February was nothing special really. I had a few good runs but my Achilles was tight most of the month so I backed off on the miles and increased the yoga. The best part of the month was visiting my friends in Albania for a week. Though I didn’t run at all that week I did get a lot of walking in. Another high point was having a five hour layover in Rome which gave opportunity for a very quick walking tour of some piazzas and the Coliseum. It was so beautiful, Rome is definitely on my future vacation list. My only race was the Ugly Mudder Trail Race in Reading, PA. Besides being really hilly this year’s race had the addition of over a foot of fresh snow and a layer of crust to top it off. This turned the trail into mostly single track with plenty of blood stains from the crust cutting people’s ankles open.
March was amazing and my favorite month this year. I spent the entire month in Albania working and hanging out with great friends. I worked out every day running, hiking, lifting and yoga sessions. I helped a group of very professional Albanian military instructors prepare their Officer Candidates to travel to New Jersey where they would attend U.S. Officer Candidate School. I ate a lot of meat and drank a lot of raki (AKA moonshine). The most amazing day was spent on Maja e Kruja where I participated in a pilgrimage into the Bektashi temple located in a cliff-side cave high above the ancient city of Kruja. This was followed by about 3 hours of feasting on fresh meats, breads and fruit. The day ended with a professional futbol (soccer) game between KF Tirana and KF Partizani at Qemal Stafa in downtown Tirana. It was an exciting game which included fires in the stands, explosives thrown onto the field, and ended in a tie with a last minute Partizani score. I met up with friends and finished the evening off with some more food and a lot more raki! Other favorite spots visited included an ancient Roman amphitheater in the seaside city of Durres and a guided tour of the National Art Museum thanks to my good friend Tea who works there.
April and May seemed to fly by so quickly. I had some great runs including Whites Bogs on Mondays, Cranberry Trail Wednesday nights, Tyler Arboretum and Triple Crown trail races and a hash run hosted by three-balls at his Pennsylvanian Barn of Amazement which includes an actual fighter plane hanging from the rafters. Oh yeah and I finally scored a perfect 300 on my Army Physical Fitness Test! I also co-haired Jim Pate’s Birthday Hash and received my hash name, of which I can not publish here.
During June my left Achilles grew tighter and tighter and the knot on my heel got larger with each run and I required more days off between each workout. I raced the Wissahickon Trail Classic in Philly and my all-time favorite race, the annual Bouncing Buns clothing-optional trail race at Sunny Rest Resort in Palmerton, PA! As the soccer season started in July, my struggle with my left Achilles grew worse. My running shrunk to just the time I was on the pitch and even that was a daily struggle. Even though I couldn't train much I ran the River-to-Sea 91 mile relay race across New Jersey August 2nd with a great group of friends from the Pineland Striders. We didn't score very high but we had a great day running anyways starting at the Delaware River and ending on the beach in Manasquan, NJ. Then it happened, on August 11th during the soccer playoffs, just as I broke free past the last defender down the right line I heard a pop and fell to the ground. It felt like a rubber band had snapped. My game was done and so was my year. An MRI a couple days later confirmed my suspicion, I had torn my Achilles. On a good note, our team went on to beat the Jamaican team in the finals 3-1 to win the tournament.
September, October and November was full of physical therapy and a lot of limping but no running. Finally, on December 12 I got a bone spur removed and my Achilles repaired so now I sit on my couch with my foot in a cast waiting and dreaming of getting back out on the trails. I know it won’t happen for a few more months but I'm looking forward to lacing up my Inov-8s and taking that first step. With my knee fixed in 2013 and now my Achilles in 2014 I know 2015 is going to be a great year!
