2014 - My Year In Running

Running is gift. Enjoy it.

We've reached that point in the calendar when we look back on the past 365 days.

To say 2014 was a roller coaster would be an understatement. There were plenty of highs mixed with a number of lows.

Here were my goals for 2014:

• Sub-4:35 marathon
• Run an ultramarathon
• Sub-2 half marathon
• Post a 200-mile month
• Run 1,800 miles for the year

Guess how many I accomplished? None. Nada. A big-fat goose egg.

Does that mean the year was a waste or not a success? Absolutely not.

The Blessing Of Getting PF - Did I Just Say That?

On Nov. 15, I signed up for my first ultra - a 50K on Jan. 3.

On Nov. 16, I experienced sharp pain going from my foot up through my ankle during my run, turning the planned- 8-, 9-miler into 4.5 miles.

Spent next 48 hours icing and resting my foot. Said foot felt better. Attempted a 7-mile run on a treadmill, which was going well until I hit the 1-hour mark. Pain returned, and my suspicions were confirmed.

I had plantar fasciitis. The dreaded PF.

Training for a 50K which was less than 7 weeks away instantly got interesting. And to be able to complete the 50K, I knew I was going to have to act fast and to replace running with some other cardio activities.

Sometimes You Just Have To Say What The Heck

By now, you've read or heard how rough marathon No. 5 was. It wasn't a pretty race. It drained me, and running was not as much fun as it used to be. While I took it nice and easy during the race and enjoyed the journey, that marathon took a lot out of me physically.

Coming back from Greenville, S.C., I was looking forward to recovery and taking a break from running. Not running for a week really appealed to me at the moment.

In fact, I ended up taking nine days off.

And it was glorious.

It was rather nice to run without any pressure of a race coming up. Just lace up the shoes and run for fitness and for the enjoyment of it.

But then, something changed.