Activity Report 2025

  

Running:

Pretty much no running in January due to cold blast, snow, ice. Got a few walks in. And again dropped the running in last few months.

Walking

Did pack in a lot of solo walking. And a chosen few Group hikes. 

 

All of my yearly Run Reports are here.

Wish you all a very Happy & Prosperous New Year !

Run Report 2024

 2024 running was with more peace. Weekly pattern with numerous skipped runs but no guilt after that.

I got 449 miles of Running and 85 miles of Walking this year.

 

I am getting a hang of the weather pattern. Pattern is important for preparedness.

January: Rainy mornings and gloomy days. And those days were in 60s & 70s temps. Remaining mornings were in 35F-45F range.

February was again perfect 45F mornings and hardly any rain. 

March started well before a weeklong interruption due to rain. And even as I got back, mid-March was hit with the biggest Pollen blast I can imagine. All these years I was wondering about what people are talking about Pollen season and this spring I got to actually see it. It is bigtime. Few rains brought it down. But AQI stay high till mid-April. It was equally or worse in Texas during Spring break.

May had great temps and I ran as much as I could.

I did the only race of the year in September - Vibha DreamMile10K. 

There was a brief cold spell in October and then it was back to summer.

Second half of November showcased beautiful fall colors everywhere, with a hint of cold in the last week.

December had a few cold spells and rainy or windy mornings. So I practically ditched running for gym classes. There I said it, I am that kind of runner now.

The only race I did this year was Vibha DreamMile 10K. I have seriously sworn off Half-Mara in Georgia thanks to its terrain. Just not for me anymore.

Managed to pack in some walking thanks to friends and being part of a trail group.

All of my yearly Run Reports are here.

Wish you all a very Happy & Prosperous New Year !

Run and Fitness Report 2023

2023 Running has been interesting, every month. I finally let go of my mental Minnesota weather calendar. I experienced Spring running. Summer was not as hot & humid as last year. And Fall was crisp but not too chilly.

I got 474 miles of Running this year. Pretty pretty close to the miles total from last year, but 5-8 miles more than last year.

 

June & July were hot but not too hot.

Sep & Oct have been great perfect weather. Very few rainy mornings and absolutely no heat-humidity.

Races were mostly for fun and to experience the race atmosphere.

1. Windward July 4th 5k
2. SKV Temple 5k in August
3. Dream Mile 10K at Peachtree Parkway on 17-Sep-2023 - Detailed post here.

Got  85 miles of walking this year. I joined a few ladies Hiking groups and explored a few trails. Nothing long but 3-4 miles of greenery and clay trails. Jones Bridge Park trail, Cauley Creek park.

Jones Bridge Park trail

Cross-training comprised of strength -training and yoga.

All of my yearly Run Reports are here.

Wish you all a very Happy & Prosperous New Year !

Run Report 2022

2022 was purely Georgia miles with a few in Dallas for Thankgiving week. I added some walks in my regime just to be able to go out.

 

In December 2021, we moved to a new home. So my run routine changed again. The route around my neighborhood was a mountain. A torture which nearly tempted me with run-retirement. So I made the expensive decision to keep my hobby alive. I decided to burn my precious gas and drive to a trailhead 3-5 miles away. Gas was expensive in the beginning of the year, in case anyone forgot. And later that's how walk was introduced into my routine. Rather than let a day get wasted, cause I missed the run-bus, I introduced walking around my mountainous neighborhood. 

In the very first week of June, the mood was complete HOTlanta with missing MinneSNOWta very badly. June & July are killer in humidity. But August the rains have transformed the sidewalks. The algae coating makes it as slippery & dangerous as black ice sidewalks in Minnesota. October was pleasant till the cold blast for a week. Then it was a warm first-half of November. But December was all sleet & tropical rains along with 2 weeks of Artic blast cold wave. That brought down my Dec mileage immensely. 

Runkerchief - so nice to see another runner flaunt the huge mens-handkerchief. It was that kind of June morning. I am not the only one carrying handkerchiefs to wipe the sweat & blow snot. And in summer I bought the cooling towel. That's definitely needed in South on just regular outings in summer.

For the last day of Dec, I scrambled to join my run group - but surprise ! It was hurricany weather, so stuck to treadmill walk. My GPS phone walk mode did not match with treadmill and showed 0.5 miles on watch for the 2 miles of treadmill walk.

I thought I had run less, but at 471 miles of running it was still more than last year. And add the 84 miles of walking. But my pace has dropped to 15-16 min/mile. Its a very depressing number which I attribute to increase in weight & age, and add Georgia's topography to it.

Another milestone - I did one of a Georgia things. So as soon as we landed in the heat of August, I saw people walking everywhere - every sidewalk of every crowded road. Anytime of the day - even 90F afternoons. I knew of hiking on Appalachian Trail but Hiking as such was a big thing everywhere. Saw glimpses of that in different Hiking FB groups where people hiking in different state parks & mountains posted theirs. As much as I grappled with the nuances of hiking vs trekking vs walking, I wanted to Hike with a group. I got to do that this November. Went with a big ladies gang to the Sawnee Mountain Preserve (4075 Spot Rd, Cumming GA 30040).

I did become a morning runner this year finally. Because morning temps are pleasant and not freezing like MN and it gets hotter later in the day. I tried a few evening runs & couldn't imagine, how I did evening-runs so many years in MN. It's too much effort after the exhausting efforts of the day.

I had one very interesting Saturday long run in last week of July. After moving to Georgia, I looked up and joined a few local Run Groups via Facebook. I ran with only Lifetime group but followed rest for local trail info. This Saturday I decided to turn up at one groups starting point at Halcyon at 6:30am. Waited awkwardly in dark for strangers to turn up with the same confidence as my MN run groups. There was another group gathering & I kept looking at them, asking telepathically if they were Wind Runners. Finally 2 dudes came asking about this group & I introduced myself. Since they were fast runner, I decided to skip this and went back for breakfast and went to my usual  trail. When I was about to start, the second group from Halcyon reached here by running. Haha & chatted. Its 5.3 miles from there and took them an hour. Later I remembered they must be the Peachtree group. I started my run and ran into a few women who looked like 'She RUNS This Town' run group. After a pause I asked them and they did turn to to be. Lot of good natured Runners Yelling. So thrilling. And in my return trip I ran into my Lifetime run group buddy. So one Saturday morning run and I bumped into 4 run group runners !

My only race of the year was Alpharetta Women's Half Marathon on 23-Oct.

Races here are just not like in MN. In MN there were races across seasons. All routes were beauty areas with definitely flat-ish routes. Format were classic plain vanilla; which is very comforting. Now in Georgia I have found only one in my hometown which works for me. Then rest are quite a driving distance. And I found all really weird ones. There is Alien Half in Rosewell with Alien theme & it's at night ! There is another Marathon which is run around a 1 mile loop - its a good way to ensure the entire race is on a flat route. Plus Georgia is a mountainous state. The inclines are killer and we don't need it in a race routes. I don't know how I will find other races that work for me.

All of my yearly Run Reports are here.

Wish you all a very Happy & Prosperous New Year !

Running Report for 2021

I got in my miles this year in Minnesota & Georgia this year. 

There are 14 miles in Jan-21 but it doesn't show up in the Garmin report. Garmin doesn't show mileage by calendar year. These 443 miles are less than 2020 mileage but in line with my past many years.

State park walks in Utah during Spring Break don't count as running; but it is part of my fitness report.

My only Minnesota race was the Plymouth 5K 2021. This one was very fun. My kid & few neighbor friends & few kids signed up. It was fun competing with each other and bets on winnng & losing among ourselves.

And my only Georgia race was in Oct - Alpharetta Women's Half Marathon 2021. Also my first one outside Minnesota.

My first time running in Georgia started in August-September. 

August is when we moved from MN to GA and for run mileage, there is a dip. Mileage picked up in Sep & Oct. The weather was definitely not cooler, humidity was noticeable. And it rained every few days, cooling the whole place down. The only thing to get used to was the steep inclines & declines. 

And then in Nov, when I stepped out one morning dressed up as usual, and got a shock of my life. Its was freaking cold. Shock is because I was lulled into warmth and imagined it never goes below 60 in GA ! High expectations yes. But it did and I took a few weeks to get used to it - mainly questioning my decision to move. Mileage picked up decently for holiday months. 

All of my yearly Run Reports are here.

Wish you all a very Happy & Prosperous New Year !

Running Report for 2020

 What a year for running !

We were locked up home starting March-April. And thankfully the weather gods showed mercy on Minnesota and opened up Spring in April itself. With great weather, outdoor trails were the only blessing. Everyone followed social-distancing and even the new etiquette of side-stepping off the trail to grass, whenever someone approached.

And no commute time meant an extra hour in the evenings. For both reasons I managed to get more outdoor runs then ever before. I checked and my previous years mileage on Garmin is nothing close to this years. Overall mileage of 554 miles plus minuscule  on treadmill.

Among in-person races, I only did the one in January. Securian Half 2020 turned out to be my one & only in-person race. I never imagined that would be the case, when I finished it badly and vowed to retire from winter-half races. Starting March, all races turned virtual. I did not have the discipline to do virtual races, so just stuck to my regular outdoor runs. 

Only other virtual I did was Hindu Mandir Thanksgiving 5K. I ran it in Texas.

All of my yearly Run Reports are here.

Wish you all a very Happy & Prosperous New Year !

Running Report for 2019

Running:

Personally it was a chequered year and hence I did not track my miles.
I ran outside a lot, so my Garmin has those miles. I also ran on treadmill in the colder months, just did not track them.

Races:

I signed up for the races I liked and did not take pressure to signup more. Instead spent more weekends running long outside.

As such I could not beat 3 hour for any Half this year, but each race was a joy.

Temp	Name	Date	Distance	Time
10F, no sun, no wind, slight snow	Securian Winter Half Marathon	26-Jan-19	10Mile	3:04
Pleasant	Music in Plymouth 5K Fun Run/Walk	29-May-19	5K	36 min
35F Cloudy No-Windy	Maple Grove Half Marathon	11-May-19	Half-Mara	3:03:08
78+ F	Minnesota Half Marathon - StPaul	3-Aug-19	Half-Mara	3:15:33

As I end this year, I don't have any specific goals for 2020.

All of my yearly Run Reports are here.

Wish you all a very Happy & Prosperous New Year !

Running Report for 2018

Running:
While last year 2017 was dominated by strength-training, I did up the running this year.

Ran a total of 478 miles this year. Very less, but barely more than those years with my least miles.

Races: Ran mainly MN series for the temptation of their jacket for signing the series in one go. Though I lost the jacket promptly after the first race (facepalm). Love their shirts though - the best design & material.

Kept my races to the minimum, but evenly spread across seasons.

Temp	Name	Date	Distance	Time
18F-25F	Goldys 10 Mile	8-Apr-18	10Mile	2:20:58
54F	Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon	6-May-18	Half-Mara	3:02:39
Pleasant	Music in Plymouth 5K Fun Run/Walk	30-May-18	5K	40 min
69	Minnesota Half Marathon - StPaul	4-Aug-18	Half-Mara	2:57:28
35F Cloudy No-Windy	Minneapolis Halloween Half Marathon	27-Oct-18	Half-Mara	2:54:26

As I end this year, I don't have any specific goals for 2019. But I for sure need to keep the running consistent & increase the miles. The call of the run routes is irresistible.

All of my yearly Run Reports are here.

Wish you all a very Happy & Prosperous New Year !

Run nay Fitness Report 2017

This year's focus has been more on fitness then on running. Atleast for the first half year, I worked on picking up skils for weight-training and strength-training. Once the gym machines and dumbells stopped scaring me and I had a ST routine, I could ramp up my running on the remaining days. Not on the exceptional race-training mileage, but just enough to know that I have not forgotten it.

Running:
I did kick off 2017 with a Commitment day 5K. But rest of the Jan and Feb were my least mileage ever I think. Jan was a continuation of the workout series I joined in Nov 2016. Then in second week, I was busy packing and then went on an India trip for 4 weeks. And another week of settling down after return. I slowly crawled back to running in Feb-end. And got into a flow in March. In April, I woke up to the fact that I had signed up for some races. Which meant it was time to get serious.

All this while I had been riddled with self-doubt, for a while now. Reading some workout books makes me realize this is the usual cycle of a relatively short workout-life. But it does not help me find solution. I needed to choose between reducing running distances vs increasing strength.

In June, I found the word I was looking for. I had been asking, how did I run so fast in the first year of running ? How did I loose weight in the first year only ? How come my toenails never went black again after that year ? Answer is intensity. Yes I have been very cautious in my running, simply to avoid any injury. But that meant reduction of performance.

By Nov I had made my peace. Its possible to balance running and strength training.

Races:
I did reduce the number of races. But I ran them with my Run-buddies. So they were very enjoyable. This is in addition to hte usual goodies of great location and awesome support that each on of them offer. I can even notice my progress in times.

Temp	Name	Date	Distance	Time
20F Cloudy	Commitment Day	1-Jan-17	5K	40 min
53F	Get in the Gear	29-Apr-17	10Mile	2:20:00
54F	Lake Minnetonka - Half Marathon	7-May-17	Half-Mara	3:01:53
69	Minnesota Half Marathon - StPaul	5-Aug-17	Half-Mara	3:05:01
57-87F	City of Lakes Half - Calhoun & Harriet	11-Sep-17	Half-Mara	2:57:34
35F Cloudy No-Wind	Minneapolis Halloween Half Marathon	28-Oct-17	Half-Mara	3:06:54
35F Sunny No wind	Hindu Mandir Thanksgiving 5k	24-Nov-17	5K	37 min

Weight control
For the overall goal of weightloss, I took help from Personal Trainer. It is worth all the fees charged. I learnt most of the workouts and how to do it. I actually introduced the needed diet changes because PT said so; and found out I can do so much more even within a restricted diet. All past experiments actually helped me with the transition, without making me feel deprived. Plus there are so many time-lapse recipe videos floating on FB, its bound to leave some impression.

But every single change takes a month or so to adjust and only then you move onto the next changes. Trying to do everything at once wont work.
Make a calorie log for a week or so. That gives an idea on

• what foods to discard, just downright stop buying,
• what foods to replace with something better
• how to reduce calorie count by 200 every month till you reach the goal of 2000/1800/1500 whichever works for you. This also means it takes months to bring down your regular calorie intake - not a few weeks of dieting.

There was also the realization that there is a range of difference between Thin, Fit and Healthy. People can be one of these or all of these, but they do not mean the same thing.
Different lifestyle behaviors can bring about each of these results. But its easy to avoid comparing one goal with the other and being disheartened. Just something to keep in mind.

S1:E9 Mr Monk and the Marathon Man
Before I end, I want to share this I found this year, from my favorite show. Mr Monk & Running - I couldn't believe ! And him fanboying an elite runner in SF Marathon. Lovely.

S1:E9 Mr Monk and the Marathon Man.

All of my yearly Run Reports are here.

Running Report for 2016

Running in 2016 was very eventful. Not in terms of medals but in terms of experience.

I ran 770 miles and 9 races. I must credit my increased mileage this year to the 2 Training cycles I went through.

First morning of January , I ran the Commitment Day Race. I signed up for it coz I needed some race but not Polar Dash. Spent rest of Jan, in usual frustration about not being able to run outside. New place, icy roads, and being available only at dark hours were the reason. I spent more time on Google, reading winter running stuff, than getting actual runs. It was less dark than previous month. But it did get dark every evening by the time I reached home. I remember racing with the Sun on my left - being bright throughout my commute, and then for it to go off blink, right when I turned into my area. Bamm ! It did not snow so bad this Jan, but whenever it did, the roads took more than a week to clear the frozen black ice. I was not going to risk those. I had already taken a tumble in my driveway when I went to leave the thrash-can for pickup. That one incident was enough.

And then in the last week, a serendipitous thing happened. I spent a few hours in unsuccessful search of Run Club in my area. Later when I checked my email, I found a mail from Lifetime about their Training for Grandmas. It was a followup promotion after Commitment Day Race. I have never been more happy to share my email. I enthusiastically squeezed into their group runs, even before the training officially started. Securian Half happened around this time and the way it finished, did not make me happy. But this was expected with the below par base miles I had.

Weather conditions stayed same in February. And I could see that I lagging much much behind the training plan. But thanks to run group, I got in some very beautiful snow runs on weekend mornings, through trails I did not know existed. Of course I was the last slow runner and got lost a few times; that did not change my mind.  My weeknight runs were nowhere, coz I was still scared to go out on the dark icy roads, regularly. So I crunched up and got gym membership to use treadmill. Boom my total miles for Feb & March climbed up. It helped me in the Hot Dash 10 miler.

I kept going on the weeknights treadmill and weekend morning outdoor runs in April. So the Get in Gear Half experience was beautiful again. I felt nervous because my training plan was a few weeks off from the group training for Grandmas. I was training for Minneapolis Marathon - the one in my comfort zone, coz I did not have the confidence to drive back from a destination race. Yet I did feel I would run this well.

In mid-May, 2 weeks before the race, the news came up that Team Ortho did not get permission for their route. This was a spanner in the wheels. I was disappointed but was eyeing them for my refund. I did not want to be tricked like last time, into signing up for their next race. And this mood-spoiler derailed my training. Finally, it did get cancelled and they gave a full refund. Once the pressure of the actual race was gone, my runs dipped again in June. This and the official start of summer vacation, meant my miles were low for June.

In the meantime, peer pressure worked and I signed up for TCM Marathon on Oct - something I never thought I would run - given that it needs summer training. But I did show up for the group runs and carried on with my own runs. So that brought up my mileage in July and peaking in August. Minnesota Half Marathon - StPaul made me really question myself. I doubted my treadmill runs and  how the absence of any formal speed workout was affecting my results. That reminds me, Speed workouts are still a black hole for me. I guess I should get some real coaching for this.

September has the 3 peak weeks of training. But I, in my nervousness, quit even the runs I could manage. That brought the mileage down. I did showup for the 20 miler for experience sake and did cover it all. Women Run The Cities cheered me up a bit. The taper weeks were again something I am sure I did wrong.

Oct first weekend was the big TCM Marathon day. The way I finished this race threw me off completely. I tried to enjoy my vacation away from training, but was constantly thinking about what went wrong. Since a long race has too many factors to consider, I can't make out which variable changes the equation. So in Nov & Dec, I decided to switch to workouts for weight-loss and strength-training. Cold & snow helped me stick to this plan. Workouts involved short runs.

I thought I would curtail Races this year. But in review, I see I ran more races this year. Good part - most of them were without medals. Yes, I have gotten over my past obsession of Medals. Now I want good finish times; PR from my this year's results.

Races were spread through the year. So I got to run in different weather conditions. The Training runs covered my craving for running in new unexplored routes.

Conditions	Name	Date	Distance	Time
20F Cloudy	Commitment Day	1-Jan-16	5K	40 min
35F-40F	Securian Winter Run	30-Jan-16	Half-Mara	3:03:37  hours
25F wet icy	Hot Dash 10 mile	19-Mar-16	10Mile	2:12  hours
53F	Get in the Gear	30-Apr-16	HalfMara	2:55:53  hours
78F	Minnesota Half Marathon - StPaul	6-Aug-16	HalfMara	3:05:54  hours
64F	Capitol Run	17-Sep-16	20 mile	5:25 hours
64F	Women Run The Cities	25-Sep-16	10Mile	2:07 hours
38F-55F	TCM Marathon	9-Oct-16	Marathon	6:45 hours
35F No wind	Hindu Mandir Thanksgiving 5k	24-Nov-16	5K	38 min

Here is what happened when I was training per plan with a group:
Almost all training plans are 16 weeks long and need atleast 4-5 weekday runs plus 1 weekend run. Miles progress up through the week, which means run-time increases each time. On whole, in a 3 month plan, the first 2 months were easier to stick to the plan. In the last month, everything collapses. Everyone, including me, has meltdowns considering the neglect of home & family time. And then it's back to the previous routine.

I switched to new shoes for each training cycle. But they are in good shape, so I did not exactly throw them away. I used them for the casual biking and the workouts in Nov-Dec. I have an interesting story about my running capris. I had a two Under Armour capris - my favorite, skin tight, kept my loose tummy in place, lovely colors of blue & green & neon. I think I used them throughout the first half for runs on treadmill and outside in summer. And one fine October morning, while I was 1 mile on a trail, I felt a burn in my inner-thighs. I look down and see that seam stitch had opened and my skin had chaffed. It was painful, but no embarrassment, as my group had gone ahead. I turned back and ran back 1 mile to my car. This was the day, I did not have a backup pant in my car, so I drove back home for 10 miles, changed and drove back to the trail for a 8 mile long run. Somehow I am not embarrassed about the tear or the 40 miles drive, coz it was a perfect weather for the long run and I would regret badly if I had to miss it. Every run is indeed an adventure.

About weight-loss, there was nil. I started the year with Orange Theory workouts, once every week and minimal running. When running picked up in Mar, I gave up the Orange Theory, cause the soreness came in the way of running. Then it was all running till TCM Marathon in Oct. In Nov, being goalless and introspection about my race performance, made me switch to a workout class again. On an average my running/workouts have been 4-5 times a week. About diet changes, they are as healthy choices as they can be. Portion control may need work but it is a constant work-in-progress. Hence my weight through the year has been on a roller-coaster of +-3 pounds, with the final weight in Dec being exact same as Jan. My strength & stamina may have changed; though I have no way to measure it; except the subjective compliments that I receive.

As I end this year, I don't have any specific goals for 2017. I am sure my learning will help me create new goals.

All of my yearly Run Reports are here.

Wish you all a very Happy & Prosperous New Year !

My Running Report for 2015

This year (2015), I ran 363 miles and finished in 6 races. It's lot less than those in 2014.  And yet this is the year I finished my first Marathon ! Yeaaaah ! So I blame my lesser mileage to this Marathon, ha. First half year because I was nervous about the upcoming and next half year as a recovery from the Marathon. Talk about excuses. The fact is that, if I had more mileage before Marathon, my performance would have been better. And if I ran after the Marathon (atleast after a few weeks), then my recovery would have been better. Coz mileage is tied to training and workout. Nothing is better than training well and working out.

What I did try this year were strength workouts. I did sessions of Extreme TRX, Kickboxing and bench-press in gym. I loved my sore muscles. It is wonderful while it lasts. As usual, the challenge is to continue it. Everything gets in the way, especially your hardwired brain, which does not pickup a workout clothes as easily as a chakali packet.

My arm & leg muscles felt wonderful after each workout session and for many days after. Running however, totally brightens the mood. Makes me feel I accomplished something. Any health benefits to the muscles were just a side-effect, I did not pay attention to, because they were invisible to the eye.

Races are something which bring the thrill factor to running. Before my first race all I cared about was medals. This year, I don't know where to store those heavy metals ! Now I am happy with the other useful stuff they give out like shirt, bars & good arrangements.

I completed these races in 2015. They are fewer but with rich experiences each. I blogged about them for my own reference. I had signed up for the Women Run The Cities 10 Miler too, as a followup for last year. I was all set for it, but I completely forgot about a wedding that same day in a different city. So I had to dropout.

Weather	Name	Date	Distance	2015 Time
19F	Polar Dash	1-Jan-15	15 mile	3:07:21
30F - Hot	Securian Winter Run	24-Jan-15	Half Marathon	2:55:57
62F	Get in Gear	25-Apr-15	Half Marathon	3:02:14
75F	Lake Minnetonka	3-May-15	Half Marathon	2:55:37
45F to 60F	Minneapolis Marathon	31-May-15	Marathon (26.2 miles)	6:09:59
57-87F	City of Lakes Half	13-Sep-15	Half Marathon	2:53:03

Like last year, I went to watch the 2015 TCM Marathon runners in action. This is the race which started my interest and am always curious about it. I don't signup for it though, as my Summer training and stamina levels are not good enough for a Fall Marathon.

I managed to plot my training runs by month. I look at the graph and try to find a pattern and learn something.



My mileage spiked in Oct because I quit being a snob and blindly went to the gym. There is a usual debate about treadmill vs outside running. Yes the benefits of running outside are tangible. It is also a noticeably different experience. In Jan, when I ran Securian Winter Run 2015 - Half, after solely running on treadmill, wow it blew the wind out of my sail. It was tough to switch. Yet running on treadmill is way better than not running at all. Those gaps in the graph, those are because I was running outside, but the change of seasons or the weather that day itself, scared me to get out. Its struggle to just step out the door in the evenings. We are tired from the rigors of all day and chores of the remaining part of the day are beckoning us. We don't need extra challenge of any unpredictable weather to be added. That is why it helps to keep the gear ready - clothes, shoes, bottles, watch, etc. So we can slip out before any imaginary constraint stops us. Just get it done - is the mantra.

My miles from Jan to May were very very low, which goes against me since I had signed up for a Full Marathon in the end of May. What was I thinking ? My only explanation was that I was nervous. I was sure I would drop off & not show up at the Marathon. Or if I did show up, I would just do a long-run of 20 mile maybe and get out. Gosh what was I thinking ? This is the pure example of not-believing in yourself - but for 5 months !?! Never again please.

No, I won't blame the freezing icy February and rainy wet April for my low mileage. Oh wait, but I did get 48 miles in March ? That was thanks to 3 long runs of 13 mile, 13 mile and 16 miles. Wow, that's extreme. That shows my strengthen. Remind me again, that I don't need such desperate measure. I should stick to a training plan and if there's a gap in my execution, then not be hard on myself.

After feeling low in August, and still not gaining any solid ground in Sep, there was a surge in October. That's because I cleared my mind and stopped being afraid or demotivated by the crispy fall weather, and boldly walked to the apartment Gym :) And I could do it many times to achieve my year record of 53 miles in 14 days. That was was followed by a slump of no run in 30 days in Nov. I was miserable throughout. It was a moving month, so I couldn't do much.

Dark evenings are another detriment. Right from the Sunday when Daylight Saving kicks in, evenings are pitch dark as early as 4pm. And it is so till Winter Solstice around 22-Dec. It makes a big difference, if you are not used to getting out in these cold dark evenings. The first week goes in simply catching up with the sleep. Next few weeks, working up courage all day to really dress up and step out in the evening.

In December, I had moved to a new place. Along with unpacking and settling to a new commute and routine, I was chalking and charting plans for my outside runs - Sidewalks I could use, their distances, looking for winter domes, gathering my winter run clothes and race planning for 2016. All that means very few actual runs.

Anyway something is better than nothing. I promise to stop overthinking, and just dress up and step out of the house. Not overwhelm myself by thinking about what I will do outside. Getting to this auto-mode is the goal. Here's wishing myself All the Best for the New Year of Running.

Its pretty exhausting to read these reflections. But I know, they will come handy when memory fails me and I need guidance.

All of my yearly Run Reports are here.