A day filled with worshipping, caroling, visiting and gift wrapping left little time for running.

The sky had taken on a pinkish glow when I finally set everything aside, laced up my shoes and slipped on my reflective vest for a few minutes of solitude on the road.

Runs often begin at the pace of the day. I bolted down my driveway and half-sprinted up the road in response to my hectic holiday schedule. By the time I reached the crest of the hill at the one-mile mark, I had run out of oxygen and run out of the cares of the day.

Stretching by the side of the road, I inhaled deeply the cool, clean air and exhaled the last of the stress. A shimmer of red, blue and green appeared like a mirage through bare branches swaying and sighing in the evening breeze —- lights of a Christmas wreath on a neighbor's front door.

I ran easier after the initial rush of energy and my stretch break. The steady rhythm of breathing and footfalls let my mind wander. Visions of all the runs through the lights from years past danced through my head like Night Before Christmas sugarplums.

I thought of the first Hartwood Acres Run Through the Lights, not the rescheduled one with jingle bells and hot chocolate but the private run Mom and I took on the originally scheduled evening.

We braved a snowstorm to find that the event had been postponed, but park police allowed us to tour the park on our own. It looked like a world inside a Christmas paperweight with swirling snow and twinkling lights. As we slipped and slid through the blizzard, deer lifted their heads to watch us trot by in the deepening drifts.

Another magical light display from years ago came to mind. We had traveled two hours on the slushy roads to a Pee-Wee hockey game in Altoona. While Zack and the team dressed and warmed up, I pulled on hat and mittens for a short run through the neighborhood.

To my delight, the street in front of the rink led straight to Lakemont Park. The lights of the amusement park glittered like a magic kingdom and reflected softly on the mounds of snow to guide my way.

With two kids in sports, I've spent a lot of time carpooling and waiting at rinks, fields and pools. Some of my favorite runs were those nighttime meandering runs through Butler while Lottie swam at the YMCA.

On rainy evenings the city was washed clean, bathed in a rainbow of street lights, traffic lights and holiday storefronts. The pedestrian walk signals provided the silver bells in the background of Christmas in the city.

As I turned the corner at mile three of my run, my neighbors' icicle lights, wreaths and outdoor Christmas trees came into view. It seemed that their warm, outgoing personalities had spilled out of the windows and onto the porches and lawns. I thought of my own family waiting in my own warm house a short downhill mile away and picked up the pace.

I headed up my driveway and into the best holiday lights of all. My own Christmas tree, star perched high on the crooked trunk, stood in the window twinkling in blue and white. And someone had turned the porch light on to guide me home.

Dec. 31, 12:45 p.m.: Jingle Bell 5k Run, Canfield, Ohio. Run at Canfield Fairgrounds. 330-788-4068Dec. 31, 6:30 p.m.: First Night 5k Resolution Run, State College. eggler@geosc.psu.edu or www.nvrun.com/fn.htmlJan. 6, 9:30 a.m.: New Year's Resolution Run, New Castle. Choice of 10K or 5K distance. 724-658-3583, ext. 8111 or lheasley@lcvt.tec.pa.usJan. 6: Run to Read Half Marathon, Fairmont, W.Va. Run through Prickett's Fort State Park. 304-366-6055 or run2read@hotmail.com

<B>Apollo Fight for Life 5K Run, Nov. 18:</B> Paul Gagliardi, 1st Overall M, 16:48; Ben Hutterer, 2nd Overall M, 16:49; Cory Steinhagen, 3rd Overall M, 17:36; Chelsea Hoffman, 1st Overall W, 20:09; Brian Forester, 1st 35-39 M, 17:42; Rich Makin, 1st 45-49 M, 18:23; Mike Fugate, 1st 13-19 M, 18:58; Mark Bacco, 1st 25-29 M, 19:13; Chris Matessa, 2nd 13-19 M, 19:24; Dave Fugate, 1st 40-44 M, 19:41; Eric Blasavich, 1st 30-34 M, 20:16Bill Winters, 1st 50-54 M, 20:50; Keith Blayden, 3rd 35-39 M, 20:58; John Swauger, 2nd 55-59 M, 21:37; Dorothy Moxie, 1st 40-44 W, 23:16; Jill Horvatic, 1st 45-49 W, 24:32; Ralph Ross, 1st 70+ M, 24:55; John Uleski, 3rd 50-54 M, 25:19; Julie Miller, 1st 35-39 W, 25:26; Debbie Fugate, 3rd 40-44 W, 25:30; Katie Bialak, 1st 30-34 W, 26:49; Jerry Burns, 1st 60-64 M, 26:55; Jennifer Blystone, 2nd 30-34 W, 27:43; Cathy Ferrero, 2nd 55-59 W, 28:08; Nick Bialak, 3rd 30-34 M, 29:12; Donna Zukas, 2nd 50-54 W, 29:17; Robert Zukas, 3rd 60-64 M, 29:17;Owen Venesky, 19:54; Sergei Dines, 20:42; Tim Toy, 23:40; David Miller, 24:05; Steve Foster, 24:34; Mike Venesky, 25:37; Rob Carnahan, 25:58; Amy Hutchison, 27:36; Kim Kenetz, 28:04; Allyson Lambert, 28:39; David Findlay, 30:25; Ann Nemec, 33:55; Shanin Hart, 33:56; Jeffrey Yingling, 37:19; Jim Nemec, 40:25<B>Greensburg Turkey Trot 3-Mile Run, Nov. 23:</B> Pat McGuire, 1st Overall M, 15:12; Jake Moore, 2nd Overall M, 15:37; Matt Blunan, 3rd Overall M, 15:37; Holly Wooley, 1st Overall W, 17:48; Dorothy Moxie, 1st 40-44 W, 22:02; Linette Voytovich, 26:38<B>Trot for Tots 5k, Dec. 3:</B> Herb Cratty, 1st Overall M, 17:10; Rich Makin, 4th Overall M, 18:34; Diana Filtz, 1st Overall W, 19:25; Mark Courtney, 1st 50-54 M, 19:43; Ron Hartle, 3rd 50-54 M, 22:46<B>Trot for Tots 10K, Dec. 3: </B>Herb Cratty, 1st Overall M, 35:53; Jerry Maher, 2nd Overall M, 35:55; Mark Courtney, 4th Overall M, 38:57; Shelley Cameron, 1st Overall W, 42:38; Rich Makin, 1st 45-49 M, 39:56; Scott Pearson, 1st 40-44 M, 41:42; Cliff Thornberry, 3rd 50-54 M, 48:02; Janet Zelner, 3rd 30-34 W, 49:58; Ron Hartle, 51:32; Thomas Puskar, 58:09Send comments and suggestions to: 435 Cherry Valley Rd., Saxonburg, PA. 16056. Phone or fax: 724-352-4395. Email: bigp16@connecttime.net