2021 Top Five - Sports

Today I am wrapping up my best of 2021 lists. I always save sports for last because I love them so much. It is one of my favorite things in the world. There was a lot that I had to leave off my list as well. The return of fans, Shoehai Otahni and Vlad Guerrero Jr, the Cardinals massive win streak, Deion Sanders getting the top recruit in the country to commit to Jackson State, Urban Meyer's punkass getting fired, the college football coaching carousel, all of that stuff, and so much more could have easily made my list. But I think I got it paired down to what I consider the five best sports moments of 2021. Let's get to it.

At five I have the Summer Olympics. All of it. There isn't one event that I want to focus on or anything like that. It was all so good. Simone Biles was amazing, both on and off the gymnastics field or court or board. The skateboarding was kickass. Basketball was fun. Table tennis was oddly interesting. The races were incredible, especially the marathon. The stuff beforehand, the rooms and what not, that was all great. The swimming was phenomenal. I let myself get fully engrossed in the Summer Olympics, and it was awesome. I think it may be a mixture of the pandemic, the fact it was pushed to this past summer and how competitive all the games were, but it all worked so well for me as a sports fan. I also think this may have made me an Olympic fan for life. I am stoked for the Winter Olympics, and you better believe I will be watching the Summer Games in 2024.

Coming in at number four I have the Name Image Likeness bill. This is a humongous deal. We can already see the positive ramifications of the NIL. These college athletes are finally getting paid if the university they attend uses any of the three things in the NIL. And it is all across NCAA sports. It isn't just basketball or football like a lot of naysayers predicted. I have read that all kinds of college athletes are making bank from the NIL. It also isn't just making the stars of their teams money. One of Michigan's bench players on their men's basketball team makes more NIL money than any other player. He barely plays, but he has a massive Tik Tok following. And even the stars, they are cashing checks. One of Michigan's starting running backs gave over 10 grand in gift bags to a local community center. Another Michigan player donated a ton of his NIL money to the Oxford school. Players outside of Michigan are doing the same, I just notice Michigan because that is the team I follow. I also love the NIL because college coaches, who make millions upon millions of dollars, are so up in arms about their players getting paid. It is so hypocritical, but I find it so funny. That is the good thing about the NIL. It is changing the college game, which was sorely needed.

At number three I have the Milwaukee Bucks winning the 2021 NBA title, but more so, Giannis' performance in game 6. I was stoked that a Midwest team won the title. I love that it was Milwaukee because my father has been a long suffering fan of theirs. And I adore Giannis the player and person. He is so wholesome. He seems genuine. He clearly knows how lucky he is in his life. He gives back to family and his community. And that performance he had in the game 6 clincher, that was amazing. He refused to be beaten that night. He scored 50 points. He grabbed double figure rebounds. He made his free throws. He had chase down blocks. He made Phoenix's best offensive players uncomfortable all night long. Every time it seemed like Phoenix may take the game, Giannis did something to turn the tide back to the Bucks. It was an amazing performance. It was one I was glad I watched in real time. I will never forget watching that game. It was that fantastic of a performance. One for the record books.

At number two I have the 2021 Michigan football season. I had little expectations for this team. I believe I picked them to finish 7-5, but it seemed more likely they would go 6-6. I did not know what to expect from all the new hires and I had little expectations for the offense. Well, they proved me, and a whole lot of other people wrong. From the start of the season they had an edge. They played very sound, very fast defense. Their run game was simply amazing. When they had to pass, they did what was needed, with some big plays added in from time to time. Josh Gattis took control of the offense and won assistant of the year. The offensive staff was totally overhauled and it worked. Outside Gattis, Mike Hart changed the run game, Sherrone Moore had the O line playing exceptionally well and the younger staff changed the whole offensive dynamic. The defense had even more of an overhaul, and they were amazing all year. They shut teams down and forced most of them to be one dimensional. They also beat the university of Ohio State for the first time in their last eight tries. I was ecstatic at that outcome. They also won the Big Ten title for the first time in 17 years. They are also in the CFP for the first time since its introduction. Jim Harbaugh won the AP coach of the year and Aidan Hutchinson was a Heisman finalist. This team exceeded all of my wildest dreams. I am so excited to watch them in the CFP in 2 weeks, although I am so very nervous as always. Had someone told me that Michigan football would win 12 games, beat the university of Ohio State by 15, win the Big 10 and play in the CFP before the season, I would have laughed in their face. Well here we are now, and all of that stuff is true. What a season.

And at number one, this is a personal feat for me, I finished my first full marathon this year. I have been working up to that distance for awhile. I have been training for longer distances for a long time. I actually had one planned for the summer, but I got injured. I was devastated when the doctor told me I couldn't run that race. But instead of wallowing, I amped up my training after I healed. I then signed up, along with my buddy Kirk, for a trail marathon(Kirk did a 50k). And the day of the race came and I was nervous as hell. It was a looped race, so I knew I would have my own personal aid stations, but still, nerves were high. It got bad enough that I wanted to quit after 18 miles. I felt awful. But the great people involved with the STL Track Club calmed me down, helped me get over the pain and frustration, gave me some sugar and I went back out for that final loop. As I got closer and closer to the finish line, my emotions took over. I could not believe that I was about to finish a full marathon. I was going to do something that seemed impossible a decade before. And now I have already signed up for a few other marathons. I am returning to run the same marathon in October of 2022, but I may up it to a 50k, who knows. But the fact that I ran a full marathon, that I finished it, that I had the support of Kirk and the STL Track Club and that I am contemplating doing more of them, that is an achievement I will never forget for the rest of my life.

Okay, that wraps up my best of 2021 lists. I love doing these lists and I would love to hear from the readers about some of their favorite things in 2021. Have a good and safe Holiday and a Happy New Year.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Tales from My First Marathon

I know I said I was going to do my NBA postseason and awards predictions today, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I did something this weekend that I would have never thought possible about 10 years ago. Let’s discuss.

I used to be a heavy dude. I still am a big guy, but I used to be BIG. At my biggest I weighed 340 pounds. I was active back then, but I loved my food. I still do. But one day, right around the time I became a stay at home dad, I found myself winded after running around our tiny backyard in our first house with my son. When I put him down for his nap that day I was still tired. As I sat there on my couch I decided something had to change. That was when I decided I was going to do the Atkins diet. It has been an absolute home run for me. I'm not a big bread or pasta guy anyway, so this seemed like the best fit. And it worked. I started to lose weight. At first it was a few pounds here and there, but then that turned into big cumulative losses. I was loving it, and I felt much better. I could run around with my son and not get tired so quickly. At my lowest weight I was down to 240 pounds. It was awesome.

Losing carbs wasn't working as well once I got to the 250-260 range. I needed to start doing some kind of exercise to keep the weight off because right around the 250 mark I started to allow myself some sweets and pasta as a treat. I have always played basketball, but that is a sport that is easy to take breaks while playing. This was when I took up running. I decided I was going to run to simply keep my weight anywhere from 260-280 pounds, which my doctors informed me was an ideal weight for me. So I tried it. It was tough, real tough at first. I could barely make it a full mile without stopping to walk or catch my breath. But then that mile got easier so I upped it to two miles. Then I did a 5k. And now I am at that place that I thought was unattainable a decade ago. I have done multiple 5k's and 10k's. Done a bunch of trail 10k's and 15k's. I've run many road and trail half marathons. All of these were fun but I would always say that 13.1 was my limit. I did not think I could go further.

When COVID hit I started to run everyday, but still never past my 13 mile threshold. But prior to COVID I signed up for my first marathon. It got pushed to 2020, but I was still going to do it. So I trained, and trained hard. I got to a point where I could run 18 miles in one go and not feel too bad afterward. When things started to open up a bit I signed up for an in person six hour loop race in Columbia, Missouri with the intention of running the marathon distance, but only made it 25 miles before I was spent and my time limit was up. After the race in Columbia I started to have knee problems though. I would try to run through it, or take more days off, but the pain was not easing. I saw an orthopedist about ten days before what was supposed to be my first official marathon and he informed me that I was not going to be able to do it. I had a minor stress fracture in my knee that was only going to get worse if I went and ran the race. I was devastated. Things got dark. I couldn't run for four weeks, and four weeks after that I was only allowed to do four miles at the most. But I got better. My knee healed. I saw my doctor multiple times and every time he said my knee looked better and stronger.

So when my buddy Kirk told me about this race here in Saint Louis called Declue Loops, I was intrigued and wanted to do it. The race had four options, one loop, which is 8.2 miles, two loops, three loops, which equaled a marathon with a little extra on your first loop, or four loops, a 50k. I signed up for the three loops and Kirk did the four. We had a few months to train, so we both hit it pretty hard. We would meet once a week to run trails, and I decided in June that I was going to start my very own run streak. A run streak is running at least one mile everyday no matter what. Kirk and I would do longer distances on the trails. I was making sure I was averaging four miles a day. The knee felt good. Kirk was a constant inspiration and a great listener to any fear I had going into the race. We even went out about twelve days before the actual race and did two loops just to be acquainted. That run that day gave me the boost I needed.

Race day finally came this past Saturday the 16th. I was nervous the night before, but I also felt better. I knew the nerves were getting to me a bit because I only got about four hours of sleep. It didn't matter though when the nine marathon runners and twelve 50k runners got the go ahead to start at 7am. I went out ready to go. I felt pretty solid on my first loop too. The terrain was tough, but I knew it well enough. It was perfect weather, 45 and sunny. The other runners were just as hyped as I was. When I got back on the main trail it was this perfect moment of zen. I felt so good that I ran pretty much all of that first loop. I filled my pack at the aid station, grabbed some snacks for the second loop and made my way out feeling pretty solid. Then at about mile 14 I hit a major wall. I felt terrible. My legs were getting tired. I ate my food way too quickly. I didn't take in enough Tailwind. I just felt bad. I walked for a bit, but that didn't seem to ease any distress mentally and physically I was feeling. The terrain, again which I knew very well, seemed to be rockier and harder. The second loop felt like it had way more elevation. I was starting to get frustrated.

At mile 16 I decided that I was going to drop. I figured I could hike the final two miles of the loop and just go home feeling dejected. When I got to the aid station after the second loop I stopped, grabbed my knees and told one of the workers that I was done. I went over to my pack and the guy I told that I was done told me to just stay there for a minute. Then one of the main people at Saint Louis Track Club, they put on the race, came over and talked to me. He told me exactly what I needed to hear. He said these races are supposed to hurt. You are supposed to feel shitty. No marathon is fun for the whole thing. He told me to get the negative thoughts out of my head. He gave me a Coke and told me to drink half of it. He helped to make my pack lighter. And when he said that he could see in my eyes that I wasn't done, that gave me this sudden burst of energy I didn't know I had inside of me. Once I heard that and put on my much lighter pack, I looked at him, thanked him profusely and exclaimed, "I'm going back out there to finish this damn thing!". And when I took off for that final lap, hearing the people cheer only made me more convinced I could do this. I took that final lap slow. It took me nearly two and a half hours to do the 8.2 miles. I walked more than half of it. My legs and calves and thighs and feet hurt. I got passed by a few 50k runners on their final lap. But when I got to that final hill climb, which meant I was less than a mile away, this feeling of euphoria engulfed my body. I made a video to send to my family to let them know how much I love and appreciate their support in my newfound love of running. After the video, when I was all by myself making that climb, I started to tear up from happiness. When I got to the final tenth of a mile I started to jog again, and when the crew saw me coming I heard someone say, "there's our guy!". It was amazing. I felt like I was on top of the world. When I crossed the finish line multiple people were clapping and telling me what a good job I did. The guy who convinced me to finish told me I looked better at the end than I did when I thought I was done. The running community that I have become a part of now is one of the best groups of people I have ever been around. They are so cool and inviting and nice. When I was done I told my buddy Kirk that we did it. We finished. He said he wanted to be there when I finished my first marathon, and he was right there when I crossed the finish line.

I never, in a million years thought a full marathon was in my grasp. It seemed like a pipe dream. Now I have done it, and on a trail no less. I spent seven and a half hours in the woods, finished in last place of all the marathon finishers, am still very sore, but I did it. I ran a god damn marathon. It is an incredible feeling. It is crazy what the human body can do when it is trained and pushed to the limit. I know I am bragging, but I do not care. I am damn proud of myself, proud of all the other finishers and love the Saint Louis Track Club and the running community. Saturday was a great, great day.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Tales from the Training of a First Half Marathon

I’m in the midst of training for a half marathon. It’s tough. Again, like when I wrote about the triathlon I did, I’m not bragging. I’m writing today to talk about my training experience, and what I like and dislike.

What I’m not so crazy about, the amount of training that goes into this half marathon. I’m doing some kind of physical activity 5 days a week. I’m a bigger dude, so it can take its toll sometimes. I find it hilarious when I see a training day scheduled that says “Easy 4 Miles”. There’s no such thing. A distance longer than 3 miles, for me, is hard. But, I do it still, because that’s what the training calls for.

Which leads me to what I do enjoy/like about this. I’m happy that I’m out getting so much exercise. I haven’t felt this in shape since I was in high school. I went hiking the other day, and with some of the hills we encountered, there’s no way I would have been able to get through it if I wasn’t in training. I like that I have an end goal. When I’m working towards something, it’s nice to have a strict regimen. It keeps me focused, and crossing out that day’s workout is a real treat. I’ve also found myself pushing harder. Some workouts, prior to this, I’d kind of half ass my way through. I’d go for a swim, and instead of doing what I should have done, I’d go until my workout app in my watch dinged. Or, if I had to run 4,5 or 6 miles, I’d do about a half to 2/3 worth of running, then walk the rest of the way. With this half marathon, I’m hyper focused on doing exactly what the training says. Doing that has also made the “Easy 4 Miles”, not easy, but doable, even if I’m drained from the day. I’m traveling this weekend, and because I want to stay up on the training, I pushed everything up a day. It was tough, but finishing my distance run yesterday was one of my proudest athletic achievements. I worked out for 7 straight days, and I wasn’t completely wrecked. I’ve never done that before.

What I’ve found that I like most, running long distances, I’m talking about my 9 and 10 mile runs, I’ve gotten to a place where, when I hit the halfway mark, it’s not a chore, it’s something I know I can finish now. I almost hit a meditative state that is like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I get lost in the music or podcast I’m listening to, and I just run.

One more good thing, this has really helped with my weight loss. I put a few pounds back on, some muscle, some fat, with the triathlon training. With the half marathon training, I’m starting to look like I did a few years back when I lost 100 pounds. It’s great.

Half marathons aren’t for everyone, hell, I’m still shocked that I’m doing one. But, if you put in the time, follow a strict plan and go for it, the benefits way outweigh the problems/risks. I have about 3 weeks until my race, and instead of being scared or pessimistic, I’m hopeful, proud and looking forward to it.

Maybe I’m crazy, but I feel good.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He can brag all he wants about doing his triathlon. The only triathlon the head editor has worked towards is driving to the grocery store, walking in the grocery store, and then putting the groceries away at home. It is a tough three events, but someone has to do it.

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