We went on a New Year's Eve run last evening, which we like to do when there's no holiday party on the agenda. It brought us to 129 miles for the year. That's our best running year since 2005, when we pounded out 149. We're shooting to top that one in '13, but we'll have to see how it goes for a while before we set our sights on 2004's total of 204. Our best year since we started counting was 2003, with 269 miles.

Having the right equipment helps. Last night we broke out a pair of headphones that are built inside of ear muffs. Put out by an outfit called 180s. These were a Christmas present last year, or maybe the year before that. Given that Portland weather rarely gives us a run in sub-40-degree weather, this was their first outing. We were skeptical, but we hooked them up to the miraculous little iPod, and they worked well.

One discovery we made in the past year or two was accidental. We had always run without our spectacles, but one time we forgot and set out running with them still on. Rather than turn back to put them away, we left them on. It's so much better when you can see where you're going. We have an old pair that stays put even through the bouncing along the trail. Unless rain and wind combine to make them impractical, the glasses are a must.

Shuffling through the songs on the iPod is hit-and-miss, but last night's results were pretty good:

Little Walter – Blues With a Feeling
Al Kooper – Whiskey Train
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers – Something Good Coming
Wilson Pickett – Don't Knock My Love, Pt. 1
Cat Stevens – Changes IV
Al Green – Tired Of Being Alone
Steve Cropper/Lucinda Williams/Steve Winwood – Dedicated to the One I Love
Girl Talk – Triple Double
Steve Cropper/Steve Winwood – Thirty Second Lover
Stevie Wonder – Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday
Billy Joel – Big Shot
Bruce Springsteen – Gypsy Biker
James Brown – Rapp Payback (Where Iz Moses?)
The Beatles – Get Back
The Beatles – Help!
Steve Miller Band – True Fine Love
Steve Miller Band – Jet Airliner
Bruce Springsteen – Devil's Arcade

At our age, it takes a couple of days to recover. In fact, tomorrow will be more sore than today. But by the weekend, we should be ready to head out again. The road clears the mind. And if we could just do our regular 5.5-miler once a week for a year, we'd have our record year. For now, though, it's one run at a time, and we pray that the knees and the hips hold up.