Happy New Year!

Based on what I’ve seen in the news as of late, you can’t end a year or start another one without doing a “Top something” list. So here’s a quick few.

Top numbers:

$60,201.47 raised between DFMC, walk and MCM Livestrong – It’s a big number but still not nearly enough. I want a 6 figure annual total badly.

39,395 miles driven – Rentals, sibs/friends cars not included. I wonder what I could actually run if I wasn’t ruining my body behind the wheel of a car.

790.3 miles run – yes, I would have tried a touch harder in December had I known I was near 800.

19 States/Countries trained in. 13 of which can be attributed to “work trips”. But I still might need a traveling addiction counselor.

3 months – went 100% veggie despite those “friends” who tried to slip me meat and de-rail me. (Nope, I don’t have an editor for this blog and I refuse to alter the previous phrase.)

2 speaking appearances – Sugarloaf Charity Summit and Maine Cancer Foundation Twilight 5k.  An amazing comment from a survivor: “I’m so sorry that is your story and those had to be your parents, but please keep telling it”

Top moments:

#5 Baby Bro. Helped me with all the training schedule audibles….especially through the injuries, they were plenty. Cracked rib is actually bother me as I type. Helped me at home to allow me to get back on the road(for work and for training). And he also is learning when too much descriptive detail effectively ruins my attention. Oh, and two words WHOLESALE PRICING.

#4 The support. Likely you who is reading this. It came from expected places and many unexpected. It was all appreciated as 2013 really will never be a year I will look back with much fondness. I spent more hours with accountants and lawyers then I likely will for remaining duration of my life. The time I spent running was perhaps even more therapeutic then when I first started running to keep busy when BK was hospitalized for the first half of 2012. There’s also that guy who likely fielded more calls from me in 2013 than he did in the first 25 years he was my “uncle”. He helped keep me sane.

#3 Wasn’t so much of the running but the walking. My Maine crew who has been doing it since 08 is still amazing. My Boston buds continue to commit and step up. But it was the Theta Xi bros who took me by surprise. Never did I expect to be up to 4 am laughing and listening to stories, just an hour and a half before walking 26.2 miles. I was afforded the chance to meet some amazing men I had only seen pictures of and heard tales of my Dad I had never known. It was quite the testament to his life to hear how respected he was from guys who hadn’t seen or talked to him in years. Learning the role he had in shaping some of their futures, lives and careers really rocked me. Hoping this is an annual tradition with the bros, maybe not cracking a half case of wine at 2 am tho? Oh, 100 participants and first year topping $50k was legit.

#2 As I will continue to claim, “I am not a real runner” and I have to say I enjoy “guiding” people from recreational runner to long distance runners. Using the word “coach” would be a little aggressive because a good coach wouldn’t have taken advantage of a Cinco de Mayo booze affair to sign someone up for a marathon. Well, I did. And I realized hugging Fatsie in the finishing area was so much better then achieving my goal.

#1 Being paired up with Colin, a 4 year old DFCI patient and hearing about the successes of his treatments from his Mom. Despite only really having spent a half dozen times together, I get choked up with every picture that his parent’s post online and each positive report he gets back from Dana Farber. Fine, tearing up is more truthful. Most of you know I’m a softie anyhow.  Excited to be paired up with him again!

On tap for 2014…… Getting back on the horse with another PR (Santa, I’ll take a sub 3:30 please), getting more involved with Fundraising and DFCI and continue reKrooting for Sept 21st. I really want 125. If I could smarten up, I’d like to try that whole “negative split” thing too but I have a feeling that’s not happening.

Hope you made it this far. Happy New Year. Get off the computer and go buy some running shoes. – J

PS – Mainers – keep your eyes and ears open – my face that’s made for radio should be making its way onto TV.