My 50th Year - My Running Journey Turning 50 Years Young

My 50th year... what a journey this year has been. It's been a year with highlights and lowlights.

My year started with my Al giving me a vacation for my birthday where we traveled up to Northern New England. He planned the whole trip from where we would stay to where we would hike, etc. We had a great time! We hiked Mt. Avalon, Table Rock, and our favorite Mt. Mist to Wachipauka Pond. The weather was unseasonably warm, 80s, hot! This was much-needed time away. Earlier in the month there were many work stressors, along with my identity being stolen.

2023 - 2024 had me fighting fitness injuries - back, hip, and glute weakness and I was slowly getting back into the swing of running for distance once again. Because of the stressors in my life, I contracted shingles. I have to admit I was in denial about it. After two weeks a dear friend told me I should go get checked out. I was diagnosed with shingles, they told me they could do nothing for me because it was too late for medications. However, even with shingles, I was still able to complete my training runs for Half Marathon distances. 4 days later I contracted Covid (for the first time). Covid was a very humbling experience for me and I truly believe that because of the shingles, my immune system was compromised. My biggest worry was infecting my Al and sure enough a few days later he tested positive and things went really downhill for him. Pulmonary Edema and Bilateral Pneumonia put him in the hospital for 4 days. Me having Covid and him in the hospital, my two weeks of being out of work was very challenging financially. Needless to say, I was happy to wave goodbye to 2023 and focus on Al and my healing in the new year.

Moving into the new year, I was fighting back against Covid fatigue, (and it was a big fight!) I went from running 13 miles for long runs to only being able to run/walk - barely - 3 miles. Even my running friends were telling me to take it slow. The struggle was real, but bit by bit I fought my way back with the encouragement of many friends. I wanted to run the NB Half Marathon this year. It was extremely important for me to achieve this goal at 50 years of age. During my first race of the season, I injured myself once again with Peroneal Tendonitis. At this point I started really feeling down and out, wondering if running was something I should even be doing at my age. When I was at the bottom of the barrel, I posted something on Facebook, “Some things are just no meant to be.” My friend Pete said “That is Bull SH$T! Rest, Heal Up, and Get Back Out There!” Many of my friends (and I know that they meant this with the most love) were encouraging me not to run the Half and that I may injure myself more. I ran the Half with a plan that if my foot and leg were not feeling well, I would bow out at Mile 5 at my Dad’s house. I would do the run to enjoy the experience, not to PR. I ended up feeling great! Even though I stopped to give my Dad a hug and get some water and with seeing my friend Chris, whom I stopped to say hi, I still PR’d that day. The following month I ran my next Half and PR’d once again with my best time 2:00.19 and I finished first in my age group. I have never been first for anything! Along came May. That time of year is vacation time. Once again Al and I headed up to the North East Kingdom of Vermont. They just so happened to have a Half Marathon at the same time we were vacationing. Al and I drove the course and I was like NO WAY, I will just do the 10k! After contemplating for many days with Al, I reached out to my friend Pete and he said “Jul, just do it… if you can’t finish, you can’t finish. Do it for the experience” Mind you my Al had said the same thing a few days prior. It was such a fun & beautiful course! There were musicians every few miles. I took my time and took pictures of all the musicians. I was so proud of myself for finishing. My biggest highlight is when I texted Al after the course and he said, “I can’t believe you did that! I am so proud of you! I can’t wait to see you!” He knew how challenging that course was just by the drive.

After my trifecta, my biggest goal was to beat the heat and humidity. I have long dreaded the summer months for long-distance running. Now it was time to experiment with hydration and heart rate training. I knew my runs would be slower as I was managing my hydration and heart rate during these runs. It really helped me get through those long humid summer months... along with lots of help from my friends. 

My distances began to improve since my last Half Marathon, however, my knees began to hurt. Not just one, but both of them. After many months of trying to manage the discomfort, I finally made an appt to see a Sports Medicine doctor. He was great! No arthritis but I did have Patella Femoral and need to add a few more exercises to help my knees track properly. I am now gearing up for my 4th and final Half Marathon of this year. My weekly runs have improved and I am now running 15+ miles for my long run regularly. 

I am not a very reflective person but as I re-read this, I say to myself, my god Jul, you have really overcome so much in the past year to reach your goals.

I write this because I don’t want you to feel sorry for me or give me sympathy. I write this because life is challenging. To be honest, it is challenging for all of us every day. It is going to be hard but always focus on your highlights. The lowlights come and go, but the highlights are truly what gets us through everyday life. 

Final Note; Thank you to my Al who has put up with me through this past year of running. With my on and off injuries, your encouragement to keep going and your unwavering support made me so grateful for you. My dearest running friends, Pete Despres & Keith Johnson, for always giving great advice and cheering me on through this journey. Your encouragement has meant so much to me. I couldn’t have done this without all of you.