The purpose of today’s post is to provide my overarching training/racing goals for 2021.
2020 was the 50th anniversary of me being a runner and 30th anniversary as a triathlete. My overall goal 2020 was to have an epic year of celebration. The year was epic but not in a festive way.
In January of 2020, I was diagnosed with multilevel degenerative disk disease (MLDD). One doctor told me that because I am an endurance athlete, I create my own anesthesia. He also informed me that I was bone on bone with L4 and L5. Another doctor informed me that “You would be on a walker by now if you didn’t train the way you do.”
Shortly following the MLDD diagnosis I received another surprise. It was discovered that I have Celiac Disease. This means gluten is a big no-no. Gluten is found in grains and grains are the main ingredients in some of my favorite beverages.
Doing triathlon brings me great pleasure. Now in addition to the joy I experience, I think of being an endurance athlete as taking pain medicine.