700 Miles(tone) and More

When comic books hit issue 700 of a single continuous run, it is a tremendous accomplishment. It is an especially  rare occurrence nowadays for industry deeply enamored of the potential financial windfall of frequent #1's; as a result, every title seems to hit the reset almost annually.

Seven-hundred sounds like a lot. This morning when I scrawled "709" in my hard copy training journal as the to-date cumulative mileage since March, it seems like I've come a long way. In addition to comfortably completing a 12.5 mile training run, the 700 miles(tone) is a personal accomplishment. To 35 year-old me, 700 miles might have represented a rare year marred by injury. To 46 year-old me, it is thrilling, especially with a few more weeks to go in the calendar year.

This morning's surprisingly frosty (31°F, but felt like 26°F at 7 a.m.) and foggy early morning run also reminded me why I once preferred cold weather running--something I've avoided for most of the past 4 years. Though I have continued to register and train for the occasional road race, most have been limited to early summer or late fall events where I could train outside of my teaching/coaching schedule and in warm(er) temps. This current calendar year, I began much earlier (albeit on treadmill) than in recent history (February) and am registered to run a half marathon the first weekend of January 2016. While we have yet to have had measurable snowfall in Western New York just yet, it is a very real possibility for January 9, and I am almost assured that the temps will not be much higher than a balmy 40°F.

Now that I've reached the unanticipated 700 mile mark, it's time to continue moving forward toward other benchmarks. Like comic books, I too will hit the numbering reset button in January and begin with a brand new #1. Ultimately, the primary goal, one for which I am most thankful, is simply getting up and out every once and a while, regardless of how fast or slow or far I go.