As we count down the final moments of the old year and prepare to step into the new, maybe even a new decade, depending on whether you celebrated the new millennium in 2000 or 2001, it's good and customary to reflect on the year almost done and perhaps, if we are smart, project what we've learned in 2009 to what we want to do in 2010.
Highlights for me in 2009:
Ran the 3M Half Marathon in Austin as a relay with Zenna James. This gave Zenna a good introduction to something beyond a 10k while not having to run much more than a 10k. Relays, with the right teammates, are mega fun.
Ran the Texas Independence Relay (TIR) with our mostly musician team and broke our time from the previous, inaugural, year. The experience enhanced my regard for this as one of my favorite races.
In May it was the Beach to Bay with three new runners. Thank you Zenna, Tony and Carina. This is a different experience each year and I am sure 2010 will have its own twist too.
July was a down time for a couple of surgeries, not athletic injuries, but giving me a slight overhaul which definitely makes running even more fun than before.
Back on the road after a few weeks down time, the weather is frightfully hot and dry. I ran Carroll Voss' Sunrise 10k in August, a good race and a good measure. Also hilly and a real challenge. I then ran a 20 miler at Ft. Sam Houston in September. This beat me up pretty good, but also kicked by butt into continuing to make up for the training time lost with the surgery and recovery.
Rock'n'Roll San Antonio in November was a reality check for the event, in only its second year, and for the large field of runners. Those who are veterans of San Antonio running suspected there wouldn't be another year of "ideal" racing weather as in the 2008 race, and Mother Nature proved them right. The tough conditions tested every runner, but it was still a thrill. Even more thrill was that Zenna competed in her first half marathon and my nephew-in-law Bill Bittick ran his first marathon. Congratulations to everyone!
It's not all about me, you know. I took huge pride in watching from afar my TIR teammates Dorian and Fred Ramirez extend themselves into the Cozumel (Mexico) Ironman. Congratulations! You made us all proud.
I give thanks for having the health to continue running in 2009. I turned 61, which is both sobering and challenging. I hope I'm allowed to run another 20 years. At the same time I wish all of the best for another of my TIR teammates Steve Hager as he rehabs an Achilles injury. Take it a step at a time, buddy, and meet us in Gonzales for TIR 2010. And that reminds me. I finally met Joy and Jay Hilscher, whose vision and superb organization bore the fruit which is the TIR.
Finally, in 2009 I took in a mother dog and her 8 newborn puppies. She died, and my heart fell further with each of the puppies who left (2 went to new homes, 1 strayed and has yet to be found, and 1 was hit and killed by a car). Of the 4 puppies remaining, now adolescents, 3 love to run. They are each becoming a part of my regimen and this will surely continue into the new year.
Enter the New Year:
Thankfully, we don't shed off the old with each change of the calendar, despite the traditional Father Time being replaced midnight December 31st with an infant New Year. We have the good fortune of carrying wisdom and accrued conditioning into the new year. Those of us fortunate enough to have run through 2009 injury free give our individual and collective thanks for 365 days which now propel us into the next chapter. Those who were injured go into the new year with the gift of determination and the value of lessons learned.
I look to the New Year with best wishes for my fellow runners. Congratulations to those who took important first steps to the fitness and satisfaction which comes with committing to and staying the course towards a healthy life. May the year bring us all mega-miles of pleasure and good health!
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