a [new] Sweat Tracker tradition

Way back in 2008 my mom bought me a copy of Ultramarathon Man for Christmas. I had run 10 or 12 marathons at the time and it was the perfect gift. I started reading the book that night and continued the next morning. Eventually I got up to eat breakfast and decided to go out and run until I got tired. I confirmed that a friend would be able to pick me up if I needed a ride and headed out with my phone and a general idea of where I wanted to go. Twenty-eight miles later I was back home and the first DK28 was in the books. I’ve run pretty much the same route six out of the past seven years on the day after Christmas.

The run has become a time to reflect on the previous year and to look forward to the challenges of a new one. It’s a time to enjoy running just for the sake of running. San Francisco is a beautiful city and the route takes me through some of my favorite spots.

This year I realized that Dean Karnazes was no longer my inspiration to get out and do the run. I’ve never even met the guy and I only heard him speak once, so other than the book he’s had very little influence on my life. Given that, the DK28 was officially retired as of 12/26/2013 with thanks to Dean for five great years.

To be honest, I’m not sure that I really need inspiration to run any more, or perhaps I inspire myself. San Francisco is an amazing place to live, work, and run, so it’s probably the city itself that inspires me. At any rate, going forward the DK28 will be known as the SF28.2 (due to a small route change to get around some construction).

2014 was an incredible year with lots of inspiration. I ran 6 miles with Pam Reed in beautiful Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I spent 5 days with Richard Donovan in Antarctica. Coach Val helped a bunch of people reach their goals in 2014, including me (finally qualified for Boston). My buddy Brian got me to run my first obstacle race and we completed the Spartan Trifecta. I completed my 50th marathon and then I ran 9 more including the BQ.

Sweat Tracker did some work with Bob Anderson, founder of Runner’s World. I worked with Dave Rhody over at RhodyCo and learned a lot about race management. Each month I worked with Kyle on City Beer Runs – what a great guy and what a fun event to be involved with! And we did online coaching for the Tucson Marathon and helped people reach their goals.

Here’s to a great 2015, filled with lots of inspiration, lots of running, and more cool people to work with. With SF as a backdrop, you know it’s going to be another awesome year!