The Value of Nothing

December is my favorite month of the year, as it’s the month of my birthday, a long vacation from work, eight billion holiday parties per week, and reunions with friends I only see once or twice a year. This year was no exception, and by the time I got around to my actual birthday on the 21st, I was ready to celebrate it by doing what I do best, which is absolutely nothing! I sat around in my pajamas and glasses til around 4 pm or so, G-chatting, emailing and on the phone with friends.  Only the thought of my birthday dinner at California Pizza Kitchen with my parents (why yes, I did choose that myself) could motivate me to put on some real clothes and leave the house, via the backseat of my parents mini-van. Who says you can’t go home?

The lack of anything “productive” on the first day of my thirty-first year was unexpected but exactly what I needed. After spending the majority of the past year running around (literally! I logged over 500 miles marathon training alone) it felt great to sit around without a plan in mind and do whatever I wanted to do, whenever I wanted to. And that, my friends, is the best birthday present I could have ever given myself.

The rest of this week has followed in much the same fashion, although I did manage to make it to the gym twice, once for a yoga class and once to run around the track for a few laps. Although this track is not the traditional tracks you see outside of high schools, but instead a gravel half-mile path, it still got pretty boring and I gave up after 4.19 miles or so. I then spent twenty painful minutes getting my left IT band reacquainted with the foam roller before rewarding myself with everything on the menu at Panera for lunch. Why yes, I will have soup, salad and a pannini all at the same meal, thanks!

My goals for 2012 for are still being fleshed out in my mind, but I think they will be along the lines of:

1) Running a sub-2 hour half-marathon

2) Running the Marine Corps Marathon on October 28, 2012. Who’s in?

3) Using all my hard-earned nutrition knowledge for good, rather than evil (or at least complacency)

4) Unpack the remaining four boxes from my move in July (shut up).

5) Blog more. Maybe!

6) Foam roll more, definitely! And more effective and efficient cross-training (think strength and flexibility), in general. Isn’t that everyone’s goal?

Hope everyone is having a great and relaxing holiday season. Ho ho ho!