Thursday, December 30, 2010

As I Look Back With Pride at 2010

I admit  that I have somehow grown a bit tired of blogging.  I still regularly visit other running blogs to keep abreast of what's going on in the local running scene, and I still constantly update some pages of Life is a Highway (i.e., Race Log, Marathon Log, Personal Bests, Mileage), but I just could not find the energy to blog regularly (or even post comments in the sites that I frequent). The spirit is still very much willing, but the flesh is just too damn lazy.  Guess which one wins out on a regular basis.

Still, it just would not feel right if I didn't close the year with one last post.  After all, 2010 has been a great year for me.  The past year has given me and my family a lot to be thankful for, and I know of no better way to celebrate these blessing than to look back in tribute at the year that was, Highway-style.

Allow me to start off with the trivial stuff (which unfortunately is the central theme of this site) - running.  In 2010, I accomplished a lot of feats that I never would have thought were within my abilities to accomplish. Thanks to Garmin Connect, I can proudly rattle off a few statistics:

In 2010, I did a total of 142 runs, inclusive of races, training, and "fitness" runs.  I ran for a total of 240:32:51 (hrs:mins:secs), covered a total distance of 1,980.14 kms, and burned a total of 169,326 calories.  Each run lasted an average of 1:41:58, spanned an average distance of 13.94 kms, and was done at an average speed of 8.2 kph. My longest single run covered 42.57 kms and lasted for 5:42:06 seconds.

Over the last 12 months, I ran and finished a total of 14 races, consisting of four full marathons (including my first on foreign soil!), two 32k runs, seven half-marathons, and one 15k run.

From a debut 15k time of 1:53:24 on 15 August 2009 (KR Urbanite - my very first race!), I recorded a personal best time of 1:26:20 on 11 April 2010 (Mizuno). From a debut half-marathon time of 2:23:10 on 25 October 2009 (Subic), I recorded a HM personal best time of 2:03:52 on 24 October 2010 (KOTR).  From a debut marathon time of 5:42:37 on 7 February 2010 (Condura), I recorded a marathon personal best time of 4:56:42 on 5 December 2010 (Singapore).

These are all very modest numbers that the most hardened runners and speedsters would probably scoff and sneer at, but from my humble personal perspective, these statistics glow like gold.  Who would have ever thought that a former heavy-smoking, binge-drinking, overweight non-athlete would one day be capable of churning out these figures? Certainly not me (or my wife!). For this alone, I will always look back at 2010 with pride. I don't know how long my health and my body would allow me to keep this up, but I do know this:  I will give it my best shot and most valiant effort ALWAYS.

But as hard as it might be to believe, the "running" part was merely the cherry on the sundae, the icing on the cake, the gravy on the turkey - WHATEVER. I could have logged zero runs and zero kilometers in 2010, and the year would still not be a tad less remarkable. For me, 2010 drew its sheen and shimmer from the things that really matter: Family. Togetherness. Life. Health. Stability. Change. Opportunities. Possibilities.

As we usher in 2010, I say a silent prayer of thanks, and make a simple wish that the coming year would be even better and kinder to us all.  Happy New Year, everyone. Here's to the long road ahead, and to the endless miles that we all will be running in 2011!

7 comments:

  1. Great year, Julius! Wishing you more success on your running!:-)

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  2. I have to say that your writing just steers me in to the thoughtfulness that goes behind it. I am very proud of you and your races and times. The progress that was done in 2010 will have nothing on 2011 I bet. I am grateful to have gotten to know you in 2010. As far as coming to the Philippines in 2010, I simply do not know. Things are not looking good right now. Has to do with USCIS and $. lol. But hey, For sure we will be there, and maybe with 3 instead of 2 persons if you know what I mean. Thanks for all of your valuable comments on my site. As far as not blogging or whatever, it's ok. But I always look forward to seeing how your progress is coming along man. Take care and Happy New Years.

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  3. great stats for 2010 bro! here's wishing you all the best for 2011! cheers!

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  4. Cheers from another non-athlete turned marathoner/recreational blogger!

    You write very well. Stick around in 2011!

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  5. @ Sir Rene - Thanks for the well wishes. Here's to the Jazzrunner - the king of the Trail!

    @ Kenley - Thanks for everything, bud. Our "aborted plan" notwithstanding, I too am glad to have met you in '10. Let's slay the beast in '12! Now about three people coming over instead of just two - are congratulations in order? Keep me posted.

    @ Jet - Thanks, bro! Bam told me that you have moved on towards a different career path. He's to a bigger and better year ahead!

    @ Ed - Thanks for bringing us along in you travels. Here's to more journeys in '11!

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  6. and of course, FRIENDSHIP! i was really serious when i asked you to update your blog when i handed your RDR "mug"; certificate & finisher's t-shirt! you are one of my fav runner-bloggers and you write very well. it was indeed a best year for you but the best running experiences are yet to come. just take your time and i could imagine you running the NYC Marathon &/or one of those trail runs in the west coast of US in the future. happy new year!

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  7. @ Sir Jovie - You are too generous with the kind words. They are quite flattering, coming from one of THE pillars of the local running scene. Friendship with people like you indeed made 2010 special. Thanks for everything, sir!

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