Bling Interrupted: 2021 races

2021 started off with so much promise for many of us runners. As more people received the Covid vaccine and case numbers started to decline, races began to open up again. After last year, I made a vow not to run any more virtual races, unless a live race I registered for was required to go virtual. I feel pretty lucky that only happened to one of the races I registered for.

Even though this year's racing season started off really promising for me personally, there still weren't a lot of live options and after the spring, I didn't have anything on the calendar except for a trail 10k in July and 2 trail races in the fall. If you read my blog regularly, you know that in July, I broke my ankle and foot after falling from the rope at CrossFit. I was forced to DNS that 10k and one of my trail races. The RD of the other trail race let me defer until 2022.

I do have bling from 3 of the 4 races I ran prior to my injury. Just as good, in a different way, is the bling I received this fall for completing a trail hiking challenge, my first hiking patch. I'm excited to share it all with you! There are links to the race recaps in each section if you want to read more.

Frozen Gnome Trail 10k

I optimistically registered for this trail race (there's a 50k too), thinking that since it takes place on the trails and our Covid case numbers were low at the time, it wouldn't revert to virtual. Silly me. The RD encouraged runners to come out and run on the actual course, although the race wouldn't be supported. On the day the race was scheduled, it was cold but it was sunny, so I drove out to Veterans Acres in Crystal Lake to run the virtual race. I strapped on my Yaktrax but couldn't figure out where to go. Thankfully, a 50k runner took me under his wing and I ran a full loop with him. Trust me, he tried to lose me, but that only happened once and after I caught back up to him, he made sure I was right behind him. I didn't hold him back and slid down buttslide hill just as he told me to. At the end of the race, I gifted him my Yaktrax for his final 2 loops. He later reached out and told me they were magical, lol. He also told me I was a 'fucking stud' and yeah, that praise has stayed with me. By the way, I won the 50-59 age group. Probably because no one else was dumb enough to run it.

Universal Sole Valentines Trail Challenge

I ran this race in 2020 before the whole world shut down. It was such a fun race that I signed up again. Of course, 2021 being what it was, we had a foot of snow and sub-zero temperatures the morning of the race. The organizers cut the distance from 10k to 5k. It was still tough going--the path was only wide enough for one runner and being an out and back forced many of us to run through the deep snow to let the bolder runners pass by. It was a really tough challenge, but I was so glad I got to do it!

Wintrust Lakefront 10 miler

I've run this race many times and it never disappoints. The Chicago Area Runners' Association did a great job working with the city of Chicago to put on a live race that would keep everyone safe and meet the stringent standards the city required. It was weird being in our little corrals, but once we started running, we could take our masks off. The race itself felt normal. As usual, I went out too fast, but got it together and finished strong on the track. There were no post-race celebrations, which also felt a little odd, but again, it was a live race and that is all that matters.

Lake Monona 20k

I've always wanted to run the lake loop around Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin, and had been eying this race all spring. The virtual option was not appealing to me, but two weeks before the race was tentatively scheduled, the RD announced it would be live! Having just run the 10 miler 2 weeks before, I was already trained, so I signed up. It was cold and windy at the start and there were no mask requirements. It was quite a bit different from my race 2 weeks previously! As we looped around the lake, we had the wind at our back, which was pretty sweet. The sun came out and it got warm. The wind at the beginning helped me hold back my pace and I felt great the entire time. I finished with a smile on my face, knowing I ran a great race. It was a new distance for me, so automatic PR, too! There was no afterparty at this race either. 

Mammoth Hiking Challenge

As I recovered from my injury, I spent time walking on the trails. I needed something to motivate myself to keep going until I could run again, so I optimistically signed up for this 41 mile challenge, which took place during October. Not living in Wisconsin, the challenge would require that I cover some long distances on the weekends. I surprised myself by completing the challenge in 4 weekends on 4 different segments, walking distances of 9, 12, 12, and 9 miles. Not only did this challenge make me feel mentally stronger, but an unexpected benefit was building strength for my return to running! I also realized how nice it is to slow down and soak in your surroundings. What an amazing experience--and yes, I teared up when I finished my last hike.

In spite of my year of running being interrupted--rudely, I might add--by my injury, I didn't miss running as much as I thought I would while I recovered. The hiking challenge kept me happy while I worked some running back into my walks. Of course, I'm happy to be back to running again and looking ahead to next year. I'm planning on running the 2 trail races that I wasn't able to do this year as well as a few others. There will be more hiking too, as I take on a new challenge on the Lodi/Sauk segments of the IAT. 

Here's to hoping that 2022 will be more of a return to the kind of racing we are used to. Dare I hope that life will begin to assume some semblance of normalcy?

How was your year of running? Were you pleased with what you did? Did you do any virtual races? Live races? What kinds of accommodations did you see for COVID?

I'm linking up with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics, with the Runners' Roundup: Debbie, Deborah, Jen, Laura, and Lisa.