I try to practice some of the principles I keep preaching, two of them being consistency and the benefits of cumulative mileage. The annual totals haven't been as consistent as I would have hoped, but 45 years of annual totals does demonstrate some consistency. Along the way I've hit peaks of 98 miles in a week, 354 miles in a month, and 3703 miles in a year. I've also hit lows of 0 for a week and a month, and 690.5 for a year. That was only back in 2011 and was only the third year I ran less than 1000 miles. My first (partial) year was not one of them.

As last year demonstrated, there are still new challenges out there for me, even after 45 years of running. I've enjoyed an incredible variety of experiences ranging from racing every standard distance from 100m to the marathon. Yes, I've even tried sprinting just for the fun of it. I placed everywhere from first to last in races, and the only times I've been ashamed of my results are the few times I gave up and quit on myself. I've raced in small events with only 3 runners and in a national championship, but it didn't matter what the size or the venue, the challenge was still the same: to get the best out of myself I was capable of on that day.

Here's to another 45 years and 75,000 miles.

Great Job.

Congratulations on your commitment to fitness!

Amazing.  You are correct that consistency is a hallmark of a stong individual.  Here is a toast from another 75,000 miler to you.

That is some serious mileage, George!

As Bruce Springsteen once said (OK, he said it a lot more than once), you were "Born to Run"!

Looking back it's interesting to recognize some of the people that have influenced me in this particular aspect of running. The summer after 9th grade I ran some track races sponsored by the University of Chicago Track Club. Besides meeting some elite runners like Hal Higdon, I also meet an older runner, Dick King, who must have been about 50 at the time. We actually ended up as partners in a 2 man 10-mile relay on the track, but in retrospect he was the first older runner I ever met and made me realize running wasn't just for the young and those on HS and college teams. Then when I did start running again, though most of the runners in the program were older adults participating only for the fitness benefits, my three main training partners were early 30s, early 40s, and early 50s. Some time around then I realized I would be a lifetime runner. Then I read about a gentleman in California, Walt Stack, who was over 100 and still running 5 miles daily and had run over 100,000 miles in his lifetime. These were numbers to aspire to achieve. I'm only 75% of the way there, but I have that goal in my sights. Another 12-15 years should get me there. Now I need to plan some long term goals too.

Great job!!

I'd call this a big milestone.  Impressive.