Stay at home orders. Business and travel restrictions.
Remote schooling.
Masks. Sanitizer. A toilet paper shortage.
Stress. Anxiety. The not knowing.
The endless Zooming. Blursday every day. PJ pants all the time.
No more swim. No 5th grade trip. No 5th grade graduation. No summer camp.
Races cancelled. No April vacation.
Isolation. Little to no time spent with friends and family outside the household.
Fear of getting those we love sick, of spreading this virus that has wreaked so much havoc across the world.
Businesses shut down. Jobs lost.
Sickness. Death. So many deaths.
The losses were, and continue to be, staggering. And sobering. And so heartbreaking.
In our household, we were lucky. And for that I am extremely grateful.
We didn’t lose our jobs.
Sam was able to keep learning and has remained engaged and (mostly) happy.
We are all safe. We can work from home.
We live in a place where outbreaks have been much less severe than elsewhere.
We were, and are still, able to get outside.
We have kept our house, our health, and our sanity (most of the time).
No one we know well got sick. No one we know well has died.
But we know these losses are out there. They are real. And I feel them. Every day.
There is a lot of sadness and some anger too when I think back on this year. Of the overall toll this virus has taken on our country. On our families and those we love, on us - even in our privileged position of being lucky. On the experiences and adventures lost. On the chaos of an election year. On the lack of leadership that has exacerbated this whole pandemic.
And yet, I cannot say that there was not joy in 2020.
Time spent together, even if "forced" 😉😃😂
The hours spent outside walking and talking.
The local adventures.
The trails explored.
Campfires.
Sunrises.
Hikes in Acadia.
Exploring Baxter with Sam. 🌄
My parents moving 2 miles down the road.
Beach days.
Watching Sam thrive as a 6th grader, despite the challenges.
Puzzles done and games played.
Thanksgiving and Christmas spent with my parents.
The few rare summer runs with friends. Socially distanced, of course.
A Reid State Park birthday celebration for Sam and Anne.
Walking the same stretch of powerlines in all seasons and reveling in the small details.
Drive-through ice cream. 🍦🍦
An amazing husband and kiddo, and two crazy cats.
It's hard to reflect on a year with so much global loss and chaos. If there ever was a year where we could throw in the towel and say it was a disaster, this was it. And yet, amidst the stress, the anxiety, the loss and fear, there were the small joys, the quiet moments that are the silver lining. And once again, I find myself so grateful for all of those things, and the people, that made this year bearable.
Things aren't going to magically get better just because the calendar turns to January 1, 2021. But there is hope. A vaccine. A new President and Vice President. Civility and leadership, science and medicine.
I think we can all say we hope life gets back to "normal" sometime in 2021, but until then, and even after, what else is there to do but keep going and juggle the craziness and give ourselves grace, and in the midst of it all, to take a deep breath and pause to appreciate what we have now and again, and to work to find the joy whenever we can? I am a work in progress on this, but it is always my goal to enjoy the process. Of training. Of life. So cheers to that and a brighter 2021. 💜
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A lot of my running goals for this year did not come to fruition.
No races.
No long adventures.
Instead, most of the miles were probably what many would call "junk" miles. Runs with no real focus, no speedwork, no hill repeats, no goal other than just to be out there, trying to quiet my head and heart, working to keep sane.
There was mostly the comforting repetition of simply getting out there 5 days a week. Doing nothing extraordinary. Just one foot in front of the other. Logging the miles.
With no races, there was no pressure to do the really long runs. There was no real reason to take a week or two off. So I just kept running.
Weekly mileage was moderate. There were two long efforts of 27 and 30 miles. Eight 20 mile runs. A fair amount of 12 to 15 milers. But mostly runs between 6 and 10 miles. Nothing crazy.
A few joyful runs with friends during the summer when restrictions had loosened slightly and the case numbers were down.
And SO MANY miles run at home, on the same routes, alone.
And yet, it's hard to complain. We can access some great trails nearby, and we were still able to get outside with no restrictions.
I do like running for running's sake, but I also like goals. So without a big race to train for, I was glad I had my "base goal" of running 2,000 miles to push for this year, with a "reach" goal of 2,200 miles. That kept me moving and out the door, even on the days - and there were plenty of them, let me tell you - when I wasn't really sure I wanted to.
And on today's run, I hit that reach goal for the year - 2,200 miles. On the dot.
And why yes, I ran exactly 10.9 miles so that I would get it just right 😆😉 A lovely meander out on the cart paths and in the Cathance. Icy in spots, the foam pancakes from yesterday melted, and one large foam donut instead!
Numbers don't really matter, of course, but I like them nonetheless. And I'm proud of the miles I ran, of the consistency I managed this year in spite of, or perhaps because of, the chaos. My highest mileage year yet. Hoping to continue to build upon this base in 2021.
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Once the pandemic hit in March, and we were all home, all the time, with no other activities available to Sam, we started to do a lot of walking and hiking together. We walked across the street on the powerlines. We explored the small trail systems in Harpswell and beyond that we would never had taken the time to go to otherwise. And man, there are a whole lot of beautiful small preserves within 30 minutes of home. If there is a silver lining to 2020, it is our walks together. Time spent outside together is so special, and we are so lucky to have such great places to explore so close by 💗
After lunch, we took one final 2020 family walk together, wandering the powerline trails that we have walked so much this pandemic year. Overcast and raw, but as always good to get out. (2.6 miles walked)
All told, we walked/hiked 362 miles in 2020. These miles were a lot of fun to walk together, and I look forward to more in 2021!
We also xc skied 9.65 miles, over 5 days. Not super impressive, but hopefully we can get out more this season now that Sam has better skis - assuming we get more snow! ❅
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My one non-running goal for the year - read 45 books - was accomplished, with 3 extra books read! With so much time sent at home and not as much to occupy us, there was a lot of time to read 📚
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We finished up the year with dinner, champagne and games at Mom and Dad's house. And no, I most definitely did not stay up until midnight. I am sure I was asleep by 9:30 pm 😂
Happy New Year, everyone! May all of our 2021s be a bit brighter 💗
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As for goals for 2021, it's hard to say. There is still so much unknown. So maybe I'll go with hopes for the new year instead...
More walks with Sam and Ryan and time spent together outside.
Time spent with my parents.
A return to visits with Irene and Dana and the rest of the family.
A return to runs with friends.
Getting out on some slightly farther away but still local running adventures.
2,000+ miles run.
A 100 mile race run.
45 books read.
Keeping it all in perspective.
Enjoying the little moments as much as possible.
Joy and love and laughter.
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Running log files:
2020 - 2,200.00
2019 - 2,116.00
2018 - 2,112.00
2017 - 2,002.00
2016 - 1,900.00
2015 - 1,963.60
2014 - 1,702.00
2013 - 1,557.75
2012 - 1,400.00
2011 - 1,375.00
2010 - 1,100.00
2009 - 675.50 *pregnant/Sam born
2008 - 1,112.00
