2019 Year Review

Hi.  I’ve been quiet on the blog front.  And the social media front.  To be honest, I haven’t felt motivated to write.  Blogging reached a point this year when I felt like I was just churning out posts, without really feeling like I was adding value to the cluttered interwebs.  But the year is wrapping up, and I feel the need to do it some justice with a 2019 year review.

 

2019 had some low points.  Not making the Windrunners standard in March and leaving the team.  Spending a good portion of the spring and winter depressed.  Running a painful and slow Chicago marathon.  Feeling like a failure with starting a business.  A similarly terrible experience at the RnR Half Marathon.  Getting burned out with running and losing the joy of it for a while.  Getting burned out with blogging and losing the joy of it for a while.  Luckily, none of those were Earth-shattering, although at the time they felt that way.

 

2019 also had some wonderful high points.  Planning and putting on Trail Camp.  Starting the Track ‘n Trail training program.  Spending time in LA with my dad.  Getting my NASM certification and starting to teach strength classes.  Getting my Race Director certification.  Having a blast at the Milwaukee Marathon.  All the PRs for the athletes I coach.  Running my fastest mile ever.  Keeping a daily gratitude journal on Instagram.  Selling Becca Bites at Shine Bright.  The largest turnout at Sprint Tuesday ever.  Strengthening friendships and making new ones.

 

2019 year of growth




 

Usually on these end of year recaps, I have a defining theme for the year.  Either a moment, or experience, or journey from the year that left a big impact on me.  2015 was the Year of Boston. 2016 was the Year of Recovery and PRs2017 was the Year of the Ultra2018 was the Year of the Injury.  But 2019?  I’m not sure how to encapsulate it.

 

Sifting through all my memories from the year, looking for those moments of impact that shifted the orbit of Becca in a new direction, I came up with this.  In August while training for the Chicago Marathon, I went on a long trail run.  A solo run, seventeen miles, in the heart of marathon training season.  Now, I have gone on over a hundred trail runs over the years, so this shouldn’t have been that noteworthy.

 

But, by that time of year, I was worn out.  Unhappy with running, still chasing a time standard, emotions and hormones all out-of-whack, and feeling overall disappointed with myself and with my body.  Running had become a chore, something I dreaded doing, because I felt so riddled with disappointment and the sense of not being “enough.”  Those thoughts and feelings rattled around my head as I set out on the run.

 

A few miles in, I had the impulse to turn it into an adventure by finding a way to link my two favorite trail systems in the area.  The rush giddiness and satisfaction that I experienced upon accomplishing that silly little goal was almost overwhelming.  Running was fun and I felt happy at the end of a run, which hadn’t happened in a while.   All the road miles, all the effort I was putting towards hitting a 5k time benchmark, it wasn’t making me happy.  That’s when things clicked and I realized perhaps one of the most important lessons.  Have goals that make you happy.  Orbit shifted.

 

2019 year review

 

I know that sounds kind of ridiculous, have goals that make you happy, DUH.  I spent most of the year chasing a running goal that someone else had for me.  A goal that I thought I was supposed to want, but that really never felt right.  And my running – and consequently my mood – suffered for it.

 

So have goals and do the things that make you happy.  Not what you think will make others happy.  Not what you think others want you to do.  Have a goal that lights you up inside and plasters a big old smile on your face.  You’d think that after 31 years on this Earth, I would know that by now.  But we all need reminders sometimes.  2019 was that reminder.  

 

So, that’s my 2019 year review.  Realizing what goals lights me up inside.  Deciding what I want to do next.  At least, for my running-oriented goals.  And 2020 will be my unapologetic, wonderfully excited, pursuit of those running goals.   Trying to put that in a nice pretty blog posty title is difficult.

 

As far as everything else: the blog, the Becca Bite business, my actual full-time non-profit job.  As far as all of that goes, and knowing what goals I want to pursue…I haven’t quite figured those out yet.  And, that’s ok.  Or at least, at this moment, I feel ok with it.  You may be seeing more of me again on the blog, or it might be radio silence.  I might ramp up the Becca Bites business, or I might keep it small and just make for friends.  We shall see.

 

What would your 2019 year review be?  Wishing you all a Happy New Year, and thanks for reading.  If you would like to stay in touch when the blog is silent, find me on Instagram or Facebook for more food/fitness related posts.

 

 

 

Happy running,

Becca

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




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Wendy
4 years ago

2019 was rough for me too, due to health issues. Happily, I ended on a high note. I hope to ride that into 2020. I haven’t set any goals for the year–I just want to take it as it comes and find joy in all my activities. I would like to do more trail running, so I’m going to explore that. Otherwise, I’m just grateful to still be out there, even if it’s slow, and connecting with you and all the other like minded runners!