When

I had some pretty big goals at the beginning of this year.  Last December I felt like last year kind of blew for a lot of reasons.  So I convinced myself that this was going to be the year, MY year, of unrelenting success.  In everything.  

I'm sure most of you can imagine what happened.  Little by little life sort of whittled away at me and the goals that I set for myself.  Both the goals and I crumbled.    

The big goal was that I was going to run 2015 miles in 2015.  That is averaging 39 miles a week for the entire year.  It seemed doable since I ran 1500 each of the last two years.  I joined a cool group, got a shirt, a Facebook page that was just for us.  It was all good.  Until it wasn't.  I was staying on target thru June.  And then suddenly I wasn't.  Oddly enough going out West for the Grizzly Double (another big goal) was the beginning of the derailment.  It is kind of hard to run nearly 40 miles a week when you are driving all day, or hiking all day or sightseeing all day.  Then I ran the relay leg of the Door County Half Ironman and it took a week to recover.  Then I was gone for a long weekend in Bayfield swimming.  Then a week in the BWCA.  Then most recently a 4 day trip to Canada.  It's hard to be in catch-up mode when you are just getting farther behind.  It's damn hard to be in catch up mode when catch up mode is more miles than you've ever run in a week...repeated for the rest of the year.  So sometime after the BWCA trip, I quietly, but quite bitterly, let it go.  

I was going to run three marathons this year.  So far I've done one (Muscle Shoals Alabama), had to change my plans for August, had to miss one in September because of the stomach flu and am just now fully realizing that I am in no shape to run a marathon in 2 weeks.  No matter how much I want to put #13 under my belt (or hang the medal for it on the stair railing), it just isn't going to happen. My marathon mojo done left me this year and I am just going to have to accept that.    

I had a great Point to La Pointe swim this year as well as decent showings at 2 other open water races.  So I added to my goals late (why not??) that I was going to jump into the pool for Masters Swim this fall and just nail every workout and crush my PR's and set the pool on fire.  The plan was to bring in some kick ass times in open water next year.  But that has really fallen apart now as I will be out of swimming till after the new year.  I can't wear my goggles to be in the pool and I am having a lot of shoulder issues.     

Because my body, my brain, my psyche, karma said "When".  You know that saying...Know when it is time to say when.  And even though I didn't consciously know it was time to say when, I think everything else ganged up on me and made it pretty clear that "When" was now.  

It was Monday October 5th and I was out running my usual 8 -10 miler for a Monday.  I had driven to Olbrich Gardens and parked there thinking I would do the Lake Monona loop or some variation thereof.  I actually dislike the part of the Lake Monona Loop that goes along John Nolan Drive, so I looped back and did a real estate tour of Monona and was heading back to Olbrich at about mile 9 when I tripped.  And fell.  Over nothing, not a crack or stick or rock or weed or shadow.  Nothing.  Maybe I was just dragging my feet because quite frankly I was tired, maybe even exhausted.  And when I say "fell", I really mean crashed.  I went down hard and broke my fall with my face, my left elbow and my left knee.  Fortunately I turned my face to the side or I would have broken my nose and/or knocked out my front teeth.  I now know exactly what it means when people say they saw stars.  I might have seen an entire constellation or even a meteor shower!  I laid there for a minute hoping that no one had seen this act of grace.  Then I picked myself up, dusted myself off and walked to the corner.  That was when I felt something running down my face and when I brushed it away I discovered that I was bleeding at a pretty good clip (head wounds!).  I was in a bit of a daze but knew I needed something to put over my eye since I was still 1/2 mile from my car.  So I took off my shoe, took off my sock and held the sock over my eye.  I put the shoe back on and sprinted to my car.  I went into Olbrich and went into the bathroom to check my eye.  I scared the women at the desk half to death but decided that Urgent Care was my next stop.  BTW, the drymax sock worked great to soak up the blood and it even washed out after a soaking in cold water :)

The end result was 2 stitches and a ferocious black eye that still isn't completely gone (stitches are gone, I took them out myself), a really stiff and sore shoulder from hitting my elbow and jamming my arm into the shoulder socket and a big, painful lump on my eyebrow (hence no swimming on all counts).

So WHEN already.  

Had I been smart enough back last December I would have realized that the goal(s) should have been a lot more realistic, much better thought out and flexible enough to deal with life's little (or big) oops,  Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of big goals.  But those bigs goals need to have medium sized and little steps along the way that are goals in and of themselves so that you aren't left empty handed or hearted at the end of the year.

Because all things considered, I accomplished a hell of a lot this year.  Looks like I'll hit 1800 miles. It ain't 2015 but it's 1800 more than that guy on the couch!  And 300 more than I did last year.  I did 1 marathon (it was a hilly beast), 8 half marathons (two in horrible conditions!!), and a 20 k.  I completed the Grizzly Double!!  I paced a half marathon.  I swam well in three open water events including a first and a second in my age group.  

I watched a You Tube video and learned how to take out stitches.  

I saw stars.  

I learned when to say when.