Tommy 5k: 2019 to 2020

It's been almost a year since I've put up a blog post, so I figured the new year would be a great opportunity to provide some kind of reflection on 2019 and share what I'm hoping and looking forward to for 2020.

2019
Let me get the negative out of the way..
Overall, 2019 was a relatively poor year of running for me. I started the year with injury and ended the year with injury. If you are one of my running or endurance buds, you've probably heard me complain about a lingering hamstring issue. The balky hamstring and a recently new hip issue have held up my training and left me in general discomfort. Enough discomfort to shut things down? Not as of late. Enough discomfort to not run long or at a high volume? Absolutely. Have these issues impacted my race results? I actually hope so...or maybe I'm just getting older. To help maintain my current state, I try to stretch, roll a bit, swim 1x a week (been failing at that as of late), and have been getting dry needling. Will this recovery plan work? Only time will tell.

Not fun.

After a very tough 2018 (losing my Dad), 2019 brought some sad times for a couple of my friends. A good friend, college teammate, former coach, and training partner of mine named Kevin had a freak fall from a tree while playing with his kids that left him in paralyzed. He was fortunate to survive and works very hard daily to try to make physical gains to get parts of his life back. While recently visiting him, he shared with me some of the trials and tribulations of the injury. One of the most frustrating parts of the injury for him is that hard work and dedication are not always providing immediate results for him. This frustrates him because hard work always paid off for him as a runner, professional, husband, dad, and friend. Here is to hoping 2020 brings Kevin more healing, progress, and hope. Kevin's story is a reminder to me to appreciate everything I've got...even the injuries and running times that aren't meeting my expectations...the alternatives could be much worse! The second really sad event from 2019 is the sudden loss of BLS. She was a wonderful, humorous, caring, and spirited individual who was full of life. She was taken far too soon. I have no words.

Team B + my teammate and bud, Jay. Good to see him!

Hanging with my old college teammates and bus, Tim and Jay at the Big Heart 5k held this year in honor of Kevin.

Onto the positive..
-The biggest, most exciting, and positive thing that happened to me in 2019 was the birth of my second daughter, Addy, in March. I love being a Dad and involving both of my girls in my active, fun lifestyle.

Addy's first run ever! The family competed in the Bottone Mile together.

-I stayed active. While my training volume was low, I did some sort of physical activity almost everyday. Activities included: running, swimming, weights, paddle boarding, core/stretch work, biking, and I even went skiing for the first time in almost a decade this past week.

-I completed basic requirements for the WTAC Clamshell.

-I had a ton of fun running races with Shara and doing events with my WTAC teammates. Racing with Shara and my running buds really motivates me and increases my interest in various events.

Team WTAC at the Mews post race.
*Missing Shara (she took the photo)

Race Statistics/Facts
*I did 13 races in 2019.
*Shara did 12/13 races with me. The only race she missed was the Pell Bridge Run ( I remind her of this on the regular).
*I did a TRI for the firs time since 2016 and came in 2nd OA. I had a very solid day in the water and on the run, not so much on the bike.
*Completed the Swim to Skim 1.2 mile race in Newport on 8/25. I did in 34:53, which would qualify me for a big swim race that is on my bucket list.
*Wins: 5
*Distance of my races:
5k: 6, Best time: 17:08 at the Land Trust Race.
1 mile: 1 (pushing the double stroller)
4 miles: 2
Oddball distances: BRR and Mews races.
*I competed in some races I really wanted to do-Pell Bridge & Mews Race. I'd definitely consider running both of these again.

Pre-race at the Swim to Skim (another last minute decision)

I finally did the Pell Bridge Run and competed for Team Clean Ocean Access. Congrats to Chris on the Big W!

We "jumped" into the Wave Tri last minute.

2020
-l'm not going to get into mileage or distance goals because I really don't have them. Mostly, I'd like to get healthy, feel strong, and run faster than I did in 2019.
-Since I didn't race many regular distances, the best measuring stick I have is the 5k. I still love the 5k over any other race distance and would like to try to run them fast for as long as I possibly can.
-Stay active almost every day of the year. It shouldn't be that hard. Besides my love of running, I have plenty of other activities that can keep me going (see above).
-Speaking of staying active, I'd like to do another Sprint TRI, swim race, and go skiing a few times in 2020.
-Complete the WTAC Clamshell (it'll probably be on my list every year)
-Run sub 5 or as close to sub 5 as possible in the mile.
-Go for stroller runs with the girls and continue running with Riley and Lulu.
-Continue running races with Shara and compete in team racing with the WTAC.
-Swim 1x a week.

Here's to wishing all of my endurance friends as happy and healthy 2020. Let's go!