2017 Year in Review

It's fun to crack open a new training journal at the start of each year.  Each one has a different way of organizing days, and focuses on certain aspects of training days to different extents.  I like ones with year-long visualizations, too.  A previous journal had a world map where you could mark the cool places you've run while traveling.  This one gives you a nice visualization of your year across four pages.  It can be hard to discern or remember trends just with memory, so it's helpful. 

 

So... here's a recap of the year...

1) Walt Disney World Dopey Challenge (Jan 5-8)

Goofy was fun in 2016, so Dopey was the logical next step.  5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon, on consecutive days.  It was a unique year for Dopey, because the HM was cancelled due to threats of lightning, but it made it more memorable, I suppose.  After doing my own "half marathon" that day then walking around the parks all day, I had no idea how I'd survive the marathon, but it went well.  I love Disney.  I was sad to not be there for the 2018 race.

Race recap here.

2) Indiana Dunes B-day (Jan)

I like National Parks a lot, so it was awesome to get to visit one on my b-day.  I had been to Indiana Dunes many, many years before, so it was cool to go back.  I got to enjoy one of the most beautiful runs I've been on, while there.

 

3) Good Friends (Jan-Feb)

I also got to see a number of good friends... a Milwaukee colleague who's thoughtful and throws a great game party, my HS running buddy... the original running buddy, and a college roomie!  Back at home, I got to hang out with my NC buddy, too.

 

4) 10,000 Burpee Challenge (Jan 20-Apr 29)

A facebook friend came up with a challenge to do 100 burpees for 100 days, posting the video proof in a dedicated facebook group.   I have no idea now what I was thinking when signing up, but I did.  As you can see, from Jan 20 to 100 days after that, I did a ton of workouts.  After you've already gotten yourself sweaty from 100 burpees (or more, if I had to make up for missed burpees), you might as well do a workout.  That was a good side-effect.  I surprisingly didn't get any better at push-ups.  Doing a bunch of burpees became not a big deal after about 10 days, though.  I also learned more self-discipline in getting it done, making time for it.

A full write-up can be found here.

 

 5) Trying to Explore Charlotte

One draw of moving to Charlotte was having more things to do.  I often found myself just hanging out at home or at the Whitewater Center, so I wanted to try to get out more.  I went to some concerts at the Fillmore, and a Fat Tire-sponsored concert/circus at the music pavillion.

6) Boston Marathon (Apr)

Second time there.  Since it was the second time, everything's not brand new and unknown anymore, but it's still an incredible experience to be there.  The whole city is so into it, and I didn't re-quality, but being there makes me want so much to make it there again.

Race recap here.

7) Geocaching

I haven't done as much geocaching this year.  It seems like less of a thing here than in South Carolina.  Geowoodstock was held in NC this year, though, so my dad and I got to go for a second year in a row.  It's still nice to have something to do when I'm out somewhere and have a little time to kill, though, and you still run into some clever and fun ones.

8) Hikes

Not a lot of hiking this year.  With the Whitewater center so close, it's harder to justify driving a couple of hours to go hiking in the real mountains.  I did go to Purchase Knob, Crowder's Mountain, McDowell Nature Preserve, and Latta Plantation.

9) OCR United

This was a year for branching out to more OCR companies, to get more variety.  I did a GORUCK Constellation, Tough Mudder, Savage, Bonefrog, Green Beret Challenge operators, GBC Behind Enemy Lines, Rugged Maniac, and OCRWC in Blue Mountain, ON, in addition to Spartan HH, HH12HR (DNF), 3x Trifecta, and Ultra WC in Iceland.

I enjoyed getting to experience the unique flavors of each one.  OCRWC and the Spartan Ultra WC were really cool to be a part of.  GBC BEL was epic, too.

 

10) Work

Work's fitness room opened in Jan 2017.  I love it.  I can look forward to going to the gym all day while I'm at work.  I can get a nice, stress-relieving workout after work.  I can shower, then go home and just worry about eating and relaxing with some TV.

I also switched into a new role creating digital products.

11) OCRWC in Canada

I don't really get much opportunity to travel with work anymore, but I did go to some races with vacations built around them.  The first was with my mom and sister.  We had a great time in Canada, getting to see Niagara Falls, Blue Mountain resort, Tobermory, and Toronto.  It was fun exploring.

12) Iceland 

It's a beautiful and wild country with so many cool things to discover... basalt columns, black sand beaches, northern lights, vivid green mountains, gigantic waves, geothermal springs, waterfalls.  My sister is an awesome travel buddy.

 Stated that way, I guess 2017 was an eventful year!