Countdown to 200

Howdy folks! I'm still here and I'm still running! Much to my surprise it looks like a few people still drop by this old blog of mine. Sorry, I haven't posted in a while, but I'm thinking about starting back up again. That said, I've still been running about 4-5 races per year, though I've ramped up my participation recently, including three ultras in the month of April. I run very little these days and have basically been run/walking most of my utlras. I don't mind as I have really enjoyed the slower pace, the many friendly conversations, and literally being able to stop and smell the roses. I'm still doing strength training and have kept my weight down, which has allowed me to maintain a higher volume of event participation and to run a little faster when I feel the need for "speed". My marathon/ultra grand total now stands at 180, despite only doing one ultra and one marathon in 2022. I ended 2024 with a full race schedule and went into 2025 with a similar plan. If I stay healthy, it would be fair to assume I will end 2025 with around 185 marathons/ultras and will hit 200 within the next two years. Of course, if my body is feeling really good and the motivation is there, I might hit 200 within 2026 at the ripe age of 45. Man. 45. It still feels weird to read that as 30, 25, and the college years still feel relatively recent. But, a lot of life has happened since then. It also feels surreal looking at the ages of some of my running colleagues from entrants lists from 20 years ago when they were in their 40's and 50's and now realizing some are in their 80's, or no longer with us. It's also strange seeing many of their race results come to a complete halt 10-15 years ago. Time. As Rocky Balboa once said. It's undefeated. Even at my age, I'm coming to terms with focusing on aging gracefully, but far from riding off into the sunset. Here are a few photos from recent years up until this past April.