Christmas in July

I realize this monumental phrase is meant for the 25th of July, but as I received an email today about Houston's 12K of Christmas, I couldn't help but make that the title of my post. It's hard for me to even fathom thinking about Christmas when we're seeing averages of 100 degrees, but after reading the description of this race, taking place in downtown Houston, I couldn't help but go ahead and register for it. 

(Source)

First of all, a 12K is a very interesting distance, as it comes out to be 7.44 miles, which I personally think is a great distance for a race. Challenging, but definitely doable. Second, the website promised lots of hot cocoa, elves, carolers and even an appearance made by Saint Nick himself. And who can be in a bad mood when surrounded by festive Christmas decorations and encouraging carolers? The race starts and finishes at Discovery Green, which is always decked out for the holidays. Third, and probably most important, this race benefits Yellowstone Academy, a faith-based private school for students living in poverty. It serves children from Kindergarten to 8th grade, and it strives to make known that "the situation in Houston's inner city is neither hopeless or inevitable." I am very passionate about every child receiving a quality education, so I am more than happy to give my money to this cause. If you will be in Houston on December 21st, I strongly encourage you to sign up and run it with me. I will be dedicating my run to a very special woman, and I am very excited about this future race.

Now, back to the normal workout and food posts - neither of which are going to be anything new or exciting today. After running five+ miles two days in a row, I was in the market for something very low-impact. So, swimming it was! Running and swimming are easily my two favorite forms of cardio, so a day in the pool is always welcome. After a fruit-filled breakfast, I biked over to Gregory Gym and swam a mile and a half before getting out and laying by the pool reading for a bit before heading back home to shower and run a few random errands.

My berry bowl

Around 1:45pm I headed over to SRD so that I would have time to make my favorite grilled chicken salad before work at 2:00. I was recently told to heat up the chicken in the microwave before putting it on my salad, and it made an already-great tasting salad taste fantastic. I also enjoyed an (unpictured) side of sliced pineapple, so though my lunch was nothing out of the ordinary, it was still excellent.

And now I'm off to search for a new book to read - any suggestions are welcome! Have a great rest of your Monday!