Happy 2017!

I know I'm off to a late start but my holidays weren't full of laziness either. I managed to finish an Xmas 42 KM challenge by the BLT running group, completing a total of 42kms in 6 days. It wasn't easy, especially since it started on December 24th and ended on December 30th, but I finished it. I think it is a good omen for this new year.
So far this year I ran on Monday and yesterday (Wednesday) for a grand total of 16.5km. Tuesday was one of those "life happens" days where I had a bunch of things to do after work and none of them consisted of going for a run. Instead I did a P90X workout to fill the exercise gap.
The end of yesterday's run though kind of freaked me out, although I'm not sure how disturbed I should be about it. I was chasing the setting sun, in fact I had already lost the chase and it was getting dark by 5:15pm. I was wrapping up the last 0.5km by power walking up the last bit of trail before the parking lot when I realized I heard footsteps behind me. Seeing that I was the only car in the parking lot and thinking maybe it was a coyote or some other animal I ran to the parking lot. Just as I got to the other side of the wooden barrier I looked behind me and saw two young guys start running to the adjoining path. For a second I berated myself for over reacting but then I noticed that these guys weren't wearing anything close to running clothes...in the woods...at night...while running. It was either a very poor choice of wardrobe on their part or perhaps they were looking for a victim? There have been attacks in this area in the past year so I know it isn't impossible that my worst fears might be true. Either way it disturbed me and I'll be sure to wrap up my early evening runs a little sooner next time.
On the knee front, things have been pretty good (knocking on ALL the WOOD). Running and cross training appear to help more than they hurt. I don't wake up every single day in pain anymore, and if I run a few kms before a long drive it seems to offset that movie-theater knee I get from sitting too long. I can't say running has cured my knee, but moving appears to help more than not. I'll take it!
So my big, huge goal for this year is to run the Wascally Wrabbit ultra. Unfortunately it looks like I might have to give that up thanks to a relative's birthday party. Ugh. I emailed the RD to see what the 2017 date is, so fingers crossed it isn't the weekend around June 10th. If it is, then I'll need to suck it up and run a marathon in July before thinking about doing my first road 50k in October. I'm trying to be chill about possibly having to change my plans, but DAMN! I've been aiming for this race now since last summer and it just plain sucks that I might have to put it off. On the other hand, missing this b-day party is totally out of the question. Ugh. Life. As with my knee OA, I'm just going to have to suck it up and roll with it.