Back from Blogging Break

I'm baaack!

Ahem. (Clearing throat.) Is anyone here?!

Just checking.

Well. Now that it's just you and me: I took a weeklong hiatus from blogging because, as you know, this little online habit can eat up all your time. Before you know it, it's 1 a.m., all the lights have been turned off in the house, and even the dog has given up on you.

Speaking of blogging, I filed a trends story for my newspaper about it. Not about running blogs, alas. But about how a certain segment of the population is finally turning to blogs to improve their clients' performance.

'Nuff said. If you want a link to it (the story goes live on the Web on Wednesday), email me and I'll shoot it to you.

So .... Lots has happened over the past week. Taking a page out of Just One More Mile and Finding My Stride, here's a short list.

* Ran 10 miles last Saturday on a 25-degree morning over super-hilly terrain with P. Realized that I need to step up my training. And to keep my hat on. Winter breezes are not gentle.

* Re-strained my right hip while doing so (it was only my 3rd run since my sprained foot had healed).

* Took a Bikram yoga the next afternoon and streeetched and streeetched my hip. Afterwards, hip felt 100 percent better.

* Ran 6 miles last Thursday on a trail still icy in patches. In the dark. Again. But this time, I wore reflecting lights on my arms and a reflecting vest, so the bicyclists don't run me down.

* Ran 9 miles on snowy/icy trails this morning with P. Very slippery. "Ankle-builders!" I said optimistically. "Or ankle-destroyers," P. replied, ruminatively. Re-realized, as I was huffing up a particularly steep hill, that I really need to step up my training.

* Bought a new computer! A Dell something-or-other. I can't remember the name right now, but it's got some bells and whistles. My old home computer is six years old, and as slow as molasses. I ordered the new one online, and it should arrive any day now ....

* Our company has a holiday cookie-baking contest each year. I've never done it before, but this year I tried to get into the holiday spirit and thought, "Oh, why the hell not?!" Words I have come to rue. After spending an afternoon mixing and baking a batch of almond fortune cookies (not to mention typing out 32 personalized fortune cookie sayings!), I threw them out because they turned out cracked, chewy, and altogether horrible.

* Spent another three hours mixing and baking a couple of dozen shortbread cookies. Which turned out great. But I don't think I'll win our company Xmas cookie contest - they're a bit too Plain Jane-looking. Ah, well. People never appreciate one's hidden charms.