Now that we are coming to the end of this dreaded year, I’m a bit disappointed that I did not meet any of my 2020 running (or fitness) goals. I pretty much had two goals: 1. run a half marathon every month; and 2. run at least one marathon. Until COVID-19 really hit, I was well on my way for these goals.
January 2020 - Fred Lebow Half Marathon
February - Valentine’s Day Half Marathon
March - The Lantern Run Half Marathon
This was the last official half-marathon that I ran during 2020. Pretty much all of the post-March races that I had registered for were canceled due to the pandemic. I had plans to run half-marathons in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., and Virginia; the point of this half-marathon per month goal was to wean myself off of primarily running New York Road Runners sponsored races and to check out races in other states. Also, there were plans to run Madrid’s and NYC’s full marathons in April and November, respectively. The cancellations of these races kind of suck, but I completely understand the need to do so.
What’s on Deck for 2021
Running in general
Since we are not sure when regular in-person racing will resume, I guess that I can attempt more virtual running challenges (I’m currently doing two challenges). Actually, I lied; some NYC running organizations have started limited capacity in-person racing, but those races are a bit pricey. There is no way that I’m going to pay $40+ to run a 5K.
Virtual Challenge 1: One NY Cares (600 miles)
As of Dec. 8 (and with 16 days remaining). I have to run/walk a total of 13.11 miles per day to finish this challenge, so I do not think that I’ll make it to the southern tip of Lake Champlain. Honestly, I think that I did better than I thought that I would for this challenge because I completed more than half the distance. My new goal is to complete at least 75% of the intended distance.
Virtual Challenge 2: NYC Runs Subway System Challenge II (691 miles)
Basically, this is another failed attempted to run the entire distance of NYC MTA system and regional rails.
According to my status, I am on my way to either Montauk or JFK Airport.
Going forward for New Year, New Me (a remix), I’m going to revisit my goal for 2020 and run my own half-marathon every month. To track my progress and compare my “races”, I’ll run the route for the Fred Lebow Half Marathon, which is pretty much two outer loops in Central Park. By June 2021, I would like to consistently run sub 2-hour half marathons. Hey, a boy can dream.
Diet:
This is going to be tough. A couple of weeks ago, I finally had a long, overdue physical, and my doc told me that I gained a few pounds since my last checkup. Um . . . no duh. I have mirrors in my house and can see that my belly, waistline, and hips have been spreading like rumors. I guess that I have been Team Pandemic Pounds and Team Corona Chunk over these past few months. Seriously, I have entered a new decade of life, and I need to get my dieting (or rather, eating lifestyle) in check.
General self-care:
The majority of my current role is providing support for students; however, I tend to neglect supporting myself. Although I’m really good (maybe too good) at compartmentalizing every aspect of my life (e.g. work things, personal things, and everything in between), many of my outlets for maintaining these very strict boundaries have been eliminated due to the pandemic. Hopefully, I can find or develop some new tools to help me help myself as we approach a full year of living through a pandemic.