When 2022 arrived, I may have been its biggest cheerleader.
First of all, this year had my favorite number in it (22). It was also the Year of the Tiger, and there was much to look forward to. How could I not be excited? I was full of hope and optimism.
By the end of February, that energy had begun to shift.
Every year presents its own set of challenges, but some years feel more impactful than others. 2022 felt emotionally heavier. There was a lot going on and it wasn’t easy to keep up at times.
There were several lowlights but if I mention them all we might be here awhile.
However, there were some definite highlights to my year:
- Staying healthy (always grateful for that)
- Returning to the trails after a 16-month hiatus
- Continuing with my team on the CRAW bonus regions
- Going to my first baseball game in 3 years
- Attending my first concert since March 5, 2020 (The Head and The Heart / Dawes)
- Participating in my first in-person marathon in 3 years (Chicago Marathon)
After Chicago, my focus was on strength training, but my workouts have not been consistent. I haven’t been running as much either. I cracked 30 miles in December.
While runners are posting their awesome workouts, I’m over here thinking, “maybe I’ll run tomorrow, or maybe not.” I’ve shared a few funny memes poking fun at this, but it’s absolutely true.
Due to my lack of exercise for the past couple of months, I’ve noticed a huge difference in how I physically and mentally feel. My body feels more sluggish throughout the day, and it’s tougher to get going again after some days off.
But I also needed this time to recover from the busyness of the year, and space to slow down and even stop for a moment.
I needed to disconnect in order to reconnect with running again, and it’s helping.
I’m not even close to where my old running self was, but I’m slowly recognizing who that person was again, and it’s a nice feeling.
Building up mileage will take time and I’m okay with that. There are no races currently on my 2023 card. My one 6-hour timed event in April is canceled for good this time.
The past few weeks have been a little challenging for me due to some life events, but I’ve been using this time to rest, and refocus on what I want, and what I’d like to envision.
The energy has begun to shift again but in a better way, and I want to jump back into the pool of hope and optimism for 2023.
But I’m ready to close the door on 2022. It might’ve knocked us down and twirled us around a bit, but we got through it. Of course, we still have a couple more days remaining so I’m keeping my fingers crossed here.
Let’s leave 2022 behind and start looking ahead. And may 2023 be kinder to us all.
p.s. I might be taking auditions for a new favorite number.