Last Week of 2017! Week of 25 December 2017 and Year-End Recap

2017 is coming to a close, and I'm really looking forward to 2018.  Why?  I think it's going to be a great year, for running and everything else.  My 2017 stats, which I'll list below, weren't what I was expecting, although I think given my overall mileage were successful.

For 2018 I should have a clear idea of exactly what races I'm doing after midnight on New Year's Eve, as half the trail races in the country are opening registration at the same time!  Places, everyone!!!  I'm shooting for 4 Ultras, the World's End and three others TBA.  All trail races.  Some gnarly AF, some not so much, but each with their own unique challenges...

That said, here's some stats!

Total Miles:  1,080
Elevation Gain: 96,526
These are two of the stats I'm going to correct in the coming year.  Unacceptable.  Setting a goal of 2,000 miles and 150,000' elevation for '18.

# of Races: 16
Trail Races: 15
Road Races: 1

Ultra Races: 5.  3 completed, 2 DNF.  However, even the DNFs were 27 and 33 miles, respectively. Better than a DNS, anyway!

Best Ultra performance: Goat Hill 50k in 6:53.  Got a goat trophy!

Favorite Race: Run4Kerri 4-mile road race.  Yes, my only road race in '17 and still my favorite.  Had an absolute blast the whole day, from the pre-race warmup with Tommy 5k, to the awesome run with "Team Jodi" (me, George and Jodi), to the afterparty at the Mews Tavern, just a totally memorable day, at a great race put on by a great family for a great cause.  Already on my calendar for 2018.

***Honorable Mention for favorite race goes to Whiteface.  Hands down, one of the toughest (but best) weekends of racing I've ever had.  Vertical K on Saturday, Sky Race on Sunday, total of 18 miles and 10,500' of vertical gain.  Yes, I felt like I got hit by a truck two days later, but damn was it worth it!  The course, the views, Lake Placid...if the Adirondacks were closer I'd be there a lot.  And the Red Newt Racing events are incredible!

Least Favorite Race:  None.   Even the couple races I had issues at and didn't finish, I met incredible people, enjoyed a great day on the trails, and smartly called it a day when injury arose.  Never a bad day out there.



Weekly Update, 12/25 to 12/31:

So overall, I'm running happy, without any pressure to perform, and my mileage, although low, has been filled with quality over quantity!  So it's all good.  Now for the weekly update:

12/25 - Merry Christmas!  No run for me, but I did receive a new pair of snowshoes (my first ever!), a new pair of Salomon Speedtraks, the book "On Trails" by Robert Moor, and various other running-related paraphernalia.  Happy me!

12/26 - 8.4 Miles.  5.3 Mile Pachaug loop with Faith in the snow, and a treadmill 5k at home to bump the mileage up.

12/27 - 0.

12/28 - 3 Miles.  Canonchet Preserve trail run with Jim.  Cold!  -10 with the wind chill, but we cruised through a 3-mile out and back.  Great time.

12/29 - 10 Miles.  Treadmill 10.  Nothing special, other than I settled into a rhythm and watched Salomon videos on Youtube until time was up.  My watch lags on distance, so it was almost 11 by the treadmill's count.

12/30 - 4 Miles.  Nature Center trails, Mystic.  Late afternoon, snow falling, 19 degrees and zero wind, and I was surrounded by silence except for the crunch of my feet on the snow.  Didn't see a single person.  Awesome.

12/31 - 7.6 Miles.  Bluff Point/Haley Farm trails w/Faith.  Ran 35 hours with Faith this year, more than any other friend, so who better to close out the year with?  10 degrees and 0 wind chill, but we opted to hit the singletrack there as much as possible, and the wind was mostly blocked.  Perfect cold weather run with a good friend!

So I close out 2017 with two weeks of consistent, solid running, and a 32/33 mile weekly combo to round out the year.  I'm really looking forward to 2018, have I mentioned that?  It's gonna be awesome, I have no doubt!