10 years ago at this time I was wondering if I made the right decision to not graduate from high school early so that I could run track. After cross country finished up I was really burned out from running and I was thinking strongly about graduating after the second trimester. My track coach caught wind of this (actually I think I told him) and he strongly encouraged me to stay in school and run track. This was supposed to be the year I dominated in my events and he was banking on that. When practice began in late February I felt a problem in my foot. Turns out I had developed tendinitis along the arch in my left foot. I was out of action for the first three weeks of March. Then, right before I was going to start practicing, I developed tendinitis in my right foot, also along the arch, and I hurt my hamstring; this kept me out for another week. I probably should have been out longer but our first meet was coming up and I wanted some practice time, even if it was 3 days, before I ran. It took me almost the entire season to get into "meet shape". My normal work load was two 800 meter races, usually the 4x800 and then the 800 in the medley relay or the open 800. I was fine running the 4x800 (time was around 2:12 which wasn't bad for being hurt) but the second 800 of the meet was way worse (one was 2:30, which was equally painful to watch and to run); it got to the point that I was only running one even per meet. The 4x800 qualified for state on the time of four runners that weren't normally on the relay. In the closing meets of the year we had a run-off to see who would be on the team to run at state. Luckily I was finally coming around and was able to run a 2:07 three times in the last two meets (my 4th time was 2:08). I then ran a 2:06 at state and began to wonder what would have happened if I was healthy at the start of the season.
After the state meet I said that was the last time I was going to run. I was done with it. My knees had been injured, my feet had tendinitis, my hips had issues, and there were various muscle strains and pulls through the years. My body was spent, and so too was my mind. I was content without running long distances as I never wanted to be a distance runner, it all happened by chance (I still blame my sister).
Now, 10 years later, I have caught the bug. Two years ago I started running at lunch time with a group of my co-workers. The first time I ran we went 4 miles, and I couldn't walk for a couple of days. The knee pains were back. I decided, after a couple of months of off-and-on running, that I should slide back into retirement. I didn't think my knees would take any more running. Then, after playing broom ball for a few hours in January pain free, I decided to give it another go. This time was going to be a lot different that two years ago. This time I have a plan, and a goal. I want to compete in at least two 5k road races this year: the first will be May 1 in Perry (Run Like A Fox, named for my late high school cross country coach) and the second is still to be determined. I have thought about doing the 5k Dam to Dam, but there is usually a 5k in Perry on July 4 that is an option; if things go well I may do all three, and run in Race for the Cure in Des Moines next October.
I know that sounds ambitious for someone who hasn't competed in 10 years but that is where my plan comes in. The first month and a half has been used for strength training. I work my arms 3 days a week and my legs the other 2 (weekends off). In my younger days I never thought of the strength training being very important. Now that I've been away from any sort of workout I know I need to get physically stronger. On top of that I need to get my mind back into the game. One of my best weapons during my races was my mind. I never let myself give up mentally. I knew I could catch the guy in front of me no matter how far ahead he was (especially in track). Part of my strength routine is getting my competition mindset back. That means I cannot give up on what I'm doing, I need to be focused, and I have to ignore the pain. My leg strength is where I want it to be, I don't have a gauge on my upper body strength, and my mind has a some work left.
The next step of the plan involves getting my cardiovascular endurance back. I already have the foundation in place but I need to put the main floor and walls up and then I can start working toward the ceiling. I want to do as much to get the endurance back without putting much stress on my knees and feet this early. My solution: roller blading. Getting the blades on will enable me to work my legs without the stress of running, and help build my endurance. Once I feel comfortable enough with my cardio endurance I will put the blades away and lace up the running shoes again.
I don't think I will ever live the days of a 17:15 5k or a 2:06 800 but I am hoping to be under 21:00 for my first 5k and, maybe, around 18:00 for the others. There is no doubt in my mind that those goals cannot be met. Maybe next year I will be talking about a 17:00 5k again.
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