Switching things up a bit

This is a happy Thanksgiving week, in more ways than one, and I've definitely felt gratitude towards much in my life.  The week has been remarkable for the low-key nature of it, and I've been looking forward to that for a while!  We traveled the last two years over Thanksgiving, and as much as I love going elsewhere to see family and friends, staying at home has given us the chance to be pretty lazy and indulge in a few activities that are rare treats.  First of all, going out on Tuesday night for four-and-a-half hours!  The three of us who ran "together" on Sunday (together is a loose term since one member of our little cohort finished over an hour faster than I did!) met up for celebratory margaritas at Amigo's.  Again, not the best Mexican food in Pasadena, but how I love that place!  On Wednesday afternoon, we went to the Arclight Movie Theater in Hollywood, always a great movie-going experience, and saw Skyfall.  I've been a Daniel Craig as 007 fan, and this movie lived up to the reviews, some of which were rave and others a bit more subdued.  While I wouldn't say that it was the best movie ever, it did entertain us, which is really what I expect from a James Bond movie.  Also - Javier Bardem as the bad guy?  He's so good in that role!

Thanksgiving day was a nice celebration - nothing too crazy, which I definitely enjoyed.  We ended up having a friend join us for our meal, and it was good to have the company as we drank champagne and a decent cab.  We opted for duck breast rather than turkey, but had a minor moment of panic when we thought that we had not packed the duck breast in the grocery bag.  Crisis averted - it was in hiding in one of the drawers in the fridge!  However, I had forgotten a bag of fresh cranberries for our dessert, but that was an easy mistake to repair since the store was still open.  While I like to tuck into a huge array of typical Thanksgiving food, it was great to have a smaller, more manageable meal.  Probably the most traditional aspect of the day was watching on and off some of the football games!

Even though I have yet to test out my legs on pavement or trails, we did go spinning yesterday and today, during which we both felt somewhat out-of-shape as we panted and pushed through intervals and sprints.  I am also going to return to the swimming pool this weekend!  I originally planned to take a two- to four-week break from running after the trail race, but then I started to fantasize about proving to myself that I really CAN manage a 30K trail race and found one that looks equally parts terrifying and exciting.  For starters, the elevation gain is even more than the last one, which then makes me think that I must be crazy to even contemplate this race!  But, I do think that my plan to take a major break from running is out the window, unless I go for a run and find it way too painful, which could possibly happen.

As I research different race options, I actually am trying to show some restraint and not sign up for another trail race immediately. Or any race, for that matter.  For now, taking a break from any sort of "training" will, I hope, allow me to start 2013 with a sharp focus.  So, while I'm back in the pool, sort of back in the saddle, and will certainly continue to run, there is no training and there are no 'events'.  A revolutionary concept - to have no plan!  It sounds pretty appealing at the moment.