2015 Recap and a look toward 2016!

2015 is in the books, and I'll admit it wasn't exactly what I'd hoped for, mileage-wise.  My work schedule got very busy, and with the travel to/from the job sites, it became very difficult to run during the week.  I think I've got it straightened out now, though.

On the other hand, I performed well at most of the races I entered and got to go to some pretty cool places!  Some stats and highlights:

Miles:  1022, way below what I expected

Elevation gain:  68,402 feet (Not bad!)

Distances run:  Everything up to 32 miles

Races:  25 (12 Trail, 13 Road)

Best Races:  Chikumbuso 10k.  7th overall, 1st AG, and a 46:55 on a very hilly course.

                     Foot Pursuit 5k.  44th of 725 runners in 21:08, a PR a day after the Chikumbuso race.

                     7 Sisters 12 Mile Trail Race.  Brutal!  Done in 3:10 on a technically demanding course, and I felt great at that race.

Worst races:  Beast of the East 1/2 Marathon.  Another beautiful but tough course.  Felt like shit (found out the next day I was positive for Lyme disease), and stopped racing at mile 9 to help an injured runner off the course.  I'll be back to take it on in 2016 (It's already on my schedule)...

                      Cat's Tail Marathon.  Not my day.  Cold, windy and rainy, I DNF'd at the 9 mile aid station.  A tough course made tougher by the conditions.  Again, I'll be back for another shot at this one in 2016...

Best runs?  So many to choose from...but the running is always more enjoyable with friends!  The 18-miler with Nicole, Beth and Patti was definitely a highlight.  The group runs are always a highlight, matter of fact.  The Taylor Swift beach runs, of course.  The runs I did at my family reunion, though, were incredible, especially the Smith Rock run and Mt. Bachelor ascent/descent with my cousin Nick.  Mt. Bachelor takes the win for sheer awesomeness...really, insanely cool...

Looking forward, I'd like to say that I'd like to just run happy, and let things play out as they would, but I'm feeling like I need to set some new PRs, while I get prepped to run my first 50-miler in June.  I'd like some significant progress in 2016, so here goes!!!

1m - sub-6...

5k - sub-20...

5m - sub-35...

1/2 Marathon - road, sub-1:40, trail, course-specific.

Sub-3:00 at 7 Sisters (Yup!)

Complete the 50-Miler in Ithaca.  Period.

1500 Miles in 2016...

Reasonable, attainable goals, and I intend to give them a go!  And as always, have fun running with friends and frenemies alike.  We have such a cool local running scene here, with a full range of runners.  From the new runner to the marathon winner, our little microcosm within the running world has a lot of history to look to, as well as up-and-coming talent ready to write the next chapters in the New England scene.  I'm just happy to be a part of it...