My Year in Review 2013

Training for and running seven ultramarathon trail races summarizes my 2013. Even though I didn’t finish one of them (San Diego 100), I ran the marathon distance (26 mi) or more at least once a month, every month until I suffered an injury in late October. unfortunately I had to scale back my mileage in the last part of this year to recover and get ready for some upcoming 2014 events. 

Franklin Mts El Paso, TX

I can’t complain. I enjoy traveling to unique places to run challenging races in the mountains and that is just what I did this year. Some races were close to home, but others took me to Los Alamos and Albuquerque, NM; San Diego, CA and Flagstaff, AZ. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to run some of the most beautiful courses in the country. The Desert Southwest has so much to offer since we have an abundance of mostly undeveloped public lands. 

Click on the slide show to see my favorite pictures from 2013:

One unfortunate accident happened this year when my dog Taz was bitten by a rattlesnake. In August he was struck on his hind leg while we were out on a trail run and the next several months were very difficult for all of us. However our brave little trooper pulled through and is completely back to his old self now. 

Taz wearing his winter coat

2013 was a special year because I turned 50 and was healthy enough on my birthday to run one kilometer for every year. I chose to run in the Franklin Mountains close to home and had friends and family there to help me celebrate this milestone in my life. Every day that I’m healthy enough to go for a run, no matter how long, is a great day.

The summit

A recent training run took me to the top of our highest mountain, N. Franklin Peak (7192’) where I enjoyed a frosty winter wonderland. Light rain encrusted the trees, grasses and cacti with a layer of ice and snow that glimmered in the sun. The wind was strong on the summit which numbed my fingers immediately when I removed my gloves to take a few photos. 

This run was my last big push before I tackle the first race of 2014 in a few weeks, the Bandera 50K which is also the USATF 100K Trail Championship. And so it begins all over again. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! 

See you on the trail.