My not-running excuse is better than your not-running excuse

Happy New Year to everyone, and thank you for all the kind words and well wishes for our latest member of the running team, Margaret (Maggie) Frances Coyne, born Christmas Eve. She was an early surprise (whispering to Allyson's belly about tax deductions seemed to do the trick), but she arrived healthy and well at six pounds, eleven ounces, and Mom and Maggie are doing great. And her big brother hasn't even tried to eat her yet (though he seems to be contemplating the reprocussions of doing so in this picture). While she has been slacking off in the running department (she's a marathoner of day-sleeping), that certainly makes her no different than her dad.
Maggie has been the best reason to not run I could have ever asked for, but as the holidays end and the calendar turns and life regains some sense of normalcy, it seems time to return to that former routine of right, left, right. As we approach the three month mark to Paris (wow, that's what pure terror feels like) it is time to recommit to our running ways, and not let all that progress we were making fly off on the bitter January breeze. I recall running on a warm September morning when we talked of the approaching cold with hopeful and welcoming tones, convinced that running in the chill would be far more enjoyable than sweating in the humidity and haze. What a bunch of crap that was. Getting out there in the freeze is going to be our biggest challenge yet, but this is where we are--the cold and crap times. Think April as you go. And let's get together soon and put an end to the excuses that recently seemed as abundant as Christmas cheer. In case you thought you were the only one lying about your mileages, allow me to offer a recent excerpt from an email exchange between anonymous members of our (non)running squad:

Runner A:
it was 4 degrees last week, and i didn't even pretend like i was going to go. And then it was snowing and then i just didn't want to. and then i was hungover. and then i wasn't hungover but didn't want to spend 2 hours running around like a moron. maybe this week i'll run again. Nice work on 8 miles!

Runner B:
8 is lame compared to these running freaks Tom has conspired to surround us with. I'm beginning to suspect something fishy is going on, people seem to be regularly putting double digit miles on the clock, signing up for every opportunity to get a free t-shirt and run 5k at 4am on a weekend morning. It's like an episode of Stepford Wives, with a running theme.

Runner A:
That is a t-shirt just waiting to be made. 11 stepford wives in running gear and tom coyne leading them.

Let's get back at it, freaks. Maggie's cooperation provided, I would love to get together for a group run this weekend--Sunday looks like it's getting all the way up to 30 degrees! And I think we need a race to get re-focused here. On January 16th, the Winter Pickle Run is being held at Ridley Creek State Park. It's a 4.3 mile prediction race where you try to guess your finish time (no, Julian, you can't guess it in days). You also hunt for hidden pickles along the race route. And there's a t-shirt! Click the pickle to register.

Layer up. See you Sunday?