2021 - 10 Miles a Day Keeps the ... Away

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” - Nelson Mandela

After 2020, we didn't know what to think.  We had just come off pretty much the worse year on record in the last 100 years and still had at least 3-4 months of a raging pandemic in front of us. Still, we couldn't help to be optimistic as the Trump era was ending, promising vaccines were being rolled out, and we had no choice but to be optimistic to a return to normalcy (or at least something a bit closer to normal).  

Well here we are, at the end of the year, still living in a state of flux and uncertainty.  Things have gotten better, but only in some areas.  Anyways, we soldier on and do the best that we can. 

As many people know, I use my running as method to cope with the stresses of daily life.  There is a joke that says "Running helps me keep my I never killed anyone streak." While my stress levels may not be that high to some others comparatively, it does give me some piece of mind and a feeling of accomplishment after my daily run. 

Below you will find how I kept myself busy (and somewhat sane) in 2021.  

Arlington

First up, was finishing off every street in Arlington.  I had run every street in Belmont in 2020 and being a bit bored with my running last November, I decided to start running Arlington as well.

Arlington is a bit bigger (about 2.5X) than Belmont and since I started every run at my house, I lost about 2-6 miles just going back and forth.  After many a cold, snowy, rainy, windy, and you name it days, my trusty running buddy, Keith, and I finished Arlington on February 26th; all 596 streets of it.  

I went on to run every road in Watertown as well later in the year. 

The Donut Series

Another way I stayed motivated during the pandemic became known as the Donut Series.  For 13 weeks, I visited 13 different donuts shops testing out as many donuts as I could.  All and all, it made for a really fun way plan out new runs and the family never complained when I came home with treats.  Click the above link to see which ones I liked best.

 
Fastest Known Times

I was able to add two more FKT's to my collection this year.  The first, was a route I designed and submitted (so it also known as an Only Known Time) where I connected Mount Monadnock in NH with Wachusett Mountain in MA.  The route was just under 43 miles and I was able to complete it in just under 9 hours.  With the first 12 miles in the snow, I left more then enough time on the board for some one to beat it if they so desire.  

The second FKT was loop in Lexington, MA known as the Battle Road Trail.  This route I found on the FKT website that explores a series of historical landmarks and trails in Lexington and Concord including the Battle Road, Reformatory Branch Trail, Old North Bridge, and the Cross Lexington Trails.  Keith tagged along for this one where we set a time of 2:28 on the 19 mile loop (since then this one has been broken by Keith (different Keith) Nadeau in a time of just under 2:04). 

The White Mountains

As with previous summers, I got up to the White Mountains again as much as I could.  With some of my friends (specifically Mat and Donal) interested in tagging peaks as well, I was able to summit 10 new peaks (24 total) over 4 different runs.  

It started with what is known as the Pemi+ Loop which adds Galehead and West Bond to the normal Pemi loop (to make it 11 instead of 9 peaks).  A couple weeks later I tagged Tom, Field, and Willey after going over Hale while Amy and I were on a camping trip.  

In July, Mat and I completed the Presidential Picnic (Presidential Traverse + biking back to the car) while Donal opted just for the run portion. We had our work cut out for us that day as we were treated with 60+ MPH winds on Adams and torrential downpour on Washington.  

A couple weeks later, Neil and I hiked Mnt Jackson (Neil's 1st 4000' peak) and then the next day I tagged Zealand (via North and South Twin). 

13 peaks left to complete the 48 and can't wait to get back up there. 

The Grand Canyon

The big run of the year (or really the big one of the last two years) was a double crossing of the Grand Canyon known as the Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim (or R2R2R for short). This was an outing that my friend Doug had been planning for a while and it did not disappoint. 

After 49 miles and over 11,000' climbing, we finally emerged back at the South Rim after nearly 14 hours elapsed time.  To read the full report, check out: R2R2R.

The Apple Run and Wellington Fun Run

I continued / got back directing some local events this year as well.  I really enjoy doing this as it allows me to share my love of running while being able to give back to my community.  The Apple Run was back in person this year where we had nearly 800 runners and grossed over $40k.  This was my 4th year as the race director 

After a hiatus last year, we were able to have the Wellington Fun Run back this year.  This one is a fundraiser for my kids' elementary school and involves running laps around the school.  We were able to raise over $16k at this event and I ended up running 12 laps total between grades 1 - 4.

Fundraising

As with previous years, I need to say thank you to all of you that have supported my fundraising efforts.  Even in the middle of a pandemic, you all were generous in supporting my endeavors.  

I ran two campaigns this year aligning with my Monadnock to Wachusett FKT and my 41 miles for my 41st birthday run.  Both times I blew my fundraising goals out of the water raising a total of $2259.  With the help of my employer (Salesforce) and their generous corporate matches, we were able to raise nearly $6k total on the year. 

10 a Day

After a strong start to the year (606 miles between January and February), I wondered what it would take to hold 10 miles a day for the year.  The past few years, I have been averaging just over 8 a day.  While just 2 more a day doesn't seem like much, it really is; 14 more a week, 60 a month, and 700 on the year.  

Anyways, I stayed pretty disciplined this year and was able to hit my numbers.  It really just came down to consistency; longer days on Tuesday's and Thursdays and nearly 30 miles every weekend.  

In the end, those miles really did give me a lot of piece of mind.  Sure, I fell asleep on the couch watching TV a few nights a week, but I slept better and was more patient to deal with the stresses of life.  

By the Numbers

• Races run: 3 (two 5k's and a 4 miler)
• NH 4000 footers: 10 new / 25 total
  
• FKTs: 2
  
• Longest run: 49.1 miles
• Miles Run: 3666.8 (398 more than last year and most ever in a year)
  
• Time Running: 551 hours
• Climbing: 252,674' (most ever in a year)
  
• 8th consecutive year of running every day
• 7th consecutive year of running my age on my birthday

Every year included in this post is the "how far did I get?" part.  In 2019, I made it to the California and in 2020 all the way to London. This year I made it to Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago just south of the North Pole.   

Additionally, this year I crossed the 30k lifetime running miles mark.  That is a enough miles to get over an 1/8th of the way to the moon.  Much work still to do.

Excited to see where I can get next year. 

On to 2022

In the end, 2021 was as Trevor Noah said, "The year that was at least better than 2020." While it wasn't exactly that we hoped for, we (all 4 of us) were able to get vaccinated and get some degree of protection, able to start hanging out with family more, able to hang out with some co-workers, able to go back to school, and even able to make a few trips.  

Here is to some optimism that 2022 can be better.  

- Scot

Finishing the year on Mount Monadnock - 12/27