Managing the Holidays

As we all know, the holiday season can be a stressful time of year.  Everything is piled into the last few weeks of the year, followed by parties, food, family, and little activity.  For me the month of December has been quite busy.  I was fighting off a pretty nasty cold over Thanksgiving week, then in the following weeks went from 0-60 in terms of training hours and work.  I can't think of the last day I had actually had a real rest day and my body has paid the consequences.  Last week, I taught a 7 day Mountaineering Seminar, had an avalanche class in Breckenridge, and still managed to log 10 training hours.  I began feeling sick again at the end last week, and now I sit in my living room starting to feel a bit better.  With the Holidays fast approaching, I welcome the next 2 weeks of relative sloth.  This is the time I use to unwind from the previous year, be with friends and family, and really not do much of anything.  It's a great time for me to rest and prepare for the new year.  I welcome the rest as I know it will only increase motivation for the 2011 training schedule.  By the time I return to Boulder, I will be more than ready to return to the gym and return the cold unforgiving mountains.  But for now, I'll leave in the morning to Bozeman for a week, then to South Florida for another.  I look forward to warm weather and sea kayaking!