As 2021 draws to a close, we can say with certainty this year has been a marathon, not a sprint. We wanted to take the month of December to look back at the milestones, miles, and memories that shaped the past twelve months. We put a call out to our staff and the AMR community, asking for their highlights—from PRs to first races to life changes. Here are just some of their inspiring responses.

Not everything is measured in kilometers and miles, and (thankfully!) success isn’t limited to race bibs and medals. Sometimes success looks a little different—whether it’s external (milestones and rituals) or internal (self-talk and personal growth). Symbolic success deserves its own podium, so we’re doing just that by featuring the 2021 moments that made us feel alive, fierce, and like true BAMRs.

Ellie Kempton, TLAM Nourished: I absolutely thought I would send you a picture of the most epic trail run, but then I realized the most successful memory of 2021 was when I paused and took (almost) an entire week off to play. I’m admittedly most comfortable in “work” mode. As a former high-performance athlete, I’m constantly in DO mode, PRODUCE mode, and PERFORM mode.

I’m proud to say that in 2021, I finally let myself experience what formerly felt so scary to me: BE mode. My biggest takeaway from being in BE mode is that it’s a space where I started to think about things more creatively, it’s a space where I dream more vividly, and it’s a space where I allowed myself to reframe obstacles as opportunities. Of course my most epic moments in life remain out on the trails DOing and in my work PERFORMing. But after this experience, I’m adding BEing to my list of things that unlock my truest potential.

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Ellie finally embracing BE mode.

Christy J.: For years, I have been struggling with running to beat my time or go farther than before. But the combination of virtual races and running after our mid-pandemic relocation last year really gave me a chance to relax in 2021 and shake that constant “inward competition” against myself. It was with this transition that I actually found myself running faster than ever, and tackling hills with much more ease (I suppose they’re right when they say the moment you stop stressing about something, it tends to happen, and usually more naturally than it would have before). This is a selfie during one of my recent runs in my local Saratoga Spa State park, feeling no pressure and just enjoying the run.

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Christy lets go and finds so much more.

Kim H.: After a year full of surgeries, chemo, and radiation, I decided to do a breast cancer survivor photo shoot. It was so much fun!

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Best “finish line” photo ever!

Coach Liz Waterstraat, TLAM Club: Every year has low and high moments. But what I enjoy most—no matter how high the high or low the low—is getting back into my normal daily routine of being at home, surrounded by my family, taking care of the house, working in the yard.  The stuff that makes up daily life.  Of course home life has moments of frustration and can be very repetitive, yet I’ve learned to look at it through a lens of appreciation and contentment.  This approach keeps me grounded. Iinstead of seeking the big wows, it focuses me on finding beauty in the simple things. Every day of the year can be a highlight. 

Julia G.: Highlight of 2021? Realizing I don’t have to race every marathon but can actually run the Boston Marathon for fun! Best race day ever!

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Julia finds success by NOT racing.

Megan D.: After months of stops and starts and fits and spurts, I have successfully been able to get a bit of a walking/running groove going again. This picture is my 2021 highlight: it was taken in my second week “back at it” this fall. (It was even better in person, if you can believe it.) The universe rewarded my efforts with this breathtaking dawn. I almost missed it, because it was behind me and I was almost home. I happened to look up and around because the whole world seemed to be glowing. It was incredible, and such a reminder of the beauty all around me—if I can just remember to look up and around and take it in.

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Sometimes succeess is just being outside in time to catch the sunrise.

Adrienne Martini, AMR Writer: My 2021 highlight is Lolo Reed. I didn’t know Lolo in real life. She died a couple of years before I was even born. I know Lolo from her headstone, which is in the cemetery that I run though any time I’m going longer than six miles. I can’t remember when I first met Lolo, but I do recall nearly stopping in my tracks because I’d never met anyone named Lolo before. I spent the next mile or so wondering if it was a nickname and, if so, for what. Loretta, maybe? Lolita? Probably not.

Since that moment, I’ve made it a point to stop for a few seconds to give Lolo the run-down of what’s going on in my world. In 2021, I’ve cherished that ritual even more. My world (and, seemingly, all of the world) has been bananas for the past 12 months. Lolo lets me offload some of the chaos onto her shoulders. The run itself helps me process the rest.

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Adrienne’s running ritual has kept her grounded in 2021.

Leah W.: I finally fell in love with my body. I began doing a lot more strength training (finally) early on in 2021 and love the feeling of fatigued muscles from lifting almost as much as running. I’ve been working to remind myself that I am more than a body! I wore a bikini on the beach during spring break and even rocked it at our local pool this summer without worrying how I looked or what people thought.

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Leah rocking her bikini and her self-confidence.

Melissa Gilley, AMR Retreats: This past year, I hit a milestone birthday. Yep, 50 was approaching quickly and I decided to embrace it and celebrate! Getting older is a privilege denied to many, so I know I am lucky to have the opportunity for grey hair, fine lines, and even those slower times at the finish line. Celebrate with my family? Definitely yes! Celebrate with friends? Of course. Celebrate with a half marathon? Well, sure. I was determined to enjoy every moment possible the whole month of April 2021 and thereafter. Things seem to become clearer with age and experience. Call it wisdom, if you’d like. I am moving into this new decade with optimism and grace.

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Melissa found success in embracing her age and living life to the fullest.

Tell us: Did you find symbolic success in 2021?