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Weekly Run Down for 12.21.20-12.27.20: Merry Christmas to Everyone!! Fa la la la la.


If you celebrate, I hope you enjoyed a nice holiday (in spite of the Pandemic.)

our 2020 photo card

We had so much snow last week that I was afraid that it would be around until spring.  Quite challenging for this runner.

Then it rained. A lot! Slush. Ice. Yuck!

Good news for the week:

I met my goal for the year!!! Woo Hoo! Thrilled!!

Last Week –

  • Monday – I’m always looking ahead at the forecast and trying to figure out when to run.  Although I ran 10 miles the day before, I had a busy work day and only got out after work.

Hello Darkness.  Where to go?

The Holiday Lights in the Park!! I didn’t know if I could run on the roads there but at least I could walk and get into the holiday spirit.

no ice or snow on the roads but so many potholes and puddles.

  • Tuesday –  Today I had time to scout out the neighborhoods roads during lunch. Heat wave – 40 degrees! With the breeze and the high snow banks, it actually felt colder than the day before.

clear roads 🙂

  • Wednesday – Another busy work day.  I was able to sneak in a walk in the sunshine during lunch.

hope it will melt by spring.. until then I’m stuck in the ‘hood

After work, I headed to UAlbany to see if they made any headway in clearing the paths. The path seemed clear at first but then there were too many icy spots so I decided to instead run in the road. That was too dangerous since the road was narrow due to the high snow banks and cars didn’t seem to slow down (There was traffic because this is also a COVID testing center).  In the end, I ran around the inner campus roads which were completely clear and no cars (since the school was closed). It worked.

  • Thursday – Four days in a row of running (19 miles!!) Rest day on the schedule!! Heavy rain was predicted anyway. Since it had started yet, I went out for a holiday walk at lunch.

even a Jew can be festive on Christmas Eve…surprised to see part of the water line being plowed…still too muddy to walk or run on

I wish I had planned my running schedule better. With 50 degrees, I could have run in a skirt!!

And then the rain came so no Christmas Eve walk. Just some eggnog by the fireplace binge watching Netfix (while knitting).

  • Friday – A pandemic Christmas celebration. My stepson went to his in-laws and we just did a gift drive-by at my MIL’s.  So a quiet day. I was hoping to squeeze in a run between the rain drops.  The good news about all this rain was that the snow was melting (until it becomes ice, that is). I started out my run on the rail trail that was clear until it wasn’t. It was also way warmer than I thought when the rain stopped (almost 60 degrees). I continued my run on the roads near the trail. Eventually the wind came which made it more comfortable and then it started to rain again. Luckily I was almost done.

over dressed for sure. I was sweating. Planned on at least 3 miles or maybe 4 but got carried away.

But with at least 4 miles, I finished my 2020 mileage goal a week early.

It rained on and off all day but with most of snow gone, I decided to check out the trails. I thought about Bozenkill or Wolf Creek but when it started to rain hard, I changed my mind to some place closer. I hadn’t been to HollyHock Hollow since summer and boy, was I surprised at the high raging creek.

It was like the rapids so mesmerizing. I would have stayed longer but it was getting dark.

  • Saturday – Again, I decided that Sunday had warmer temps, more sun and less wind so Long Run Saturday became LONG RUN SUNDAY.

I woke up to the clear roads being dusted with more snow (and the temps in the 20s).  I was planning on a hike but I always get nervous about ice. But off I went anyway in search of high water and waterfalls.

First stop was Bozen Kill.  The trails were very icy and muddy but I did get some views of the creek as I waded through the snow.

The next stop, which was nearby, was Wolf Creek.  This one was fairly crowded but so icy that I didn’t go all the way to the big waterfall and walked back on the road. The small waterfall was pretty nice. I need to return here wearing Yak Trax.

My third stop was going to be Hannacroix Ravine but the parking lot was a mess and I didn’t want to park on the side of the road so I headed home.  On the way, I stopped at Five Rivers to see Vloman Kill.  This place was crowded as well.  Glad to see families out hiking. I was immediately informed that the loop around the creek lost the bridge and it was no longer a loop.  So I walked to the end and then walked back.

My final stop was to see the Normans Kill.  It was snowy but less icy than the other locations so was able to walk around for awhile.

Unfortunately, I’m kind of a wuss when it comes to hiking on the icy trails.  And there’s a lot of beauty out there in the winter.

  • Sunday – A repeat of last week. All our bike paths will be ice covered for a while. So I returned to the Crossings and to my surprise, all the paths were clear.  It was cold (20s) but the sun was shining brightly and I had the company of one or two friends for ALL of my miles… the first time since October that no part of my run was solo.

we looped around the park several times…each time I removed one item of clothing (vest, mittens)… lots of great conversation made the miles go by quicker

No doubt, there will be another walk or hike before the day is done. And I have a masked knitting date tonight.

This Coming Week – 

  • Monday –  rest day
  • Tuesday – run
  • Wednesday –  run
  • Thursday – rest day
  • Friday – New Years – DAY OFF – virtual NYRR Resolution 5k
  • Saturday –  rest day
  • Sunday – LONG RUN

I am linking up with Kim and Deborah for

I encourage you to do the same. Grab the graphic, drop your link on the host blogs and play along! Please be sure to always comment on the HOST’s blogs, as well as visit and comment on as many other blogs as you can.

Happy Running! How is your running going? Have the winter temps or snow hit? How did you celebrate Christmas 2020? Please share.

37 thoughts on “Weekly Run Down for 12.21.20-12.27.20: Merry Christmas to Everyone!! Fa la la la la.”

  3. wow huge congrats on hitting 1000 miles that’s really impressive. Your snow does look pretty but I am sure it’s hard to find a clear spot to run on. Looks like you made the most of this week. Happy holidays to you and yours thanks for linking

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  4. Your crazy snow storm looks a lot like what we had back in early October…I think we had maybe 18 inches and sub-freezing temps for a couple days, but then it was all gone. It returned a week later, but disappeared just as quickly. 2020 has brought us all kinds of craziness, huh! Huge congrats on reaching your 2020 mileage goal so early! No such achievements for me this year LOL

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  5. Yay for 1000! I feel you with the roads. I’m hoping that the sun will melt some of it off today but I have a feeling that this next week will be more on the treadmill than off it.

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  9. Love the light tights.
    I never set my goal due to injury but am going to come in just under 800 and that’s AOK with me.
    Jordan and the kids were at Thatcher. Enjoyed all the parks pi cs from both of you

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      • I brought my Yaktrax to Olana, actually, but in the end decided not to use them. There were a few people there, but usually I don’t see many people and it would have really sucked to slip and be stuck there — especially since I take my husband’s car. Of course he does have mine. But it would have definitely not been good. Better safe than sorry and I still got to see stuff.

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    • Our snow is mostly gone too.

      I was able to get to 1000 miles because I was working from home and had more time.

      That won’t happen again but it’s ok, I’d rather not be tied to my computer.

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