Taking stock

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“The Sun will rise and set regardless. What we choose to do with the light while it's here is up to us. Journey wisely.” - Alexandra Elle

So I crunched the numbers, and here's what I came back with in 2019. Further and, at times, faster than before.



I've had some good results, despite starting and finishing the year broken.

April: Light Horse 3hr - 33.5km, 5th place
June: Elleker Half marathon: 1:59:59 [happy 2hr pace bus noises]
August: Truth or Consequences 50k: 6:06:50, 19th place
September: Birdy's Backyard ultra: 53.4km, 7 laps, DNF, equal 8th
September: Denmark Half marathon: 1:43:22, 6th place
October: Albany Park to Point 10k: 43:48, 10th (10k pb)
But things go beyond the simple numbers. What you don't see are the mental gains, the embracing of mindfulness and the understanding of where I am on this journey. 2019 saw me hit possibly my lowest point, where the after effects and crash from a two to three week hypomanic episode before and during The Delirious WEST 200mi nearly tore my marriage apart. It wasn't pretty. Glenda blogged about it recently. It was from there I made steps to grow myself mentally, and things have flowed on from there. I'm not the same person I was at the start of the year. I hope you can say the same too. I recently had a chat with Brodie Sharp on the Everyday Running Heroes podcast, where I was as honest as I could be about how the journey has been so far and where I hope it will take me.
I've learnt that racing and events aren't the be all and end all of running, I need to find enjoyment and meaning from it all. I want to take joy and growth to events that I do, not just have them as the sole focus of my running. This won't be easy, but I'm not afraid of what it may bring from here on in. My emotions will always be extreme, I can't change that. I can only work with what I have. I plan on making the most of that by building on this year to 2020 and beyond. To be true to myself, to run more and stress less.




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