I can’t complain too much about a year that includes my first IRONMAN event in 7 years, and a (virtual) Boston Marathon finish-first 26.2 mile run since 2016. Adding these two pieces of hardware in one year easily makes this my best season since 2015. That said, there were many downsides. Only 2 in-person events this year. My Ironman 70.3 was shortened to 43.4 mile (bike leg cut in half) due to severe weather. The marathon was virtual, which is just not the same. My favorite local race (Minneapolis Triathlon) was permanently cancelled. I had panic attacks during all of my triathlon swims (and most of my open water training swims). I have no idea why since it was never an issue before. Not sure if I can continue running triathlons if this continues. And my knees got very upset with my increased running miles. I can barely climb up or down a flight of stairs, or squat down to pick anything up. My finish time for the marathon was 6:21…which would be a DNF at most marathons. I tried to run a second virtual marathon a few weeks later, hoping for a better outcome (which would have motivated me to register for Chicago Marathon next year). That was a disaster, and I gave up after 10 miles.
So, the season was a mixed bag. I had some successes, but I think I will need to view this as a final hoorah instead of a triumphant return to long distance racing. Still, a Boston Marathon medal and another Ironman 70.3 in one season? I’m pretty happy with this overall. My best season in a long, long time…
Road To Madison 