December 22, 2011

Something has happened over the past few weeks.  It all started with my whining about how utterly slow of a runner I am.  Really?  At twenty-four I run anywhere from an eleven and twelve minute mile?  Ridiculous.  But I was at a loss of how to change it; every time I ran, I felt as if I were giving it my all, but I looked more like an asthmatic with a sprained ankle.  Then something happened.  One day I just started running faster.  At first, it was only by thirty second per mile, a feat in and of itself by some standards; by the end of the week, however, the change had increased to two minutes.  After a lethargic post-finals week, I expected this odd change to have dissipated as a fathom of my memory.  But I was wrong:  today, I ran 8 miles at a solid nine minute pace, and it was easy, relaxing, and refreshing.  I'm still at a loss, but I'll take it while I can get it!

December 21, 2011

Over the past few years, Austin has had an off-again, on-again relationship with the Trail of Lights, a walk-through holiday light show, of sorts, through Zilker Park.  Unfortunately, the Trail of Lights has fallen victim to the economy and smaller budgets.  However, the Zilker Tree remains.  From Mopac and various points throughout the city, the Zilker Tree seems all-seeing, giant, and a picture of the holiday season.  As we parked the car and walked up to the tree, I was mildly disappointed by its less-than-overwhelming size.  Various food vendors surrounded the base of the tree and the void in the center was full of middle school aged children, horsing around, and some families.  After a little people watching, we bought a cup of hot chocolate, with marshmallows of course, cut our losses, and sought a warmer place to spend the rest of the evening.  Perhaps I expected something closer to the Trail of Lights, which is unfair considering the extent of the City's previous holiday decorations, but underwhelming it was.  Despite this, we were able to appreciate the Tree's charm and let it act as a precious cap on our evening of a Diner 24 dinner and a sweet movie.