2008: Out With the Old

Let me preface this post by saying it is primarily running based not life-in-general based. I'm not saying there aren't things in my life that I don't want to change and improve upon, but overall I like my life and 2008 wasn't a bad year at all. I have a wonderful wife who has given me a beautiful daughter and I like nothing better than just spending time with them. That alone is enough to keep me happy. Throw in the fact that I got a nice job promotion and had several other good things happen to me throughout the year, and I really can't complain much at all about 2008. However, like I said, this is a recap from a running standpoint, and that said, GOOD RIDDANCE!

This past year got off to a bad start with me running just 135 miles in January, and it pretty much went nowhere from there. While that remained my lowest month of the year, I failed to break 200 miles in a month 7 times total, and for a guy who needs to run fairly high mileage to be successful, that just doesn't cut it. I won't bother throwing out the exact total of patheticness (I don't think that's a word), but it was my lowest mileage year since 2003 and second lowest since 1996, and that's saying a lot considering how many injuries I've dealt with over the last several years.

On the good side, I did manage to win a few races, picked up some cash, and even ran a couple decent times, although nothing up to my normal standards. I guess I can at least be proud of the fact that I hung in there and didn't give up. Furthermore, as always, when I was able to run and race, I enjoyed pushing myself as hard as I could and also knocking out the miles with my friends/training partners (who I'm sure I need to apologize to for my constant chatter about my latest problems and/or ideas about what I could do next, so sorry Andy, Jim, and others). However, most of all, I just hope this is the year that I look back on and say that's when I turned the corner. This latest injury opened my eyes to several things, and going forward I'm determined to do what it takes to give myself a chance to run at the level I know I still can. If that means doing core work (which I really don't like), making periodic trips to the chiropractor, or doing something else yet to be discovered, I'm gonna do it. I don't want to leave anything on the table or any doubts about whether or not I gave myself every chance I could. For me, this sport is about testing/finding your limits and having some fun while doing it, so I want to be sure I'm not left saying "If only......"

So there it is. 2008. I'll knock out one final run of 8-9 miles tonight (in what looks like 30+ mph winds with gusts to 60) then on to the first run of 2009, one I always look forward to. Here's hoping this coming year is a good one for everyone! Happy New Year!