melancholy

Trying to be thankful instead of melancholy today.  Today was my last available day to add to my 20 year non-smoking mileage total.  The total ended up being 20,596 miles or 19.74 miles per week.  The crazy number for me is the 2.8 miles PER DAY average for 20 years!

I can't remember exactly when I came up with the idea/goal of averaging 20 miles per week for 20 years and I want to say I gave it all I had but I suppose we all second guess ourselves.  I was holding on tight to the 20 mile average 5 months into the 20th year but I had to give into my chronic plantar fascia injury and cut back on my mileage.  If I'd only have taken to heart the good advice I got from a close running friend I may very well have made it.

With 20 years to look back on it's hard to recall the mindset of my reasons I started my running log.  I guess I should go back and look at that first year and read my entries.  I do recall having a feeling of knowing it could snowball into something.   Initially I quit smoking and started running to improve my golf game but regular golfing went by the wayside pretty quickly. 

Things clicked pretty quickly I guess because I ran a 3:42 marathon 8 months later and then just after my first no cigs anniversary ran my first 50k.  At the 18 month mark I ran my 50 mile PR in 8:52.  At the 20 month mark I made it 77 miles in my first 100 mile attempt. 

Today feels very much like the comedown after a 100 mile finish.  Work, work, work.  Plan, plan, plan and there's the finish line and what's next?  I function much better if I have a big carrot out there hanging in front of me.  I'm thinking that having a set date goal of having gone enough miles to circle the earth at the equator would be a good one.  The miles around the earth at the equator is 24,900 miles.  So, here it is.  79.85 miles per month for the next 55 months or 18.5 mile weeks will get me there.