2012 Year In Review

2012, the year I went overboard. 19 races in 8 months!  5 races in April alone. Whew. I'm not sure how that happened....but I will chalk it up to the Ironman Effect. At the beginning of the year I found myself asking:  What does one do after climbing Kili and becoming an Ironman? And since I didn't have a clear answer, I suppose I thought doing anything and everything must be the answer.

Looking back, much like in 2011, I wound up with two huge goals:  The Great Chesapeake Bay Swim and the Tussey mOUnTaINback 50 Miler.  I would succeed in one, come close in the other. Regardless, I swam and ran farther than ever before.

The other 17 races on my calendar? They were mostly about making 2012 the Year of Fun, of course! P and I were on the mud race - half marathon circuit for the first part of the year.

All of that, plus CompuWTF and countless laps in the pool and I was burned out by the time Musselman rolled around! I seriously began to wonder if I had an exercise addiction --or at least a sign-up-for-races addiction! LOL

2012 was also the year Janet became an Ironman! P, Tracey, and I launched our super-secret "Operation Hello Janet" to help cheer her to the finish line (with the help of some crazy hula guys).

 

Operation Hello Janet

 

I guess, more than anything, 2012 was the year I ventured off road and hit the trails like never before. In fact, I fell in love with trail running. It was the year I became an ultra runner, completing my first 50K---all on trails. 50K? Yeah, that was a mere training run for Tussey.

Election Night at Obama Campaign HQ, Chicago

And...I guess it wouldn't be a thorough Year in Review without mentioning what consumed my life for much of the year:  the presidential election.  From the New  Hampshire and Florida primaries to the presidential debates to the Democratic National Convention to Election Day in Chicago--it was all election, all the time. Couldn't wait for it to be over....

So now we say farewell to another year....and welcome in 2013. More about that later...But for now, Happy New Year!