Are you counting down till the holidays? Are you counting up the miles? I’m doing both because this is a great time of year for running. Don’t let chilly weather, holiday parties or gift buying anxiety keep you from getting in a run. Here are some of my favorite things:
Fun Races
I love to dress up for races in whatever theme is appropriate for that time of year. I’ve done full costumes for Disney races and fun green accessories for St.Patrick’s Day. But most of the year other runners aren’t as quick to dress up.
Well, the holiday spirit seems to get more people in the mood because fun runs this time of year are filled with Santa hats and elf ears and other bright red and green ensembles.
You can go all out in a full Santa costume or accessorize with ProCompression “Ugly Sweater” socks and a hat.
Good Cause
Many races are also fundraisers for a good cause and donate some of the proceeds to local charities. Other races collect canned goods or toys for those in need. This is a great way to give back—especially if you want to do something but aren’t sure where or how to donate.
Santa to the Sea is a race in Southern California that collects toys for Toys for Tots. Race morning is quite a sight with hundreds of toys piled around the huge Santa statue near the start line.
Christmas Cookies
One of the best things about the holidays is all the amazing and delicious comfort food that’s around. It’s the one time of year my family makes tamales. There are Christmas cookies on the counter at my mom’s house from her friends. Eggnog. Our neighbor always sends over a big container of freshly made brownies…
We can look at this two different ways:
a.) Great running fuel! Hey, we all have to fuel up—might as well enjoy it with delicious cookies!
b.) So many calories to burn off! Yep, so get to running!
Either way, there are tons of delicious treats. Enjoy them without guilt and then lace up and get in a run to balance out that sugar high.
Stress Relief
The mall parking lot, worrying about online gifts arriving in time, holiday parties, cold weather, traveling to see family, flu season, realizing someone you forgot sent you a Christmas card… there are plenty of extra stressors this time of year.
Take care of your mental and physical health by doing something for yourself. Go for a run. Take five minutes to meditate. Breathe. Walk the dog without your phone. Do whatever you need to make sure you are happy and healthy this season.
I often travel to see family out of state for Christmas. After the craziness of packing (clothes and presents), the airport security line and being on a completely full flight for hours – I need a break. It’s great that they know and accept that I run. So when I get there I lace up and let everyone know I’ll be back in an hour. I run off the stress and come back in a great mood ready to enjoy family time.
The post Things That Get Us Psyched For Running During The Holidays appeared first on Women's Running.