I May Have Hurt Myself... - Gate River Run 15k 2024 Race Report

I'm going to preface this race report with good news...

I finished!!!

Now, let's back up a little bit...

In January, I had to quit Celebration Half-Marathon at Mile 6, due to some really bad Plantar Fasciitis and leg pain. It wrecked me, mentally, and I had a bit of a mini-meltdown afterward. 

But I was determined to get up and fight, so I took care of myself in the weeks after (lots of massage and stretching), and I was able to complete both races in February at Gasparilla. 

And what about Gate River Run? It was literally six days after Gasparilla... I was so mad when I had to quit Gate last year because of weird side/rib cramps, that I felt determined that I HAD to do it this year. I knew that it would be an amazingly stupid decision to do another (almost) 10 miles on a jacked up foot. But I didn't want to waste the money that I paid to do it, so I wondered if there was any sort of deferral (very rare) or virtual option. I reached out to 1st Place Sports and was told that there was no 'official' virtual option, but that if I picked up my packet at the expo, they could mail me my medal the following week after the race. 

Okay, so now I'm facing a dilemma... I have to go to Jacksonville anyway, no matter what, so should I do it? Should I not? I mean, I'm already there... I argued with myself all week long and on Friday night, I decided to prepare for actually doing it, see how I felt when I got there, and give myself the permission to quit as soon as I felt anything absurdly painful (like at Celebration). 

So, on Saturday, I drove up to Jacksonville. I was going alone (Hubby wasn't feeling up to going along), and I had a plan... I was going to park in the Sports Complex Parking Garage - we've parked there enough that I knew I'd be able to find my way back afterward, when suffering from Run Brain. Packet Pickup is at the Fairgrounds, and the After-Party is at the Fairgrounds, as well, so very easy for me to make my way back to the garage. 

The walk from the Garage to the Fairgrounds would've been so easy! 

Unfortunately, busy morning traffic wouldn't let me merge so I had to go to the next exit for the stadium, and I got all turned around. I wanted to turn right, but it was blocked off. I explained to the nice officer that I wanted to specifically park in the Sports Complex Parking Garage, and asked if there was any way to get there from here. He gave me directions that took me all around downtown Jax, but in the wrong direction! Somehow I ended on East Bay Street on the west side of the stadium, along the river! At this point, there was nowhere left to go, so I slid into Lot S and parked in the grass. 

Took this, just in case I got so lost I had to ask for directions!

And to add insult to... well, injury... I still had to GO to Packet Pickup! I measured it out later: from the parking lot to the Expo was about 3/4 of a mile. I walked from parking to packet pick-up, back to parking, then over to the start line... This was just shy of three miles that I had to walk... before I even STARTED this race! I practically did a half-marathon today, lol. 

They were doing construction, too, so I couldn't just walk in straight lines!

But... let's look on the bright side; I was well and thoroughly warmed up by the time I got to my corral! I was able to catch my breath, enjoy the vibes, find the entrance to my corral, and just soak in the morning. 

Okay, it's official... let's do this

I think I'm in my corral?

I wish that I'd snuck in to the 3rd wave like I did last year, but I didn't even think about it until I was watching them go by and saw some pink bibs in there! Oh well... I'd just end up in the back anyway. 

Start Line Photo (usually we're already moving and I can't have this photo)

We headed out on the road, and I was feeling... okay. Slight pain from the 5k I already walked, but nothing overly fucky. I told myself that there would be no running today, and hardly any fast walking, really. I'm here for miles, not speed. 

Everyone is so optimistic on this bridge (then so miserable on the other one!)

The first bridge is always the easier of the two, and I got my Footsie. 

High above the St. John's River

Made it to the other side of the river, where the water stops and music start, and then over to River Road where drunk neighbors throw Munchins at people... I got one this time! 

First water stop, they're almost out of water already

I miss 1990s Dunkin', when they were still tasty

Through the neighborhoods (Miles 4-6), I was feeling like I might actually be able to do this... No creeping pain in my foot or leg. 

I quit by this point last year, so I'm beating 2023 Me!

No back pain (well, no extra back pain). I was slowing down even more by Mile 7 though, mostly because it was just hot, and I was underprepared. I knew it was soon time for my Bridge Selfie, and then my time to face the Green Monster. 

Soon....

I stopped at the base of the entrance ramp for a good calf stretch, then put my head down and slogged up that hill. 

So very few people!

So, I don't think I'm gonna get this in under 3:00 huh?

When I got up near the top, a Sag Wagon passed me, and I couldn't help myself you guys... I hope the driver didn't see that.

 

I am winning. I am awesome. I will not sag! 

Top o' the Mornin' to ya, from The Green Monster

I beat the Green Monster, you guys, and I've never been so happy to see a downhill. At this point, you know that the rest is easy. Downhill, to another downhill, to one more downhill, and a straight-away. 

Oh, but wait a minute... Let's talk about that downhill. This entire walk, my foot and leg have felt okay... not pain-free, of course, but not the way they felt in January. But then I hit the downhill portion, and it was like ropes of fire in my shins and the tops of my feet! What the shit? That was definitely a new pain! And, if I remember correctly, this was the pain that started the first little niggle of you might have hurt yourself, darling. I powered through the last mile, simply because I came this far, motherfucker, I'm not quitting at the bottom of this fucking bridge!!! My last mile was super-slow (a full two minutes slower than the one before it, when I was climbing UP the damn bridge), and every step I landed on my left side was misery, but I wasn't gonna quit now!!!

I hear the finish line, I'm so close!

I was way near the back of the crowd, so when I got there, I had the entire finish line to myself practically. I was so happy to see that finish chute, and the few people still there to cheer us on! I threw my hands out wide (Are you not entertained?) then threw my hands in the air, so proud of myself for being able to finish this. 

Bonus of the Slowness - look how I have the entire finish line area to myself! 

Are you not entertained?

Yay for me! Woo hoo!

I believe at this point, the phrase Fuck Yeah entered my head

Absolutely horrible picture, but the sentiment is real!

I was finisher 11745, with only 60 people behind me. My time was 3:11:57, which... honestly? So much better than I was expecting!  6276th female (out of 6330). 658th out of 661 in my age group. The last finisher came in around 3:40, so I had a good 30 minutes on them... 

After getting my medal, that's when things started to go downhill a bit... I had stopped moving "because I was in a race," and instead was just moseying my way around... I could tell that my leg and foot were gonna HURT later. I walked the mile back to my car - slowly - and peeled off my shoes and socks at the trunk. Oof, just bending over was a chore! I slowly folded myself in to the car like an 80-year old woman, then pulled out the Garmin to decide what I was going to do with my day. Definitely didn't have the energy to go out to Safe Harbor for lunch (the wait in line would kill me). Nor did I have the stamina for a trip around IKEA. I decided that I'd point the Garmin toward Orange Park and have a shopping day - I could pop into a store, do some shopping, but then have a break when I was back in the car travelling to the next place. 

Well, that plan was quickly shot to hell, because when I got to a nearby RaceTrac (to change and get a soda), I literally could not put weight on my left foot. When I attempted to step out of the car, it felt like my leg would give out underneath me! But I had to go to the Ladies' Room - I had to pee! So I grit my teeth and put weight on my foot and all the nerves in my body were immediately on edge... there was a lot of pain, and I had to do that lurching, lean-to-the-right walk all the way from the front door to the bathroom... It felt like everyone was staring at me! And it felt like it took forever to change out of my sweaty race clothes and into a pair of shorts and a tee... 

I got my soda and lurched back to my car to reassess the situation. Obviously, shopping was out. If I couldn't walk normally in a convenience store, how could I go grocery shopping or wander around Old Time Pottery? I threw in the towel, went to Culver's for lunch, and then drove home early. 

Not even delicious Cheese Curds could cure my throbbing foot pain

At home, I kept my foot elevated pretty much the rest of the day. Any time I had to get up and walk around (like to go to the kitchen), it was torture... just like at the gas station, I couldn't put weight on it for a few seconds until I got warmed up so to speak. Then I could, but I was lurching across the floor. 

I haven't really said anything to Hubby yet, but in the back of my mind, I'm pretty sure I hurt myself. Like, badly... Something is torn, or fractured, or sprained, or something. I think I'm going to go ahead and set up an appointment with my doctor and see what she has to say. 

I've Got Concrete Shoes - Gasparilla Race Weekend 2024

About 4 weeks ago, I walked - and DNF'd - Celebration 1/2 Marathon. I was waylaid by Plantar Fasciitis and just gnarly calf & foot pain all the way around. I was devastated, and I felt like such a quitter. Once I got past that little spiral of depression, I had to figure out what to do about Gasparilla, which was just a few short weeks away. I visited my massage lady, who did a lot of work on my legs. I stretched out my calves every day. I went balls-to-the-wall at the gym, using the Elliptical, so as to not have more trauma to my feet or calves. And during non-exercise time, I babied them at work, and stayed off of them when I didn't have to be standing. All in all, I think this helped, because I was able to finish both races this weekend!

On Friday, we packed up and got to our VRBO around 3 or so. The neighborhood looked a little sketchy, but the house is cute as hell! Huge points to the Property Owner who left me some Pepsi and hot chocolate (we'd chatted beforehand and I told her that we don't do coffee). 

She even put a few of the cans in the fridge to chill beforehand

I left hubby there to settle in while I went over to the expo. The table where I picked up all of my shirts ran out of 3x shirts so I had to take 2x instead. Now, they fit, but they were a smidge tight. I could have kept them and hoped I'd fit in to them again at some point, but honestly, life doesn't seem to be working that way right now, so I moseyed over to the 'regular' shirt table (for people who were only doing one race) and sweet talked them into trading shirt for shirt, even tough they weren't supposed to (big thanks to the awesome supervisor guy who gave them the OK to do so!)

I walked around the expo, got lots of swag and such, didn't need to pick up any goo or chews, no good sneaker deals in my size, and eventually headed back to VRBO, noting that my foot was hurting more than expected... Probably because I was walking in flip flops.

We went to a place called Trip's Diner for dinner, a local place that's been in business since 2012, and named after the owner's triplet children. Inside, the place looked so cool and vintage and fun, I knew immediately I was going to love it! And I was not disappointed, either. We would definitely come back here again (and we tried to, but it was so busy then!)

I ordered French Toast with scrambled eggs and bacon, and it was fabulous. I can't even put my finger on WHY it was so good, it just was... and it reminded me of the way that Buc-ee's smells when they're candying nuts. 

Don't be deceived by the looks... this was one of the best French Toast meals ever!

Hubby got fried chicken breast with mashed potatoes and gravy. The chicken was amazing, but he had to deduct a star because the taters were skin-on. He also picked up a slice of Peanut Butter Pie to go, which he ate later as a bedtime snack. 

Hand-breaded chicken and hand-mashed potatoes

Back at the house, I tried to have a bath, but their plumbing was wonky, and the hot water would only come out in a trickle, so the water never got really hot and steamy... I gave up after about 5-10 minutes. I set out my clothing for the morning, set the alarms, then futzed around in bed until it was time to sleep. 

Saturday morning, I got dressed, KT taped my feet, put on my ankle braces and then my Zensah leg sleeves. I also had some juice and took two Aleve to get me through the morning. 

As we walked to the start line, I was feeling positive that I'd be able to finish this - my foot felt like it was about 60% okay, but there was no nasty sharp pain like there was at Celebration. I did a little bit of running during the 15k, which actually felt kind of good, but I didn't want to push it, so I tried to keep myself at a walk. Nothing really memorable happened during this race (thank God), so there's not much to this recap!

Just me and thousands of my friends

Good morning, Sunshine

It's lonely back here

From the Halfway There! sign until about Mile 6, it was an absolute slog... it's very quiet here, with not a lot of people, probably fewer than two dozen at this point, and I'm just drained. My left foot felt heavy like a cement block; I took the two Advil that Hubby gave me before we left the house. 

At Mile 6, I had a little more pep in my step because Mile 7 meant that I "officially/unofficially" finished the remaining mileage from Celebration, and I could finally wear my medal. I got here around 2:15. 

Celebration 1/2 Marathon is unofficially officially completed

Mile 7 until the area that we rejoin the 5k course is an even worse slog... It's so quiet, people are giving you the pity "ooh, you're doing your best, sweetie" looks... I kept my eyes open to see the 5k runners, but it just took forever to get there. 

Regular Bayshore Blvd exercisers just kind of stare at you as they pass by

However, once you finally join them, the atmosphere is so much more energizing, because of the people running, and everyone cheering. But it also makes me feel like an absolute slow blob... I get bumped by the fast people who are so in the zone they either don't see you or don't care, I get ignored by the folks cheering on the sides, and I get wet from the water stop volunteers.  

When I got to Mile 9, there was a lady on the right who cheered me on. I have her the "thanks, whatever" wave, but she walked over to me and said that she was checking on 'her 15k people' to make sure that they were really okay. We chatted for a moment as I walked and I left her with my head a little higher, feeling a little bit better. So, thank you 15k Woman, I really was okay after talking to you. 

I finished with a firm walk, with a perfectly acceptable time of 3:00:21 (there were only twelve finishers behind me!) I wasn't mad about that at all because I only wanted to finish and I DID! I met up with Hubby at the fence, then got my towel, water, snack, and medal, then took a few photos before limping my way back to the car. Now that I wasn't moving, my brick of a foot was just throbbing in my shoe. I began to wonder if I'd done some damage today. 

15k Medal and Celebration Medal

At home I attempted a bath again; it was better but still sucky... took 30 minutes to fill the tub and it never got lobster-pot hot (the way I like it). So I gave up. No baths for me this weekend. I curled up in bed for awhile then we headed out to lunch. Thought about going to Nebraska Mini-Mart, but it was crazy busy. We went over to Three Coins Diner instead. Despite great reviews on Yelp, it was just okay for us. It didn't feel like a diner, but a regular local fast-food place (I think the building must've been something else before, like a Burger King or something, it just looked that way, you know?) Tables were old and wobbly. Waitress was a million years old with blue eyeshadow. It was both claustrophobic and too open at the same time. I really can't put my finger on why I didn't like the atmosphere, lol, no matter how I type this up. Anyway, we both ordered basic cheeseburgers and fries, and they were definitely basic. The burger was too rare for my taste, the cheese looked like Kraft Singles, and the bun seemed room-temp, right from the bag. The fries were nice and hot, at least. I'd give it 2/5 stars. Trip's was definitely better. 

Basic Cheeseburger w/Ketchup and Mustard, and fries

After, we headed to Bo's Ice Cream where we each got a mini Thick & Chunky treat (similar to a Blizzard). Holy crap, the mini was still at least 12 ounces! I could only eat a quarter of it before I had to throw in the towel. We took them back to the house and stuffed them in the freezer for later. Full of ice cream, we crawled back in bed to relax and play on our tablets in peace. We gave up and decided on a nap, thinking it would be an hour or so, but at 9:30, I woke up to darkness! I crawled out of bed to set up my clothes and gear for the morning, ate my ice cream leftovers for dinner, then fell back asleep for the night. 

Old School Cool Bucs Flag

Sunday morning, I juiced, taped, braced, and dressed, then we headed back to the race area. He went over to Publix while I made my way to the start line. I did some light calf stretching, and then we were off. I did nothing but walking again, to take it easy on my foot. It was hotter than yesterday (but we also start later too). Again, a very chill, uneventful race. There wasn't any new foot pain; still just the soreness and numbness around the outer edge (outstep?) of my foot. No sharp pain at my heels, and not as "cinderblock" numb as it was yesterday. 

Cheez-It, please stop trying to be cool

My feet feel huge with so many layers!

You heard Bon Jovi, too?

Near the finish, a woman on the other side of the chute cheered me on for doing the 15k/8k challenge, said I was awesome, stuff like that. The chute was being dismantled as I walked through it... I kinda wanted to ask the volunteers if I could carry one of the flags through the finish line, but thought that was a bit too much, so I kept going. I walked right up the middle of the road with no one in front of me and I could see Hubby standing in the middle of the road right behind the finish line like he owned the place (see, perks of being {almost} last!)

As I came toward the finish, Fitz announced me as she came over to me, and we danced across the finish line holding hands. I gave her hand a squeeze and let go, but she called me back and gave me the biggest hug and damn, it felt so good! She's a tiny lady, but bless her heart, she knew I needed that hug! 

Shamelessly copied from FinisherPix website

I finished with a time of 1:38:35, with 37 people behind me. I'm in THIS video, coming in at 5:30 or so. 

(Hubby's the guy with the blue bag)

Fitz handed me off to Hubby, and we went to get my towel, water, medals, and snacks (so many Cheez-Its!) I felt okay-ish as we walked to the car. I wasn't worried about my foot, but I was aware of my foot. 

Look what I did!

Back at the house, I tried to nap, but after 10 minutes, my body wanted food instead. I decided we should head over to La Segunda to get my first taste of a real Tampa Cuban sandwich. On the way, I hit up a nearby Dollar Tree for some new reading glasses (left mine at home, whoops), as well as some Band-aids and stretchy gauze for the massive blisters on my heels. 

The camera doesn't do it justice - it's probably 2-3 inches long!

Protected with cheap adhesive bandages

Wrapped with Curad Self-Stick Gauze (like what you get at the Bloodmobile)

We got lost and turned around a few times when we got in Ybor City, but we made it to La Segunda, and wow, it was so busy! The inside lobby - which was much smaller than I was expecting - was pack jammed full of people, about 20 folks waiting for their orders, and about 10 more waiting to order. We waited in line for about 5 minutes without the line moving before deciding that it might be a better idea to come back later, when my feet didn't hurt so much. We headed over to Nebraska Mini-Mart again, but holy cow, it was busier than yesterday! There was probably 25 people in line, or milling around waiting to order. So... let's go back to Trips? Nope! It was probably three times as busy as NMM, with people parking blocks and blocks away on residential side streets. We apparently didn't take into account Sunday Church Crowd + Gasparilla Tourists! We cut our losses and pulled up Garmin to find a "basic bitch" chain place (like an Olive Garden or TGIFridays) since I was getting hangry at this point. We headed over toward Dale Mabry (home of Titties & Bitches™) and just drove for a while, thinking that we'd hit the busy part of the area, where lots of restaurants were. Unfortunately, we were driving away from Titties & Bitches™, all the way over toward Lutz. We finally settled on that Runner-Up Old People place, Bob Evans. And it turned out to be a pretty good choice, because at 2pm on a Sunday, outside the city center, there was practically no one there - seriously, I think there were only two or three occupied tables. Hubby and I both got chicken fingers with fries and mashed potatoes. 

Tenders, Mashed & Gravy, Fries, Ranch, and Wildfire BBQ (eww)

The tenders sucked (why were they so rubbery?) but the mashed potatoes and gravy were sinful, and those biscuits were positively heavenly. All of it hit that yummy, yummy, comfort food spot that needed to be filled, and we took home the extra biscuit and roll to eat at home. 

Yeah, they probably come from a box, but they're good!

With full bellies, we returned home for naps and snuggles. My foot still hurt pretty bad, especially when I stood up and put weight on it after sitting for a few hours.

We slept in on Monday until around 9, then cuddled and talked about what we were going to do for the day. My foot was feeling a bit better this morning, even without pain meds (I had slept in the ankle braces), but I didn't want to go walk around somewhere and hurt it more. So we thought the best idea would be to go back to La Segunda to pick up pastries and a Cuban sandwich to bring home with me for dinner, then get on the road. We cleaned up the house and packed up our stuff in the car. As a thank you to the cleaner (who had originally rearranged her schedule to allow us late checkout at 1pm, lord I feel bad now), I made a small basket of snacks for her with some of our uneaten snacks (Cheez-Its, Chili Cheese Fritos, granola bars) and a note of appreciation (the property owner said later that the gesture made the cleaner smile and they loved it). 

We got to La Segunda around 11 and the difference between yesterday and today was dramatic! There were only two or three people there. There was plenty of room for us to walk around and look at the pastry cases. While we were deciding what treats we wanted, I overheard the cashier tell another customer that they were out of ham! Ham is a very important ingredient in a Cuban, so this is terrible news! Okay, no worries, there's other locations! From this location, we picked up a few treats to try, as well as two cupcakes to eat for breakfast. They were tasty, the frosting was a little lardy and oversweet, but the cake was good. We also got cinnamon buns, an oatmeal raisin cookie, a pound cake, a five-layer chocolate cake slice, and a quesito (which never did make it into the bag... sad face). We did a quick video of the cupcakes in the car, and the rest when we got home. You can watch this video below, or over on YouTube. 

The second La Segunda was a much bigger location, with indoor seating, so we decided to eat lunch there. I also peer-pressured myself - after seeing basically everyone leaving La Segunda with a long, thin package of what I assumed to be Cuban bread, I knew I had to get one too! For about $4, I got a three-foot long loaf of bread. I ordered a half-size Cuban sandwich (minus pickle) and Hubby got the 1915 Club sandwich. 

I wasn't sure what to expect because Genoa Salami doesn't sound like it would make sense, but one bite told me that it made absolute sense! 

It added a greasy/salty element that a Publix Cuban was missing. This pork was slow-cooked until it fell apart, shredded not sliced. The press was a little underwhelming (but that's personal preference, as I like my bread pressed to be crunchier), but overall, this sandwich was a revelation of what a good Cuban could taste like. Hubby was fully in love with his sandwich as well - it was on regular bread, and pressed. Both of us could only finish half of our sandwiches, so we grabbed to-go boxes. (I'm happy to report that both sandwiches travelled well, and were just as good the next day!) 

Anyway, after Hubby rolled me out of there, we piled in the car for the long ride home. We took the long way home, through Brooksville and Ocala. We stopped by Grandpa Joe's for more sodas to try. 

I hit up the nearby RaceTrac for a potty break and a soda, then we finally made it home a little before dinner time. We unpacked and all that jazz, then I pressed the other half of my Cuban and ate it in bed. I was probably asleep by 9! Unfortunately, I have to go back to work tomorrow.  

So... I'm sure you're wondering... How is my foot? Well, it hurts. It's not as bad as it was in January. But it's not pain-free. Am I going to do Gate River Run? I don't know yet. I'm going to email them tomorrow and see what options they have for virtual, or deferrals, etc. I guess you'll have to come back and check the GRR post next week! 

Gate River Redemption Plan for 2024

So, last month, I participated in, and had to quit, the Gate River Run 15k in Jacksonville, due to some wonky muscle issues along the right side of my body (my massage therapist said I was really locked up and it was very smart of me to quit). 

I spent the rest of the month basically having a pity party for myself. I only went to the gym 5 days this month. I only did one parkrun (volunteered at the rest). I only did one solo run at the park, last Sunday. Okay, okay, part of that was actual rest and recuperation for my wonky muscle issues, but most of it was a pity party.

But I've been fomenting an idea that, I think, will be beneficial for me, not only to get that Gate River Run medal in 2024, but to just set me on a good path in all physical activities. 

I modified my already-existing weekly exercise plan, and added it some goals to hit. 

I call it... Gate River Redemption (or "Fuck that Monster")

Mondays will be at-home treadmill days, utilizing Couch to 5k. I'll do Day One of each Week, as laid out in the C25k app. When I "graduate" C25k (after 8 weeks), I'll start over and aim to get faster each round. 

Tuesdays will be Leg day at the gym, with 5-10 minutes of cardio Warmup and Cooldown. 

Wednesdays will remain my Rest Day. 

Thursdays will be at-home treadmill days, utilizing Couch to 5k, doing Day Two of each Week.

Fridays will be Upper Body day, with cardio.

Saturdays will be parkrun (participating or volunteering), followed by Back/Core day at the gym, then stretching and yoga via YouTube or PeerFit at home. 

Sundays will be my solo walk/run days, outside, (no matter the weather), to include Couch to 5k Day Three. When I get within 'training distance' of races, this day will be my Long Run Day, with training walk/runs up to 14 miles. 

For my goals, I made a handful for three different categories:

Race Goals:

• Finish a 5k under 40 minutes (current PR is 47:08)
• Finish Gasparilla 8k under 1:15 (current PR is 1:23)
• Finish a 10k under 1:30 (current PR is 1:32)
• Finish Gate River Run 2024 under 2:30 (current PR is 2:37)

Strength Goals:

• Hold a Plank for 2 minutes (Bonus: Hold for 5 minutes)
• Do 20 Push-Ups (no time limit, within reason)
• Do 25 Crunches in 1 minute
• Wall-sit for 1 minute
• Take Progress Photos every single week

Flexibility Goals:

• Do a forward split (both legs)
• Touch my toes from standing, and from sitting
• Do 20 inches in a Sit & Reach Test
• Do a Full Pigeon Pose (both legs)
• Clasp hands behind back between shoulder blades (both arms)
• Take progress photos of splits, toes, pigeon, and hands, every single week

I think that these are smart and do-able, but I also know me... if I hit 50 to 75% of these goals, I'll be more than thrilled with myself. Like, maybe I can't do a forward split, but I can do a full Pigeon Pose, I'll call that a win, and then move the split goal to next year. 

Tomorrow is a new month, which means tomorrow is a new day, and a new opportunity to do new things. 

Let's get it done!!!! That monster will not beat me in 2024.