Year's End

Well, I, for one, am going to be asleep long before the ball drops at midnight. Not that I've ever taken to staying up late, but this silly little cold/cough is making me tired and I am really hoping to get some sleep tonight! I've also made the sad decision to not go to the Brad tomorrow morning for the New Year's Day run with the TMR crew. I was really looking forward to it, but I think skipping it is the wisest decision. I want to be able to get rid of this cough, and feel like a long, hard run in the snow at the Brad just isn't the best thing. I'll plan to still get a run in - can't kick off the new planner with a zero day! - but I think that keeping it mellow is the plan.

We were all up from 2:00 to 3:00 am this morning, with Sam coughing and having a rough time getting back to sleep, so I didn't get up and out early for my run as I had planned. Ryan was meeting up with Jamie for a morning of skate skiing, so Sam and I hung out around the house, made pumpkin muffins, and finally, made our way over to LLBean, as Sam was in desperate need of new snowpants. The ones we had kept from last year were about 6" too short in the legs :-) By the time we all got home, it was around 2:00 pm. Sam and I had had a good morning, but I was feeling a bit mopey. It was a beautiful blue sky winter day, with snow on the ground and warm temps, and I wasn't feeling great. I hadn't gotten in my run and was feeling a bit down about it. The plan called for 6.5 miles, you know, to get to an even 1400.0 for the year :-) I wasn't sure I was up for that, but decided I had better get out anyway. I knew I would feel better if I at least attempted to get in a decent run!

I went out without a true route in mind, telling Ryan I would be gone for an indeterminate amount of time, somewhere between 30 minutes and an hour, probably running around Highland Green, but maybe on the powerlines if the footing was good. How's that for precise?! :-) I went out on the powerline trail, which had been traveled by the snowmobilers but which was still pretty soft, and turned onto Highland Green Road. The back road entrance looked partially cleared so I decided to do that stretch first. The weird thing is that the plowing didn't continue around the loop; it veered off down to Tedford Road. I had no route in mind, so stuck with the cleared path and ran down Tedford to hook up with the powerlines again. The going out towards Rt. 24 was even softer, so I turned around fairly quickly and headed back up Tedford to Highland Green Road, where I ran the paved section to the end and then turned around. In the end, my odd little route put me back at the house exactly as the Garmin hit 6.5 miles, so it all worked out! I kept the pace mellow, and just tried to enjoy being out, and felt pretty good. Whether or not it was a wise decision with the cough remains to be seen, but it sure helped me feel better mentally!! :-)

So, I finish out 2012 with 1400.0 miles. I had been hoping for more, but with the stress fracture and a rough few months in the early summer, things didn't quite go as planned. In the end, though, I'm happy to just barely eke out more miles than last year, and to finish off the year healthy (running-wise at least :-) ). Plus, it's hard to complain about running "only" 1400 miles, especially when juggling family and work. I'm lucky to have a husband who knows how much running means to me, and to have a child who thinks that Mama going out for a run is just a normal part of the day. Definitely makes things easier! And when I think about things objectively, I realize that all this running is truly a gift, and I hope I never take it for granted.

Here's hoping for a healthy and happy 2013 filled with laughter, lots of good running and time spent with family and friends! Happy New Year everyone!