Dashing Through The Snow

I was thinking that yesterday's post might have seemed strange to some people.  I cleaned my kitchen, and I was excited about it?  Granted, we all know that runners want a pat on the back for everything (my eyes are going to pop out, I'm rolling them so hard!), but really it's pretty simple.  I've always struggled with a mild form of depression, ever since I can remember.  I've been in therapy at a few different points in my life, I've been prescribed medication (that I never took), etc, etc.  It's never been a HUGE deal, which is why I don't talk about it all that much, but it's always there, just kind of below the surface.

As I've gotten older, I've gotten better about dealing with feelings when they come up - in fact, running has helped me immensely.   Lately, I've been in a low spot.  Not running, going off of my birth control, the changing seasons, lots of little things have pooled together and brought me into one of my low periods.  Hence, the "Yay!" moment when I was able to have a productive day yesterday, after a few weeks of lethargy.

. . . and that concludes our "Confessions!" portion of today's show.  Moving on.

Last night I got an email from a family friend.  She and her daughter were signing up for the Dazzle Dash that's being held this weekend, and wanted to know if I wanted to go.  She said she thought of me because I'm a runner.  #1, let's stop for a second so I can go "Yay! Someone thinks I'm a runner!"   LOL  And #2 - what the heck is a Dazzle Dash?   I knew it involved holiday lights, but I wasn't sure the distance, etc, etc.  The crazy limited miles I've been running lately have already lead me to decide not to go to the 5K I had scheduled the weekend after Thanksgiving, so I wasn't automatically sure that I could do any dazzling dashing.  I looked up the event.  Turns out it's a 1.4 mile walk or run through a big Christmas light display that's put on by the hospital every year. (Usually, you drive through it)  Alrighty then!  So I'm all signed up.  =)

I'm hoping that this will be the "baby step" that I need to get me back into running.  A fun event with friends, no pressure, no fuss.  Just having a good time getting a little exercise, which is why I started running in the first place.  I'm looking forward to Saturday! 

Have you ever run in a holiday themed event?  Did you dress up?