Auld Lang Syne: Let It Go

Welcome back, teammates. The New Year is here, and my final run of 2011 came on the final day of the year to wrap up my lowest monthly mileage.

Last year was a low mileage year all around, and I'm hoping that means my legs are fresh for a solid 2012.

My running in 2011 was full of "P-double-ewws," but personal worsts are there to show us how much we've improved. Right? Here's to 2012, and here's last month's statistical rundown:

• Total Miles: 15 miles (5 runs)
• Total Time: 2:43:30
• Highest Weekly: 6 miles
• Average Weekly: 3.75 miles
• Average Pace: 10:54/mile
• The Monthly Dif: -9 mile (24 miles in November)

I finished 2011 with 532 miles, my lowest total since 2006, my first year running. I also finished with 97 of those miles being run barefoot, about 18 percent of my total, which is about the only statistical category where I saw an increase all year. But let's not dwell on the year now gone.

One of my goals for this season was no Holiday Heft. I weighed in after my New Year run at 178 pounds, a good 6 to 8 pounds more than my last weigh in. I guess I can add weight loss to my list of goals for 2012.

This morning, I woke up early so I could shovel snow for the first time since moving to the house. Having lived in apartments for the past 14 years, I haven't really been responsible for snow removal since I lived with my parents.

Of course, there would be times when I had to shovel a sidewalk here and there or unbury my car to leave for work, but those were scant occurrences.

I cleared the front sidewalks and the driveway apron, and then added another 10 minutes of core and strength workouts to start my day. A quick set each of 100-Ups, 20-pound curls, crunches, bicycle sit-ups and chair dips got my heart beating. Tonight, I'll set out for a short run to begin my 2012 pre-training plan.

Happy New Year, Booze Hounds. Bring on a new year of better running.