New Year’s Day. It’s a time for reflecting on the past and making plans for the future. For me, it marks the end of a running year that saw me complete my first ever marathon and, after a quick 5K through the slushy streets of Canastota two days ago, 1,000 miles for the calendar year 2012. Not a bad way to end to my third full year of running.
I am looking out of the window at our first significant snowfall of the season–over 6 inches so far, with more on the way–and realizing that the run I had planned this weekend won’t happen. I am just 13 miles shy of my goal of running 1,000 miles before the end of the year. It will happen, but not today. Today is a good day to stay inside, do some housework to get ready for Christmas and catch up with some blogging.
It’s December 8, 2012. This afternoon, I completed a fairly routine 9-mile run. Under overcast skies, and with the temperature in the low 50s, I set out of the village of Canastota along New Boston Road as I have done so many times this year. At 3 miles, the sun peeked out from the clouds for a few minutes to illuminate the hills of Madison County beautifully; at a little over 4, I stopped at the railroad crossing on Canaseraga Road to let a CSX freight train lumber by with its load of cattle cars and containers. At mile 5, I left the road and finished the remaining miles on the Erie Canal trail, completing the route in a slow and comfortable 1:32.
Bruce Pegg 