2021: The year of the PR

At the end of my last entry (a whole 6 months ago, again! SHAME SHAME SHAME), I was determined to make 2021 the year of the PR (personal record). I've been working out consistently, challenging myself, and was seeing great results early in the year. After all that, I'm so happy to say that I managed to break all of my previous best times in every race distance (5k, 10k, 1/2 Marathon), and have set myself up with bigger and better goals in 2022.

In general, I don't like sharing my specific finish times. Perhaps I'm a bit self-conscious about them... I know that I'm not a FAST runner, and for some people, its all about how fast you finish. That said, the true running community tends to cheer the effort that goes into a run, no matter the finish time. So I offer the times below not to say 'look how fast I am' (because I'm not), but to share my excitement in my improvements. 

5K
Previous PR: 2015 Hartford Marathon 5K - 31:59
New PR: 2021 Morris County Taco Trot - 30:44
Improvement: 1 minute, 15 seconds

My 5k PR has been a serious thorn in my side... I hadn't set a new record since 2015. The shorter distance always felt like less opportunity for improvement. But I knew that a new PR was within reach back in April, when I ran a 5K without stopping for the first time. I finally saw a new PR on a rainy day, on a course that ran through through a local College campus. And when I say rain, I mean RAIN... it was technically the start of Hurricane Ida. How many people can claim a new PR in a hurricane?

That said, I do hesitate a bit to claim this time as my new 5K PR. While I enjoy the races from this NJ organization, they're relatively new, and I'm not convinced they measure the courses correctly. At the finish line of the Taco Trot, my GPS said that I ran a total of 2.98 miles, meaning I should have had another tenth of a mile to go.

But, even if this particular course wasn't accurate, I was able to run two more 5ks with HMF (who I trust completely with their course accuracy), and still beat my original PR.

The Middletown Boo-tiful Fall 5K was on Halloween, with costumes encouraged! As Supergirl, I flew across the finish in 31:10!

Kim, Amy, and I returned to Blue Back for a slightly chilly mitten run! Knowing that there were cookies at the finish line helped me finish in 31:07!

10K
Previous PR: 2017 Achilles CT 10k - 1:07:27
New PR: 2021 Collinsville Classic 10K - 1:05:42
Improvement: 1 minute, 45 seconds

This PR happened early enough in the year that I was able to mention it in my last entry. I've said a few times how I really love running Collinsville... its a relatively flat, scenic course on the Farmington Canal trail. But there was no time to stop for pictures of the river and waterfalls this time around! Besides a really quick break for water, I kept a steady jogging pace the entire course.

An actual medal at an actual finish line after an actual PR... such a good feeling!

1/2 Marathon
Previous PR: 2018 Hartford 1/2 Marathon - 2:42:14
New PR: 2021 Hartford 1/2 Marathon - 2:29:57
Improvement: 12 minutes, 17 seconds

If we want to get technical, I beat my 1/2 Marathon PR twice this year. At Surftown in September I finished in 2:34:40, dropping nearly 8 minutes from my previous best. With that run I'd already achieved my goal of breaking all of my PRs, so there was no pressure when running Hartford. I had been thinking about how great it would feel to break the 2:30 mark, but knew that dropping another 5 minutes off of my time would be a challenge. 

Because of Covid, a lot changed this year in Hartford. We were all assigned corrals, with staggered start times. The course itself changed. New courses are always fun, and this one may have been a tiny bit flatter than the original course. But it didn't run through as many neighborhoods, so I was missing the cheering crowds and cowbells (although the finish line felt the same).

Since the clock at the start/finish lines begin with the first corral, I only had my GPS in my ear to give me an idea of my time. When I met up with my mom and Aunt Kathy afterwards, I got my confirmation. Aunt Kathy had been tracking my bib on her phone, so she gave me a big hug and confirmed that I'd done it. I'd managed to knock 5 more minutes off of my 1/2 marathon time, and break the 2:30 mark.

I can't describe how energizing it is to run beneath the arches at the finish line in Hartford! It was the boost of adrenaline I needed to speed up just a bit... getting me over the finish line 3 seconds under the 2:30 mark!

2021 Overall
This year was not particularly overwhelming in the number of races I ran. Covid is obviously to blame for that, with many organizations still going virtual or postponing. Through 2021, I ran a total of 15 run/race events. Although that's a bit low compared to other years (looking at 2017, with 25 run/race events), I actually feel like I've run more miles total this year. This time last year I joined Orange Theory Fitness, and every day at the gym saw at least 1.5 miles on the treadmill (usually more), plus rowing and weights. I credit my new PRs almost entirely to Orange Theory, which challenged me during each class and gave me the ability to find my base pace.

Health-wise (because I'll never be able to outrun my Crohn's disease), 2021 has been a mostly calm year. I had a few small flare ups, with one bigger flare up in early November. For over a week I experienced stomach cramps and unpredictable diarrhea. I'm not entirely sure what caused the November flare up, although I have a few good theories:

• Stress - always a possibility, although I didn't feel particularly stressed about anything at the time.
• Booze - Around Halloween I indulged a little bit more than usual. Alcohol in general can be a trigger, so more of it on a consistent basis could have caused my body to rebel.
• Sugar - I'd gone on a baking spree, with lots of sugary frosting. And since I don't eat a TON of sugar regularly, I don't think my innards liked it much. My symptoms started to abate as I layed off the baked goods, making me think this is the most likely culprit.

So, what's in store for 2022?

2022 starts off with my biggest running challenge yet, as I'll be running my first FULL marathon. The Disney World Marathon is the first weekend in January, and Angie and I are excited to once again be running in the Happiest Place on Earth. Of course, we're not entirely sure how happy our legs are going to be, because we couldn't just leave it at the marathon, nooo... Angie and I are signed up for the Dopey Challenge, which is the 5k, 10k, 1/2 marathon, and full marathon, for a total of 48.6 miles in 4 consecutive days. My feet hurt just typing that.

But it being my first marathon, it automatically becomes a PR in that distance. So... what better way to kick off 2022 than with a new PR? Hopefully I can continue the trend, and keep setting new goals at the finish line.

With the arches right in front of me at the end of the Hartford 1/2 Marathon, I felt (and in my opinion, looked) pretty good! Not sure I'll be able to say the same when I double the distance in 2022, but time (and miles) will tell!

🎵Latest running Jam: Love is Gone (Fred Sister & Joachim Garraud Remix) - David Guetta🎵