A Short Review of 2020

2020 was hard year.

I think we can all agree on that.

However, the last half of 2019 felt way harder for me, personally.

I couldn't walk (or drive) for 4 months. My husband and I lived in a small room downstairs during that time, so I wouldn't have to try to navigate stairs.

That last half of 2019 truly prepared me for 2020.

Sure, we were stuck at home for most of 2020. But, we were back in our normal space (with more room for two people and a dog). I could run again. I could more easily cook. So, although 2020 was all about staying put at home, at least I wasn't stuck just sitting around unable to do much of anything. 2019 really put things into perspective for me.

2020 CELEBRATIONS

I ran 1,415 miles.

That's about 3.87 miles per day - which is crazy since I was just getting back into running (doing super short intervals with walk breaks) for January and most of February.

May, June, July, and December were all 150+-mile months!

I ran 2 in-person races.

The hubby and I went to Atlanta for the US Olympic Marathon trials at the end of February and ran the Publix Atlanta 5K together that Sunday. AND, I got to run a TRAIL RACE. A couple of weeks before the end of 2020, I ran the Bell Ringer 15K at Montgomery Bell State Park. That stair-climb then uphill finish was brutal, but I was so happy to get to run an in-person race!

I ran 4 virtual races/challenges.

I did the Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee 1000K from May 1st to August 28th. I averaged over 5 miles per day to be able to finish by the end of August. I am so thankful for this challenge - it gave me purpose during a time when there was nothing to train for (or even look forward to).

I ran the virtual Flying Pig Half Marathon. Before my mini-golf catastrophe, I had planned on running the Flying Pig Marathon on May 3 of 2020 (it was my birthday - no way I could pass up my favorite race on my birthday), but obviously my 2019 and then 2020 had different plans. I switched to the Half Marathon right before the COVID shutdown because I knew I couldn't safely train for a marathon by May 3rd since I couldn't even run a mile without walking until February. Then, the race got moved to October. Then, of course, it became a virtual race. So, I ran a half marathon on October 9th. And, surprisingly, it was faster than the last half marathon I ran before the mini-golf accident.

I also ran the Pro-Compression Fall Classic 10K in November. I really wanted to break 60 minutes, and I crushed that goal - running the 10K in 56:53.

Finally, I ended 2020 with the Marathon Project Virtual 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon. For the 5K, I set a goal to beat my last 5K time trial from April (28:36). Again, I crushed my goal - finishing in 26:32 - by over 2 minutes! I ran the 10K and the Half Marathon as easy runs.

I read 39 books.

I really had no idea how many books I read last year until I went back and made a list - you can check that list out on my blog post about my 2020 reading. I even forgot about 1 book that I read until late last night. I read Salt to the Sea (Ruta Sepetys) in January/February with a student, and I was convinced that there was no way that was in 2020.

I actually did some cross training.

I hopped back in the pool in January. I grew up swimming, and, despite my slowness, I love it. Then, we bought a Concept2 rower with our first stimulus check.

But, to be completely honest, I haven't swam since late June. And, my membership to the gym with a pool is up in a couple of weeks. I would definitely pick swimming back up and swim more consistently if I had a close and affordable pool to join.

There were a lot of challenges with 2020 for sure, but I am proud of all that I accomplished and learned throughout the year.