If you haven't read last year's, you might want to check it out first, as many of the same themes that marked my 2022 continue on in 2023.
And speaking of contining themes, let's kick this one off with my big fitness achievement of this year...
It all started with a text...
See, back in December 2022, as I was just starting to get into running, I started a DM group with college best friends who have all been runners for many years. It was equal amounts of discussion on running, races, and general shit-talking. And on February 8, 2023, Chris set it all in motion with that one text.
At this point, I had just started running regularly, with just a few 5K races under my belt, so a 50K trail race felt a looooooong ways off. But, I was interested, so I signed up for the 10K distance. Over the course of the ensuing months, as I ran more, gradually extended the distances of my races, and with the encouragement and support of my friends, I finally felt up to the challenge of the 50K distance and upgraded my registration to the full 50K.
When the race finally came, it was a weekend full of friendship and fun, for not only did the runners all fly out to San Francisco to run with me, but their wives also came along to make a big trip out of it. Jon & Ellen, Zuf & Jennie, and Chris & Kristen all flew out for the long weekend. We took the ferry over to Sausalito fo lunch, carbo loaded with Chicago-style pizza, and enjoyed a sunny brunch out on the deck at Mission Rock Resort.
The race itself was an incredible experience: 50 kilometers, or 31 miles, starting at Land's End in San Francsico, across the Golden Gate Bridge, and then a big loop around the Marin Headlands. All told, nearly 6,000 feet of climb and 6,000 feet of descent over the course of the 50K. The weather was very misty and cloudy with some light rain, but at least it kept us cool. The four of us — Zuf, Chris, Jon, and me — stayed together for about 75% of the race, then Zuf and I went ahead just before finishing the loop and returning across the Golden Gate Bridge.
When we arrived back to the start/finish line, I was so pumped, that I ran at full sprint with everything I had left for the last 50 yards and lept in the air across the finish line!
I almost couldn't believe it: going from my first 5K in 32-some years to completing an ultramarathon, all in under 12 months. I could not have done it without their encouragement and support.
In addition to the Golden Gate Trail Classic 50K, I ran a race of some sort or another nearly every month this year.
The other big running achievement came a few weeks after that ultramarathon. That first race I ran as part of this journey, The Elf Run 5K (3.1 miles), is an annual affair, so I had my sights set on running it again and dramatically improving my time over last year.
Crushed it!
Last year I clocked a time of 32 minutes and 56 seconds. This year, my goal was 25 minutes, which is almost exactly an 8-minute/mile pace. My secret, deep in my heart-of-hearts stretch goal was to knock a solid 10 minutes off my time and get under 22:56. Beat 'em both with a time of 22:22!
But my year was not defined by running alone, I also enjoyed two big trips.
I was able to check-off a bucket list item with a month of snowboarding at Whistler Blackcomb ski resort.
Growing up in the Seattle area and starting to ski as a teenager, Whistler Blackcomb always loomed large in the collective ski consciousness, being the largest ski resort in the northwest, and fabled for it's long top-to-bottom runs. So, in late 2022, when the right opportunity arose, I booked a ski-in/ski-out condo for the entire month of January. I could walk out of the condo, cross the street, and then just steps to the gondola. A snowboarder's dream come true. All told, I got 26 days on the mountain (I did need a few rest days in there).
An extra bonus to the whole adventure was that my best friend Mark Irwin joined me for the final weekend. Mark had started skiing back home in Ohio a few years prior, but hadn't had the chance to ski any big mountains. Now was the time. We enjoyed the long weekend hitting the slopes together and taking in the majesty of the Canadian mountains.
Speaking of month-long trips to the northern reaches — I spent the whole month of July in Anchorage, Alaska.
As I wrote in last-year's review, my role at Databricks is a fully-remote position, which means I can travel and work from wherever I want as long as I get my job done. I had been thinking about a trip to Alaska for quite some time and decided to leverage my remote-work situation and rented an Airbnb in Anchorage for the entire month of July. I worked for the first two weeks, while exploring Anchorage; then took the latter half of the month as PTO and did all my excursions.
Getting close to 20 hours of daylight was wild. TBH, it didn't take long to adjust, and fortunately the Airbnb had good blackout curtains in the bedroom, so sleep wasn't a problem. It was just trippy to be outside at 10 or 11pm and the sun wasn't even setting yet.
My Airbnb host is part of an informal hiking group and they do a hike in the Anchorage area every week. I was able to join them for a couple hikes, and although just about every one of them had a story to tell of a bear encounter, fortunately I never saw a bear the whole trip. I did have a too-close-for-comfort encounter with an adult male moose, and that was enough wildlife for me.
Three standout experiences to share: Denali, Seward Whale Watching Tour, and Matanuska Glacier Hike.
There's a booze-cruise tourist train that runs from Anchorage up to Denali National Park and Preserve. It brought me up there for a short, 2-day stay at one of the resort lodges near the park entrance. Amazing scenery from the train as you climb from sea-level Anchorage up to the mountains around Denali. Even though the skies were clear, Denali is so tall it tends to create it's own weather system, and unfortunately it was clouded during my stay. Nevertheless, I did get a long day-hike guided by a local tour operator, who showered us with endless knowledge of the flora and fauna of the region.
I did a day trip to Seward for a whale watching tour. The train (again) from Anchorage to Seward (and back) winds its way through some absolutely stunning scenery, making the train ride an equally important part of the journey to the boat tour. Once on the boat, we slowly made our way out to mouth of open ocean of the Gulf of Alaksa, where we were treated to the antics of a humpback whale for nearly 30 minutes. Identified by tail markings, this one was recognized as "Morgan le Fay". She entertained us with lots of tail slaps, breaches, and spouting water. Such a rare treat!
But I must say that the most unique experience in Alaska was the Matanuska Glacier Hike. Walking on the glacier felt like being on another planet. It wasn't that much colder, but the desolation and scale of it was mind-boggling. The glacier is 4 miles wide, 26 miles long, and over 1,000 feet deep. There's nothing to use as a sense of scale neither. You'd see a big chunk of ice and think it was maybe 100-200 yards away, then the guide would tell you that it was actually a 4 mile hike to it. A once-in-a-lifetime experience.
In more mundane matters, I remain gainfully employed by Databricks as a Lead Solutions Architect. I celebrated my 4-year anniversary on November 11, 2023. The company continues to do well, and I don't forsee any big changes there in the coming year.
Also, I returned to University of San Francisco to teach a night class in their MBA program. It's only 1 class for 1 semester, so not a huge time commitment, but is fun to do and a rewarding experience. I plan to teach it again in the coming Spring.
What is on tap for 2024, you ask? In January, I'm going to Colorado for a 17-day ski trip. Yep, I said "ski" trip. After snowboarding for the past 20 years, my snowboard equipment is end-of-life, so I decided to switch back to skiing this year. I have a condo in Vail for 17 days and plan to hit a couple different resorts while I'm there.
I also have a race schedule put together for the first half of the year, with a mix of races at different distances and varieties (some road, some trail), all culminating with the San Francisco Marathon at the end of July.
P.S. the only social media I'm on now is Instagram, where you can find lots of photos of my travels, as well as my home-cooked meals: @aaron.binns
Or you can always reach me at: aaron@randomshiznat.com