Dateline: November 19, 2020.
After a tough, tough summer both globally and personally, I’ve been trying to get back into shape. Physical therapy has been a two steps forward, three steps back, a few steps forward, one or two steps back. It’s been a slog. I’ve been down and depressed and demotivated. And the global pandemic, political instability, and overall malaise hasn’t helped.
My go-to stress relief, running, had become a multiplier of pain.
Races I had signed up for were cancelled or moved to virtual options or impossible to reach out of social responsibility to socially distance and minimize travel.
And then a few months back one of those multi-day race organizers sent out a virtual challenge. Run the 50 states virtually by running on 50 days.
The Mainly Marathon team dubbed it “The Glitch” in honor of 2020. I suppose that’s better than calling it “The Dumpster Fire.”
It was slated to run from October 1, 2020 through February 28, 2021. I decided to use it was a recovery training plan and commit to running for 50 days straight.
I was consistently inconsistent. Distances ranged typically and inexplicably between 5Ks and 10Ks. I occasionally did a half marathon distance. They were rough gos, no matter if it was 3.1 miles or 13.1. MY times were awful… but I kept to the schedule. I’d try and psyche myself up for a marathon distance on a weekend only to peter out to a 5K.
But I kept going… and going… and going.
And on the 50th day, I decided to mark the day with a marathon distance.
It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t as fast as my best times. But like Rocky Balboa in the original Oscar winning boxing saga, I went the distance.
