Year in Review 2014

It's time again to do my year in review that I post every New Year's Eve. The year of 2014 was filled with so many memories that it will be hard to not write a book for this post. I'll try and just capture some of the high points.

The year began with construction. We decided to remodel our basement to better accommodate the ages of our kids. Having boys in the teenage years of life requires more space, and so we added two more legal bedrooms. They turned out really nice, and come spring we put in the required egress windows, which totally changed the character of the space. We also took the opportunity to get a new floor in our kitchen, and replace an aging and broken dishwasher this year. Because we may not stay in this house once the kids all graduate, we're trying to weigh the options for how much work we want to do, and how much money to invest.

My year in beer was mostly uneventful. I didn't bother entering many competitions this year, although I did volunteer at one. We did partake quite frequently of the new taprooms that are springing up around town, and I enjoyed trying a lot of new brews, and filling out my Untappd check-in list. I did complete my keg collar project, and it turned out great, and I've loved having fresh beer on tap at any time. My final project for this year was trying a cider, which is currently fermenting in my basement.

As I talked about in a previous wrap-up, this was a great year in running for me. I managed numerous races, including my second full marathon. My training this year was markedly better than previous years, and I managed to avoid injury for my entire season. My times dropped, and I was running slower for much of the year, but I felt good and felt strong, so I'm not going to worry about pace. I'm really hopeful for my 2015 running year. My goal for 2015 will be to run a race every month of the year.

On the travel front, we had a couple of big trips. We headed to Las Vegas to visit my wife's parents, leaving behind a snowstorm for a much warmer experience. Then we drove to Michigan for a 25K race with some good friends, stopping in Chicago on the way there, and taking a car ferry for part of the way back. The rest of our travel for the year involved quick trips to the North Shore along Lake Superior, or little visits to St. Cloud to visit family.

The boys have been doing well in school and work. My two boys are in schools that fit well for them, and have helped them get over their perceived bad experiences with middle school. Lisa's son has started working, and making decent money, learning how to be an adult. All three boys are growing into fine young men, and we're proud of all of them.

In the world of education, Lisa had some major accomplishments in 2014. She completed her Fitness Specialist certificate, got accepted, and started, her Physical Therapist Assistant program, and completed the final classes to get her Bachelor's of Elective Studies degree from Saint Cloud State University. I also completed a program this year, finishing my Graduate Certificate in Leadership from Capella University.

Our jobs have been going well, and our major marital strife's have all usually been around hugely major issues such as what to eat for dinner ;-) . So on the whole, life is good and we're happy and healthy. Here's looking forward to an exciting 2015, and all the awesome adventures that are to come.

A story of woe (ya, it's about cars...)

So let me tell you a story. A story of cars. Many cars. With lots of woe and tragedy that befall the sorrowful protagonist...

Our saga opens nigh a few fortnights past. The lovely maiden that doth shares her life with our hero engages in a transaction with the local smithy to correct some troubling misgivings in her primary mode of long distance ambulation. A short time passes, when the offspring of said maiden comes of age and requires a burdensome metal steed of his own. Our hero assists in the carrying out of this search and acquisition and all seems well in the kingdom. Until one fateful night that jabbering box of technology doth ring repeatedly. The offspring has run amok in the hinterlands, not fully understanding the ramifications of cursed alarms and flashing lights. His steed screams and sputters in cries of distress for its sacred fluid of lubrication. With oily substance now absent, the great metal beast gives up the ghost and retires to a place of rust and aged rubber.

But alas! The day is not all lost, as another steed has joined heard the call to hasten to the battlefield. A steed of black, with a name that evokes the image of science and electrification. For sure this metal savior will be the cause of much rejoicing for ages to come. But then, our hero smells a foul odor, burnt and acrid like the pits of Hades. Alas, his own beast of burden had chosen this moment in time to become stricken, unable to contain the viscous fluids that sustain whatever semblance of life that these metal steeds doth enjoy. Many days did pass, and much gold was tendered to the smithy to rejuvenate the fiery red beast to its former glory.

As the deed was completed, the hero sighs, content that the saga is now ended. It would not be so, for upon inspection of the grounds surrounding the castle, our hero did spy yet more droppings of the oily sustenance required by the metal beasts. On this occasion, the newcomer, the black steed of power beauty chose to spread its fluids in a manner most undignified for the nobility of its station. Yet, in distress, there was hope, and the passing of more coinage of gold, and after a moment of exercise in the art of patience, yet again all seemed well.

As the winter winds doth seem to embolden their cry, and the air became more and more like a stinging fly to one's cheeks, yet again was our hero called into action at the behest of those great beasts of burden. The maiden put forth a hue and cry of agony. Her mighty beast, the color of the bluest ocean, had gone lame. Our hero journeyed far and wide to save his beloved, but upon arriving at her place of distress, he discovered that he lacked both scalpel and bandage, rendering his aid fruitless. Being a man of importance, however, does grant one a station of privilege, and our hero was was quick to call in the cavalry to aid and assist the recovery and rescue of the fair maiden. The salvation was bittersweet, as the recovery of the steed of water also required the distribution of more sacred gold coin.

Upon arriving at the castle, the hero retreated to partake in wine and the fermented sweetness of malted drink. His task at sullen rejuvenation was quickly interrupted again by the squawking box message and mirth. The maiden's offspring had forgotten to let his steed sleep while performing his nightly labors, and had tired the beast to the point of complete exhaustion. Our hero, still clad in the riaments of daily work proceeded to act as savior and friend, revitalizing the mighty black steed to continue its journey.

All seemed quiet, and our hero was able to imbibe and cavort in his leisure. Until the next morning when the black steed once again showed a stubbornness, and required immediate admonishment. Our hero consulted the scribes and sages of knowledge and discovered a secret to taming the disobedient beast. But not before requiring the consult of the wise and noble smithy, who could elucidate further on the problems of this noble beast. Yet, this came at the cost of more gold coin, and the fear of more gold coin to come.

So here ends our tale. It is one of woe and sadness, and one that I hope never befalls any of you fine readers.

TL;DR

• My wife's car went in for repairs.
• Her son got a car, but then killed the engine because of a bad oil pump, and not knowing what to do with the oil warning lights.
• My car then had a real main seal leak that cost a ton.
• Then her son's car had a rear main seal leak that cost a bunch.
• Then my wife's car got a flat, and no tire wrench to change it. Had to get it towed and a couple new tires later...
• Then her son's car's battery died, and we had to get a new battery and another item fixed on it.

Running Recap 2014

This year was a big year for my running. After spending most of 2013 doing as little running as possible, Lisa and I hit the ground running (ha!) as soon as we could in 2014 with a full docket of races planned. I decided to start the year off by doing a small running streak. This meant committing to running at least 1 mile per day for as long as I could. I managed two months of a streak, with only one day that didn't really count. So I considered that a relative success.

Once my streak gave way to a more serious running program, I began training for the first major races of the year. The first race was the Goldy 10 Mile, a fun jaunt around the Mississippi River roads. This was followed by the Get in Gear Half Marathon. This was the first year I attempted the half on this course (only 10k before), and despite finishing well, I don't think I'd do it again. It's such a small half marathon, that you end up running alone for long periods of time. I was lucky in that a running partner from my old job jumped onto the course and paced me for a few miles, but my wife was quite lonely on the course.

I also managed to run in Nevada in April. I was out there for the first time, on a brief vacation and got to experience running in a desert. It was so different from anything I've done before, and I encountered such different landscapes, that I think I stopped more than I should to snap pictures.

Finally, the biggest race of the spring was the River Bank Run 25k in Grand Rapids, MI. I had run this race previously, but my wife had not. We worked our training program as best we could and both of us met our goal times for the race. I wanted to beat my previous time (2:40ish), and I managed to finish under 2:30, so I was quite pleased. Apparently I was also fighting some kind illness since I got very sick as soon as I got back to the hotel, making the weekend a bit less fun, but still a good race overall.

By this point in the year we had decided to commit to running the Twin Cities Marathon in October. I know that I had said I would never run another marathon, but my wife wanted to give it a shot. Enough time had passed since my miserable experience previously, so I felt like I could give it another try. I opted for a different training program this year than before. I chose a 3-day per week plan that was designed to get in all the miles for a marathon training plan, but keep you doing other activities on other days of the week, to help avoid injury. Cross training has always been a great benefit to running, and I feel like the plan worked out great for me this year. I got a lot of biking in, some swimming, and some general weight training. I could have been more committed to the non-running workouts, but overall I felt like I made progress over the previous attempt.

Throughout the summer we picked up a few other races. We did our traditional Red, White and Boom half-marathon relay on July 4th. The Lola's 10 mile was a wild excursion that included a rain delay at the start. There were a couple shorter races in the summer as well, and we rounded out the season with the Minnesota Half Marathon in the sweltering head of August. That race was a pain in the butt, and way too hot. Lisa hated the course, but I didn't mind it too much. We'll see if we ever attempt that one again.

Once Fall hit we focused on the Marathon, with only a small local half-marathon that I did one weekend. Marathon weekend hit and everything went mostly according to plan for me. Until mile 20 that is, when cramping in my leg made it impossible to run. So I ended up not making my goal time of sub-5 hours (5:13 finish time), but I wasn't disappointed. The first part of the race was amazing, and I put down my best 20 mile time ever. By the time I had to start walking I was feeling accomplished and happy with my performance, so I didn't dwell on the fact that I didn't quite make my goal this time. Additionally, I walked away from this race feeling like I wanted to do another marathon, which is a night and day difference from my first experience a few years ago.

Because we wanted to look at doing some trail running next year, we decided to take the weekend after the Marathon to head up to the Superior Hiking Trail to walk the course of the Spring Superior 25k race. We managed to walk the course in just over 6 hours, and I enjoyed it, but it was more than Lisa expected, and she felt that she found her limit for what she wanted to attempt. So next year I'll probably be the only one focusing on trails.

We finished out the year with the Monster Dash Half Marathon, which follows one of my favorite courses in Saint Paul, and has an overall 400ft decline in elevation over the length of the course. I had a decent run, and enjoyed the experience. It was a nice way for me to wind down my running season for the year (apart from a quick Turkey Trot 5k on Thanksgiving).

I've started putting together the training plan and race plan for next year, and so far I have a few big races on the docket. I'm going to attempt 2-3 trail races including Zumbro 17 and Superior Spring 25k. We're also going to attempt Grandma's Marathon in June. It's one of the most publicized races around this area, so it seemed like a good choice for a big race this year. We've also signed up for the Looney Challenge on Twin Cities Marathon weekend. We'll be running a 5k and 10k back-to-back on Saturday, and then the 10 mile course on Sunday. I'm looking forward to it, and think it will be a really fun time.

So that's my year in review for running. I'm sure I could have gone on more about various aspects of training and gear, but I'll save that for another post sometime.

Final 2014 stats:
Total runs: 175
Total miles run: 903
Total time on feet: 156:11:44
Total elevation: 14,580
Pairs of shoes: 3