We all have them.

Challenges- big, small, in-between…now that 2025 is over, I’m thinking of the challenges that I’ve had over the past year. And one of my biggest challenges was fitting in running, in between seasonal allergies and respiratory infections. It wasn’t easy!

Last year was a year in which I got sick more than previous years, in part due to allergies and respiratory issues where I lived. Days with poorer air quality meant that I had to walk inside, and forget about even trying to jog. And I finished out the year with the flu, which was, ironically, appropriate (lol). It was the first year that I haven’t done at least one official 5k race in quite a while. I did sign up for one that was at the end of the year (a 5-miler in fact), and had accepted the fact that I’d probably be walking part of it at least. But then I got sick, the 5-miler was rescheduled, and the year ended without me doing any official races.

That’s not life-shattering or anything.

But it just illustrates to me, the challenge of continuing to show up, and do what’s next to do, in spite of not knowing how it’s going to turn out. To show up with the best attitude that I can.

For me, it meant a lot of weeks where I’d walk (not jog), and be okay with that. I could still enjoy a good long walk.

It meant that sometimes, I didn’t feel 100%, but I’d jog anyway. And I’d feel better for doing it.

I had a great walk on Christmas day. It was a crisp morning, and I walked through town with the streets mostly deserted, enjoying the storefronts and decorations.

And I had a nice run not long before that, with my son, at a local park.

Even though I didn’t do a race last year, I still showed up, and that’s the important part. The journey, more than the destination. I can trust the journey today, and be okay with knowing that I did my part, and however things turn out is how they’re supposed to.

So now, in 2026, how can I keep showing up, and continue facing those challenges?

One day at a time. And it will all work out in the end. 🙂