a year in review

Around this time each year, many runners begin reflecting on their efforts and accomplishments. Some will share their thoughts online, while others will simply contemplate their past year on a solitary long run. For those who blog though, Miss Zippy has worked to standardize this annual reflection, offering six questions that serve as a template for gathering one's thoughts. Once answered, posts can be linked on Miss Zippy's blog and shared online using the #yearofrunning13 hashtag. Following the lead of Miss Zippy and a number of others, here is my year in review:

1) Best race experience?

This is an easy one, and not just because I only ran three races this past year. Every year I run the same turkey trot with my best friend on Thanksgiving morning, and each time we have finished the race just a little bit slower than the last one. This year though, we made a pact at the starting line to put an end to this, and by the time we had crossed the finish line, we had taken three minutes off of our time from last year. The streak was broken, and now we're looking to run an even faster race next November.

2) Best run?

Where I live isn't really the best place for running. You can either brave the dangers of twisting country roads or deal with the monotony of running circles around small neighborhoods; neither option is ideal. This is made even more depressing by the fact that prior to moving here I had always lived in places with a great selection of route options.

However, while talking to someone at the gym this summer about the lack of good outdoor spaces in the area, I was informed about the existence of Hickory Hollow, a nearby nature preserve with a few trails that loop around and intersect each other. I checked it out, and on my first run I immediately fell in love with the place. The terrain offered new challenges, and the wildlife and scenery quickly dispelled boredom. Ever since that first run, I've made it a point to get there at least once or twice a week, as much as daylight and scheduling will allow. Had it not been for that first run there, I'm sure I wouldn't have ended up running nearly as much as I have this year.

3) Best new piece of gear?

Tough call here. There are two items I purchased this year that have greatly impacted my running, and each as done so in a completely different way, one improving my physical well-being and the other doing wonders for my mental health. The first transformative piece of gear was a pair of Xero Shoes; these flimsy running sandals helped me transition into barefoot/minimalist running this past summer, and now that I've kicked the shoes and improved my form, this is the longest I've ever gone without some type of injury. The second item that makes the cut was a Garmin Forerunner 110. Since getting it, I'm no longer tied down to the same old routes; I'm free to wonder and explore, and I never worry about planning my runs when I visit a new place. 

4) Best piece of running advice you received?

I had struggled with iliotibial band syndrome for years, and I had just about tried everything to remedy the problem. It got to the point where the only thing I had left to try was barefoot running, but before I would take on something I was already extremely skeptical about, I made sure to read up on the subject. Pretty much all of the information out there echoes the same few points: take the transition slowly, increase your cadence, and shorten the length of your stride. It was incorporating these three things into my running that really enabled me to get back to running the distances I had when I first started running, before the nagging injuries appeared.

5) Most inspirational runner?

There's a huge pool of talented, accomplished runners to draw from, but in light of this year's events, I'm going to have to refrain from selecting a single individual, and instead choose the heroes of the Boston Marathon who ran towards danger to help those that had been injured in the bombings. From first responders to spectators and participants, when everyone else was running away, these individuals ignored their own safety and ran right into chaos and tragedy; it's hard not to find inspiration in that.

6) If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be?

It's been a year of returning to the basics and rekindling my love for running.