I don’t usually take part in online challenges but I am making several exceptions this month!  Here’s a quick run down of the fun challenges that I will be participating in for December:

1.  I’m Going Streaking!!

As a part of the Runner’s World “Streak,”  I have committed to run, walk, or elliptical at least 1 mile every day between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.  I completed my mile for day 12 of the streak this morning and I feel great!

“Streaking” is a big deal for me because, although I was a runner in college, I’ve really done very, very little running since graduating in 2007.  I am usually quite content to come home from work and make dinner/watch TV/blog/do anything besides exercise.  But all of that has changed since I started my streak on Thanksgiving.  Now I actually wake up BEFORE work (something I never would have believed that I’d ever do!) and I elliptical my mile while groggily watching the morning traffic and news.  It’s an awesome feeling to come home from work and know that I have already finished my exercising for the day.  🙂

I have to give a quick shout out to Jocelyn from Running Noodle because without Jocelyn I never would have known that the Streak challenge existed.  I read Jocelyn’s “Streaking” Post last winter and decided then and there that I would try streaking myself this year.  I learned this weekend that streaking is actually a whole blog/twitter/social media “thing” with it’s own hashtag (#RWStreak) so I guess I’ll start tagging my streaking posts from now on!

2.  Weekly Photo Challenge: REFLECTION

I kept seeing posts with beautiful “reflection” photos featured in my WordPress reader so I did some investigating and learned that WordPress sponsors a Weekly Photo Challenge.  It’s easy to participate so I thought this would be a fun way to add to my December challenges.  I think to actually join the challenge properly I need to create a brand new post titled “Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflection” but this post will have to suffice for week 1.

I have two photos featuring reflections for this week.  The first (above) is a rare self-portrait of me taking a photo of Bailey via the car’s rear view mirror.  She loves car rides!  (Ignore my wrinkly forehead… I was thinking hard!)  The second (below) is a photo of a Delmarva DockDog named Sam.  I love how Sam and his toy are converging with their reflections!

3.  25 Days of Christmas Photo Challenge

Yes, another photo challenge.  (When I decide to do something I go all out!)  I learned about this photo challenge from Pami at Pa-BLAM.  There’s a nice holiday-themed topic for each day and, like Pami, I will probably do a post every 7 days or so with the photos from the previous week.  I’m going to have to rely on some holiday photo archives for a few of these though… I mean, I HOPE that I see snow on December 7th but at this point that’s not looking too likely!

OK, well that just about sums up my December challenges.  I think that #3 is going to be really fun but overall I am most excited about Streaking.  Wish me luck!   🙂