Reflections of 2008

We are now nearing the beginning of the 10th day of 2009. As 2008 ended and 2009 began, I find myself reflecting on the accomplishments that I have made in 2008. They were numerous and I have this burning desire to list them...

I began training with Lorene in the pool, and on the bike three days a week. Throughout the winter, she brought me from almost nothing in the pool, to a more relaxed, confident swimmer. My cycling also gave me a renewed strength and helped me with my running in ways I have not imagined.

At Kula Yoga, I participated in the 40 Days to Personal Revolution Programme. It was a programme that brought about self-awareness, in many ways. I found myself gaining a clear insight into who I was. I now seek to find my inner truth and will always remember the lessons learned.

My commutes into the city and back home became more lively when I started getting close to the regular commuting gang, and becoming friendly with the train crew, especially Big Dave and Manley (the engineer). I never knew I could learn so much about the railroad. Rick always picked on me but the rest of the gang knew it was all in fun - especially when I started fighting back. By the end of the year, I rode the cab car with Dave and Manley and (unbeknownst to the big cheeses at CP Rail and GO Transit) got to climb the locomotive when the brake test was being conducted. It was quite a rush but we all agreed that the design of the newer locomotive made the trip up and down all the more dangerous.

With my running, I have reached many high watermarks. On the road, I set some impressive PBs for the 50K distance, going under six hours for the first time. 5:48 is the current PB. My 50M times also went down. At Sulphur Springs, with the help of Fred Davis, I broke 11:30 by 3 seconds. Improvement was also seen at Haliburton Forest, shedding 20 minutes off the time from 2007. At that time, I was still hurting from completing my first 24H race at Dirty Girls 6/12/24 Hour Trail Race. Total distance - 125Km. This has given me more motivation where my 100M pursuit is concerned. My achievements in the Ontario Ultra Series were sealed with a Norm Patenaude Award for completing at least 8 ultras in the series. Finally, for the first time in a long time, I ran the Boxing Day 10 Miler in Hamilton and finished in 1:30:40. That equals to an overall pace of 9:04 per mile. Impressive to say the least.

There were also challenging moments in 2008. Some of them occurred when I participated in the 40 Day programme. This was the time where the layers were starting to come off. In fact, the more I practised yoga, the more transparent I was becoming - to me, and to some of my closer friends. Shedding the layers does not come easy but once the layers have been shed, there is a sense of enlightenment. I remember when I was training on the trails with the Mud Puppies one Saturday. I was in a really foul mood and just wanted to be alone. Suddenly, the rain started coming down and I started having a breakdown. I started taking different routes along the trail and took a long time to return to the parking because I needed to be totally alone to evaluate what was happening to me. I realised then that I wanted to please people by doing what my heart was not set out to do at the time. In this case, I was attempting to train for the Haliburton 100M. Let me tell you, the heart does not lie. I wanted to do Dirty Girls 24H. Simple as that. As much as my training buddies meant well, I had no intention of doing Haliburton as a first 100M. After the breakdown, I did what I wanted to do - the Dirty Girls 24H. It felt good to finish and I have definitely learned from my experience. I have learned the value in following your heart and retaining lessons learned.

2008 was also challenge for some of my friends. Personal conflicts were being fought by all. One thing I admired was the determination that was shown by those who chose to tackle these conflicts and move on. There were some very hard struggles - struggles that attempt to knock you out permanently - but from within the ashes, a new person emerges. It was my honour to be there as a confidante at times when I was needed. It reminded me that while I may have had struggles, there are others who need to reach out and know that someone out there cares about them.

Now, as I move through 2009, I cannot help but sense that inspite of the economic turmoil, and the fact that the world is not totally at peace, there is a sense of optimism that comes from within. For me I would like to get through 2009 with focus. There are grand goals that I have in mind... I'm not ready to share them yet as I have to plan them out first...

Cheers to 2009!