A new year. A new starting line. A new track.

I have mixed feelings about switching years. I've gone through a lot of change, including living and working in several countries, and benefited a lot from it. But the I don't like the change for the sake of change as I've seen some leaders over doing at work. I much prefer the "if it ain't broken, don't fix it!" principle and adage.

In Sales, a new year means all the counters get reset and you have to start from scratch on a new quota. For me as a runner, it's also pretty much that game as, like many others, I keep track of a bunch of yearly statistics in my log. Distance, time, number of races, number of ultras, mileage for each pair of shoes, average pace, deltas with previous year's marks, number of log entries, race entry fees, ... Short of leveraging a coach, I'd better get organized to monitor myself...

With that, all the yearly counters got to zero on the morning of New Year's Day. For 8 of my top years, I was able to get to 3,100 miles, an average of 100 km a week, by early December, early enough to take a refreshing 3-week break, following an advice and habit I got from Scott Jurek upon getting into ultra running. Last year, still easing up after the meniscus injury of 2023, I finished with 4,600 kilometers (2,860 miles) but with only 4 days to spare. Hopefully the lower weekly mileage will count toward resting then...

It was supposed to rain all day on this first day of the year but we got some lucky and welcomed lull at the end of the morning. I wanted to start the year with a bang, running 50K, although I was a bit hesitant of holding on for 4 hours in the rain. A short sun shine did help with the motivation to toe a new start line for 2026.

Agnès love we start the year running our first mile together, this is a very sweet and lovely tradition indeed! And so we did!

With that start on the right foot, and only partial drizzle, I managed to run 50K indeed. A solid effort, below a 7:30 min/mile average for the first 20 miles, but slowing down for a marathon close to 3:15 and a 50K just under 3:59 (not counting a few stops to refuel). Jed Smith 50K is earlier than usual this year, on 1/31, so better continue working toward this milestone. Well, the grueling No Hands Half marathon in Auburn will happen next week so that will be another fitness test for the quads and hamstrings in particular. And glutes which ended up quite sore this Friday, in a 15K recovery run.

Back to the title, what's up about the new track? Kind of old news since I already announced the opening of the resurfaced track we got back in October. What I would add though is that it has become a new test, or proof, of how much civility our society lost since I moved to the US almost 30 years. When you can feel it even in a place like Cupertino, you know we are going backward. Over the past months, I feel I've been the Don Quixote of that track. Not that I even come every week, but the handful of times I've come for some track work.

Last weekend, more than 50 young adults cam to play flag football. While it's heartwarming to see them exercise as a group this way, the closest door to the track was closed so we had to go around the bleaches to find the only open door. Despite me telling more than a dozen of them about the open gate, they all decided to climb over the fence. Plus 20 or so older adults playing soccer that Sunday.

Feeling like the fence has traces of a herd of bulls running over it...

I've had to tell families coming on the track with their bikes that no wheels were allowed on the track. Per the rules posted at multiple places around the track, and the entrance of the campus.

Then 2 ladies walking 3 dogs, not only on the campus, but who wanted to cut through the track to save 20 yards.

The worst was the day after Christmas with 2 teens riding a powerful ebike on the track with tires equipped with huge crampons, enough to compete with a motocross bike! I didn't have my camera with me to catch that, I regret. They hesitated to comply when I ask them to stop and leave, but they must have seen my resolve.

The point is that I would hate the district has to close that amazing track on weekends. I've traveled around the world, having visited 71 countries so far, and I can assure you there isn't another place on Earth where such top quality athletics facilities are freely open to the public this way, without even anyone monitoring.

And the rules are pretty clear and posted in multiple places...

Other than these disappointing incidents, I was super impressed with the number of people on the track during the 4 hours I was there. Great to see so many good resolutioners! :-) And let's make sure we keep the track as new as possible for the next 20 years (it was originally built in 2005 and this is the first resurfacing).

Yes, let's get to log a few more miles in 2026, while we can! (*)

(*) Special thoughts for Ann Trason, the queen of ultra running in the 90s, setting multiple world records, winning Western States 14 times, who managed to log more than 100 miles over 5 days, pushing her walker as she is battling an advanced form of rheumatoid arthritis. Much inspiration and respect, Ann! For us, no more excuses not to get out of the door and keep moving and pushing the limits! (Photo source: https://www.facebook.com/aravaiparunning)