Reflecting on 2022

By Ann Wallace - April 11, 2023

mom & me - Maui 2022

I can’t believe it is already April 2023 and I haven’t written the 2022 recap blog post. The year end recap blog posts are always my favorite to write. We always have so many adventures that it’s a lot of fun to remember everything we did and accomplished. 2022, isn't different in that regard but what is different is how 2022 ended for me. My mom passed away at the end of 2022, which made it hard for me to do much more than get through each day and reflecting on the year was the last thing I wanted to do. She has only been gone 7 months and it is still hard for me to think back to last year and write this.

Six years ago my mom was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a condition in which the lungs become scarred and breathing becomes increasingly difficult. The doctor told her she had 3-5 years to live, well she showed them wrong. Despite the diagnosis and outlook, she remained one of the most positive people I knew, even up to her last day.

Susan, me & Mom

My mom was not a runner, but she was one of my biggest fans. When I ran my first marathon with Susan in 2009, my mom ordered all the race photos and displayed them in her house. She loved to hear all our running adventures and see our pictures. When Susan was a new mom, she babysat Leif so Susan and I could go on a long run near Mt Hood.

When I herniated a disc in my back and couldn't run, it was my mom who came and took care of me.

Angie, me & mom - Whidbey Island 2022

My mom lived at the base of Mt Hood, Susan and I took advantage of her location plenty of times for our adventure runs. Her and Angie shuttled us to countless number of trailheads around Mt Hood. Our first attempt of running around Mt Hood, we stayed at her house the night before and told her we would call if anything happened, but reassured her nothing would happen. Well as it happened something did happen, we lost the trail and got behind schedule. Somehow we managed to get enough cell reception to make our SOS call to her and Angie. They gladly picked us up at Ramona Falls but did make sure to tell us how badly we smelled.

Mom & Cedar

In 2022 my mom was on oxygen most of the time and couldn’t walk very far but despite that we all went to Maui, Manzanita and Whidbey Island. In each of these places, every time I went on a run she wanted to hear about it.

Susan, my nephew and I ran around Mont Blanc in July and everyday I was texting my mom pictures on the mountains and wine. She loved it and always made funny comments. I know it was hard for her, she loved to travel but she made the best of a shitty situation.

I think that ultrarunning has made me mentally tough but my mom had more mental toughness than I have ever had.

I miss her every day.

I love you mom.