^z 12th February 2023 at 8:19pm
Here at a glance are all the runs I logged in 2009: a total of ~1486 miles on 140 days, averaging ~28 miles/week.
2009 was quite a year. Looking back, the most memorable events weren't races—they were excursions with friends, sights seen, stresses survived, and "trail talk" that can never be repeated but will long be recalled. Among those to be thanked: Barry Smith, Caren Jew, Christina Caravoulias, CM Manlandro, Emaad Burki, Gayatri Datta, Kate Abbott, Ken Swab, Mary Ewell, ... and a host of others who may prefer to remain anonymous, comrades who made (almost!) every step a delight.
But races are races, and 2009 brought a goodly number of good ones, plus a plethora of noteworthy training runs. Some salient journal entries:
- 2009-01-01 - New Year's Resolution 5k: PR of 23:14 on an chill morning
- 2009-01-04 - Massanutten Mountain Mayhem: 17 hard-rockin' miles on the Massanutten Trail with Caren
- 2009-01-10 - CM's Loop: 20 miles, CM's then-longest excursion
- 2009-01-17 - Super Starr: temps in the low single digits, a club 4 miler with Christina
- 2009-01-19 - PHT Valkyrie: Kate & I do the Potomac Heritage Trail both ways
- 2009-01-24 - Lincoln Memorial Hillwork: CM's 23+ mile prep for her first marathon
- 2009-01-25 - Eagle Run: with Kate, frigid avian photo ops on Pohick Bay, hosted by Gary Knipling
- 2009-02-15 - Washington Birthday Marathon: CM's first marathon—we run every step together and finish in 4:30:20, a thirteen minute PR boost for me in my sixth GWBM
- 2009-02-21 - SCGT Training: Barry Smith & I team up on one of Ed Schultze's (in)famous Seneca Creek training runs, ~21 miles
- 2009-02-22 - RRCA Ten Miler: road trip with Emaad and CM on a snowy day
- 2009-02-26 - Bull Run Trail Fun: 28+ miles on the BRT with Caroline Williams & Kate
- 2009-02-28 - Hashawha Hills Trail 25k: the first loop of a 50k with Caren, delightful terrain in northern Maryland ... plus raptors!
- 2009-03-07 - Seneca Creek Greenway Trail 50k: my fifth SCGT, a fast trek on a hot day
- 2009-03-21 - Piece of Cake 10k: new PR of 46:57, ten minutes faster than before
- 2009-03-31 - Lost in the Woods Again: 32+ mile training run along Bull Run Trail takes Kate and me into a maze of twisty mountain bike trails near the Occoquan
- 2009-04-18 - Bull Run Run: Kate sets a perfect pace as Ken entertains us on a superb 50 miler, my third and fastest BRR
- 2009-04-26 - Seneca Wild Goose Chase: Caren and I are threatened by angry birds along Seneca Creek
- 2009-05-03 - Hills of Cabin John 5k XC: my slowest 5k ever, beginning with Christina but dropping back to escort a nervous new runner to the finish in a cold rain
- 2009-05-10 - Lost and Found on Mo's Cut: Happy Mother's Day to Caren, as we wander along and near the Catoctin Trail
- 2009-05-19 - Paseo del Bosque and 2009-05-20 - Paseo del Bosque Otra Vez: solo treks along the Rio Grande in Albuquerque, NM
- 2009-05-24 - SCGT with Caren: ~17 miles with Caren, starting at 4:10am on a sultry Sunday
- 2009-05-25 - RCT plus Sue and Connie's Run: fun training with CM followed by 4 mile memorial race with Christina
- 2009-05-31 - Schaeffer Farms: Caren teases me when I'm distracted by bikini-clad nymphs cavorting in Seneca Creek
- 2009-06-07 - Capital Crescent 5k: another PR, 22:15, almost a minute faster than six months ago
- 2009-06-13 - Kate and Mary and Jorge on the WOD: ~21 miles on a warm and humid day, mostly with Kate plus parts with friends
- 2009-07-05 - Catoctin Trail with Caren: a new twist, start/finish at the Cat 50k midpoint—and Caren spies more raptors!
- 2009-07-10 - Midsummer Night's Mile: 6:32 mile PR, cheered on by Christina and friends
- 2009-07-16 - Texas Speedwork + 2009-07-18 - Austin Town Lake Loop + 2009-08-09 - Dorothy Zimmermann + 2009-08-10 - Beep, Beep, Beep, ...: runs in Texas, while visiting family
- 2009-07-26 - Riley's Rumble Half Marathon: monster ~15 minute PR improvement, 1:55:33 on a hilly and uncertified but reputedly long course
- 2009-08-01 - Catoctin 50k Trail Run and Catoctin 50k 2009 Addendum: I earn a Cat Card by finishing in 7:53 on this solo effort; Caren and her daughters surprise me at the midcourse aid station
- 2009-08-07 - MCRRC Going Green Track Meet: 2 mile PR of 13:42, plus mile relay team effort with Christina, Don Libes, and Robin Zimmermann
- 2009-08-15 - The Bridges of Sligo Creek Trail plus Comus Run: two fun runs in one day, with CM and Caren
- 2009-08-16 - Kabrena Rodda: long-missed friend visits the area
- 2009-08-22 - Two Bees, or Not Two Bees: both Caren and I are stung on the CCT
- 2009-09-05 - One Third of The Ring: Kate and I enjoy ~25 miles on the Massanutten Trail, in spite of falls and blisters and dehydration—We Shall Return!
- 2009-09-13 - Double Parks Half Marathon: pacer duty for the half marathon plus bonus mileage to/from home, with a 4am start
- 2009-09-19 - Gunpowder Falls: grassy circuit with Caren, Gayatri, and Mary
- 2009-09-20 - Bachman Valley Half Marathon: Christina takes me on a pleasant tour of the northern Maryland countryside
- 2009-09-26 - CCT RCT Loop Plus + 2009-10-03 - Bunnies on the CCT + 2009-10-17 - Chilly CCT: training runs with Gayatri, and her friends Sara Crum & Rebecca Rosenberg for parts
- 2009-10-10 - Andiamo 2009: 44.5 miles in 7:56, an hour improvement over last year's run of the W&OD Trail
- 2009-10-25 - Marine Corps Marathon 2009: new PR by five minutes at 4:25:30, most of the way with Kate
- 2009-11-01 - Potomac Heritage 50k 2009: flooded streams make for an exciting run
- 2009-11-05 - Appalachian Trail and Canal Towpath: with Kate, JFK "area fam" where I broke an arm last year
- 2009-11-28 - Northern Central Trail Marathon: another monster PR, 4:01:06 on a fast mostly-flat course
- 2009-12-12 - Magnus Gluteus Maximus: ~27 miles on the Bull Run Trail with Kate
- 2009-12-13 - Bread Run: I'm honored to escort Diane Pham in her very first race, a rough 10k in a cold rain
Later, analysis of speed versus distance and the factors that perhaps went into a lucky 2009 ...
(cf. Running Logbook, Running2006Analysis, 2009 Summer-Fall Tentative Race Calendar, ...) - ^z - 2010-01-08