‌👋‌ Hello! Come introduce yourself and share your 2022 story (December)

[LouB]

👋 Hello & Welcome in.

If you're new here then it's a little Community ritual we like to keep going each month to have you come and introduce yourself here. Share whatever you're comfortable with, whether that's what activities you like to do, what you're interested in learning from other Strava athletes to help you go further or just a random fact about yourself.

For December, let's talk about your favorite activity from this year. If you were writing a message to someone to share something memorable you did this year what would it be?

For me, this year has been memorable for some of my bigger hiking adventures that I managed to record and share on Strava. Most memorably, I was able to visit Channel Islands National Park, California (just off the coast from north LA) and hike around the biggest island Santa Cruz for a few days. It was not as cold as I would have liked, quite dusty but extraordinarily peaceful and beautiful.

Coastal view of sea and cliffs, Channel Islands National Park

Snowball

[Cato]

Hi, I just started running this past year. I competed in 3 fun runs at the 5 k level. I run about 25 miles a week. My favorite run was on Thanksgiving morning (Run to Feed the Hungry) in Sacramento. This is a huge run that features a live band every 2 blocks. It was really a blast as I ran with a small group of friends. I also started trail running in the Motherlode (foothills) of California. My goal in the new year is running at least two 10k races in trail running. Before I started running I competed in an equestrian sport. This involved training five days a week. I just retired my horse, so no competitions at all this past year. Runnings seems so simple and cheap compared to equestrian sports, but I do miss my equine companion.

[Soren]

Hi there @Cato and welcome! Thanks for sharing a glimpse into your running journey so far, it sounds like it's been a very positive and exciting experience for you. I agree that running is much more fun with friends and a live band (although I've yet to experience that myself)! It sounds like you have the commitment and discipline from your equestrian sports days, we will be cheering on you on your trail runs next year 🙌 do you have good trails to train on nearby?