Christmas Run with Ray; or: 52 Shopping Days Left

· Run Time -- 11 minutes 0 seconds (+0:20)

__· Temperature: 14ºF (-10ºC)
__· Total Trail Time: 64 minutes

· Trail Time in November -- 64 minutes

____(starting Oct. 1)
· Weight Loss Goal -- 24 pounds (11 kg)
__________· So Far -- 7 lb.

As the morning last hour of morning began to creep away, I got out there on the trail for my first run in over a week. Over a week? That's way too long. My 11 minutes was relatively easy, though. A little cold, but not bad. Jumping into a hot shower less than a minute after getting back in the door -- Heaven!

Being out on the same trail as my hikes, it doesn't seem the same when I'm running. Some of it does, the hiking back part. But for those minutes of running time, almost nothing matters except monitoring how I am and keeping my mind on the music in order to get to my ending cue. And then the first five or ten minutes after that, I've gotta catch my breath and come back down to normal. Since that's not exactly a pleasureable time and since the act of running itself is plain horrible, there really isn't much enjoying being out there. I do like the fact that I'm out there doing something extremely positive for my physical health and for the state of my heart. And now sittin' back down, all cleaned up, tired but feeling awesome, I'm ready to run again tomorrow! In reality I'll probably wait until the day after tomorrow but to wait a week inbetween runs, that just ain't right. Gotta put an end to that and put the effort in more often to get out there for a run just as I did today!

The music in my ears:


Ray Charles

The Spirit of Christmas

(1985)

[1997 Reissue w/bonus track]




What Child Is This?
The Little Drummer Boy
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
This Time Of The Year
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
That Spirit Of Christmas
All I Want For Christmas
Christmas In My Heart
Winter Wonderland
Christmas Time
Baby, It's Cold Outside [with Betty Carter; bonus track]

Today was the very first time I have ever Pressed Play on Ray Charles and I've gotta say, this is a pretty nice album! It's not very Christmasy, though. What I mean is, the music didn't really make me feel like I was wrapped up in a warm blanket of fuzzy Yuletide warmth. Not really at all. And not a single song has a rockin' pace to it, either. Mostly it's smooth, quiet, and mellow, some nice easy listening. Other times it has a very cool jazz feel. The very first song is evidence of that. It starts out as the traditional Christmas carol but shifts gears into some jazz you might hear in a smoky Greenwich Village bar in December. No two drink minimum here, just a really cool album of music.

256 kbps dload right here
Ray Charles -- The Spirit Of Christmas

Also on the trail:
finished up the 1994 self-titled
debut album from Rebecca St. James...

· Everything I Do
· Way Up Here
· Little Bit Of Love
· Side By Side
· Jesus Loves The Little Children