GUEST POST: The Marathon Naughty and Nice List by Janessa

There are a few things you all should know about me by now. Number 1: I love running. Number 2: I love Christmas. Number 3: I love laughing. When Janessa volunteered to write a blog post and wanted to combine the three I knew I couldn't wait to give it a read. My expectations were definitely exceeded with this one. I'm sure you are gonna love it too (and dare I say I hope this one makes its way to the North Pole)! So, without further ado, let's get right into it!

The Marathon Naughty or Nice List

Hi! I'm Janessa. A wife, mom and runner and I'm super excited to fill in for Carlee! I can't believe it's almost December! That means I have two things on my mind lately, the holidays which are in full swing, and marathon season. Last month I ran the Chicago Marathon and I'll be running my second marathon at the California International Marathon next month.

With Christmas so close, it dawned on me that the marathon, with thousands of people in attendance, is the perfect place for Santa to people-watch and make notes for his Naughty or Nice List. While I know the ultimate decision is up to the big guy himself, here are a few people from the Chicago Marathon who I believe should be added to either the Naughty or Nice list.

Naughty List The jerk in front of me in the porta potty line who let three or four of his friends cut in at the last minute! I had been hydrating like crazy all morning and had already been standing in line for twenty excruciating minutes. My bladder wants Santa to know that there should be extra coal in all of their stockings this year.

Nice List Elvis. His sweet songs kept us running in our Blue Suede Shoes for miles. Elvis should be at every race.

Naughty List Runners who take selfies, send text messages or take walk breaks in the middle of the course. Just like driving, slower traffic should move to the right. My shins did not appreciate all of the sudden and abrupt stopping I had to do to avoid plowing into these people.

Nice List Marathon spectators. They are the best! From their clever signs, to their high-fives and cowbells, they are an amazing source of motivation when things get tough. The high temperatures in Chicago made for less than ideal racing conditions this year, so the following spectators deserve a little extra in their stocking from Santa:

The fire department for bringing these amazing water-spraying fans.

The volunteers who filled these plastic swimming pools and threw water-soaked sponges at us.

And everyone who brought baggies of ice, Jolly Ranchers, pretzels, tissues, beer and tequila shots. Yes, tequila shots.

Naughty List A marathon is a long way to go and runners understand that snot-rockets, spitting and other bodily functions may need to be addressed somewhere in that 26.2 miles. But they can be addressed with manners! At one point during the race, I narrowly jumped over a giant snot-rocket headed right for my legs because the guy in front of me didn't bother to look behind him before letting it fly. He's a definite Naughty Lister.

Nice List And the top spot on the Nice List goes to each and every amazing volunteer, medical personnel, firefighter and police officer who were out there working so hard to keep us all safe!

Congratulations to all of my fellow Chicago Marathon runners! I can't wait to do it again! Happy holidays!

That post was AMAZING, right?! As you remember, I also ran the Chicago Marathon and I couldn't agree more! I may even add Mother Nature to the naughty list if I could... but she probably doesn't need any more coal to stoke her fire! ;) If you'd like to follow Janessa on social media (and why wouldn't you?!), you can follow her on Instagram and Twitter!

Do you think you will make Santa's Naughty or Nice list this year?