Reflections on the old and aspirations for the New

As this year comes to a close (yeah, I know that I'm posting this on the first of 2012, but I've been busy) I am remembering the good times and the not so good.  I try not to dwell on the past and because of my horrible memory, I don't have a hard time doing that.  But here are some of the good ones that have stuck with me:


My friend Melanie introduced my (more motivated) running partner, KK, and I, knowing that we were both planning on running the 2011 Marine Corps Marathon in the fall.  What a great time I had getting to know KK and seeing her evolve as an awesome runner!  I loved remembering when we first started off in late spring and carrying on a conversation was hard for both of us.  Now, closing in on our first year running together, we carry on full blown conversations and sometimes have to stop because we're laughing so hard   : )  Awesome!!

Hiking, running, quilting and knitting were the interests that carried me into 2011 and they remain a constant in the start of 2012.  I am hoping this year to bring my running to the next level.  I have found a way to renew myself; trail running......trail running long distances.  I want to be able to consistently lose myself on the trail (not the lost without a map kind of lose but you know what I mean) and maintain the feeling of joy when I run.  I don't ever want to feel like running is a job.  I felt like that at one point and it killed me.  I don't want to find myself on a run and realize I LOOK like it's killing me.

I have a race calendar this year that I am actually looking forward to experiencing the runs and not being competitive.  If I am blessed with good times (finishing times) then so be it, but I want to focus more on having a memorable experience.  I want to be able to reflect on a race, the good and the bad, and think, "Did I learn something from the good and the bad?"  I think if we only learn from the good then we are missing out on valuable "teachable moments" of the bad.  Deep? Yeah, I'm almost done : )

I want to wish all my running (and non-running) friends the following:  may the wind be at your back for a negative split on your long runs, the trail rise to meet your jumping feet and not your shins, tech-wick material shield you from the monsoon that you deemed necessary to run in because, we all know if you train the way you play, the game is that much more fun, and continued health in all your pursuits this year.  I look forward to sharing stories with running partners (KK this is your department) and start pulling my own weight in the motivation department (again, KK, this is for you) and simply enjoying myself more.  God Bless and run strong.