2012 was supposed to be my first competitive year of Ultrarunning. I had 8 races planned, which was a bad idea to begin with. I had hoped that taking off the months of Nov and Dec would fix my hip and foot problems but my body had other plans. I had already signed up for HAT Run and I was committed to running that but training for it only set me back. After about a month of running only 20ish miles a week the PF flared up again and I was back to biking until almost August....
However the pain, physical amd mental, of being unable to train has given way to joy over the last 3 months. Near the end of the summer I underwent 4 rounds of Shockwave Therapy. Slowly but surely the throbbing in the heal subsided. Literally the pain subsided in the smallest of degrees day by day. In August I was able to run about 20 miles a week. In september I crossed 100 miles for a month. Nov I averaged 30 miles a week. And now December I have been able to run over 160 miles! PRAISE THE LORD FOR HE IS GOOD! Seriously the joy I feel as I write those last 2 sentences is incredible. All I've really wanted to do for this entire year is be able to train pain free. I'm sooooo close to that.
Running has been my therapy for the last 3 years. Hours alone on the trails have such a cleansing effect on the brain. Coming home I feel physically tired but mentally refreshed. Having that back is so comforting. So while 2012 may have been a failure as far a achieving my goals, it has ended on a high note and once again i'm uber optimistic about 2013.
So my goals were.
1) Run 2000 Miles -166 miles a month, 5.5 miles a day FAIL Ran almost 700 miles. (400 in the last 4 months)
2) Complete Hat Run with Dave and Wayne without hurting myself. EH! Finished it but didn't have Dave and I think I set myself back a bit by running it.
3) Break 4:30 at Blues Cruise in October FAIL Didn't run it at all4) Run the PA section of the Appalachian Trail this summer FAIL ran no AT trail this summer5) Get one guy from my Mantrip crew to sign up and complete an Ultra this year. FAIL wusses
So.... Yea. Tough year but ending on a much higher note than last year. 2013 here I come! Maybe my first top 5 finish? 2000 miles? Milestones galore.
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