I looked back at my goals for 2023. From my 2022 year-end post, “on to 2023, my goals are completing all 12 Coldwell Banker Elite Grand Prix races, all 5 Stafford Series races, my 16th Historic Half, and my final four state marathons. The spring marathon will raise my consecutive year, finishing a marathon streak to 31 years. My final goal is to write my 2024 goals at the end of the year.”
Coming out of 2022, my cardiologist told me I could stop taking blood thinners. Once I returned from Hawaii in December 2022, I stopped.
In February 2023, my daily Kardiamobile showed PVC issues and once an A-Fib reading. I went back on blood thinners, ensuring I would get through my June marathon trip to Alaska.
My long run times in the spring were great; my longest run, 20 miles, was at a 9:30 pace. By April, my races were better than expected, taking third place in my age group in a Grand Prix race, Stafford Hospital 5km.
I knew my time to finish a marathon in each of the 50 states was running out. I only had four more states to complete. My legs were aging, and times were slowing. I made plans to run Kansas and Nebraska in May, Alaska in June, and North Dakota in October.
In early May, I took a seven-day road trip to eastern Kansas and Nebraska to run marathons on back-to-back days. Cement paths on both days stressed my legs and slowed my runs.
Six days after Nebraska, I finished my 16th Historic Half Marathon. I ran better than expected with excellent weather conditions, finishing in the top 20% of my age group.
On Father’s Day weekend, I took a 3-night trip to Anchorage and stumbled through the Mayor’s Marathon.
After my Heritage Festival 5-mile finish, 3 minutes faster than in 2022, I had my annual wellness visit with my primary care physician and follow-ups with my pulmonologist and cardiologist.
The PFT I did with the pulmonologist slightly improved, with a FEV1 at 70%. 85% is considered the bottom limit of normal. I’m not exhaling all of the air in my lungs and can only push out 70% in the first exhale second. They still want to call it Asthma rather than COPD. They kept me on Symbicort and will see me next August.
My increased electrolytes had eliminated my PVCs. My cardiologist put me on a two-day monitor and saw no issues. I stop taking a blood thinner at the end of August.
When taking blood thinners, I could not consume alcohol. I continued this abstinence while training for my North Dakota marathon.
I finished my last state marathon on October 6 in southwest North Dakota. It was more finish than run. But they were done.
My fall shorter races went well, getting a couple of age group awards and running faster times than in 2022.
After running a good 5km on November 5, I headed to Las Vegas to play in the World Tavern Poker Nationals. While there, I calculated and determined I could not be caught for third place in my Grand Prix age group.
I enjoyed the tournaments and flew back on Thursday. Two days later, I tested positive for COVID. With my underlying lung and heart issues, I was told not to run hard, high pulse or hard breathing, for 6 to 8 weeks. Not having to run the last two Grand Prix races hard helped me accept this suggestion.
I continued to walk every day with some short runs interspersed. I walked most of the Turkey Trot and included two-minute runs every mile. After clearing COVID quarantine, I started getting sinus headaches, and my primary care physician treated me for a bacterial infection for ten days,
During those ten days, I walked most of the Blue & Gray Half-Marathon and included three-minute runs every mile, and I completed the Frosty 5km by running the downs and walking the ups.
My first hard run was December 19, 39 days after being COVID-positive. Returning from that run, my pulse stayed high, and I went into A-Fib. I’ve been in A-Fib since. My cardiologist prescribed a pulse-smoothing drug, which has not worked. I have a follow-up on January 8.
Even with A-Fib, I’ve been walking 4 miles every day with seven short-run segments included.
I finished the year with 1752 miles compared to 1902 for 2022. I took two road trips, driving about 9,000 miles to run three marathons. I took two more trips to Alaska and Vegas.
I finished 23 in-person races. I continued my finish streak of Coldwell Banker Elite Grand Prix races, now at 46, and my marathon or longer streak is 31 years.
The 23 in-person races are one more than 2022 and include a 10km, a 15km, four marathons, four half-marathons, ten 5km, and ten, five, and one mile races.
I was a top three finisher five times in my age group.
The Coldwell Banker Elite Grand Prix is in its 30th year. The series awards use a five-year age group structure with age on August 1, 2023. Series organizers pulled one runner in my age group into a Grand Master cash award group. So, I finished in second place in the age group.
As a non-running accomplishment, I learned how to write Android apps in Java. I wrote a complex app I won’t market because I don’t want to support it.
I reached all five of my goals. However, the end of the year presented a challenge I still need to overcome.
On to 2024, my goals are resolving my A-Fib issue, completing all 12 Coldwell Banker Elite Grand Prix races, all 4 Stafford Series races, running or walking at least two miles daily, and my 17th Historic Half. If my heart allows, raise my consecutive year, finishing a marathon or longer race, streak to 32 years. A non-running goal is to earn QuickBooks Online certifications. My final goal is to write my 2025 goals at the end of the year. Goals are best when written down and published. On On!.