2021 Year in Review

 

2021 Year in Review

Low Quantity, Low Quality

Life (and running) is not all about time but about our experiences along the way. – Jen Rhines, US Olympic distance runner

At the conclusion of my 2020 year-in-review write-up, I looked forward to a healthier 2021 hoping the Wuhan virus would soon convert to an endemic annoyance and for us to resume some sense of normal human behavior and interactions (in part, it’s partially true).  And I hoped that I could once again blaze another trail to the starting line of another marathon and earn a respectable time, for once.  Nope.

I’m not going to script a self-deprecating diatribe here, but as optimism failed to fully materialize, 2021 was another dreadful year for racing or running, in general.  I wish I could say I ran some really really great races, believe me.  I also wish I could boast about how I ran them with great people, tremendous people, and some of the very best people.  But I’m forced to shelve those wishes for 2022, hopefully.

Yes, 2021 was a little off-key in many notable ways.  For those who had the resolve and willpower to cope with some of the outlandish and unproven Wuhan virus protocols that defy science or logic, there’s no doubt some would say 2021 was a phenomenal year for racing.

But in my eyes, it was a phenomenal year for lack of training, enthusiasm, or motivation.  It doesn’t take a psychiatrist’s diagnosis to recognize how the Wuhan contagion has amplified depression, anxiety, and mental health impacts among a large proportion of the American populace.  During the past year, I found it reprehensible how the mainstream media and big government bureaucrats collaborate to exploit a microscopic virus to perpetuate a ginormous cultural schism.  America remains a beacon of liberty.  It was Abraham Lincoln who said of America, “We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope on Earth.”  I hope we save the America I know.  I digress.

Is the best of the free life behind us now?  Are the good times really over for good? 

Stop rolling down hill - Like a snowball headed for Hell.  Stand up for the flag - And let's ring the Liberty Bell.  The best of the free life is still yet to come - The good times ain't over for good.  -- Merle Haggard.  "Are the Good Times Really Over (I wish a Buck Was Still Silver)", Album: "Big City" 1981

At the beginning of the year, I looked forward to the Chicago Marathon and December’s running of the Honolulu marathon through a 2020 virus deferral.  But with the nonsensical travel rules and the ludicrous restrictions that came with it, it wasn’t too difficult to formally request a refund of Chicago while nixing the in-person Honolulu Marathon, opting instead for the Honolulu Marathon Virtual Beachfest as an alternative. 

Molly on right

On a high note, August thrust one of the year’s biggest sporting events to the world stage – the Tokyo Olympic Games.  On a hot and humid day in Sapporo, Japan, Molly Seidel captured the bronze medal (2:27:46 – 26 seconds short of gold) and the first American female marathoner to medal since Deena Kastor took home the bronze at the 2004 Athens games.  Battling hostile weather for the entire race, Molly demonstrated it’s possible that American runners can compete with the world’s best.  Congrats to her!

Even with a bit of trepidation, 2021 merits a quick look back before we get on with better business of looking forward.  No one knows the struggles of the past year better than me, so I think I’m the best one to recap the year.  It’s not amazing, but it’s something:

City to the Sea Half Marathon, San Luis Obispo, CA, 2:44:43

As the fall road race season shifted into high gear, what’s better than an impromptu half marathon.  I had two weeks to prepare my legs to endure a thirteen-mile point-to-point run from San Luis Obispo (SLO) to the cliffs of Pismo Beach’s Dinosaur Cave Park perched above the pounding surf of the Pacific Ocean.

I was excited to kick off my year’s only road race on California’s central coast.  It was a crisp and cool morning as thousands of runners assembled in SLO’s city center to compete in this annual half marathon.  Local resident and elite marathoner Jordan Hasay served as the honorary starter.  If only she toed the start line.  I’d be curious to see how well she fared against all the top competitors.

Early on, I quickly found I did not exude the running form I had hoped.  I burned out after the first few miles leading up to the hilly portions of the course.  Feeling exhausted for much of the race, I scrambled across the Pismo Beach finish line clocking in with a mediocre time.  I’m not going to lie, I was out of shape, no question.  In any event, I was happy to join the starting line queue and out racing once again, making the most out of this annual road race, nevertheless.

Honolulu Marathon Virtual Beachfest, 5:02:59

It was my original intent to enjoy a rewarding, but not so relaxing, trip to Honolulu for a second running of this well-known marathon.  Because of Hawaii’s illogical travel restrictions solely based on unsound science (I’ve come to loathe that term, by the way), I opted for a new kind of virtual running experience where I was the race director.  I designed the course.  Everything was under my tutelage. 

While it’s certainly not an official event, a virtual only counts towards self-satisfaction, and does not necessarily have to be an inferior experience.  Electing not to run a particular course in one day, I opted to run a variety of smaller sections spaced out over six days.  Was it rewarding?  The jury’s still out on that.  Admittedly, it’s not the same as a true marathon, but I looked at it from a different angle as an effective way to train for the 2022 Modesto Marathon.  Besides, I still earn an event shirt and finisher’s medal.

My 2021 yearly race stats are scant, at best.  But, for the record…

Race Stats:

Half marathons run: 1

City to the Sea, San Luis Obispo, CA – 2:44:43

 

Virtual marathons run: 1*
Honolulu Marathon Virtual Beachfest – 5:02:59 over six days

 

Number of fellow runners: 1,099
Largest race: 1,097 (City to the Sea Half Marathon)
Smallest race: 1 (Honolulu Marathon Virtual Beachfest)

All-time marathon average to date (through 71 races):  4:51:32

Standard deviation: 0:28:58

Median finish time: 4:54:09

 

* This ignominious asterisk denotes never having run a virtual race in my twenty plus years of running.

Mileage Stats:

Total miles run in 2021: 453.6 in 108/365 days – 4.20 miles/day average  

Race miles run in 2021: 40.6 (including virtual miles)
Average half marathon pace: 12:34

Final thoughts

Like every year, 2022 will feature its fair share of personal goals and running subplots.  But as a believer of the basic precept of Elementary Running Strategery: Just run.  Seldom it’s too fast, mostly too slow, occasionally just right.  Whether it’s on hard pavement; on gravelly roads; over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house; rain or shine, just run, and the rest will take care of itself.  And if we happen to cross paths along the way, don’t be surprised if you see me smiling.

Looking ahead, my 2022 race schedule at this point may bear a resemblance to an EKG… long stretches of silence interspersed with abrupt spikes of activity.   The schedule will continue to evolve as I add new spikes.   But for now, my running and training tour takes me to Stanislaus County in the spring for the Modesto Marathon I know so well serving as a 5:30 pace leader.  While certainly not even close to a unicorn-worthy time to land me an entry on Boston’s registry list, I’ll be happy to just to get back out on the roads with other fellow runners, striking up conversations and blazing a path to the finish line.

I’m especially psyched by the prospect of running more half or full marathons as the year unfolds.  But the most exciting part of my year may well fall within the space between races, and I look forward to sharing all the details of my runs when the time comes.

Thank you so much for following along on my 2021 (mis)adventures here, and the fact you take the time to do so (especially if you’re not related to me) is the ultimate compliment.  My wish for 2022 is that you live strong, be healthy, run well, inspire others, laugh freely, and celebrate often.  For the non-runner, who knows, I may convince you that a six-mile training run up and over a steep hill really is the perfect way to spend a weekend afternoon.  You never know.

Here’s to a happy, healthy 2022 and your best running year yet. May the course be with you!  I know it’s cliché.

As always, onward and upward. 

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