My birthday was Thursday. I don’t typically like to make a big deal out of my birthday. I’m not sure if it’s being the middle child or the fact that it’s in December, but I usually like to keep my birthday pretty low key. 

I knew our plans for my birthday weekend were pretty laidback. All we really had planned was a 20 mile training run and a dinner with Rachel’s family. Outside of that, I was hoping to take it easy and maybe watch some College/NFL football. There were several games of interest to me, including the SEC Championship.

A little background on me: Being from Alabama, there is no doubt that College Football (and specifically Alabama/Auburn football) runs very deep in my family. I was born and raised an Alabama football fan. Both my parents went to the University of Alabama. I remember growing up going to and watching Alabama games with my Dad/family.

However, when it came time to pick a college…surprisingly Auburn University won out. There are several reasons for this, but honestly the biggest reason was Auburn was where several of my closest friends were going. But (and I know this is weird), I stayed an Alabama football fan. After 18 years of cheering for the Alabama Crimson Tide, I couldn’t bring myself to cheer against their biggest rival. And yes…I was that guy at the opposing college that went to class wearing their rival’s shirts and hats.

Now don’t get me wrong, I loved my time at Auburn. It was a great experience. I met so many amazing people and had amazing experiences. But my allegiance in football never wavered. 

Well to make a long story even longer…Rachel ended up surprising me with tickets to the SEC Championship for my birthday. She got them from her boss at work. And friends…these seats were amazing. Club level on the 25 yard line. There was no way we were passing up this opportunity to watch Alabama play in the SEC title game.

So as I mentioned in yesterday’s blog…we shifted our training run to early Saturday morning and then made our way down to the Georgia Dome for the game. Even though we were pretty dang tired from running 20 miles that morning, we had a great time! Plus, the Crimson Tide won! Below are several pictures of our time at the game.

As a teenager in the early to mid 90’s (who played guitar and was in several “garage” bands), I was heavily influenced by Alternative music. For me, bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots were on constant rotation in my CD player.

I was very sad to hear the news this morning that Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots had passed away at the young age of 48. Stone Temple Pilot’s first two albums (Core and Purple) are responsible for some of the best songs of the 1990’s. From the songs Plush and Creep to Interstate Love Song and Vasoline (and so many more), their songs will always hold a special place in my heart.

RIP Scott Weiland. I will never forget the impact that your voice and music had on my life and music.

Last Tuesday, Rachel and I headed down to Tarpon Springs, Florida (Crystal Beach) for Thanksgiving with my side of the family. My Dad rented a huge beach house for all of my siblings and their spouses/kids. (17 total people!)

I blogged about my family last week as a part of the What I’m Thankful For series of posts. When we all get together, it is always a good time. (Sometimes a little loud and crazy but always good fun!) I think it was especially meaningful for my Dad to have us all together. You could just see it on his face the whole time. He was so happy. Plus, no one loves his kids and grandkids like my Dad does.

It was a super laid back time. We lounged around the pool/hot tub, ate way too much food, watched a lot of football, walked/ran several days, rode bikes, played on the beach, kayaked, fished, made s’mores, drank a lot of coffee (and a few adult beverages) and so much more! I think it reminded all of us how important family is.

I’m so grateful to be a part of a family that not only loves, but genuinely likes each other. Here are several pictures from our trip last week. Enjoy!

I’m a goal-oriented person. I stay more focused when I’m driving towards something. I typically start most of my weeks with a to-do list. When I started running races a few years ago, I immediately scoured the internet for training tips and plans/goals. As we enter into December, I have decided to set a few running goals for myself for the month.

Obviously, I recognize the holiday season can be very busy, but I’m hoping this will push me to maintain balance.

• I am running the Dopey Challenge in January 2016 (48.6 miles over 4 days, which includes a marathon on January 10). So this month I have two 20 mile training runs in addition to quite a few back to back runs. My first goal is to stick to my training plan!
  

  

   

• Currently, I have run 1070 miles for the year. My goal is to try to hit 1200 miles (an average of 100 miles per month) for 2015.

• I want to work more on my core. This is where I struggle the most during my longest runs. My goal is to do a 1 minute plank each day in addition to ab workouts.

• (Non Running Goal) Since I started this blog a few weeks ago, I’ve been good about blogging 5-6 times week. My final goal is to continue to blog at least 3-4 times a week.

Do you like to set goals for yourself?

I love Christmas music! It pretty much dominates my playlist from the week of Thanksgiving until the end of December. I remember growing up listening to old Christmas records on our stereo in the playroom of our house. We would sit on the floor looking through the J.C. Penny’s Christmas catalog for ideas for Christmas presents while listening to the Christmas classics. Things felt so much simpler back then. 

As we hit December 1st, I thought I would share my top 10 favorite Christmas songs. Please note these are not in any order, as it was difficult enough just picking the top 10. And while there are so many newer Christmas songs that are excellent, there is just something about the oldies. (Also note…I didn’t include any Christmas hymns, as I could do another list of just those songs.)

1. “White Christmas” – Bing Crosby
2. “Christmas Time Is Here” – Vince Guaraldi Trio
3. “Holly Jolly Christmas” – Burl Ives
4. “Sleigh Ride” – Boston Pops Orchestra
5. “Rocking Around The Christmas Tree” – Brenda Lee
6. “The Christmas Song” – Nat “King” Cole
7. “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” – Andy Williams
8. “Little Saint Nick” – The Beach Boys
9. “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” – Frank Sinatra
10. “You’re A Mean One One, Mr. Grinch” – Thurl Ravenscroft

What are some of your favorite classic Christmas songs?