To say 2018 was a busy, and challenging year would be an understatement. It certainly had its fair share of struggles, and trying hard to have unwavering faith tested me at times. But it was one of the best rewarding running years I’ve ever had and it started on Day 1.
JANUARY
On New Year’s Day, I joined up with trail buddies John and Jim to explore the back half of the Sean O’Brien 50 Mile course. This day solidified my decision to drop down to the 50K and it was a great decision.
Later that month, I headed over to New York City for vacation and ran the Fred Lebow Manhattan Half. This race would become the first of a race per month for the next 7 months. Not something I set out to do, but somehow it worked out that way.
January miles: 134
FEBRUARY
The Sean O’Brien 50K would be my first ultra of 5 consecutive 50Ks. I’ve never run a 50K a month for 5 months before and it wasn’t that bad. Although I probably did get more tired towards the end of this streak.
February miles: 108
MARCH
Next was one of the most challenging 50Ks I’ve done, the Griffith Park Trail 50K. It was cold. It was rainy. It was muddy. In the end, it was quite fun!
I also went out to a training run on the Pacific Crest Trail to prepare for following month’s Leona Divide 50 Mile.
March miles: 132
APRIL
It was time for my third 50K of the year that wasn’t supposed to be a 50K. Leona Divide started to be a 50-mile, but it became 36 miles.
Also, I went to see Scott Jurek speak about his new book, NORTH.
April miles: 142
MAY
On the night I was waiting to hear Scott Jurek speak, I received a message from the Cappuccino Cowboys telling me I had won “THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SHIRT EVER CREATED! EVER.” That’s what I told them, and I won it! In May, I received it and wore it for the first time. I don’t remember the last time I won anything so this was a sweet treat.
I also headed up to San Jose to run the Quicksilver 50K.
May 26th: I officially registered for Javelina Jundred 100K.
Also on May 26th: I bought my first pair of Hokas!
May 27th: I returned my first pair of Hokas and because I didn’t entirely love them and then I read some fairly negative reviews on the ones I got and immediately had buyer’s remorse.
May miles: 133
JUNE
June would mark my first venture into timed races at the Cirque Du Griffith Park 12 Hour which became my fifth and final 50K for the year. Technically, it was 35 miles which is a smidgeon over 50K but close enough. I also joined up with some friends for a Bulldog loop in Malibu Creek State Park.
June miles: 141
JULY
While it was “only” a 25K, the Angeles National Forest Trail Race pushed me in ways I’ve never been pushed before during a race. It was seriously one of the toughest races I’ve ever done, and to be honest I wish I had solid answers as to why. My body was craving rest at this point and this race made me work hard for it. But the best part of this race was sharing some miles with friends Crystal and Roxanne.
And the main reason I wanted the ANF Trail Race to be over with, is because it meant I finally got to cut my hair! I had to wait until all my races were completed before I could mess with it, and I had 3 months for it to grow to perfect ponytail length in time for Javelina. [Side note: I’m due up for another cut soon.]
July miles: 119
AUGUST
Oh, August. What can I say about you? Not my best month.
The highlight of August was volunteering for Angeles Crest 100 and it was also my birthday month.
August miles: 78
SEPTEMBER
It was back to the trails and time to kick up the miles again to prepare for the final race of the year.
September miles: 132
OCTOBER
This was it. The final race of a long busy race year. The Javelina Jundred 100K was FINALLY here!
October miles: 183
NOVEMBER
After a big race that may have taken months to prepare for, or one you were simply really excited about, many runners experience the post-race blues. It’s those feelings of emptiness and sadness that wash over you when it’s over.
I’ve certainly had my fair share of post-race blues, but I can honestly say that after I finished Javelina, I didn’t feel an ounce of sadness afterward.
During the race, one thing that propelled me forward was knowing the second I crossed the finish line, I was going to be officially in my offseason. Woohoo!! Hallelujah!!
Not that I didn’t, or don’t enjoy training. It was just an enormously tiring year for me. By the time Javelina rolled around, I was already 7 races deep and I was ready to take it easy.
November was an extremely relaxing running month. My longest long run was 6 miles and it was a hike on Thanksgiving morning with my friend Saeed and his son.
It was back at the end of September, or early October that I bought my second pair of Hoka One One trail shoes, which were I suppose, my first pair since I ended up keeping these.
It was just something about the Hokas that intrigued me, and so when I was strolling into REI one day, they just happened to jump right at me, and land on my feet. They also happened to be on sale. I decided I was going to give them a shot and turns out, I love them so much!
While I realized these Challenger 4 shoes were designed for light smooth trails, I haven’t worn them on the trails.
And here’s my short review of them, nice room in the toe box which I love. When I was walking in them I didn’t find anything fancy about them. But when I ran. Whoa! That’s when the magic happened!
I wish I had worn them for Javelina, but they were new shoes and I wasn’t about to start up in brand-new shoes a few weeks before the race. These babies had to wait and the waiting was worth it. I still love my Brooks, but I love these Hoka One One Challengers. Now the 5 is out and I’m sad the 4’s are going away.
November was also an extremely heartbreaking month due to the death and destruction caused by the Woolsey Fire. Last I heard, the fire damaged close to 90% of the Santa Monica Mountains, which many of us trail runners love to run in, and it’s difficult to wrap my head around that figure.
I wonder if the back half of the Sean O’Brien 50-mile course that I ran on January 1st is still there, or much of the course itself, since the fire raged through Malibu Creek State Park, destroying the vegetation and landscape including the M*A*S*H site. It’s going to take many years to fully repair the area, but I’ve since seen the sprouting of new grass on the mountains, which gives me hope.
November miles: 70
DECEMBER
While I’ve enjoyed sleeping in, and skipping runs when my body wasn’t feeling it, I’ve enjoyed running super easy low mileage. The past couple of months I’ve tried to add in more strength training since I’ve thrown it out the window for most of the year. I realize I can’t do that anymore.
Back in October, I started to feel some misalignment in my left hip flexor area that felt funky. It never took me out of the running game, but I know I need to continue working on that and improve my consistency to stretching, and core work. It’s not just about the miles anymore.
As much as I wanted to reach my next mileage milestone for the year, during the last week of December I came down with a cold and my running completely stopped. I find it so difficult to run when I can’t breathe. Props to people who can run through sickness, but I’m simply not one of them.
This year was quite a journey, but it was honestly one of my favorite and best running years.
December miles: 88
Total miles for 2018: 1,460
Thank you for reading and I hope to share more adventures in 2019! Wishing you, and your loved ones, a healthy and happy New Year!