2017: A Year in Review

2017 was another good year for running. It was not without challenges and sacrifices. But, with a little ingenuity, I was able to run more miles in a calendar year than any previous year. Here is my recap of running in 2017 by numbers and pictures:

Total miles (bicycle and running) = 4911 / 628 total hours of exercise
Running = 3614 (previous high in 2016 was 3181). I climbed 99,984 feet while running.
Bicycle = 1287. I climbed 36,752 feet while bicycling.
New places I ran = Destin and Seacrest, Florida (Jan); Boca Raton and Deerfield Beach, FL (June); Rehoboth Beach, DE (Aug); Hartford, CT (Oct); and Los Angeles (Nov).

LA running

Running through LA

View of LA while running Elysian Park

Prior to the Rock N Roll Half in DC

Flying to Boston for the marathon!

With my friend Derek pre Boston Marathon

After the Boston Marathon with my family

Pre Maine Coast Marathon

With my dad before the Maine Coast Marathon

First stroller run with Miles

Miles on a run to the National Zoo

With Miles at the National Cathedral

Family vacation at Rehoboth Beach

Miles naps on a run to Rock Creek

I ran fewer races this year than in past years. That was one of the sacrifices I made this year with a young child.
Races:
January 7 - Al Lewis Ten Miler - 1:04:46 (was supposed to run Mississippi Blues)
February 26 - RRCA Club Challenge 10 Miler - 1:03:59
March 11 - Rock N Roll USA Half Marathon 1:24:28
April 17 - Boston Marathon 3:15:57
May 14 - Maine Coast Marathon 3:08:43 during a rainy and windy day with an added half mile
August 27 - Annapolis Ten Miler 1:04:23 on a notoriously hilly course but we had good weather
September 27 - Navy Air Force Half Marathon 1:28:46 on a very hot and humid day
October 14 - Hartford Marathon 3:01:41 on a warm day 60s good for my third fastest marathon and fastest marathon east of the Mississippi River

How did I get in my miles (with Miles) this year? Last winter and spring, I started running with a backpack from near Fort Totten where Miles was part of a nanny share to Gallery Place/Penn Quarter where I worked. My routine was to drive our car to the nanny share, park in the other family's driveway, drop off Miles, then run about 10K to work. That routine changed in May when I changed jobs. In May, Miles was big enough to sit in the Bob's Ironman stroller and we enrolled him in a daycare located near the Mall. When he transitioned at the beginning of June, I was running him to and from daycare two or three days a week. Most days I would run him five miles from my house to daycare, then five miles home to shower, then took a bike share from home to DuPont - just over four miles. At the end of the day, I would take a bicycle about three miles to his daycare then run him home. Some days, instead of running home, I would run with a backpack to work or run around the Mall then bicycle to my office in DuPont. This led to an increase in mileage this year since on a couple of days a week, I was running doubles.

I did suffer one injury (I suspect from running with the heavy backpack) that caused some right knee pain. I was able to treat it with massages and it didn't cost me much time off my feet. But, it was painful at night or waking up at times. Also, I helped my running partner train and qualify for Boston for the first time and set PR in every other distance he ran.

Let's hope 2018 is another great running year!

https://2017.strava.com/en-us/videos/57af8b6835d5e9ed586245382d08135322f74f74/