[Image from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y23ur1rHInw ]
Like many, I was happy to see the calendar roll over Friday morning. As I mentioned throughout 2020, it was a struggle for me at times. However, I did what I could — and I made it through.
While I don’t want to dwell on the year that wasn’t, there are a few things I did want to say about it before looking forward to 2021.
First and foremost, THANK YOU to all of those who supported me throughout the year. This includes teams, supporters, guides and a long list of others. Even though 2020 didn’t turn out as planned, your assistance and support helped me to succeed during what opportunities there were.
Secondly, a huge thank you to a local business. In the stress that came from all the changes, having ‘safety release valves’ were key. One of these was ordering from the local Dominos. Yes, I realize that constant pizza isn’t on the normal training menu. However, 2020 was far from ‘normal’. Knowing that I would have a hot, delicious and well made pizza because of Ray Montez and his team made it easier to get through the challenges of the week.
Finally, I realized that while I couldn’t control what I lost in 2020, I could get ready for 2021. To that end, I focused on getting additional training in where I could. I also looked at putting in a base so that I would be ready for 2021 — whenever it started.
Now that I’ve gotten through that, I want to look forward. As a summary, here’s what I’m focusing on:
- A projected schedule of more than 30 races (5Ks, 10Ks, Sprints, Olympic, 70.3s, Aquathons, Duathalons) and camps throughout the country. While there won’t be an Indoor Triathlon season, I believe that things will start to come back in early April when my outdoor season would start.
- Focusing on strength and recovery. As the training and racing have increased, so have the minor aches. And with a long season for 2021, I know they’ll be there again. To deal with that, I’ve purchased a full compression kit — more on that in a future blog post. I also have other strength tools (exercise bands, weighted ball, etc.) that I’ll be using to address the strength issues.
- Focusing on a year-long training challenge. With a minimal amount of racing opportunities (running only) right now, I need to be focusing on training. In the past, it’s been easy to get distracted and lose focus in the off-season. This year, I’ve signed up for the VirtuALL Distance Challenge to help keep the focus. I’m currently working towards completing American Samoa, and will see how much I can complete during the year. If you want to join me, you can register here.
- Completing my 2021 season goals. The first step is to qualify for Paratriathlon Nationals and we’ll go from there. I’m also nervously excited to do my first 70.3s (relay first and then full).
I am looking forward to 2021. Follow the blog and my Facebook/Instagram posts to see how it all unfolds!