Hello Runners!
Yup, it's that time again. Year end. I tend to think week to week, and don't often take time to see the 'big picture', so it's good for me to look back every now and then and see improvements, disappointments, and reset for the upcoming year.
Looking Back On 2019
2019, for me, is easily broken into 'first half' and 'second half'. I spent the first half of the year nursing injuries that kept nagging at me and keeping me to from running consistently. The injuries were carryover from 2018. Not big stuff (recurring calf strain / hip flexor / glute medius), but enough to keep me from putting in consistent mileage.
In April I finally got a pre and post run routine in place that put the injuries behind me. Looking back at my log, I haven't had to take any days off due to injury since April 1st. Putting in consistent mileage from April set me up for a successful second half of the year.
The second half started with a 5k on July 4th - my first race since August of 2017 (which I DNF'd due to injury). God, it doesn't seem like it took that long - but I went two years without being able to race. But, I did pretty well on July 4th - completed it without injury and was only slightly slower than my 2017 performances.
In September I ran a 10k PR, and then I ran a marathon (Richmond) in under 3:00 in November, (2:59:26). So, I'm really happy with how the 2nd half of the year unfolded, and I'm looking forward to 2020, keeping my pre and post run routines in tact, of course!
Looking Ahead To 2020
I'm excited about 2020. I've joined a track team, "Athletics East". It's a 'Masters Only' team with a bunch of guys that like to be competitive and and are fun to be around. The Team will help me venture into new areas of running; I've already signed up to participate in an indoor track event (never even seen a 200m track before) and I'm sure I'll do a couple XC races this year.
Being on the Team also means having team mates at the road races, and having access to knowledge about racing and the 'DC area running scene' which will open me up to new ideas and races in the area. I tend to stay in my comfort zone; time to break out. It's fun to try something new with no expectations, no comparisons to what I did before. I take this running thing too damn seriously sometimes - "Have fun, stupid" will be my mantra in 2020.
Random side note:
I need to have blood taken twice a year to check on a (non-dramatic) medical condition. This morning I waited in line at Patient First to have my blood drawn and get a quick 'once over'.
First stop is to 'take my vitals'; pulse / blood pressure / weight / height / temperature. It's fun to sit quietly as the machine reads out a pulse of 40; then the nurse checks in manually (and confirms 40), then the Dr. reads the information and again confirms - 40. Finally, the doc says "Are you a runner?". I say "Yes", and we move on. Nice to be 52 years old, and the only concern the doc has is that I'm too fit to be in the "normal range" for heart rate.
Onward.
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