Long Way to the Top

On the positive side of things, thanks to being injured I avoided a couple months of running in what has been one of the hottest summers we’ve had in a long time. On the negative side, now that I’m starting back I not only have to battle being out of shape but I also have no acclimation to the horrible conditions that linger on with no end in sight. It’s a nasty combination to say the least. Last night I was pretty much toast after 10-15 min and by the time I was done my shorts looked like I’d just gotten out of a swimming pool. When you’re still sweating after you’ve taken a fairly cool shower, you know it’s bad, and yesterday wasn’t even that hot compared to some of the weather we’ve had and I’m sure will have again before all is said and done.

Anyway, as I finished up yesterday I ran into Coach Moir and another guy leaving the Bast Center. Soaked in sweat and feeling completely worked from doing just 5 miles at what came out to be an average of 7:42 pace, I looked at them, shook my head, and said, “Don’t ever get out of shape.” The one guy replied, “You sure don’t look like you’re out of shape,” to which I responded, “It’s all relative.” And that pretty much sums it up.

When you’re accustomed to being able to knock off sub-7 min miles with complete ease, struggling to run 30-40 seconds a mile slower than that is pretty frustrating. I had a guy at work ask me what it was like to start back running after a long break and if it was hard mentally to know how far I had to go to get in shape, and I told him that it was very hard. I can’t even fathom high mileage weeks right now, much less high mileage weeks accompanied with fast workouts. It’s pretty easy to sit back and wonder how you ever did it and if you can ever do it again. However, at the same time, having been there many times before, I know it will come back. I just have to be patient and let it happen.

Still, at this point in time, it’s pretty difficult, and I’m now quite confident this is going to be the hardest comeback I’ve ever made and take the longest as well. If I do it right though and also turn it into my best comeback followed by my longest period ever of injury free training, it will all be worth it. In the meantime, I suffer. It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll!