2024 was a down year, in a lot of ways--especially if you look at my Strava year in review. Let's see. Unlike 2022 and 2023, I did not run a BQ time. I ran my slowest ever version in a couple different races (Labor your legs 5k and Loup Garou 60 miler). I ran fewer miles, climbed less elevation, and have a lower VO2 max. That sounds like a bummer of a year. However, I'm pretty proud of how I did this year in my running.
Starting off strong
The year started as it typically did, with the Steamwhistle 12K on the Longleaf Trace. I ended up placing in my age group and doing a sub 1 hour, which are always goals. I didn't stick around to collect my trophy, though and that's just like me, considering my impatience.
The next race came real quick, and it was a doozy. Brazos Bend 100 miler was originally scheduled for the first week of December, but got moved to January due to rain and then it got moved to the 7il Ranch and was no longer going to be flat and fast. Oh, well. I completed it in a middling time of just over 28 hours.
February brought on some intense miles after recovering from Brazos. I started the month with the Q50 39 miler at their trail extravaganzza in Bogue Chitto State Park in Louisiana. Like Brazos, I got to run that with Sean. Two weeks later, I ran Red Dirt Ultra 50k near Natchitoches LA. Two ultras in a month always feels like a huge accomplishment, even if they are of the shorter variety.
Two weeks later, I ran the Mississippi 50 mile trail run for the 11th time in 11 years. (not always the 50 miler there). This is my hometown race, and I felt good with the finish. This year, the 100 miler the day before had runners swimming as the creeks became rivers and lakes. Although my time was my second slowest, my placing was my second best because everyone had a slow year.
Next up for ultras was going to do a new challenge, the Fondren Urban Ultra 12 hour race in Jackson, MS. This race wouldn't be till mid April, and it would allow me to go for the Mississippi state record for my age for both the 50 miler and the 12 hours. Unfortunately, my knee had other plans.
Setback number 1
As I began building up my miles on the road to train for my first urban ultra, I started feeling some knee pain on the inside of my right knee about 2 weeks after the Mississippi 50. I reduced my running, stretched more, eased up in the weight room. Every time I ran, it took longer and longer to be able to feel well enough to run. I ran the Hattiesburg Half Marathon on April 6th, knowing that my knee was not going to be happy with me, but to make it worse, I ran to and from downtown in order to make it a 20 miler. I could barely walk the next day.
From there, I went to a clinic later that week, got a referral to an orthopedist, and then got a cortisone shot. Nothing was really working, so I cancelled the Fondren Urban Ultra, and set towards getting this figured out, though I had a feeling I knew what it was.
In May, I was scheduled to run the Born to Run 100 miler near Santa Barbara, CA with Sean. I dialed it back down to the 30 miler and was happy to finish decently considering how little training I had been doing. My knee hurt afterwards, but I was getting an MRI on the Monday after, so I was closer to some answers.
The MRI results came back and sure enough, it was a torn meniscus. The next surgery was scheduled for June 25th. There was just a little problem: I was scheduled to run Grandma's Marathon on June 22nd Talking to folks, I realized I wasn't going to make it any worse and I was able to finish, undertrained just under 4 hours. I was pretty happy about that.
Summer of Recovery
After the surgery, I did mostly nothing for 10 days. Didn't go to the gym, and I didn't run. On day 11, I went out for a 3.3 mile run/walk and I was pretty happy with it. The following week, I did two days of run/walk. By week 3 of recovery I was ready to rock and roll. I took the risk of running a 25k at Big Butts in Clinton, MS, where Sean did the 50k. It was hot and humid, but I'm happy to have done it. I continued to slowly get back in the gym and on the trail.
August was going to be tough to train for, as my oldest son was getting married on August 16th. However, with the hiking trip we were doing ahead of time, I figured I could sign up for the Habanero Hundred (marathon). This would be the following week and three days of hiking the week before might be just the ticket. Starting at noon, the Habanero is one of the craziest races, and while I used to say "I don't run in the heat" doing so has now become a new challenge. I mostly walked the 26.2 on the same ranch as I went to in January for Brazos in Cat Spring, TX, but I foud the challenge a lot of fun. My walking actually placed me as the 2nd masters male as a ton of folks went out too hard and DNFd.
Just as I was getting back into running, I had a terrible thing happen. A small infection (Paronychia) on my middle finger of my left hand got into the joint and got really inflamed. This happened over labor day weekend, and I still ran the local Labor your Legs 5k, but it hurt bad.
Setback number 2
I went to the clinic on campus and got some antibiotics, but when it didn't get better, the next time I went I also got a referral to the orthopedist (different one). I made that appointment the following week and the next day, he ordered a surgery with a PICC line the following day (Sept 20th). I would now have tubes sticking out of me for the foreseeable future. The surgery hurt like hell and the PICC line was awkward and uncomfortable. When the IV antibiotics didn't cure the infection, the antibiotics got more and more aggressive, but they weren't working. 3 weeks after the first surgery, I had surgery number 2 on the hand (number 3 in the last 4 months). This one was more invasive and would lead to my losing some of the function of the joint, but at this point we were trying to save the end of my finger.
The good news was that by 8 days after the surgery, the finger was starting to feel better. The doctor wanted to keep the PICC line in 3 weeks longer, but I said, somewhat sheepishly "Is there any way we can go to oral antibiotics? I have a marathon on Sunday." It was Wednesday. He said yes. The PICC line came out the next day, and on Friday, I was flying to Detroit for the Detroit Free Press International Marathon. Undertrained again, I ran another sub 4 hours (beating my Grandma's time by 7 seconds).
Fall is looking up
After a performance I was happy with in Detroit, two weeks later I ran the Run the River 6 hour race locally in Petal, MS. Not my best performance, but I was still undertrained and coming back.
The following week, I went to Paducah KY and then Vienna, IL for the Tunnell Hill 100, where I would be pacing and crewing Sean for his 3rd 100 miler of the year. It was a great race, and I got to see a world record being set by Courtney Olsen. That was so cool! Sean and I had a blast for the last 24 miles which gave him a sub 25 hour 100 miler--not bad.
Setback number 3
Two days after pacing Sean, I was running with Joy and my calf exploded. I've done my left calf before but this was one of the worst. I rested, but it wasn't enough, so I rested some more. And then some more. I was also getting more knee pain where I had the scarring from my surgery. My November went from my first real running month with two 20 milers to another resting month.
I ran tentatively on December 2rd, testing the calf and it felt okay. That gave me the confidence to go ahead and run Loup Garou 60 miler in Ville Platte Louisiana with Sean. The course was sloppy with rain, and I was undertrained, but I stuck to my slow plan and we finished in 17 hours 22 minutes.
In all, I ran about 1300 miles, about 50% less than I would have liked. I completed 15 races, including all the "standard" distances, save a 10k. It was a frustrating year and one full of doubt. But I've learned some lessons and I'm reading for 2025.
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