2019 in Review – 2020 in Preview

This post is a little later than it would normally be to start the new year, but I wanted to wait for the result of a lottery. And, spoiler alert, I’m glad I did!

But first, the numbers for 2019!

• 1,715 miles run
• One 50K completed (Badger Mountain 50K race report)
• One 53 miler completed (Highland Fling race report)
• One volcano circumambulation (Timberline Trail trip report)
• One 100 miler completed (Javelina Jundred race report)
• Two guest blog posts
  • 7 Reasons Why Coaching Isn’t Just for Elites (on Trail Sisters)
  • 10 to 100 Miles: What Does it Take? (on Dirtbag Runners)
• One Peat Symposium at Westland Distillery
• 50+ whiskies tasted

In short, it was a great year! I had a few races that were the tentpoles of my training, but not too many races to stress me out. I ran self-supported adventures with friends, which I sometimes prefer to races for the fun factor. And Adam and I got to do some traveling (and whisky tasting) in my very favorite place to visit – Scotland. 

No matter how many miles I run, I always learn new lessons. My big takeaways from this year:

• Run your own adventure. FOMO is a powerful motivator, especially for ultrarunners. But it can also get you into situations where Type 2 fun quickly morphs to Type 3 fun and you hate your life choices. Twice this summer my friends chose adventures they were stoked about, but didn’t resonate with me for whatever reason (I knew I’d be miserable on the terrain, I wasn’t interested in the route, etc.) The first time I chose to crew their adventure instead of run it with them, and I had an absolute blast! The second time I opted to have another adventure with a friend instead, and had loads of fun (and a crazy mouse encounter). Both of these instances reinforced that my choice was the right one, and a reminder to run my own adventure.
• Whatever you were worried about going in a race won’t be the real challenge. It’ll be something else. After five years of ultra running, this shouldn’t come as a shock to me, but here we are. This happened to me multiple times this year. For the Highland Fling, I was concerned about not dawdling at aid stations. Turns out I was more distracted by the 10 hours of continuous rain. For Javelina, I was worried about two painful wasp stings from a week prior and stomach issues. Turns out I had an epic mental battle and a painful TFL muscle that forced me to walk the last 30 miles. In short? Expect the unexpected. (Duh.) <cue Billie Eilish>
• My trail running friends are THE BEST. This is not news to me, but I wanted you to know. 🙂 Who else will run with me in absolutely wretched conditions? Not be fazed if there’s crying or puking mid-run? Or tell me silly stories at mile whatever to make me laugh? Or travel to crew at a race – complete with costumes, a traveling mimosa bar, glow sticks, and of course, cowbells? These ladies, that’s who.

So, what’s on the docket for 2020, you ask? Well, body willing, I have a few races planned in the spring…

• Chuckanut 50K I’ve run this race three times before, and it holds a special place in my heart. It’s tough, but the perfect well-run spring training race. The weather is a surprise every year, but I absolutely adore the local, supportive vibe. 
• Walla Walla 6 Hour I’m really excited about this ladies-only race put on by the fabulous Gretchen Walla, and it’s my very first timed event! The race happens to be on the birthday weekend of my friend Ellen and I, and we have a tradition of celebrating on the eastern (sunny) side of the state with our friends. It’s going to be a blast, and I can’t wait!

And, finally, the lottery I was waiting on for an end-of-summer race…

• CCC 100K (little sister of the UTMB in the Alps!) I was not expecting to actually get in. Ellen and I had two tickets since we didn’t get in last year, but we figured it would be more of a token act of entering. You know, like putting in for Western States. You do it because you can, but with the expectation of a snowball’s chance in hell that you actually get in. BUT, now we’re going to Chamonix, and this will be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’m so excited. (And terrified.) But mostly excited. (And still terrified.) Thank goodness I have my fabulous coach, Jess Mullen, to help me find my mountain legs.

This means the summer will be full of fun and challenging self-supported routes with loads of elevation change. I’m naturally better at flatter, non-technical terrain (I’m from Wisconsin, what can I say?) So I’m looking forward to improving on steeper, more technical routes. While I don’t think I’ll ever have the confidence of a mountain goat, I’m simply hoping to move comfortably forward without clinging to the mountainside in fear. Seems like a reachable goal, right?

Now, to be completely honest (heaven forbid I be anything else), I’m a bit nervous about all of this. Mostly because I’m still getting over the soft tissue injury I acquired in the last 30 miles of the Javelina Jundred. While I’m s-l-o-w-l-y getting better, I’m still not close to running regularly yet. But, annoyingly, injury is just a part of being an athlete. I’m doing everything I can to heal and strengthen in preparation for the miles ahead. I can’t (successfully) argue with my body, so patience is the name of the game. 

2020, I’ve got high hopes for you. Let’s do this.