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Week 214
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Greetings, 50+ers! As I write this, it's storming out yet again. It's been pretty much like this for the past several weeks. The humidity remains sky-high and we've been getting a thunderstorm (or two or three) just about every day. Planning my runs has required a bit of juggling, but I've managed, and every run has been finished with a fully drenched set of clothes (and I'm generally not a big sweater.)
So I see we've got a little soul searching going on. Always good to ask what we are doing, and to what purpose. My injuries have been well-chronicled on these pages, but truthfully, I've felt generally OK other than a few niggles here and there that the foam-roller can usually iron out (OK, I'm probably lying to myself a bit, as I do have that persistent hip thing....but it's manageable.) For me, my running-related injuries have all been a result of finding a weakest link in the kinetic chain, and not some general training fatigue/body malaise. In fact, usually it's when I've been feeling my best that something goes terribly south. So, in other words, I've generally felt pretty good most the time (sore for a day or two at times, but not persistently so), but then something breaks. Of course, I don't train nearly as hard as Dave does (neither in miles, nor intensity); apparently I'm too fragile for that and I break something before I ever get to that point. So aside from the muscle tear that I really can do nothing about (since I really have no interest in going under the knife), I'm fairly OK with my current running (presently it averages about 30 mpw, with 1 interval and 1 tempo-ish kind of thing per week. My RHR is in the mid to upper 40s, but I'm sleep-deprived at only about 6 hrs/night. I don't take anything, other than the occasional NSAID, which is usually not running related, and Allegra for my allergies.) My current biggest concern is the progression of the arthritis in my big toes; this has apparently been an issue all along in my masters career, but the range of motion has really started to be more and more limited over the past 5 years. I think that I've underestimated its impact on the kinetic chain, and may be what has been responsible for me derailing several times.
And to what end? I certainly can't answer for anyone but myself, and for that all I can say is that I just like to run, and I like to run hard; it suits me. I like that feeling of running smoothly and at a decent clip; and I like it when I push my body until I can feel myself running out of gas to the point where I have to stop with my hands to my knees gasping for air. I also love the fellowship of runners---generally a very accepting bunch that are encouraging to anyone that once to lace up the shoes no matter. The real question, for me at least, is how close to the edge am I willing to risk going? And do I mind going over that edge from time to time, or do I always play it safe? Are the risks worth the reward? For me, the answers to these questions are evolving with time and history, I've probably been a little less daring these past couple years because of the abdominal tear, but if things continue improving, I'm sure I'll start pushing my personal boundaries again. In these experiments of one, it's always somewhat uncharted territory, but we can at least relay our own histories and experiences, successes and pitfalls, associated with training as we age. That's why I keep posting even when it's not going well, so that others can know the kinds of things one might expect, good and bad. Maybe it'll help someone to chart a path that avoids those pitfalls, or helps them navigate a path back out of a training abyss, who knows. And it's why I appreciate when you all are open and honest about how it's going, and why I encourage people to post even when it's not noteworthy in their eyes. I can't know when something I've experienced in my own training might resonate with someone else, even if it's depressing to talk about, so Dave, I really appreciate your bringing this topic to light. This is what it's about.
OK, so here's my 31.5-mile addition to my experiment-of-one this past week:
Sun: 5.0 easy-to-moderate (7:53 avg. pace)
Mon: Off (tired again)
Tue: 4.2 No intervals this week, but 8 stride-outs on the track
Wed: 4.2 w/1@6:35 (7:15 avg. pace)
Thu: 5.5 (7:35 avg. pace) 95% humidity!
Fri: off
Sat: 12.6 w/hilly progression for the first 10+ (~8:30 -> 6:30)
After last Saturday's unremarkable 10-km race, I started the week fairly easy. I said I was no worse for wear from the race, but in truth, the left quad (just above the knee) has been a little sore (so I know what you're talking about Co57). This is the same spot that was aggravated from that first downhill portion on the River-to-River relay a few months back, so it seems this is my current weakest link. Sunday's run we did accelerate a bit going from mid-8's at the start down to 7:15 for the last mile, but it was not particularly taxing. Usually we do intervals on Tuesday, but I though just running easy and doing some strides would be a good way to rejuvenate the legs post-race, so we did four laps of straight-away strides while jogging the turns sandwiched between 1.5 miles of easy running both before and after. On Wednesday I added a little pace to one mile in an otherwise short, moderate run. Thursday's slog-fest in the heat and humidity wasn't fun. It was still @95% humidity and around 70 degrees for Saturdays long run. I wasn't quite sure what we would do, so the progression run was semi-unplanned. I told the guys I was running with that I might inject some pace if I was feeling OK. The last 1.5 miles of the progression was faster than my 10k pace of the race last weekend; I eased back to 8:00/mi for the last 2+. I was a little concerned that the progession was too hard, and today, I'm a little tight in my left IT and there is still a remnant of discomfort in the left quad, but generally I'm feeling adequate.
OK, so those are my ramblings for this week. I hope that this discussion on attitudes towards racing and training as we age continues and allows you to progress towards whatever goals it is that you've set for yourselves. And as always, I look forward to your running reports and any other contributions.
Oh, and good luck to KP on his 800m race today at the senior games (up der in Minnesooota don'tcha know!) Any other races to report?
All the Best!