The Long Road Back

So, it looks like it’s been a little over four months since I last updated my blog. At that time, I was ready to make some changes in my training in anticipation of taking a shot at running a sub-5 minute mile, but unfortunately that “project” never got off the ground. When I started, I was having what I thought was a relatively minor hip issue, but as is so often the case with me, especially now that I’m older, something minor can turn into something major quickly, and I spent somewhere in the vicinity of 15 weeks fighting whatever the problem was. Having come into that 15 weeks with my fitness not very high to begin with, needless to say I’m pretty much at ground zero at the moment at least in terms of running fast.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately since it may have just extended the amount of time I was hindered, I was able to run at least some throughout the injury. I just couldn’t string together more than a few days at a time without having to take one or sometimes several days off, and of course I wasn’t able to do anything other than just jog. As such, I logged lots of 20-30 mile weeks and maintained at least a little fitness, which allows me to ramp things up more quickly now than I would be able to if I’d been totally off during that time (don’t worry, I’m definitely not going to go nuts as I build back).

That said, two of my last three weeks have been at 50 miles, with the one in between at 37 mainly due to laziness and lack of motivation on my part. The good news is, my motivation is back, in part due to some things going on that I’d rather not get into at least at this point in time. Let’s just say I’ve got some stuff to think about that will help me dig a little deeper when I’m suffering in a workout or finding it hard to get out the door to log my miles.

My plan over the next few weeks is to continue to build my mileage until I get to 60-65 per week, where I will likely hold for quite a while. I’d love to be able to hit 70-80, but that’s just not gonna happen in the foreseeable future as the risk far outweighs the reward. Essentially I have to learn to do more with less. I’ve taken my long run from 9 to 10 to 11 over the last three weeks and plan on getting to 13 before leveling off and staying there for a while. I’ll also be adding in some light workouts and strides to get my body used to harder, faster efforts. I figure it’s going to take several months to build a proper base and really start to move the fitness needle, which unfortunately will put me somewhere in the dead of winter when I start to get race ready, but that’s ok. I’ll likely race some between now and then, but the real goal is to be ready to go next spring when the racing season kicks into high gear. That allows me to do things properly rather than trying to rush it. I also plan on doing as many of the little things as I can to stay healthy and get the most out of the work I’m putting in, stuff like drills, stretching, strength training, good nutrition, etc.

I never thought running fast as a Master would be easy because it’s not supposed to be, but I also didn’t think I would run into all the challenges I have, some running related and some just related to the busyness of life. To date, I’ve fallen flat on my face, and those who know me know I really hate to fail. Unfortunately it’s probably too late to achieve some of the goals I set for myself as a Master, but all I can do is refocus and see what I can salvage, and I look forward to the challenge of doing so. One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about this sport is it’s a personal journey to see what is the most you can get out of yourself. You get what you put in, and running really is competition and sport in its purest form. That’s one of the reasons I’ve never understood those who take shortcuts like PED’s, whether it be things like EPO, or in the Masters world, the anti-aging prescriptions such as testosterone and HGH that are all too easily obtained. Not only are you cheating your competition, but you’re cheating yourself out of finding out who you really are and what you can really do. I’d much rather do things the right way and find out for sure what I’m made of, so here’s to that process and journey. Let’s go!