Notes
I don't have to get too analytical about 2019's running - I'd say the two best words to describe 2019 are "fun" and "fulfilling." In a lot of ways, I felt like I finally had the year I've been waiting to have for a few years now, and part of that is my performance, sure, but maybe a bigger part is a feeling of belonging and, I don't know, recognition maybe? Honestly, it's been a good few years since I've had such an enjoyable year of running on the whole, plus I experienced maybe my single coolest running moment at Kiawah. But a lot of what made this year so enjoyable is just due to continuing the positive mindset shift from last year (read as: not being the insufferable complaining try-hard extensively documented in my RA logs of years past). Another good chunk is the continued emphasis on recovery, which keeps me fresh mentally and physically and lets me put forward my best efforts when I need to. And hey, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that another big part of it is being in great shape and knocking out a bunch of PRs!
Past those mostly internal factors, another hugely enjoyable part was consistent training with Chris and Neil, plus the semi-regular guest appearances from others. Yeah, last year I had Greg, Jay, and a few others to train with reliably through the second half of the year, and I know that I benefited greatly from that arrangement (and still do/will), but I think it always felt like I was tagging on to THEIR group. In contrast, this year I felt like I was really a part of OUR group, tiny as it may have been. As much as running is really a solitary sport, that feeling of teamwork and belonging can make a huge difference and it's definitely something I've missed since RPI. On a related note, having Ronnie training alongside me for CRBR and Kiawah added another way for us to bond. I'm not trying to convert her or anything, but it was cool sharing those experiences with her in a deeper way than in past races.
I really don't have goals or plans for 2020 at the moment. I hope we keep the "team" going and the PR train keeps rolling, but honestly, it kind of feels like everything will be icing on the cake from now on. I'm just looking to continue keeping a good balance and having a good time with good people.
Last year had the big breakthrough performance (re-breakthrough?), so this year was kind of about getting all the other distance PRs caught up. I don't think anything I did this year exceeded last year's half (strictly speaking in terms of performance, that is), but I do think the rest of my PRs are in the same ballpark now, which is cool. Not that I needed that validation, because as we all know, there's no such thing as a fluke good performance! Interestingly, now that I look at the list, this was kind of a "greatest hits" year of races - almost all of them I had done in some capacity before. I didn't necessarily intend for that, but it did help benchmark progress up to Kiawah.
So, on that note:
THE BAD
-IOP Connector Run (Oct - 5k - 17:55?/18:04 - 2nd) - There were plenty of reasons why this should have been a bad race (gross weather, didn't plan to run until 20 min before, ran in trainers, etc.), so I don't feel too strongly about a bad race that I expected to be a bad race, but as one of my slowest post-collegiate 5ks, it was a bad race nonetheless.
-Mom's Run (May - 5k - 17:01 - 1st) - This one is borderline indifferent as the time was actually quick for me for this event, but I didn't feel great and I only barely won in a kick against someone I shouldn't lose to, so I'll give IOP some company here.
THE INDIFFERENT
-CRC Track Classic (Jun - 1 mi - 4:52 - 4th) - Fun race, fine result. Hoped for better but had no reason to expect it - pretty quintessential indifferent race. Paced almost perfectly but got out-kicked which stung a bit, but /shrug what can ya do!
-Race the Landing (Jan - 5k - 16:44 - 2nd) - This was a "why not" race so expectations were pretty low, especially in some weirdly warm and humid weather for Jan 1. The time was a little disappointing and I came up just short on winning the fun 3-way duel (not to mention it was a bit of a "return to form" in the first race since that big Kiawah half), but overall I couldn't be upset considering the few weeks leading into this.
-Shamrock Shuffle (Mar - 10k - 34:35 - 2nd) - I started aggressively here and I paid for it in the second half, but this was really just about getting in a hard effort before CRBR anyway, especially after some good time off while in AUS/NZ. It was still on the faster side of my 10ks at the time, but not enough to get particularly excited.
-James Island Connector Run (Oct - 10k - 35:07 - 4th) - If there was a "good considering..." category, this would be the prime example. It was a huge improvement from IOP 3 weeks earlier, a nearly identical time to the previous year (my course PR) in much warmer weather, and just a well-executed race on a challenging course, but even at the time it was really only exciting as an intermediate step towards better results.
-Boston Marathon (Apr - Marathon - 2:45:44 - 3rd OFBOC) - HOT TAKE. Yes it was a 1:43 PR, yes it was >6 minutes faster than my last Boston, yes it was a smart (maybe overly conservative) race from start to finish in okay conditions, but this result was always just more relieving than was exciting... as much as I felt like I SHOULD be excited by it.
THE GOOD
-Cooper River Bridge Run (Apr - 10k - 33:39 - 36th/3rd local) - After a few huge PRs in the months before this, this 16-second PR admittedly felt just a little lukewarm, but there's no denying this was a solid run and arguably my best 10k of the year. But really, the best part of this one was going 1-2-3 with Neil and Chris for local awards - it felt like our "team" had "won" and that was pretty cool, imagined as that scenario was.
-Charlie Post Classic (Jan - 15k - 51:39 - 7th/3rd OFBOC) - I got stomped by OFBOC's finest in the last 5k, but this was a very smart yet aggressive run. If I hadn't run my half in December, I would have been blown away by this one.
-Sweet Tea 10k (Nov - 10k - 33:26 - 1st) - No major broken barriers or deep emotional implications here - this was just a GOOD race. I ran confidently and aggressively and powered to my second 10k PR in the year in a largely solo effort from the front.
-Turkey Day Run (Nov - 5k - 15:58 - 10th) - For over 5 long years, my PR sat 2 mere seconds away from a barrier that seemed so attainable yet proved so frustratingly elusive. I went into this one confident I would finally change that. It wasn't a knockout day and I cut it very close, but I executed my plan and a 4-second PR never felt so satisfying.
-Kiawah Marathon (Dec - Marathon - 2:40:34 - 1st) - I won a freakin marathon in a >5 min PR... I mean c'mon, need I say more?
Compared to this time last year:
5k PR - Improved by 4 sec (prev PR from 2014)
10k PR - Improved by 29 sec (prev PR from 2016)
15k PR - Improved by 60 sec (prev PR from 2016)
Marathon PR - Improved by 6 min 58 sec
Now THAT'S a good year.