2024 Year In Review
Looking Promising Until My Ankle Said No

It's not quite the end of the year, but with nothing else besides my normal training planned, there's nothing planned that would materially change my end of the year summary. The year started with some solid, but not great training. I seemed to be in a rut running about 30 miles per week. For what I wanted to set as goals for Dawn To Dusk To Dawn 50K and Six Days in the Dome 12-Hour, that was inadequate to say the least. Serendipitously I learned of a 6-Hour race in New Jersey, The Livingston Oval 6-Hour, that would allow me to test my fitness, then make needed adjustments to my training. Despite a cold rain for much of the race, I was able to record 22.9 miles, which was better than expected. On the down side I was not able to increase my training mileage and continued to log 25-30 miles per week leading up to D3.

Without going into a detailed race report, D3 was less than satisfactory, starting to head downhill after about 25K, which is what I could realistically expect given my limited training. At one point I was seriously considering a DNF, but Mike Melton, the timer, notified me that I was somehow in second place and could probably hold that given my lead and current pace of third place. I still have a certain amount of chagrin about accepting the large plaque that went with second place having run only 9:11:09. Apparently only one decently fast runner entered the 50K, the remainder having chosen either the 12-Hour or 24-Hour races.

Training remained static at about 30 miles per week including racing at What the Duck 12-Hour where I limited myself to a little over 6 hours of running and 18 miles total. I was getting in some good quality speed work, but that wasn't what I needed to prepare for the 12-Hour at Six Days in the Dome. My longest runs were barely an hour and a half. With lowered expectations I planned to take more frequent breaks, not push the pace early, and in general enjoy the race, but first a couple days volunteering, mostly at the aid station. My 50K split was even slower than at D3, but I felt much better and was able to continue for a total of 35.8 miles. As it turned out, that would be my best total for the year.

Even given time for recovery, I couldn't seem to log over 30 miles per week, though I was still running good quality interval and tempo workouts. Then in early August I reinjured my left ankle just as I had in December, 2022. Since the doctor's orders then were basically rest with no specific physical therapy, I followed that. I limited my walking initially to 30-45 minutes at an easy effort to not place any strain on my ankle and wore the brace I had been issued. I tried to gradually increase effort to a more brisk pace and also increase the distance. After about a month I reintroduced running, but that proved to be too soon. The setback had me walking as a very slow, leisurely pace to ensure no further injury and hopefully still be able to compete at the Hainesport 12-Hour Endurance Run. I was able to complete a few walks in the hour and a half to two hour range. I hoped that would be enough to get me through the race. As it developed, even wearing the brace, my ankle gave out by five and a half hour into the race just short of 17 miles.

Following Hainesport I increased my mileage, concentrating especially on two hour plus walks and doubles to give me more time on my feet. My ankle was feeling better, but I continued to be conservative by wearing the brace and postponing a return to running. The Stinger has announced that this year was the final year to be run and I had had that on my bucket list for almost five years. I didn't want any additional obstacles keeping me from this last opportunity to run it. At the race I had a last minute panic when I realized I had left all my water bottles at the hotel, so I had a last minute rush to get them and returned to the track barely in time for the final instructions before the race. The race went exceptionally well. The primary difficulty was my legs not holding up well over the last 3-4 hours and needing frequent rest breaks, though while I was walking I was able to maintain a good consistent pace. Even with no running at all I finished with less than a mile under what i had at the Dome.

During recovery the following week it was easy to include a transition to running, initially not much more than a 30 second shuffle every couple minutes, but gradually increasing that to what I had been doing before the injury. I had been considering one final race, the Frosty Looper 8-Hour in December, but between uncertain weather that time of year and the course being a 3.75 mile loop, I eventually dismissed the idea. Among other considerations was the need to focus on being able to tackle longer workouts on my own with a view to running some 24-Hour race next year and possible a 48-Hour race.