Days 12 & 13- The 24 Days of Christmas Miracles Campaign (Or "It's Personal!")

Walks make Betty extremely happy!

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Okay, I don't exactly have a true love, and, based on my past history, if I did he would probably not give me things like partridges or calling birds, but rather the burden of  the $10,000 debt he accumulated in Vegas that weekend I thought he was at an educational conference. All kidding aside, yesterday I received a truly special Christmas luxury: the miracle of a personal day from work. Now, I took the day off because I had several personal matters to which I needed to attend. While I tried to take care of these things as best as I could, the afternoon culminated in a two-hour nap, as any successful afternoon should. So, while I wasn't exactly productive on my personal day, I certainly am well-rested now! 

On the thirteenth day of Christmas, I have somehow miraculously managed to exercise. In fact,  it happened so fast I almost didn't even realize I did it, but I have decided that it still counts. I got up around 6:30 today and got the bright idea that I would take my dog, Betty, out for an early-morning walk. Proud of my motivation, I got dressed and put on a sweat jacket. Soon Betty and I were out and about in the cold. I was enjoying the sounds of nature in the early morning, with the noise of a big truck thrown in now and again for good measure, when what did I hear but the pitter patter of raindrops on the asphalt? The sound was at first as fleeting as the noise made by reindeer hooves on the roof, but it soon became more insistent.

Committed to finishing the walk, I led my dog further up the street. Soon, the ethereal drumming of magical sugarspun Christmas raindrops had turned into the pounding pulse of a downpour worthy of monsoon season. I turned Betty around and began walking toward home but, because I hate getting wet, my walk soon turned into a run and, more rapid than eagles, my dog and I zoomed over hills and through puddle-ridden streets on our way home. It was also quite miraculous that I didn't become so winded that I dropped dead right down the street from my house. Somehow, we arrived back at the house, whereupon I dried Betty with a super-absorbent  towel and peeled off my wet sweat jacket to find that I was mostly dry underneath.

While I typically have a motivation problem when I try to exercise, I think the fact that my run was a surprise to me really helped obliterate the whole motivation issue. In fact, I am thinking of paying a man in a Planet of the Apes style gorilla suit with an air horn to approach me at random times during the day and chase me for distances of 1,000 feet. I feel like such shorter, faster sprints would really amp up my cardio, and would also be great for my calves. Then I wouldn't have to make a New Year's resolution to get in shape because, thanks to crazy monkey man I'd already be halfway there!