1.367 and counting

As far as running goes, November is wrapped up.  With only one month left in the year, I thought I would look back and see how close I have come to making my goals.

The goals set last year were pretty simple.  Aim for 1,200 miles for the year, try to average an event a month, and complete a marathon.  I went over the 1,200 mile mark back during October. The marathon was finally in the books a few weeks back.  As far as events go, here is the list to date.

01/14/12  Little River Trail Race 7K
02/04/12  Krispy Kreme 8K
03/03/12  St. Patty's Day 8K
03/10/12  Roanoke Canal HM
03/18/12  Tobacco Road HM
04/21/12  Flying Pirate 5K
04/21/12  Storm the Beach 5K
04/22/12  Flying Pirate HM
08/11/12  Medoc Meltdown 13.5 finished
08/29/12  Salem Lakes 30K
11/12/12  OBX 8K
11/13/12  OBX Marathon

I will be running the Reindeer Fun Run in Aberbeen tomorrow, which will bring the total number of events to 13, actually 14 if you count the 2K Fun Run at the OBX.

So, all the goals were met. Even though it wasn't always pretty (the OBX Marathon could have gone better), goals were set, goals were met, and its time to move on.

In thinking ahead to next year, I am thinking of trying to plan one event each month to space things out a bit more,  Then maybe I won't have three months of only training runs.  It was fun to have so many events stacked up back in March and April, but a more even spacing might be easier to plan.

So, what to do for next year?  Currently, the only things on the books are the Little River Trail Race in January and the Medoc Spring Trail Race in April.  I'm thinking hard about the Groundhog Gallop in Gibsonville, NC for February, and then either the Tobacco Road HM or the Roanoke Canal HM in March.

There is a pattern here.  I may try to do only trail races next year, one a month.  Just a thought at this point in time.  Goals for next year are still in the thinking stage.

Till then, see you on the road.

OBX Marathon completed. Thank you Chris!

And here we are at the finish.  

A big thank you has to go out to Chris Knodel for helping me get to the finish line with this one.  I was ready to call it quits and take my first DNF around mile 22 or so.  There were massive calf cramps that made me sit down just past the crest of the bridge, and it seemed a lot easier to just stay there. I contemplated taking a ride to the finish line and calling it quits for the day. But Chris hung with me, convinced me I could make it to the end, and here we are.  At the finish line once again.

As usual, after a hard run, I look like I need a cold beer and a nap.  

Chris looks like he's ready to do the race all over again.  There's actually a bit of a pattern here.

I first met Chris a little over two years ago at the New Bern Bike MS in September of 2010.  This was to be my 2nd Bike MS, and I set a goal of doing my first 100 mile ride.  

This short guy with tattoos pulls up beside me at the start, introduces himself, and asks how far I'm riding.  I said, well, I think I'm going to try to do the full 100.  Chris asks if I mind him riding along.  I said, sure, why not. And for the next 6 or 7 hours we rode side by side and chatted pretty much the entire time.  I had a great time, and was able to accomplish something that I really had some doubts that I could do.  The companionship I had along the ride made it almost easy.

Here we are at one of the stops along the way.  I think there was laughter like this for almost the entire ride.

And here we are at the finish. As good a time that I had, I look like I'm ready for a cold beer and a nap.  Chris looks like he's ready for another 100 miles.  And thus the pattern was set.

We kept in touch through Facebook, but I don't think our paths crossed again face to face until the next spring at the CARA Ride for their Lives event.  It was a much shorter ride then the Bike MS ride, so I think I finished looking pretty chipper myself.  Chris's wife Kristine was able to make the ride, so I got to meet her for the first time.  

Along the ride I mentioned that I had started running again for the first time in 20 years.  That I had in fact just finished my first two half marathons, and was thinking of keeping the running going.

Chris let me know that he was doing a run near me in Cary the next month, and I should sign up to run it.  So, I showed up at the Clara's Run 5K.  This was the first of what was to total 20 events I ran with Chris over the next few years, finally culminating with my first full marathon last weekend. It's been quite an adventure.

There was the Cannonball Run half in Greensboro.  Here we are coming up the last hill. As usual, Chris has much more energy than I do, being able to not only mug for the camera, but sprint to the line as I plod up the hill. Kristine got to be there for this one as a spectator, and provided some great cowbell sounds for the final turn.

There was the Day of the Dead. This one was a recovery run for me, coming after a nasty fall that left my hip with issues and caused me to cancel my first attempt at a full marathon.

After that, there was the first of the OBX challenge weekends that I ran, with an 8K on Saturday, and a half marathon on Sunday.  I finished the half again looking like a beer and a nap are sorely needed.

Chris finishes looking like this, after a strong sprint to the line.

Another memorable run was the Krispy Kreme Challenge.  This one was run in full Ninja costume.  I wimped out a bit and ran as a participant, not a challenger.  Which meant I carried my dozen donuts home with me, and didn't eat them during the race.

There were many others, such as the Roanoke Canal Half, the Tobacco Road Half, The Flying Pirate Half, the Medoc Meltdown.  All memorable runs, made that much better by the companionship along the way.

It may be a while before the next one, since Chris is now relocated to San Antonio.  North Carolina's loss is Texas's gain.  I guess I'll have to put in some serious miles in getting to the next one.  

Till then, see you on the road.