Wrapping up 2021: a roller coaster year

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 2 years since Covid became a virus “of interest”. It was a few more weeks before we started hearing about it and a little over two months before the US shutdown, but the growth had already begun. 2020 went from a year with amazing plans to a year of just trying to make things work in a heartbeat. 2021 has been a different sort of challenge – if 2020 was locked in an escape room trying to get out, 2021 was more like riding a roller coaster. At one point, things seemed to be returning to normal, but then Delta. And then we seemed to be getting that under control with vaccines and boosters and then Omicron. In some ways, the ups and downs have been harder than the consistent down that was 2020, but there have definitely been some highlights.

Since I’m choosing to go into 2022 with a positive mindset, I’m going to focus on the good that came in 2021. I promise that in 2022 I’ll have some more real runfessions for you, but I runfess that my runfessions are all positive for now. Yes, the very definition of only showing my highlight reel on social media. Hope that’s ok, Marcia!

At the beginning of the year, I purchased a Bowflex C6 bike. This comes right after my treadmill in the category of “best purchase ever. I still have not used any guided workouts, but I create my own and ride at least 2-3 times per week. My old body thanks me for the low impact but high effort option.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUm7v5GrKBb/

In June, before Delta came, we managed an in person relay race. I love the VA Momentum Growler races and it was awesome to spend the day with close friends running from brewery to brewery. It was the first time in a while being mask free close to people outside my immediate family.

In September, I had the opportunity to be the Race Director for ZOOMA’s Cape Cod race. It was an amazing experience and it felt almost like the world was normal. Obviously we had Covid protocols and travel was definitely weird, but it was so nice to be back at a race. You could feel how excited everyone was to be there.

I also got to run my first in person half marathon since 2019! I went up to Michigan to visit Jones for a weekend and it just happened that there was a half marathon in Ann Arbor that weekend. I’m never one to turn down a race opportunity, so I made it happen (despite being slower and less trained than I would have liked.) It was a great race on a gorgeous course, so I may have to make that a habit while the kid is up north for school.

Another highlight of my year was the Marine Corps Marathon. I was chosen to be a Diplomat for 2021, which was a huge honor. Despite the live race not happening due to Delta numbers and DOD regulations, I still loved the race. I ran the Trifecta again, which meant a marathon and 50k in my neighborhood (something I NEVER want to do again.) But even more fun was getting to volunteer at the “live” virtual race and meeting the race director. I’m looking forward to a live race in 2022!

We closed out our year with a trip to a beach in North Carolina to celebrate Christmas with my parents. Throughout the pandemic, we have rented houses with my parents to get a break from our house and to see family. I loved getting a break from work and we lucked out with amazing weather most of the week.

I’m looking forward to 2022 and hoping that we continue to find joy and fun in a world that’s not quite normal yet. There are some big changes ahead for me, but I’m excited that we are talking about some new adventures that include racing in new states. The countdown to retirement is on, so I’ll be focusing on different things in the coming years, but the one constant will be my continued striving to stay fit and strong as we age.

Happy New Year to all of you! I hope to “see” you more (in person and on the blog) in 2022!