Actually, if you know me, you know this was an unplanned R&R. Nagging pains and past injuries had been pestering my runs since a Thanksgiving morning run in the snow. So, I talked myself into a planned (not really planned) rest, because I have filled my plate and went back for seconds, thirds, and a doggy bag for 2017.
Not to mention all the training runs I love and need to get me to these races in the New Year, this year, here's what I have on my horizon:
- Moab Red Hot 55k in February
- Buffalo Run at Antelope Island 50k in March
- Quad Rock 50 mile in Colorado in May
- Scout Mountain 20 mile, Pocatello in June
- Bighorn 100 mile, Wyoming in June
- Speedgoat 50k (The Monster of the 50k) in July, Snowbird, UT
- Wasatch 100 mile Endurance Run, September, Wasatch Mountains, UT
- The Bear 100 mile Endurance Run ALSO in September, Utah/Idaho.
The only one iffy on that list is Wasatch, as it is a lottery. However, I did not get in last year, so I think my chances are even better this year of my name getting pulled.
Soooo..here I am January 3, with a mostly healed lower leg. This pain comes and go's. It is an off and on lingering pain / sensation from a tibial stress fracture 2 years ago. I have had it MRI'd in the past (not this time) But, the MRI came back clear as crystal. Doctor said it could be nerve damage. Either way, it irritates and worries me, becasue I have been benched in the past for almost 4 months due to an injury in the same spot..ayeyeye. So, I have rested..Im so damn rested, I feel like Ive been hibernating with Winnie the pooh and and large quantities of honey..and wine..and Salsa Verde dorittos..and tacos, plenty of tacos.
So here is my New Year Post. Not of much interest to many, but a good way for me to get it all outta my head. So thanks computer for allowing me to blow my running bubbles with the ease of a keyboard and the risk of carpal tunnel. Who needs paper anyway. #savethetreesman
I gotta end this post with a reflection of 2016. As far as running goes, it was mostly great. Ups and downs with aches and pains didnt stop me this year from finishing all the races I set out to run. The first half of the year was tough. I figured out some tummy issues and dealt with a 5 week rest a month before Bryce100 (another unplanned rest due to a nagging injury that felt too much like a breaking bone) Bryce was interesting and eye opening. Beautiful race, but hot and more like 105 miles. I learned way too close for comfort of the need to carry more water than you think you'll need. I learned to take care of your feet out there in the sandy desert for 100 miles, and that was no joke. I also learned DO NOT expect you and your ALSO sleep deprived crew to rally back to Salt Lake after a 100 mile race in the dark. Because although 4 hours aint no thang..it most certainly is after being awake for 40+ hours.
I came back to end my summer running with a satisfying finish at the Speedgoat 50k. Paced 3 different friends in 100 mile races, exceeded my expectation at the Corner Canyon 50k in October, and ended the year with a double crossing of the Grand Canyon.Which was really great. For what its worth, I thought the eye candy was on the North Rim, BY FAR!
But- lets talk about this election. Have you heard?? The US elected an unqualified orange man who tweets angrily and often at media criticism and has turned this country into a dangerous joke, that for the first time in my life actually makes me want to cry about politics. This is not a new feeling for the millions of Americans who chose differently. I was having a conversation with 2 men the other day- about this said asshat. At last, I blurted out.."But hey guys!! Grab them by the Pussy?!?" Both men, one lib & one not, agreed with each other, that that was not that big of a deal."That's how men talk"...My only response was , well, than I am disappointed in both of you too. A friend of mine, whom I was very close to in my youth, is an apparent Trump supporter given her social media accounts. I know for a fact this girl has been sexually assaulted, raped. I will not go further into other reasons I can't understand her support for the man-baby. But, I am so shocked and sickened by even this one aspect of Trump. But, more so, I am shocked and sickened by the "no big deal" attitude of the way he treats and has talked about women. Trump is a national Show full of quick insults when his detached from real America ego gets fractured by the NY times or CNN. He's a joke..and we are the butt.
I'm putting it here, and honestly hope I am wrong when I come back and re-read this next year. I hope we go further forward as a united country. This will be tough given the volatile steps we have taken backwards over the last 18 months. But, I'll do my part. I will try to understand why him? How Him?! But, I am not hopeful I'll ever agree.
Anyway, back to running for sanity, for health, for a pure high, and for a damn good time.
Happy 2017
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