It's a tradition I started in 2005, the first year I ran a marathon.
I purchased The Complete Runner's Day-By-Day Log and Calendar as a way to log all my miles. I was sick for the first week of the year. Finally recovered, I ran 7.4 miles from Westford to Groton on Jan. 9.
The run was very hilly. How do I remember such details? I wrote them down, something I've been doing for the past 16 years.
Santa was kind enough to buy me the 2022 book. The cover is still red, it's still in a binder form and it still contains running tips and factoids. And it still allows me to chronicle how far I ran, where I ran and with whom I ran. I'll note weather conditions if it's anything special.
I found writing down the mileage motivated me to add to my totals. The 2005 book cost $14.95; the 2022 book was $16.99. Great value.
Some years have been better than others, of course. I've run 11 marathons over 10 years. Those years frequently saw me run more than 1,000 miles. I'm very much a carrot runner. If I have to run 16 miles to train for a marathon, I will. But if I'm not signed up for a long-distance race, I'm not running anywhere near that far.
2021 was a disappointing year. A knee injury kept me sidelined too often, especially in early fall. Even healthy, my motivation waned. Maybe it's the pandemic, maybe it's turning 56 years old. Whatever the reason, I only ran 10 miles or more on three occasions and there were too many days when my log was empty.
I finished with 603 miles, my lowest total in years. I discovered that when I added up my miles for the year Sunday. I vow to run more in 2022, to lace up the sneakers even when I don't want to.
2022 remains mostly a blank page. And a blank log. I intend to fill it with long runs and memories with the E Streeters, my running group.
Comments