2021 Running Highlights

I remember this time last year and how I wondered what 2021 would hold for me and for all of us. I am fortunate to have a friend who shared the following wisdom with me:

2020 was tough, but 2021 will be harder as it will be the year where the dust from 2020 starts to settle.

Reflecting on 2021 I feel the truth and depth of these words. 2021 was a year of “same same, but different” and of finding ways of being in the Newer New Normal of the pandemic.

Running has been my constant companion through much shifting and changing and I end this year feeling grateful that running was there for me to tap into whenever I needed to be reminded of my strength, resiliency, and grit. Of all the things taken from me, running is one of the things that continued to give back to me. Here’s a highlight of all that 2021 brought me in the world of running:

Community

I have been a solo runner for quite some time, but the pandemic left me feeling too isolated. It’s one thing to be a solo runner and be able to gather with others during races, but to be a solo runner with no races meant I wasn’t gathering with anyone at all. At the beginning of the year, I made the decision to start showing up to Saturday group runs and it was in this space that I connected with two women who would later become my greatest companions on the road to Chicago. Putting myself out there connected me to the greater Miami running community in a way that I hadn’t experienced since before the pandemic and it helped me remember how much I love being around runners who love the sport beyond the race.

Virtual Races

2021 was still a year of virtual races and, honestly, I’m not mad at it. Virtual races gave my runs more meaning, especially relay races that connected me to people across the country (shout out to #TeamSugarRuns). This year’s virtual races included Disney’s 10K & Half Marathon, Miami Half Marathon, Disney’s Princess 5K, 10K, & Half Marathon, eRace Racism, Mom Forward 5K, Run4AllWomen Relay, and Made to Move.

Return to In-Person Racing

2021 brought back in-person racing for me and, wow, how I missed racing. I didn’t realize how much I missed the mixture of nerves, excitement, and anticipation that came with race day. I’ve always known that part of what draws me to racing is the community around racing: everyone at a given event is on the hunt for the same goal of making it from start line to finish line. On training runs, people’s goals are all different, but on racing runs, everyone has the same goal and that creates a sense of camaraderie. Not having any races on the calendar for most of 2020 and 2021 helped me remember my true love for the sport, but the return of races helped me remember my love for the people dedicated to this sport. In-person races included the 305+ Gravel, Great Smoky Mountains Half Marathon, Chicago Marathon, Wine & Dine Half Marathon, and Turkey Trot 5K.

Running Self-Retreat

Since 2019 I have had this dream/goal of hosting a retreat in the Great Smoky Mountains. This retreat has been pushed back multiple times due to the pandemic. This year, however, I decided to take myself on retreat and experience the Great Smoky Mountains for myself. Let me tell you, it was an incredible experience being in the mountains and running the Great Smoky Mountains Half Marathon. This self-retreat was a gift to myself; one that allowed me to focus on being with myself and on being a runner. I didn’t realize how badly I needed a break from the stress and tension of everyday life until I stepped out of my everyday life.

Chicago 26.2

I can’t let a highlight of 2021 go without mentioning the biggest event of the year: The Chicago Marathon. I’ve shared quite a bit of my experience on Instagram (here, here, here, and here) and I mentioned earlier how I met two running angels earlier this year that helped get me through summer marathon training, but what will forever make this race memorable is how much fun I had at this race. Sounds incompatible, right? Fun and 26.2 don’t usually go in the same sentence, but for me it did. I approached the race in the smartest way for myself given how I felt race morning and during the race. During those 26.2 miles I had many a-ha moments that (a) confirmed the 26.2-mile distance is not my distance and (b) what I liked about training for the marathon was sharing the miles with others. At this point in my running life, I’ve completed 9 full marathons and 1 ultramarathon. What draws me to the distance is the curiosity around what I am capable of, but what quickly draws me back from the distance is that it brings me no joy, which leads me to the final highlight of 2021…

…I Need to Run For JOY

Yes, running is work and going after specific goals can involve working hard, but ultimately, this year highlighted the fact that what propels and inspires me to keep running is the joy running brings me. Having joy on the run means I am having fun with my potential as a runner. If I am not having fun, then running becomes a chore. If running becomes a chore, then I am unmotivated to step out of my comfort zone. If I am unmotivated to step out of my comfort zone, then I stop growing as a runner. If I stop growing as a runner, then why am I running in the first place? Finding joy in running is highly personal and, for me, joy while running means running for myself with my goals in mind. Running for joy, for me, means running in alignment with my WHY as a runner and running in a way that is authentic to who I am as a runner. At times, it was hard to sift through the noise of what it means to be a runner and find who I am as a runner, but the solitude of 2020 and 2021 helped bring clarity of purpose to me. If I can run through a pandemic with unknown timelines for goals and races, I can run through anything so long as joy is the beacon of running that continues to bring me back to myself.

Well, there you have it. 2021 wrapped up as best as I can, knowing that I have probably missed tiny moments that were big moments when they happened. I’m grateful for another year in this sport and I look forward to celebrating the joy of running more in 2022.

 Stay tuned for next week’s blog on some of my plans and goals for 2022.