It’s so hard to disentangle oneself from the culture of optimization, from data-tracking and self-surveillance, which is inevitably -- or at least, easily -- wrapped up in self-policing, ranking, rating, and shame.
“The data” might say otherwise, but I’ll say: I had a very good year with my body, hitting many (but not all) of the goals I set for myself for 2024.
I completed the NYRR 9+1, which means I’ve qualified to run in the 2025 NYC Marathon -- my first marathon. (NYRR stands for New York Road Runners, the group that runs most of the major races here, particularly the marathon.) I completed the NYRR 4 of 6, which qualifies me for the 2025 NYC Half Marathon, and the NYRR Virtual 6, which qualifies me for the 2025 Brooklyn Half. I’m in great shape coming out of my fall training block -- I PR’d at the Philadelphia Half Marathon in November -- and I think I should be able to run fast enough at one of those latter two races this spring to qualify by speed for NYRR’s 2026 marquis events, including the 2026 NYC Marathon (should I actually decide to run another 26.2 mile race again).
Not too shabby for Year 3 of being a runner.
Me, ringing the 9+1 bell after the Bronx Ten Mile race
There was a time this spring when I was having a very bad time with my body, after I was pushed down during a run, injuring my hands and my knee pretty severely. I was forced to take time off from running, something I found incredibly hard, not just physically but mentally. Running has become a powerful solace for me (and I do wonder if it’s connected to the bilateral stimulation of EMDR treatment).
Me, in my new Oakleys, shortly before some asshole pushed me down. He was probably jealous of the cool sunglasses.
The bright side: the injury helped me move away from being an utterly datafied athlete. I ditched my Garmin -- entirely at first, and now I only wear it for running, despite all its promises to track my steps and my sleep and my heart rate variability and my adaptation to heat and to hills. I stopped using Strava for a while too, although I’m back there now, one of the very few social networks that I pay attention to. (When you’re running well, it’s encouraging to encourage others; when you’re running poorly, it’s equally discouraging -- and that makes me feel terribly anti-social. What an awful set of feedback loops we’ve built here.)
I tried some new things this year, including Orange Theory Fitness (terrible -- an easy way to hurt yourself while neither really doing a good job at strength-training or cardiovascular conditioning) and pilates (just ridiculously difficult -- and WTF is with the socks). OTF and pilates were both “one and done” sorts of things. I became a NYRR volunteer leader and handed out a lot of water cups to runners over the course of the year. I joined a run club, and while I’ve gone on a couple of group runs, I’m not sure that it’s really my bag. Surprisingly my bag: I tried ballet again after 50 some odd years of my first miserable experience in a studio -- I truly suck, but I’m getting better; and I feel ridiculously blessed that my current studio is the Alvin Ailey Extension. I did my first sprint triathlon, and I’ve signed up for another one in July.
My first stint as a NYRR Volunteer Leader at the hydration station at the Fred Lebow Half Marathon in January. I don't think I've ever been so cold in my life.
I didn’t do much swimming (the gym pool has been closed since the spring). I didn’t do much yoga. I didn’t do any hiking. I biked a lot in preparation for my triathlon, but I haven’t been cycling much lately other than getting to and from the gym. (Longest bike ride of the year: 27 miles) We walk the dog every morning on a little loop to and from Central Park -- dogs can be off-leash until 9am, and it’s the highlight of Poppy’s day, and a lot of days, mine too.
I’ve been very consistent with weightlifting this year (despite sometimes really having to drag my ass to the gym). This summer, I dialed back my running a little and started lifting three times a week, instead of the two days I have long done. This extra effort helped me gain a lot of strength, and I finally hit my long-time goal of out-deadlifting Adele, with a PR of 165 lb. I’m back to lifting just twice a week, but I’m regularly doing 140 lb x 5 reps, all while ramping up running mileage, so I’m very pleased with that. (Don’t ask me about my squats. I can either be good at deadlifts or squats or bench, but never all three at once.)
I am a sucker for Arnold Schwarzenegger swag.
Total miles run: 1475
Races:
- Manhattan 10K -- PR!
- Gridiron 4 Mile -- PR!
- Run as One 4 Mile
- Washington Heights 5K
- Real Simple Women’s Half
- Fifth Avenue Mile
- Bronx Ten Mile -- PR!
- Philadelphia Half -- PR!
- Ted Corbitt 15K -- PR!
Plus several virtual races
One of the best things about the year was running with Emily, my sister-in-law. She actually inspired me to sign up for a triathlon, and she and I ran the Philadelphia Women’s Triathlon and the Philly Half together.
The best sister-in-law
Somehow I feel I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the incredible Summer Olympics, which were incredibly inspiring (especially the USA Track & Field performances by Nikki Hiltz, Cole Hocker, Grant Potter, Gabby Thomas, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and, of course Snoop Dogg.) But then again, that’s not my year in motion...although I did watch a lot of the coverage while running on the treadmill to avoid the summer heat and humidity. That and the Netflix series Sprint -- Seasons 1 and 2 -- made me feel strangely/simultaneously a helluva lot faster and a helluva lot slower as I plodded along.
The lead women at the 2024 NYC Marathon, running 26.2 miles at a pace faster than I can run 400 meters
So that’s my year, in a nutshell (or, rather, in five blog posts). Although the world feels dangerous, my own mental and financial stability incredibly precarious, I am strong and fast for my age.
Try to keep up. (It’s cool. It's cool. I’ll wait.)
The only way out is through -- Robert Frost