2018 year in review

2018 was a very fun year. I can't wait for next year.

How do I describe 2018? Ambitious, fun, inspiring. It was a tremendous year filled with accomplishments, achievements, adventures, making a difference, learning new skills, and laughs. No question the year was filled with struggles. It is normal to have tough times but it is up to you on how the individual adapts. It was frustrating starting a task only to stop and quit. My biggest criticism was not having consistently productive days. Sticking to a schedule and staying focus is another improvement I need to work on.

Obviously, I participated in several running races. Instead of boring readers with another recap, click the links to view more details about my running.

To begin the year, I was training for a marathon coming up in a few months. Vividly remember two days of training in extremely cold, sub-zero temperatures. One day, I volunteered a couple hours at a homeless shelter in Saratoga Springs. Henry Rollins visited Albany for a spoken word tour talking about his world travels. It was an inspiring show.

February
After eight years and over 100,000 miles with my Chevrolet Malibu, it was time for a change. Made a decision to lease a brand new car, model, and brand. Celebrated my birthday doing a training run and eating non-dairy ice cream pint (Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie). Ended the birthday celebration weekend on a positive note with a Union hockey game against Cornell and a live performance by Dropkick Murphys.

March
If my memory serves me correctly, I took some time off social media to get refocused. Racing season began with the Garden State 10 in New Jersey. There was a half marathon challenge, 5K run followed by the 10 mile race.

April
In order to stay active, I swam in an olympic size pool for the first time in several years. It was a struggle but it felt rewarding doing an activity that was difficult. It is a excellent cross training method for marathon runners. My racing season carried on with two events: Code Blue 8K and New Jersey Marathon. This was my fourth time completing the marathon distance. The course was wonderful, finishing on the boardwalk, overlooking the ocean. I believe a wedding ceremony was being conducted on the beach while the race was in progress.

May
No distance races this month but so many fun events. Spent a weekend catching up with high school friends at a wedding. Spent a Sunday taking a walking tour with John Joseph, Cro-Mags vocalist. Saw the original Misfits line up perform in Newark, NJ. Arena Football returned to Albany and I was fortunate to attend a regular season game. 2018 is not even over but I can't wait for next season.

June
No surprise, more training for an upcoming race. Ran in a local trail race for the first time in nearly four years. A week later, I was in Boston running 10 kilometers with thousands of other competitors including elite athletes.

August
311 and Offspring performed in Syracuse on their summer tour. Felt like a nostalgic teenage in the front row singing along to their hit songs.

September
I decided to run two half marathons in a two week span to salvage a good running season. Disappointed I could not run a second marathon due to investments. Before the running, I drove to Woodstock Farm Sanctuary for a facility tour. Michelle Wolf had a one night only show in Albany. Sold out show at 7 PM was wonderful. For my races, I decided to run in Vermont. In terms of performance, it was excellent and strong. The two race gave me the quickest times in the half marathon distance. Can't wait to race again in the Green Mountain State soon. Read recaps here: Manchester and Vermont Sun (Brandon).

Woodstock Farm Sanctuary

October
A strong racing season concluded in Boston at the B.A.A Half. After running the 10K race in Boston a few months ago, I decided to sign up for the half marathon race soon afterwards. Not my quickest time but it was so much fun running in a fantastic city. Very pleased with the results over a span of month.

November
I volunteered at the MVP Stockade-athon race in Schenectady. It was second time participating in the last three years. It was also a wonderful month of trying beneficial activities: Cryo therapy and infrared sauna. Visited another animal sanctuary en route home: Tamerlaine Farm Sanctuary. Before the month ended, I decided to give the gym membership another try. Signed up at Planet Fitness, and it has been going great. Planning workouts on a weekly basis has made a tremendous difference.

December
The 21st will mark three years of drug-free living. The biggest reason was losing a good friend that was the same age as me due to a car accident. Also, a couple friends have been staying on the straight arrow, even with children of their own. Thank you very much for the inspiration. I am a much better individual today than I was a few years ago. My thirties have been wonderful so far. I would love to keep that up going into my forties and beyond.

Thank you friends, family, healthy foods, and running for making 2018 a wonderful year. I can't wait to see what the new year brings. Love you all. Stay strong. Reflect. Work on improvements for the new year.

-Matt Jerauld

Saratoga Palio Half Marathon

This morning, I completed my seventh half marathon and second in the beautiful city of Saratoga Springs, New York. It was beautiful running weather and honored to run for a great cause, The Melanie O'Donnell Foundation. In my previous half marathon, not only did I set a personal best but it was the fastest 13.1 miles I have ever ran. My goal was to set another personal best. Unfortunately, I was about 3 minutes slower than my July race. I had to stop at mile 8 to use the bathroom which cost me a minute or two. Would it have helped me PR if I did not stop? Not entirely sure. Despite that, I walked away pretty satisfied with the result and knowing it will be a very nice tune up for the Philadelphia Marathon coming up in two months. It was beautiful running through downtown and through the state park just up the road. Thank you to all the volunteers, road marshalls, and race coordinators for making this a safe and exciting race. The last time I spent time downtown was almost three years ago when I went to a wedding reception. It was pretty sweet walking around after the race.

Not sure if it is just me but it was difficult falling asleep Saturday night. Race day anxiety? We'll never know. I was just happy to be running in another race. Woke up at 6 AM to get ready for the day making the best of a tough situation. Before races and long runs, I do not eat a very heavy breakfast. I limit it to fruit and grains, banana and toast with a peanut butter spread. After you finish a race, what is usually waiting at the finish line? A nice spread of post race fuel (bagels, fruit, and beverages). Today was a nice post race recovery because Purebred Athletics offered free massages to runners. I took full advantage of it and felt a huge sense of relief afterwards. It was nice getting out meeting new runners and seeing familiar faces again. I saw Jenna who was watching her brother run in the same race cheering us on. I talked to Alaina, a college classmate I have not talked to in several years. It was very nice to catch up again. Running races has really helped me break out of my own shell and be more socially engaging.

I'm exhausted and now it is time to start a new work week. Until next time.

Saratoga Springs pace and catching up

Been home for several hours coming from an exhausting but amazing weekend. I ran in my sixth half marathon in Saratoga Springs and it was an awesome result. I took a couple minutes off of my personal best going from 1:43 to about 1:40. Despite the miserable weather, it was a very enjoyable run through Saratoga Spa State Park and the course was very flat for the most part. The course was not overwhelming and you do not have to deal with so much vehicle traffic compared to most races. It was organized very well and hopefully will have more participants in the coming years. Thank you 3C Race Productions, the Strong Serve organization, and all other participants who made the event possible. I would definitely run this race again in the future and it was one of the best I have participated in.

While I was in the capital region, I got to catch up with an amazing friend I have not seen in almost five years. Me and Jenna went to Browns Tap Room in Troy and talked over an amazing meal. I still can not get over that it has been so long since our last get together. We also reminisced about eating at the same place six years ago Thanksgiving weekend. It was great going back there even though I do not drink now. I was impressed with selection of vegetarian and vegans options available. Jenna told me that the establishment just hired a new chef to do a complete overhaul of the menu. Even though it was my first time in the restaurant in some time, I was very pleased with the atmosphere. If you are in Troy, NY, definitely check out Browns-Troy Tap Room. Next time on my trip to the area is brunch at Cafe Madison and doughnuts at Nibble Incorporated. Thank you Jenna for those excellent recommendations and I can't wait to get together again soon. Lets not wait another five years. Now, it's time to start a new week.

That's me all soaking wet from the rain but very happy with the end result

Books, Philosophically Built, and another half marathon

Hope your Fourth of July was amazing like mine was. It has been another very productive week and I couldn't be any happier. I got two books from the library written by legendary New York Mets players: Dwight Gooden and Mookie Wilson. I finished Doc A Memoir and learned so much about this amazing pitcher after reading his book. He is now a bigger influence on me for quitting drugs and alcohol all together and he is still fighting today. Keep up the good work Dwight. I'm glad to see he is still alive and doing much better. Hopefully people in similar circumstances to his can learn from him and always surround yourself with positive-minded people. Hopefully I can meet him one day and talk to him about the obstacles he has had to overcome. He will be in an upcoming documentary on ESPN July 14th called Darryl and Doc. I can't wait to hear their about their memories and tumultuous relationship as professional ball players. I just started reading Mookie: Life, Baseball, and the '86 Mets yesterday. I will let you know how that book is when I am finished.

Friday was another workout day at Philosophically Built. As Blake likes to call it, Challenge Friday. I got on the board again by completing two challenges. The first one was five minutes of clean and jerks with the 12kg kettle bells. I was able to do fifty-five in that time frame good for second rank. The other challenge was reverse lunges with 16 kg kettle bells. Despite struggling at the end, I was able to do 24, good enough for the top spot. Look whos getting stronger! I can't wait to get back to work on Tuesday.

This Sunday, I will be running in another half marathon to get tuned up for the big race in November. This will be in Saratoga Springs and I can't wait to have a great run and maybe beat my personal best of 1:43. It has been almost three years since I have been up that way but I am excited to be up there again visiting my friends.

It has been awesome cooking my own meals again and spending more time in the kitchen. The dishes I have made so far have been excellent.

 Home made veggie burgers

 Szechuan Tofu and Green Beans