Without a doubt, this year was a “recovery year” in terms of running. Though I ran three marathons and finished a year-long streak of everyday running, my total miles were way down and with eleven days left, it is unlikely I will hit 2,000.
I spent a significant amount of time in 2021 working on strengthening my achilles and avoiding with the challenging running situation in New Jersey. Like Philadelphia in 2018, New Jersey posed significant challenges in terms of running safety outside given the congested streets, lack of snow management, and generally dark roads. 2019 and 2020 were in DC, which has a number of parks and running trails that were near where I lived.
What is the goal for next year? I have taken off the last few months of racing, without a scheduled race since October. I will likely aim for the Cherry Blossom 10-miler this spring in DC and perhaps a late-spring trail marathon. However, my goal is not to focus on racing but rather incorporate more cross-training such as peloton. With those I imagine I will hit 2022 miles for the year in 2022 and have some fun races.