Snow! If you are a skier or a runner you had to muddle through the holidays with too little in the mountains and too much crusty, ice-pack along the Front Range! Speaking to the experts at Boulder Running Company and Runners Roost, one of the sell-out items was the various iterations of "Ice Trax" (a very good idea!).

January is filled with fun events including the second in the RunDenverRace Series, the Polar Bear 5K at Washington Park on Sunday, January 22nd! Why do it? If you're like me, you kinda put off or "slide" on staying fit in the firstquarter. OK, I'm trying to fight that and so might you. Join us, please! For those of you that signed up for all fiveRunDenver races and got a super deal...Lonnie Somers, Shannon Koch and I have created ONE MORE super DEAL: sign up for the remaining four and get a discount as well (honest, we tripled the number who signed up for all five from 2010 so we just couldn't resist)!!

No videos this month, but we will have some new personalities to feature in February! Get ready for John Bingham (the "Penguin") and Jeff Galloway (the national coach of the RunDisney Series) and maybe one more surprise!

So what's new? Here's one keeper: the Kaiser Permanente Colfax Marathon Weekend is offering a brand new event, different than any other road race in the world! We've worked on this secretly since August and it will start on the property of the iconic RMCAD (Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design), The Urban 10 Miler! Different.., but here's a quick synopsis. Love the individual "wave" start of the American Lung Association's Fight for Air Climb? Don't like showing up at 5am to start the marathon or half marathon at 6am (OK, I'm going to Disney where it's an early riser, but this is unique!)? Try showing up at a different start line an hour or so later in Lakewood.

 We'll give a LIMITED number of folks the chance to run 10 miles on a pretty fast course and "blend" you into the then spread out marathon and relay team field (they'll be almost 13 miles into their journey). Unique medals to all finishers, run through Mile High and finish at the marathon finish line in City Park! Sign up (while entries are available) at www.runcolfax.org.

Another subject, but important: the Colorado Distance Running Hall of Fame. The event is hosted each year by our amazing partner, the Denver Athletic Club (MY fav club, BTW!) in April. It's ALWAYS a sellout due to space. Our good friend Ed Riegert, Marketing Director at Runner's Roost, is the Chair of the Hall of Fame Committee and they select worthy women and men every year. Have a candidate? Let him know this month because ALL new inductees will be chosen by the end of January. Email Ed.

Please say a prayer to a recent inductee of the Distance Running Hall of Fame, Parthenia Jones "Potts". As you read this she's undergoing cancer surgery. A steadfast runner and true friend of all athletes in Colorado, she needs our collective strength RIGHT NOW. Please. For my sister. If a fund is established, I promise to update all of you.

I'll be on the roads this year at a number of fun events. This month it's emceeing and announcing at Disney and at the national conference of Running USA in Houston for the Olympic Trials.  I'll publish my schedule on the BKB website and Lonnie Somers, Shannon Koch and I will try to keep bringing you the highest quality events throughout these next 12 months!

Our sport is vibrant, meaningful and productive. You are a part of that. Celebrate 2012 and yourself and all that embodies!!