Some highlights from the past 343 days. Some personal, most running related.
JANUARY
Emancipation. Finished a 21 year chapter in my life.
Linda’s Broken Foot. We learned so much about each other.
Final Nail. Thanks, I’ll never, ever work for anyone else again in my life. Or change.
Free Speech. Unifying and/or divisive. First Amendment.
Revolution. Tricky Tim. Sign here. And here.
FEBRUARY
Too cold.
MARCH
Lake Zorinsky Security Camera Challenge. A process still in the works.
Year Six. Of our Wednesday Night Track Work. I enjoy this year the most.
APRIL
Jedediah Strong Kunasek. My first dog in 30 years becomes faithful companion and protector.
Boston Marathon. Number one news story of the year for runners.
Jason Collins coming out as the first openly gay professional athlete. Zealots cringe everywhere.
Ouch. Lincoln Running Co. Racing Team bests Team Nebraska at Shamrock Shuffle 8K in Chicago, our USA Club National Championships.
MAY
Against all odds. Linda and I buy a farm and start the rest of our lives together.
Nebraska Run Guru Elite. NRGE makes its debut, we are coming to get you.
Camille Herron. I bring in my buddy to win the Lincoln Marathon. Barely.
JUNE
Whirlwind. Linda and I drive through a tornado in Lawton, OK.
Second Verse. LRC Racing takes the measure of Team Nebraska at Hospital Hill Team Challenge.
JULY
Lonesome Dove. Matty P. moves to New York. I miss his well thought out and peaceful ways.
Longest Yard. Pete Kostelnick runs RAGBRAI.
Hat Trick. LRC Racing defeats Team Nebraska at Midnight Madness Team Challenge.
Entitled. I don the Team Nebraska singlet for the final RUN FOR JUSTIN. Dan and Marti always insisted that Justin would have loved to run for me. This final time, I ran for him.
Solo Dos. Only two athletes from the Great State of Nebraska compete in NYC at the USA Club T&F National Championships. I’m saddened.
AUGUST
Sharing. I begin cataloging and describing my vast running memorabilia collection.
Baking. My dear sweet Allison graduates from the Oregon Coast Culinary Institute 10 days before her 19th birthday. Takes job as Denver Bronco’s Pastry & Baking Chef. None of it fits on a bumper sticker.
SEPTEMBER
That’s me. Self described on Sept. 17 as “A Herald, a Promoter, a Coach, a Critic, a Poet, a Seer, an Athlete, an Administrator, an Author, an Educator, an Historian.”
Michael Rathje. The new USATF Nebraska LDR Chair. I’m excited that a young and positive and energetic athlete has stepped up. I have always been and remain an open book and offer myself to Michael as he deems necessary.
OCTOBER
Oopsie! The marathon that should never have been run.
Embrace. I host the Bar None Beer Mile and learn to appreciate novelty events.
NOVEMBER
Clean Sweep. LRC Racing takes Nebraska bragging rights at Living History Farms team competition. 2013 Scoreboard: LRC 4, Team Nebraska 0. If the mantle hasn’t passed its getting damn close.
DECEMBER
Home Alone. I don’t attend the USATF annual meeting for only the 2nd time in 12 years.
Home Alone 2. I don’t attend the USA Club Cross Country Championships.
OVERVIEW
2013 has been the most remarkable year of my life. The saddest and happiest. The most disappointing and most thrilling. The greatest defeats and victories.
The greatest love most of all. Love born from all that preceeded it, built simply on that which came before. The absolute opposite of love at first sight. Growing towards a common path over years and years, like vines pursuing light and life. Arriving without knowing we’d been going, our intersection now blossoming sweet and succulent and full of Real Love. Solidly rooted in mutual respect, shared vision, joyous labor, spontaneous humor, intelligent conversation, empathetic listening, and unbridled passion.
2014 will only be better.
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