I started this blog a little over three years ago. For the first anniversary, I did a long run using birthday cake flavored Gu (which tastes just like a good sheet cake, by the way) and last year’s anniversary occurred (obviously) in 2020. The number of notable world running events has been impressive over the past few years: the men’s world marathon record was lowered in 2018, the two-hour barrier was broken in the marathon in 2019, the women’s world marathon record was decimated that same weekend, and the 5000M and 10000M records were broken in 2020.
During this I managed to win a small 5K in Laramie, Wyoming, to get back under nineteen minutes for a 5K in Medina, Ohio, and to run a night race in Phoenix, Arizona. Of course, the majority of my miles have been in Colorado, many as a member of the Runners Roost Race Team, another new experience since this blog was launched.
It’s difficult to say how the running landscape will change over a period of time. With the postponement of the 2020 Olympics, some athletes who would have had their peak performance at that moment may not be able to replicate it, yet others who were either injured or not quite ready for 2020 may excel. The U.S. held their Olympic marathon trials before the pandemic and will honor those results. Other countries have held them more recently. It’s hard to say how this will affect their performances and much of it likely comes down to the individual athlete and how they focus and prepare.
Though my 2020 running plans were thrown off track, it provided the opportunity to do some other speed events in the form of time trials with friends. In a normal year, I’m not sure I would have done a 5K or 2-mile on the track, or a downhill mile preceded by an uphill mile, all of which were enjoyable (aside from the standard race pain that accompanies them). Instead of my usual local training routes, I used the pandemic as an opportunity to discover other quiet neighborhood roads where I can run. Now my total number of routes has expanded, which allows me a little more creativity with the training.
I’m signed up for two races so far this coming year. While some recent time off and an attempt to ward off some persistent soreness means I probably won’t be in top form for my first race, the broader goal is to prepare for the virtual marathon this coming October. In the meantime, running and race events are fun and I’ll look forward to them, even if I’m a little uncertain of what to expect.
As far as this blog, I have yet to post the short history of the 5K, and I also have a couple of other ideas I’m considering. In the meantime, I appreciate that you’re reading it and I look forward to writing more in the coming weeks and months.
Running anecdotes, running food reviews, some race coverage, and more