Maggie Mae's Guide On How Not To Gain Weight On Vacation

You do things. Like play hockey, for example. Simon Gagne would be proud, and the Flyers could use some fresh moves right about now.

You also cross-country ski. And you snow shoe. And you tube sled. And you dog sled.

And you dog sled. That in itself is guaranteed to burn whatever you ate. I'm not talking wrap yourself in blankets and go for a ride, I'm talking you stand and you hold on and when it gets hilly, you get off and run but still hang on so you are running at the speed the dogs want to run at. And it is fun. The words "Thank GOD we run" crossed paths more than once this past week. I don't think we could have truly experienced everything we did without having that base, and even with being in shape, we still woke up many mornings to stiff muscles and sore joints.

The weather was amazingly cold. Monday it was -18 F, plus a windchill. When we left Sunday, it was 3. And we thought it was warm.

But we are back now, and tonight is a run night. I'm actually hoping the snow picks up a bit more, it can be a beautiful run in the right conditions.

We've also decided to register for the Valley Forge Revolutionary Run a few weeks before Broad Street. I think it will be a neat course, and would be a good chance for us all to get into race mode after the winter.