2020 Year in Review

Are you sick of hearing 2020 was NOT the year we expected... well, I am.  However, it was probably just fine and has been lined with many blessings.  At least that is what I am trying to do with this post.

On the training and racing front, there were zero "real" races.  I mocked up my own races, participated in a whole host of virtual events, and enjoyed virtual racing on Zwift including team time trialing.  I would have never considered some of these things if not for COVID.  Here is the list of virtual events and challenges that I took on this year:

I was fortunate to stay healthy and set a few new personal records for multiple distances and disciplines.  I set a new 5k, 10k, and half marathon personal record.  I set and then beat my 40k time trial personal record.  Granted, I had never done a stand alone 40k, but out of the five attempts this year (standalone or part of the Ironman VR series), I improved over five and half minutes from my slowest to fastest effort.  Last and certainly not least, I beat my 10 hour goal time to tackle the Appalachian Trail from the Pennsylvania border, through Maryland, West Virginia, and to the Virginia border.  Both my half marathon and AT efforts were supported by my dad.  I really enjoyed the extra time with him, especially now due to quarantine keeping us separated.

As expected, every in-person race I registered for was cancelled and immediately deferred to 2021.  The only exception was the ITU Age Group World Championships in Edmonton, AB.  That was a roller coaster of developments from July to December.  At first it was all moved to Bermuda, so I declined my position on Team USA.  Then, it was back on and moved back to Edmonton, so I quickly emailed wanting to change my decision.  When it came to register, low and behold they did not have me on the list because of my initial response.  Therefore, I acted swiftly and was reinstated.  Therefore, we are trying to go back to Canada again next year!  We'll see!

On the home front, life with my wife and kids has been very eventful trying to manage virtual school and maintain our health.  Fortunately to date, we have not caught the virus and continue to self quarantine and follow as many precautions as possible.  It is very difficult socially because everyone has such divergent views.  We are managing our responsibilities to my employer (thankfully I still have a job), our family members, and the family members which are relying on us to keep our kids safe and healthy so they can still participate in some social activities.  It is quite the juggling act and I know feelings have been hurt.  Hopefully, we can all repair our relationships when all this is over.  

Lastly, and not as much along the lines as blessings, my older brother was diagnosed with ALS this past summer.  This has been a big blow to the family and we are certainly doing our best to rally around him.  It is difficult because he lives in California and none of our family lives there.  With all the COVID restrictions on travel and quarantines, it is a delicate balancing act to provide support.  Maybe the blessing is we are all trying to work together to support one another in this crisis.  2021 will have a lot to say about this situation.

Anyhow, no need to prolong this 2020 recap... it has already been a long year!