Day 1266 -- Jogger's Progress

	Trip	YTD	Dec
Distance	8013.0	1618.7	73.9
Time	54 days, 17 hrs, 26 min	11 days, 22 hrs, 26 mins	13:03
Days	1266	235	14
States	24	5	1

Just before Christmas, I got sick. I have had horrible congestion in my lungs, which makes it really hard to run. Some illnesses I can run through, but not this one. So I ended up taking a whole week off. I finally got in one last run for the year, yesterday. Naturally, it wasn't an easy run. I still have some congestion, so I had to alternate running and walking.

The result was that December was another off month. For the second month in a row, I ran only 14 days, and this time, I didn't even make 74 miles.

For the year, I wasn't too bad. I had more miles than 2006 and 2007, although fewer total days. In fact, it was the lowest number of days in the history of JogAmericaBlog.

I have signed up for the Pikermi in Eau Claire on May 1. So Monday, I begin a 17 week training program. That should get me back on track.

Days 1264 and 1265 -- Bethlehem

How about that? Just in time for Christmas, I've made it to Bethlehem. No word on whether or not there's any room at the inn. According to Destination360.com, the Colonial Theater, seen here, only offers shows in the summer. So I'm not sure what the hot attraction is in Bethlehem. Maybe I'll see if I can find any occupied mangers.

Happy Christmas to all my friends!

Day 1263 -- Littleton

From VisitingNewEngland.com, we find that Chutters, in Littleton, "features a tour de force of familiar and hard-to-find candies." I guess I'd better keep running, to burn off all those calories.

I got in a fairly long run this morning, on the treaded dreadmill. I woke up early and was at the fitness center by about 5:15. It's pretty lonely that early on a Sunday morning. I think I was running for almost an hour before anyone else showed up.

I've decided I need to start training for something. Not training, I find too many excuses to take a day off. The Eau Claire Marathon is on May 1. By coincidence, I will be in the neighborhood that weekend, because the section meeting of the MAA is in Menomonie. And that's 17 weeks after the first of the year, so that's a good length of training. I haven't committed, yet, but I'm thinking that's the next plan.

Days 1261 and 1262 -- New Hampshire

With the semester finally coming to an end, I'm looking forward to having more time to blog. I may even do more running. I started out December with a vow to keep running on schedule, and then I took four days off this week without even trying. I did run yesterday and today, both on the treaded dreadmill. Yesterday was a pain, but today was OK.

Day 1260 -- More St. Johnsbury

Despite over 8 miles this morning, I'm still in the general area of St. Johnsbury. I tried to search for East St. Johnsbury, an unincorparated town to the (surprise!) east of St. Johnsbury. But apparently it's not even big enough to get any images of its own.

No run on Friday. That was sort of planned. I set the alarm, in case I woke up ready to run, but I didn't. So I didn't. I slept in Saturday, and planned to run at noon, but the weather was freezing rain, and I just didn't feel like fighting it.

So I should have had plenty of energy this morning. I had planned on 12 miles, but I didn't have more than eight in me.

Days 1257, 1258, and 1259 -- St. Johnsbury

From City-Data.com, downtown St. Johnsbury, VT.

Sorry, the end of the semester crunch has crunched me more than usual. Suffice to say I've been running indoors, on the treaded dreadmill.

Day 1256 -- Marshfield

The Marshfield Country Store looks like the type of place trying desperately to seem like an old-fashioned country store. Although it does say "1852" over the door, presumably the year it was founded.

I went over the Snap Fitness this morning for my long run. I made almost nine miles in 90 minutes of running. It was fine, but I don't have as much patience on the dreadmill as I do on the road.

Day 1255 -- Plainfield

Apparently, this is not the aftermath of a tragic tornado in northern Vermont. It was built that way. According to SugarMountainFarm.com, this is the sort of architectural imagination that is stifled by neighborhood covenants.

Thursday afternoon, I went over to Snap Fitness and signed on for three months. I took Friday morning off, partly because I'd already run three days in a row, and partly because I wanted to get to school early to prepare for class. As poorly as that class went, I might as well have slept in. Anyway, Friday afternoon it because to snow, and by the time I woke up Saturday morning, there was a good eight inches on the ground, and still falling. So it was just as well that I have a membership at the fitness club.

I didn't go down right away, because Mrs. Jogger was making pancakes, and they smelled really good. But I went down after noon and got in a 5K on the treaded dreadmill. It was OK, but I went out a little too fast. I had to stop and take a couple of walk breaks.

If I'm going to get in a long run tomorrow, it's going to be on the dreadmill. We'll see.

Days 1253 and 1254 -- East Montpelier

When I think of fall in New England, this is exactly the picture that is in my mind. Interestingly, it is from this story that asserts that fall colors in New England are getting less intense, because of global climate change. More interestingly, the story is from Fox News. I thought that Fox News didn't believe in global climate change.

I ran both yesterday and today. It felt good, but cold. The temperature plummeted on Tuesday after my run. I had a hard time getting out of bed yesterday. I had to tell myself how rotten I would feel if I didn't run, and that did the trick. This morning, I had no trouble getting up at all. In fact, I had trouble sleeping, because of a migraine. So I was awake at 4, and not going back to sleep. I got up and ran, and that helped my head. But now I'm fading fast, just like the colors in New England.