Flashback Friday: Slow Not as Slow

There I was, feeling all "Eye of the Tiger," reveling in the thrill of the fight, in perfect rhythm, exacting some revenge, cruising toward home along Portage Path, when I looked at my running app to see an 11:55 mile pace. I hadn't even taken any walk breaks this time, and I was slower?

Chalk it up to morning mental fogginess. The final score was an 11:01 pace. Still a slowpoke, but faster than the 11:30 miles I logged on Sunday. Progress!

And then I almost got hit by a car.

Two doors down from our house, I had to come to a quick stop as my neighbor backed out of the driveway, which has some foliage that obstructed the view for both parties. I stopped, the car stopped. It was dark, so I couldn't see the driver well, but I thought I had the all clear to cross behind the car. As I was at the passenger side corner, the car lurched into gear and almost snapped my left femur like a twig.

Let's pause for a safety meeting: Communication and visibility are your No. 1 tools for avoiding vehicular manslaughter. While I was decked out in my hunter's neon yellow cap, bright orange shirt and reflective vest (not to mention my pasty white skin), I probably should have worn my headlamp for extra visibility. My communication with the driver was also lacking. I couldn't see inside the car to make eye contact or give/receive a visual cue. Instead, I should have just waited for the driver to proceed. THE MORE YOU KNOW, PEOPLE!

It may sound ridiculous, but I've readjusted my yearly goal to crack 200 miles, which will be my lowest annual total since I began running in 2006. You know, because babies, am I right?

It's a meager goal, but it seems doable, which is the point. I think I can manage about 7 miles a week for the rest of the year. Maybe I'll even surprise myself, but let's not get our hopes up, OK?

After looking back through this year's posts, I don't think I even announced any goals for the year. Maybe because I knew from the get-go this would be a challenging year to accomplish such things. I did set some goals and marked them down in my running log. This is actually the second revision:

• My yearly goal for total mileage started at 1,000 miles, then went to 400 miles and now we're at 200. 
• I wanted to get my weight down to 170 pounds, then it was 175 and now I'm hoping for 180, but even that seems a bit far fetched right now.
• My racing goals were to return to the Akron Marathon and run two trail races, and now Mrs. Viper and I are considering the possibility of running a 5K this winter, which may or may not be this calendar year, to get us both back on the health and fitness train. 
• I also wanted to maintain that 10 percent barefoot goal from years past, which at 13 miles so far is still in play if we get some more warm fall days.

It's been a challenging year in terms of staying fit and active, but I'm focusing on the long view. There's always next year.