2022 Year in Review

Great Start, Slow Finish

I had great hopes for the year after my first two races went so well. I kicked off the year with the 50K at the Pistol Ultras in Alcoa, TN, with expectations of simply getting in a good, solid effort in the 7:40-7:45 range. Realizing partway through the third and final lap that sub-7:30 was within reach spurred me to a greater effort. I not only finished sub-7:30 (7:27:40 gun time), I picked up third in my age group, which also earned me an unexpected third place award. I followed this with an exception 6-Hour race only two weeks later on the track at the Alexander County 24 logging over 25 miles. This raised my expectation for my first 12-Hour race six weeks later at 3 Days at the Fair.

I wouldn't say life got in the way, but other activities took precedence over tapering for the race. As a result I was not well rested, which became evident early on with a slower than normal pace for the first few laps. With no hope of a decent time I spent many laps socializing and settled for 35 miles total. My next race was a team event with the top priority socializing with my teammates. I was happy with 25 miles plus only two weeks after 3 Days at the Fair while still in recovery mode. It made for a good workout and, hopefully, good preparation for the 6-Hour at Merrill's Mile. The challenge there would be the Georgia heat and humidity on the Fourth of July weekend.

The main challenge at Merrill's Mile was finding the race site. I had to stop several times to ask for directions, then barely made it to the start with only 15 minutes to spare when I picked up my bib. I knew my goal was unrealistic in the heat and humidity. With the stress of finding the race, coupled with finding my hotel the day before, I knew I would have to settle for whatever I could salvage for the day. Conditions were challenging and I battled with the heat once the Sun was well up and no longer had any shade from the trees lining the course. What I hadn't planned on, and didn't suspect until after I finished was having another a-Fib episode. My cardiologist confirmed that once I got home at the end of the week. That prompted me to be cautious, perhaps overly so, when at my 12-hour race over Labor Day weekend. I took several long breaks when I felt heat related symptoms, as well as paying much closer attention to my electrolyte intake. That must have worked because I didn't get any calls from the monitoring service or my cardiologist, though it did limit my distance to just over 38 miles.

I had only one more race on my schedule, though there were several others I was considering. As it transpired, I had to pass on all of them. I didn't think a lot about a pain in my ankle the first time it occurred. It became an issue and a problem when it kept recurring. At first I thought I could get by with switching to the 12-hour from the 50K because it would be at a slower pace and less intense. That wasn't sufficient and I had to cancel after all. At that point it made no sense to register for any more races. Self treatment of eliminating any intense training like intervals and tempo runs, and even taking off as much as three days, wasn't sufficient, so a visit to the orthopedist was my next option. I even the year wearing an ankle brace and will start 2023 the same way.