Saying Goodbye to 2007

Remember when you were a kid, it was summertime, and you went to your favorite amusement park for the very first time? You ran from one ride to another, going from the dizzy spinning teacups to the death-defying roller coasters to the tilty wooden ship, pausing only for lunch or the bathroom. Before you knew it, it got dark, and you ran even harder, trying to fit in one last ride, daring whoever brought you there to catch up, and wishing that the day would never end.

That’s how I’ve been feeling these past few days, looking over my stats for 2007. In so many ways, this was a banner year for me in terms of running. Not only did I log in more miles than I did the previous two years combined, I also PR’d in half of the races I ran and achieved every single of the four goals I’d set for myself at the beginning of the year. Although my crowning achievement was, of course, qualifying for Boston at the New York City Marathon back in November, the accomplishment that I’m actually the most proud of, is introducing two of my friends to the wonders of the sport and coaching them from their first mile to their first marathon. Although they are both still licking their wounds from their first attempt at 26.2, and probably still haven’t forgiven me for the many painful injuries they had to endure during the training, here’s to hoping that once the weather turns nice, they’ll remember the adrenaline rush and come back out of hibernation to join me back on the roads again.

As for me, I’m still trying to hammer done some realistic goals for 2008. In the meantime, here are the rest of my running stats for your entertainment.

2007 Running Totals

Distance = 1018.9 Miles

Time = 124 Hours 50 Minutes 10 Seconds

Average Pace = 7:21 min/mile

Average Heart Rate = 155.7 BPM

PRs in 2007

4M – 24:53 [Race to Deliver: 11/18]

15K – 1:01:30 [NYRR Hot Chocolate: 12/1]

½ Mar – 1:31:16 [Fairfield: 6/24]

½ Mar – 1:28:06 [Queens: 9/23]

Marathon – 3:08:18 [NYC: 11/4]

For all my blog readers, thanks for the love in 2007. Have a very healthy and prosperous new year! Finally, don’t forget to buckle up when you come around these parts next year because if the past year was any indication, ’08 is going to be one crazy, adventurous, wonderful, hellacious, roll-your-windows-down-and-hold-on-to-the-kids kind of a joyride!

Back On The Road Again…

After taking a long hiatus to celebrate my thousand miles, Christmas, and the fact that they didn’t drag me off to jail for questioning the legitimacy of the Michell Report, I somehow got up the courage today to lace up the shoes and hit the park for a six mile run. It was a humbling experience to say the least. Nothing seemed to work as well as it did a week ago. My side stitches were flaring; there were little pebbles in my shoes, and my legs were so out of rhythm I almost tripped running up Harlem Hill. Although I was running slow, I was huffing and puffing like I was running tempo. It was not a pretty sight.

The only saving grace of my otherwise forgettable run was that I got a few “hellos” and “how are ya” s from some of the runners running in the opposite direction. I couldn’t tell if they anonymously had missed my presence in the park during the past week or whether they were strangers from out of town who didn’t know proper running etiquette in New York City. Either way, it felt sort of nice to be welcomed back.

My Personal Christmas Celebration

I made it out to the park today, in the wind, and sub-freezing temps
And ran 9.25 miles, among the forests and the trees.
The effort was hard; the pace uneven and slow.
But somewhere in the back stretches of muddy reservoir road,
I completed the year long journey of running 1000 miles, and I am happy.
My own Christmas present to myself.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All!