Time to look back on a good year of running.  I ended 2011 with a steroid shot to fix my arthritis and had great expectations.  And then I finally resolved my persistent plantar fasciitis in the early spring time frame and gained even more confidence.  But then something snapped in my left foot that left me wondering if 2012 would be a bust.

I did have to stop running for about six weeks to heal but still had some memorable experiences.  Ironically, I lost weight while not running by reducing my alcohol intake.  I was so happy with this that I’ve maintained this relative abstinence; the result being that I am ending the year at 175 pounds.  There was about a week after my two marathons that I was under 170.

My plan for the year was to run a bunch of trail events and I only did two of those – the 25 mile Collegiate Peaks Trail Run in April and the 17 mile Imogene Pass Run in September.  I ran both of these with my buddy Rob and enjoyed them both.  I would like to run the CPTR again – I love the Collegiates.  This was my second IPR and I wouldn’t mind making a tradition out of it.  Both this year as well as my first time in 2010 served to get me into shape for a marathon.  It helps that it’s held at the end of summer when there is enough daylight to support running longer distances.  These two trail runs were satisfying enough that I’m not disappointed I didn’t run more of them.  In fact, the registration cost of organized events is steep enough that I might run less in 2013.

In total, I ran 10 organized events in 2012.  In order, I began in February with the Austin Half, then March with the Moab Half, followed closely by the Boulder Half, then the CPTR in April and the Bolder Boulder 10K on Memorial Day.  I took a break to recover from my injured foot over the summer but returned to form in September with the IPR and Denver Marathon, and the Boulder Marathon in October.  I expected this to complete the year but squeezed in two 5Ks on December 1st with the Colder Bolder and Prospect Rudolph Dash 5Ks in the same day.

I could consider that only 9 events if I bundle the two 5Ks.  Regardless, that’s more than enough organized races.  I like running the occasional race for various reasons – to recognize and celebrate my fitness or to enjoy an event with friends.  Not to mention they provide content for my running blog.  But they do cost real money.  I would estimate 10 races come close to $500.  And perhaps half that again paying for race photos which I like for the blog.

Normally I would be planning the next year at this point but I don’t have a good feel yet for what I want to do.  Ideally I will focus on trail runs.  I’d like to kick the year off with the Moab Half because it’s fun to run with my neighborhood friends but I missed the registration deadline so I’m not sure.  The Boulder Half is usually the following weekend so it’s a bit of an expense to run those back-to-back.  I do know I’m kicking off 2013 with the Austin 3M Half Marathon on January 13th – which is only 2 weeks from now.  I might have to make a decision on the Denver vs Boulder marathons this coming year as they are spaced close together.  I suspect I will run less events overall but am keen to prioritize the CPTR and IPR over anything else.

I could see myself only running 5 organized events for financial austerity if nothing else.  I’ve published this picture of my brother and me taken this Christmas Eve because another goal is to get that boy working out again.  So the start of the year will be measured by my success at coaching.  He won’t be ready for the 3M Half but I’d rather rely on him to drive me to that event anyway.