***Originally posted 1/22/15***

So, I know I brag about him a lot but… my husband is pretty awesome at giving Christmas gifts. He likes to give me gifts that are all in one theme- it’s his way of giving something intangible in a tangible way. As Tom Stoppard might put it, he has a talent for the “poetry of practical gesture” and it’s one of the things I love about him! Our first year together, we were living in Virginia and, being a Phoenician through and through, I was woefully unprepared for winter. He gave me the gift of Warmth that year. He had already given me an electric heater and he added to that a wonderful winter coat and a pair of cozy and beautiful boots

(OK, I picked out the boots) and he also got me some of those instant hand warmer packs.

When I was pregnant last Christmas, he gave me the gift of Comfort:

He gifted me with a mattress topper for our older mattress, a body pillow, anything he could do to help my already uncomfortable sleeping for the next 20 weeks of pregnancy we still had ahead of us.

This year he told me he was a little stumped. So I told him to give me the gift of Health.

I told him that all I really wanted for Christmas was a pair of good running shoes because the crappy tennis shoes I had were falling apart after the ROC race I did and had been giving me shin splints for a while. A friend of mine who runs marathons told me that wearing shoes specifically made for running and my type of foot will make all the difference. I was intimidated when I realized that this one gift request was going to blow our original gift budget, but we talked about it and decided it wasn’t just a Christmas gift, it was an investment in our future.

We’ve also agreed to buy a CSA (Community Sourced Agriculture) box of organic food at least once a month.

This choice allows us to make eat healthier, explore new recipes , and make really good baby food from scratch! (This is a good thing because I am becoming an upcycling addict. I won’t let Dan throw away jars or boxes or containers because they are bursting with craft opportunities! Can you imagine what I’d do with babyfood jars?!?! And because I don’t always have time to craft when I plan since that  depends on the family schedule… can you imagine how many babyfood jars we would be saving and having sit around in anticipation of said crafts?!)

Let me make something clear: I SUCK at running. I wimp out. It causes me quite a bit of pain because I get shin splints (I’m told the shoes will help fix that). And I’m pretty sure I look ridiculous while doing it- picture Phoebe from FRIENDS:

BUT here’s what I like about running:

*It’s free. Everything else I’m remotely interested in workout wise costs significant money. Much more money over the course of a year than the shoe purchase.

*It can be solo or communal. Sometimes you need a friend to run with you and motivate you. Sometimes you need to get away and have alone time. Running works for both.

*It’s flexible. You can do it pretty much anywhere, anytime.

*It meets you where you are. This one I did not come up with, another friend of mine who runs did when I was complaining about how I’m not good at running and unsure if I ever will be. If you, like me, suck at running it’s OK. You can go as fast or as slow as you want. You can go as short or long a distance as you want. You get to decide. You are the one pushing yourself. You are your own competition. (This is good because I’m a little too competitive when other people get involved. Let’s just say my husband and I don’t play monopoly…. That’s another blog post.)

So, I’m at the beginning of my running journey, but I’m hopeful. I am looking forward to having a fit 2015 and surprising myself by what my body can achieve. Even more than that, I’m looking forward to setting a good example of a healthy, active lifestyle for my son.  (I need to do something to balance out the fact that he’s already reaching for our coffee cups every morning…)