Running a 50k on my own forced me to confront and manage my own negative and self-defeating thoughts without that in-the-moment support from my partner that I had grown so used to, which was valuable, important, and above all, exhausting.
Consistency is commonly said to be the secret—the secret to success, athletics, or perhaps even a long life full of rainbows and unicorns and cookies. Along with this, people also often say that consistency is not sexy. Too true. In fact, I would say that consistency is downright boring.
It can be easy to be pessimistic as we end yet another year of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as the Omicron variant runs rampant and communities re-institute confinements, curfews, and outdoor mask requirements. The desire to wish away and write off yet another year lost to abnormality is strong. But as with last year, I’m choosing to reflect on those times that I lived my life well this past year.
I have heard people refer to 2020 as “the lost year,” and 2021 isn’t shaping up to be much better. In more normal times, by the beginning of the year, I usually have some sort of idea of what my goals will be because now they often revolve around a mountaineering objective, which must be …