The last week of school before Christmas break. I am ready for it and the students very definitely are. Attendance has fallen off even further this week, as have student energy levels. Still, one student has returned from injury and it is good to have him back. Yet my best student seems to have vanished without a word; I am afraid that something has happened with her daughter that is demanding all her attention.
This morning I managed to get in a 4 mile run, my first real run since Las Vegas. It felt very good to get out. I wanted a rest but was really starting to miss my daily runs.

Too many things going on in my life all at once. it has probably always been this way but right now it seems seriously oppressive. Running, remodeling the house on the farm, maintaining the house in town, school, seeing the chiropractor for my back, church, etc. The winter that has settled in on us hasn't helped; it has been very cold and stormy very early. It has all been good but a bit too much at times.
Very tired at the moment; also wired and unable to do anything about it. My wife and I flew down to Las Vegas last Friday and on Sunday I ran a very strong, fun half-marathon. I am quite happy with my 2:06:53 considering how the weather has interfered with my training over the past month. I was able to hold to my own schedule the night before the and the morning of the race, so I got to the starting line feeling good. I found a friend from Saskatoon to run with at a pace that suited me and I was able to hold that pace throughout the race and even pick it up a bit. I felt strong right to the end and probably could have gone a bit faster. But that is okay. 56th out of 241 in my age group is not bad at all, I think. The course was very flat and taylor-made for a fast time. Running in the crowds was very different for me and I was busy constantly staying out of people's way and passing, passing people right up to the finish line. Right now it is storming outside and definitely not acceptable weather for running in. Yet I want to go for a run, now!
Work on the house is going very slowly, and things like the trip to Las Vegas make the process slower but that is okay, I needed the break.