Tag Archives: happy new years

Found My Stride

31 Saturday Dec 2016

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2016 was not my best year of running.  The trend away from fitness accelerated the last couple of months with only two or three runs per week, and shorter distances.  Work and the novel got in the way.  I’m not complaining, it was still an awesome year.  Published the novel and reunited with a sister I hadn’t spoken to for nearly thirty years.  2016 was awesome. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I found my running stride again.

I gained over ten pounds near year end.  Personally, I like having a fuller face but my race times were suffering.  First year in seven that I haven’t run at least one marathon.  I determined to do something about that by registering for the Colorado Marathon in May.  Not only committing to a marathon, but I boasted I would run fast enough to qualify for Boston.  At altitude.

I started training Thursday with a twelve mile run.  It was harder than I expected but I’m not totally out of shape and was within my means.  Running twelve again on Friday was brutal.  There’s no recovery for old men.  I was nearly in tears by the end.  At home, I crawled up the stairs on all fours.  My plan was to run twelve miles for each of the five days remaining before I return to work.  I wasn’t confident after day two that I could run sixty miles in five days.

I went out today at 10am, in 32°, wearing a tech short-sleeve layered with a thick cotton long-sleeve, and shorts with a built-in liner to keep my weenie warm against the 4 mph wind.  I started to think about my next novel and outlined the first three chapters in my head.  The winter sun painted long shadows from cottonwood tree branches, lined across the trail like railroad ties.  With two miles remaining, I broke from the hypnotic spell to discover I’d found my stride.  On my third twelve miler, I was running fast again, strong to the end.

Unless you’re a runner, the feeling of striding fast and comfortable after two hours of running is hard to describe.  It’s not a hallucinogenic high, but it’s like an overdose on ecstasy, with dopamine spilling over.  It’s happiness.  It’s an exclamation point on a good year and a good sign for the year to come.

The Santa Claus Rally

26 Thursday Dec 2013

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zilker treeFor stock traders, the Santa Claus Rally ends on Jan 3rd.  My 2013 running exploits will end with my vacation on Jan 1st, so I’m giving it my all in a final sprint.  These final days include significant driving time too, so I can’t run every day.  I began with a ten mile run Monday after a half day drive to Austin from Abilene.  I ran this in Round Rock on the BCRT.  After that brutal 2.5 day drive down from Colorado, this was the perfect recovery.  The weather was sunny and 55° or so.  I ran in shorts and layered a long sleeved shirt over a short sleeved shirt.

mom and the boysAn added wrinkle to my last running week is that I only packed my minimalist Merrell trail gloves.  They pack nice because they are so small and light.  The risk is whether or not I can log any real miles in them.  I ran this first ten miles strong but my legs were super fatigued the next day and I could only run six.  I took off Christmas day, as much to recover as due to the time suck.  Even on vacation, not every day can be all about me.  I could have squeezeed in a run but opted for family time.  I figured the recovery day might be smart considering these high impact shoes.

I was ready to go Thursday and ran 4.5 crisp miles on Town Lake.  I park at the boat ramp near Austin High.  The modern Austin downtown cityscape does little to dent my nostalgic mood racing past Auditorium Shores.  I recall running here with my high school buddies thirty years ago.  Or the very first Capitol 10,000 that started on Congress Avenue and ran entirely on the Town Lake trail.  I have great running memories from my high school years.

Matt's El RanchoI think about my past year of running too and on my plans for 2014.  I had my best year ever in terms of strong performances and injury-free running.  I don’t even care to run faster next year, I feel satisfied I’ve reached my target times.  I’d like to be able to maintain my 10K time in the Bolder Boulder and remain in the B starting wave.  That will require some speed work to hold a 7 minute pace for six miles.  I’ve already registered for the Austin Marathon in February and the Moab Half Marathon in March.  I’d like to run the marathon in about 3:45 but will be happy with anything under 4 hours.  I don’t think I have any time goals for Moab but will want to race against any of my other neighbors who are going too.  Lastly, I’m certain I want to run either or both the IPR and Durango Ultra again next year.  Those are my plans.  Mostly just looking to maintain consistency with this year and stay healthy.  These photos are all family pics taken over the holidays in Austin.  Happy new years.

Wistful Winter

30 Sunday Dec 2012

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iStock winter ornamentsAs the holidays yield to winter, I find myself in a pensive mood.  Doubt this is unusual, for me or most people, to reflect over the past year with a touch of melancholy.  In my case, there’s typically a stemmed glass within reach.  The girls have all returned to Colorado, leaving me behind in Texas to spend a few more weeks with my mom.

The moment my first daughter was born, like an epiphany, I knew my purpose in life.  Each trip home, spending quality time with family, reinforces the message.  Gollum doesn’t know the meaning of precious.  Waking up to a half dozen nieces and nephews each morning at my in-laws presented me with an over abundance of precious.  The silence is deafening now that they are gone.  Maybe I should have ran a daycare; I like watching kids play.

With one more day left in the year I’m starting to think of the future.  No big resolutions are coming to mind but I am going to stop responding to stupid facebook posts.  I thought I was doing good to keep my election comments limited to just one of my outspoken friends, but I’ve kept it up post-election with the Sandy Hook emotion.  I couldn’t help myself.  I’ve always been pro gun control and I could not believe the poor form expressed by gun advocates with their aggressive social network response to that tragedy.  I don’t care about their 2nd Amendment rights any more than the stats and reasons that I reply with.  I just care about how I feel on the topic.  That’s not going to change so I’m done talking about it and will just hope for positive social change.

My running plans won’t change.  I’ll keep up most of the same.  I was able to register the other day for Moab and I’m set to run the Austin 3M Half Marathon in two weeks.  One thought I do have for a new years resolution is to start cooking from recipes in order to broaden my meal portfolio.  I’m not big on recipes generally but I do enjoy cooking.  Another thought is extending my trading savvy with options.  I traded options quite a bit this past year but I wouldn’t call it sophisticated.  I sold covered calls most months.  Great way to add a few points to my overall return but not very exciting otherwise.

I have a few thoughts on my job as well but that’s it.  Keep up my running.  Improve my cooking and investing tactics.  And cherish every moment with family.  Happy new years.