2013 Year in Review

I like totaling things up. I like to know exactly what the sum of all the parts is. There is something satisfying about quantifying or assigning a value to a thing. As a pilot I keep track of how many hours I have flown, how many patients I have carried. I like to figure out how long it will take me to get somewhere given airspeed, direction, and wind. In life I like to calculate how much money I spend on certain things, how much my IRA might be worth with compound interest. I like to figure out my gas mileage.

This years project of running thirteen half marathons has given me a whole new set of data to compile, total, estimate and analyze. For instance, so far in 2013 I have run 458.4 miles. That is basically the distance across the state of Nebraska. 172.8 of those miles were run during the thirteen half marathons. That was equal to the distance of The Georgia Railroad which in 1845 was the worlds longest railroad.

During those races combined I took an estimated 345,000 steps and burned 25,837 calories in the process. On a side note I have lost exactly 0 pounds of body weight in the process. It took 1,950 minutes and 28 seconds to complete all of my races. I'll do the math for you. That is 32 hours, 30 minutes, and 28 seconds. Had I run that same distance consecutively I could have walked out my front door and run to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I started 2013 with 4 pair of running shoes two of which have now been retired.

I spent a total of $783.00 on race fees. Other costs including travel proved to tedious to figure out. I have written 25 posts on my blog about my experiences which was visited 1,532 times and counting. Of that total I received visitors from 13 different countries including Romania and Vietnam. This month Malaysia represented 77 of those visits. I ran alongside tens of thousands of other runners (and got passed by most of them.) I also received an endless supply of love and support from friends and family.

Of course not everything is measurable. At dinner after my last race my wife asked me what I had learned. It was a reasonable question, just not one easy to answer. I had no major revelations to report, I'm not sure I really learned anything. If set you set a goal and apply yourself you can achieve it. Blah Blah. That is obvious and I certainly didn't need to put myself trough all of this to remember it.

I did have two important realizations. One, in no way could I have met my goal were it not for the love and support of my wife. This project ended up taking a lot more time and energy than either of us expected. From five o'clock alarm clocks, to driving, and cheering me on through terrible weather, and some pretty tough moments, my wife was there right by my side and always smiling. My family made it to twelve of my thirteen races and that meant the world to me. I was often more excited about what we would all do with the rest of the day together after the run than the race itself.

Second, was the fact that without my family, there would have been no point in doing all the races to begin with. To do something by yourself only for yourself can seem pretty empty. I often felt like I was running for all three of us, and it became very important not to let them down. I couldn't waste the opportunity they gave me to do something I love or all the energy that they put into the effort either. So I would like to take this opportunity to thank the best half marathon racing crew in the world. I love you two more than anything.

I would also like to say a special thanks to all the volunteers, police officers, fire departments,  and EMT's who not only make these races possible but safe in the process. I would like to thank all of the runners who ran along side and often in front of me towards a similar goal. I would also like to offer my heartfelt congratulations to all the men and women who take their sport and training seriously and have the ability and talent to win these events.

One of my favorite things about running races is watching a crowd of thousands strong span what is normally a bustling city street. There is something special if not slightly revolutionary about a group of runners who shut-down part of a city for a morning and take back the streets with their feet.

The most frequent question I am asked is what do I have planned for next year. The short answer is, "NO - there wont be fourteen of anything." On New Year's day I will sleep in. On January 2nd I will begin training for my first full marathon that will take place in Paris, France on April 6th, 2014.
I think that is enough for now.

Paris Ou Buste!

Garrison