2019 Year in Review and Thoughts on 2020

What a difference a year can make huh? This time last year the last thing on my mind was riding my bike, let alone that 360ish days later I’d find myself with a spankin’ new blog and a schedule full of upcoming mountain bike races. 2019 was definitely a strange and difficult year for me. Filled with emotional highs and lows and a smattering of the strangest injuries I’ve ever experienced. Add in the fact that my odometer rolled over to its 40th year in 2019 and you can begin to understand just how odd it was for me. Throughout the year I’ve gotten back on the bike, rediscovered running, lost around 40 pounds, made a ton of new friends, rekindled old friendships, grown closer to my family, and overcome adversities that I never thought I would face.

Despite all the fun I’ve had this past year, there were times when life looked pretty bleak. Some of this was my own doing and some of it was life slapping me upside the head; then kicking me when I was down for good measure. But somehow I always managed to get back up and continue to move forward. How? To be honest some days I don’t know what got me up and running that morning. Maybe it was fear that if I stopped moving forward that I’d suddenly stumble all the way back…and I didn’t want that. My Strava Year in Review stats are modest compared to previous years, but not bad when one considers that from 2016 to March 2019 I rode maybe 100 miles total. So I feel pretty good about the fact that I logged 1,551 miles on the bike and 115 miles running in 2019.

Shifting gears to 2020, my race season starts this Saturday, January 4th at Snake Creek Gap Time Trial in Dalton, GA. I’ve raced Snake on a single speed several times. It’s going to hurt something fierce and it’ll probably end with me covered in mud and possibly some blood. The next race will be The Gobbler on January 18th in Conyers, GA. This will be the first 6 hour race of the year. While I’m not in bad shape at the moment, I’m certainly not in good enough shape to feel completely prepared for either of these races. That’s fine though because I intend to approach these races as little more then organized training opportunities. Everything will be building, first, to Big Frog 65 in April and then Shenandoah 100 on Labor Day weekend.

So how am I feeling rolling into 2020? Physically I’m a mixed bag at the moment. My legs feel capable of doing some good things, however my back is causing some problems. The sciatica in my right leg is slowly getting better, or at least bothering me a whole lot less. The fact that it hasn’t gone away yet is concerning and may require a dreaded appointment with the doctor. Going over the bars two weeks ago stopped all weight training, though I’m looking forward to picking that back up next week. My lower back is still a work in progress, as is my middle back. My hands are giving me some fits, but that may be due to limited time on the mountain bike lately. Other then that everything feels pretty good.

Emotionally I’m not gonna lie; things are pretty freaking great right now. One of the best results of 2019 was getting closer to family and friends. This year being as difficult as it was required me to lean on them more then in years past. Work is busy, but easily handled by buckling down, so no real stress there. When I started this endeavor back in November my love life was pretty nonexistent and I was OK with that. I wasn’t sure how I would be able to work someone into my life, given my goals for 2020. Where am I now? Well I recently got blindsided by a freight train cleverly disguised as a 5’2” brunette. She’s an absolute tour de force of a woman who’s shaken up my previously quiet little world. I’m looking forward to some amazing adventures with her next year.

Overall 2020 looks to be a pretty exciting year for me. I don’t expect everything to go perfect, but things are looking good and I’m excited to see what the next 365 days hold. Look for the first race report of 2020 next Monday!!!