2012: short and simple

According to Nike+, here is what 2012 looked like for me in running stats:

I add an extra 50 or so miles for 2 weeks without a watch, runs where I forgot
my watch, and recent treadmill runs.

In 2012, I ran:

1 5K

1 8K

4 half marathons

1 marathon

1 sprint triathlon

I dropped over 10 minutes off my marathon time, and 7 minutes off my half marathon time.

I ran with friends.

I ran with Lucy.

I ran alone.

I ran.

A lot.

2012 wasn't the year I started running.  It wasn't the year that I finally considered myself a "runner."  It wasn't the year that I learned everything I need to learn about running.  I didn't qualify for Boston or accomplish anything amazingly spectacular.

Nothing very epic happened to me in 2012.  Except those numbers above.  In a list on a page like this, they don't really look like very much.  But behind those numbers are a million stories.  Some of them have been told here, but not nearly half of what could have been told.  Were they stories full of drama, epic failure or epic success?  No, not really.  But they didn't need to be.

Hidden in those numbers are small triumphs and small losses.  Hidden in those numbers are the ups and downs of an entire year.  The small lessons that one learns with the passage of time.  Quiet smiles.  Acceptance of things as they are and will be.  Little hills were conquered.  Flat straightaways were enjoyed.  And downhills were relished.  Life was lived.

I have no list of "great life lessons learned" to sum up 2012.  But, of course, I do have a small list of some important reminders that 2012 dealt me.  A list of the little things that matter that made 2012 a pretty great year.

1)  Numbers are fun, but they aren't everything.  Sometimes it's just about getting out there and loving it.  All of it.

2)  Treadmills are awful.  I just re-learned this one in the past week when forced by this white fluffy stuff in New York to step foot into a gym.

I love having a white Christmas...just wanted it to disappear for about 2 hours
so I could do my long run.  Unfortunately that didn't happen.  In fact, more fell.

3)  Putting one foot in front of the other is easier than it sounds.  Just make it a priority in your life, and it will happen.  The more important it becomes to you, the easier it gets.

4)  When you continue to put one foot in front of the other, you get better at it.  Sometimes you learn to move your feet faster without even trying.  Without even thinking about it.

5)  Putting one foot in front of the other isn't ever really easy.  It may feel easier than it sounds, but you still have to set your mind to it and dedicate a lot of time to it.

6)  It's important to have someone in your life that you love more than anything. 

The love of my life.  Maybe one day I'll have a human to
brag about too.  Just not in 2012.

7)  Being comfortable in your own skin is the first step towards finding unending happiness.  It took 28 years for me to feel fully comfortable in this skin.  Pretty sure that I'm ready now for anything life has to throw at me.

8)  There are other things in life besides running.  Swimming and biking are pretty fun too.

9)  Friends are the best.  Whether you've known them for a year or a lifetime.  They make everything better.

10)  Family is everything.  Even if they live on the other side of the country.  Or the world.  They are everything.

We wear bibs and eat at restaurants that have "eat me" written across the
back wall.  We're pretty awesome.

11)  When life gets tough or tricky or sad, it's ok.  Because you know how to put one foot in front of the other, you know how to wear your skin proudly, you have the love of your life, your friends have your back, and your family will always be your rock.

12)  Life is great.  Despite everything, this fact is simple and true.  Because I've made it so.

There you have it.  12 short and simple things that 2012 reminded me of.  The question now is, what comes next in 2013?