A Great 2012! Happy New Year, All...

(Quinn and Sophie Jane ham it up with Dad and Mom in the Tahoe snow)

I hope this finds you all well, and enjoying a little downtime as 2012 draws to a close. What a crazy year it has been! So many wonderful trails, an abundance of shared smiles and triumph, all sandwiched into a wicked full dance card. We are blessed to have adventure at every turn.

It all started with a great winter romp through the Pacifica hills at the inaugural Brooks Falls 50k...

...then a new half marathon PR at the San Francisco Half Marathon (1:16:23) set me up for a great run at the hilly Austin Marathon (2:46:05)...

...then a casual Way Too Cool 50k, where ITR teammate Gary Gellin crushed the course record...

...the Boston Marathon was a hot one this year, 20 degrees hotter than the Presidio 10m in San Francisco the day before...

...and I really had fun at the Providian Relay, my first try at a team distance format...

...there were a few hiccups in the season, such as a broken toe, a stomach virus, Hurricane Sandy canceling the NYC Marathon, an unceremonious end with the team I had known for five years, funemployment, and a DNF at the superb Black Hills 100 (my own fault after riding Harley's all day before), but took it all in stride...

...we saw heroes rise and heroes fall, Race Directors come and go, and unfortunately had to say goodbye to a few warriors along the way (Robert and Linda, Micah, Michael)...

...I enjoyed some new cycling adventures at the Auburn Century, the Tour de Menlo, and the Guardsmen Century...

...and had a couple of trips to Europe for the uber-weather challenge of the Ultra Tour de Mont Blanc in Chamonix, France, as well as an opportunity to talk about ultrarunning with all the entrepreneurs at Le Web in Paris this winter...

One Ultrarunner's Journey to Measure the Human Spirit @scott_dunlap from Scott Dunlap

...combined with a few more great local races in Half Moon Bay, Redwood City, the naked Bay to Breakers, and Woodside, it was a wonderful year! Best of all, friends and family stayed healthy and active, with plenty of adventures all their own.

So what awaits for 2013?!? So many possibilities!!! The Excel spreadsheet is up, and the lottery results are in, so let's get that schedule together. Oh, the places we will go!

Happy New Year, everyone!

- SD