Looking ahead to 2012...

What an awesome year 2011 was!  Is that due to running more than I have in the past?  All my races but two were on trails?  Bagging a 100 miler?  Running in the San Juans?  Awesome trail runs with friends?  All of the above?  I won't rehash everything that I've already blogged about, so let's look forward to this year.

My goals for 2012 will continue to be simple.

• Push the pace a bit more during training runs.  
• Keep running races since they motivate me to get out the door when my body is saying "sleep in".  
• Take a few more risks during those races.  
• Keep running with friends whenever possible.  
• And keep enjoying each run while living in the moment.  

When asked by my wife right before the start of the LT100 what I was looking forward to most, I responded, "Living in the moment...maybe?"  That off the cuff response has stuck with me the rest of the year as it has helped me to appreciate each day and season for what it has to offer.  Why fret over the past?  Why stress about the future?  Rain/Sun/Snow/Wind/Heat/Cold?  Why worry about things I can't control?

Our church is in a series on "Be Happy" and there are so many things that resonate with how running makes me happy.

Last Sunday, this guy was quoted:

"I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it."
Groucho Marx 

This verse was shared:

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 6:34

And this poem of a 14 year old was read:

Present Tense (a poem by Jason Lehman)
It was spring, but it was summer I wanted,
The warm days, and the great outdoors.
It was summer, but it was fall I wanted,
The colorful leaves, and the cool, dry air.
It was fall, but it was winter I wanted,
The beautiful snow, and the joy of the holiday season.
It was winter, but it was spring I wanted,
The warmth and the blossoming of nature.
I was a child, but it was adulthood I wanted,
The freedom and respect.
I was 20, but it was 30 I wanted,
To be mature, and sophisticated.
I was middle-aged, but it was 20 I wanted,
The youth and the free spirit.
I was retired, but it was middle-age I wanted,
The presence of mind without limitations.
My life was over, and I never got what I wanted.
* Jason was 14 when he wrote this poem. It was published in a Dear Abby column, on February 14th 1989.

So we're off and running in 2012 already.  Bandera is a kick in the pants way to get it started.  It's quite possible I won't achieve any redemption there, and that's okay.  I'm just happy for another day to run and that my training has given me the chance to improve.

My 2011 Numbers...

Total:  3135 miles
Average week:  60.3 miles
Average month:  261.3 miles
Average per day:  8.6 miles
Average per run:  10.3 miles
Time:  500hr12min (almost 21 days of running)
Number of Runs:  305
Rest Days:  76
Biggest Month:  341 miles (November)
Biggest Week:  111 miles (Week of 8/15)
Smallest Month:  180 miles (January)
Smallest Week:  4.3 miles (Week of 8/22)

By The Years
2006:  406
2007:  1469
2008:  1267
2009:  1720
2010:  2743
2011:  3135