I ran 4 half marathons, one 6 hour race, one marathon, one 50K, and, of course, one 50 miler.
My running year really started in December 2022 with the Hitchcock Experience Half Marathon in Honey Creek, Iowa. It was a very challenging trail run. I finished in 2:52. I knew this would be the unofficial start of nearly a year of training for the Hawk 50 miler in September.
My next race was the Lincoln Half Marathon in May. I had a goal of 2:10 and came in under that at 2:04. I felt stronger and faster than I had in a long time.
Shortly after the Lincoln Half I injured my calf. With a little bit of rest, cross training, bracing, yoga, and PT I was healed enough to do the Dizzy Goat 6 hour trail run in Omaha. I ran 24 miles in 6 hours. I wasn't 100% but this race was an important mental and physical hurdle to clear.
The next event was the Gravel Worlds in Lincoln. I ran the 50K on Friday, finishing in under 7 hours as temperatures soared near 100 degrees. I followed that up with a 50K gravel bike ride Saturday morning.
On September 9, two days before my 50th birthday, I ran the Hawk 50 mile trail race in Lawrence, KS. It took me 17 hours to finish, and although I was a little disappointed in my time, I was tremendously proud of my accomplishment.
A few weeks later I ran another trail half marathon in Colorado, finishing in 2:37.
In October, I ran the Chicago Marathon, the site of my first marathon 25 years ago. I was still pretty worn out from the Hawk, honestly, but finished a respectable 4:53.
I capped off the year running the Good Life Half, clocking 1:53.
All told, I ran well over 1,000 miles this year, training and racing.
