New Year, New Goals
Each January, I write out my goals and resolutions for the year. Now that I have a smart phone, it’s easy to keep track of my progress as the year unfolds. In 2012, I found early inspiration for my running with Heather Utrata when she ran the first seven races she entered. I felt motivated to get out and run by her success.
But I found myself lacking inspiration when I first tried to write down my 2013 goals. That is, until I read the interviews by our Colorado Runner Racing Series winners. It’s hard to not feel motivated as you read some of their incredible stories.
Take Jeff Dumas, for instance, who doesn’t seem to think that his age or health should be slowing him down at all. At age 67, he still runs five to 12 miles every day. In addition to winning his age division in the Racing Series, he finished climbing the last of Colorado’s Fourteeners this year. And that was while he underwent treatment and surgery for his thyroid cancer. If he can do it, so can I, and so can you.
Age also didn’t stop Bob VanLangenhoven of Fort Collins, who set a goal this year to break two hours and 50 minutes in the marathon. That’s an incredible goal for almost any runner. But Bob is 50 years old. And he reached his goal with a 2:49:46 finish at the Marshall University Marathon on November 11th.
Many runners featured in this magazine didn’t take up running until later in life. Boulder’s Jim Martin raced in 33 events this year. But he was once overweight with a two-pack-a-day cigarette habit. He used drive and determination to turn himself into an incredible runner, often recording 100 miles a week on the roads.
Sometimes I struggle to lace up my running shoes because the weather is bad. But the next time I have thoughts like that, I’m going to think of Kyle Hubbart. He ran 22 races this year, often in challenging weather conditions. He raced on Father’s Day in 98 degree temperatures and he raced last winter when the wind chill factor was -28 degrees.
So if you haven’t written any New Year’s Resolutions yet, I hope you find inspiration in these amazing runner’s stories. They represent all ages and a variety of backgrounds. They all love to run, just like you and I.
Derek Griffiths