Greetings, Goodbyes and A Secret Revealed

As a general rule, I hate goodbyes - long ones, especially. They do nothing but incite negative emotions, pointless platitudes, and meaningless half-truths from the parties involved. But because I have such strong mixed emotions about this first opening month of the new decade, I feel as if I need to give it a proper sendoff before welcoming on the new month.

So...

Dear January,

Maybe we got off on the wrong foot. What, with the sub-freezing temps at the New Year's Eve Run in Central Park, and the three-day twelve hour weekend shift I had to work that long holiday weekend, I was seriously dreading what you had in store for me for the rest of the month. Although I was expecting some rain, some snow, and one or two colder days, the deep freeze you submerged me into for a couple of the weekends really threw a wrench into both my running and non-running plans. But despite our differences, particularly on what constitute normal weather for this time of year, you've turned out to be a tremendously successful month for me, and now I'm very saddened to see you go. Together, not only did we complete a 50+ mile training week on our way to 175 miles for the month (my highest January total ever!), we also met some new twitter friends, paced another to a PR in a half marathon, and attributed some non-running accolades as well (1st place in 16-team fantasy football, 2nd place in weekly pick'em game). But the achievement I'm most proud of is something that came as a complete surprise to me last week. It is an honor bestowed upon me by an awesome company (Saucony) at the recommendation of an astute runner/blogger (Thanks Dorothy). For as the calendar change to the month of February, I'm now a sponsored athlete.

The secret is now out. I'm an official member of the Saucony Hurricanes! It's been almost a week and I'm still a bit overwhelmed and not exactly sure how my running life will change as a result of this huge honor. I will definitely have more to say about this at a later date. For now, I must bid you adieu and farewell, January! You've been a friend and I've truly benefited from your company. Let's hope February and all the months after can take your cue and bring out the best in me as well. But whatever happens from here on out, this already has been a truly unforgettable year!

Sincerely,

The Laminator