Skretta's Scintillating Salutations

2011 is almost over.  Personally, it was a great year for running: no debilitating injuries that kept me from pounding the pavement and I am getting better at staying the course, keeping my commitment to myself to keep moving, and living the discipline of going the distance and trying to log miles to stay marathon-ready.  I averaged 40 miles per week over the last year. So, with the end of another year approaching, here it is, the long-awaited, much-anticipated list of this year's best runs according to my own totally subjective opinion!  (If that's not enough of a disclaimer I'll  also note that I am most decidedly not  an elite runner and I have the privilege of being sponsored by: no one.) First of all, let's be clear about the criteria.  To have the audacity to call these the "Best Runs of 2011" is a bit presumptuous, admittedly.  I didn't run every run out there.  But of those road races and trail runs I did have the privilege of particip...

I ran the 114th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 19th. This photo was taken about 10 minutes after I literally hurled my Gatorade all over my shoes after the finish, nearly passed out, and heard the five words no marathoner wants to hear: “Do you need a medic?” After refusing to go the medical tent, (because I figured I could just lean on Sara) I managed to fold my cramping legs into a cab and we got back to the hotel. It was awesome! I have a blissful look because approximately 2.5 seconds after the snapshot was taken, I collapsed in bed and did not move for 2 hours! Hooray for physical activity. Marathons may be a little excessive but they do give one a neat sense of accomplishment. Here are two important things I think I learned in Boston: *Great city, great people, so kind and encouraging of all participants. It reminded me that everyone’s got their own race to run. Pace doesn’t matter so long as you’re in the race. The point is to keep movin’! *Enjoy the moment. I derived a lot o...