trot. I love the idea of food donations. I appreciate you linking with us, Kimberly and hope you have a great week!

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    1. Thanks! I bet your black iron tree is awesome! I love black iron pieces!!!!! yes, these poor socks....they have seen me through four marathons, countless halfs, and many, many training miles in between. I'm gonna have to sew them...I just cannot bear to part with them.

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  8. I love that you organize a trot! AND were blessed with good weather for it. Yes the ground is a soaking mess. I was hoping to hit the trails now that the snow is gone but no way. Your trees are beautiful and it sounds like you've got light stringing down to a science. My 2 almost 15 yr old dogs are my alarm clock and no, they never take a break.

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    1. our dog (almost 6 yrs old, but we've only had him about a year) kind of acts like an alarm on those rare occasions when I actually do not awake before 6:00AM. Usually, he's waiting for me when I turn off the alarm ;-)

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  9. The four-day weekend was great, but it really had me spoiled, too. I like the "luxury" of not needing to set the alarm, but my body usually wakes up early anyways LOL

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  10. I never set an alarm when we're out of school for the holidays. My sleep gets all out of whack. I stay up late and sleep late. Nice job with your November plank minutes! That's pretty impressive! Good luck with the RW Holiday Streak. I would love to do it if it weren't for my marathon Saturday. I may try the Summer Streak this upcoming summer. I tried this year and only made it 17 days before getting the stomach virus. Your Christmas decorations look nice. We decorated on Friday.

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  11. Well, I hope you win my giveaway because you need new socks, lol! So cool that you organize that turkey trot! Such a great idea! I am lucky, I don't ever have to set an alarm...my kids do that for me, :p

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    1. I set my alarm for 5:30 most days (earlier if I have a race to drive to), but I'm usually awake before it buzzes. It's a rare occasion when my body will stay asleep past 6:30 LOL

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  12. Great job on putting the Trot on! I love that it is 1 2 or 3 miles and also that it's for a great cause! Everyone can participate. I think non-runners are intimidated even by the 3 miles, this is a great way to participate, and also give back to your community! I also enjoyed and alarm free day or two last week. It wasn't on Thanksgiving but before and after! :) Thanks again for linking up with us!

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    1. I agree....I think a lot of people are intimidated by three miles, but I also believe EVERYONE can do a 5K in some capacity or another ;-) I LOVE your link-up, I have met a lot of "new" friends there already ;-)

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