I was thinking it over by the snack machine

Adios track season.  Hello fall marathon.

Since the beginning of May I’ve been contemplating if I should continue to concentrate on this track season and I eventually came to the conclusion that it’s no longer in my best interest.  At this point in my running career I’m not interested in doing anything half-ass and if I were to focus on track this summer I would be rushing my preparation. I’m only going to fully concentrate on track if I think I can run a PB over the five and dime.  Running under 13:20 in the next 10 weeks after taking 8 weeks off just doesn’t seem realistic.  I know what it took to run 13:21 and it involved solid training throughout the spring. The bike, elliptical and pool have kept me somewhat fit but not specific enough to link twelve and a half 63 second quarters together.  The National track and field championships  are still on the schedule, it’s just now they will come in the middle of marathon training instead of a peak.

I want to have 16 weeks of solid running heading into a marathon with 12 of those weeks being specific marathon work.  Looking at the calendar this is very realistic given the rate at which my injury seems to be healing.  Last week I ran about 25% of full volume and this week I’m hoping to get in about 35-40%.  Once I have some solid running under my belt I’ll figure out what marathon I’ll run this fall. 

I’ve seen a few more doctors about my injury and I have a few more ideas but in general no one is really sure exactly why it’s so bad.  Now that the inflammation has settled I’ve added some new therapy.  My therapy includes ART, acupuncture, massage, ultra-sound, laser, Interx and Graston.  I basically have one appointment everyday, Monday to Friday.

Serious training for me started in 1998 and for 10 straight years I had no injuries to speak of.  And then came three very significant injuries in the past three years (pinched nerve, broken foot, inflamed tendons).  I went from being a very consistent runner to being the guy people ask cross-training advice from.   Being injured sucks and I’ve learned to deal with the lows.  Trying to focus on an upcoming goal can be frustrating but at the same time it gives me  something to focus on to provide motivation while pool running or when on the elliptical or spin bike.  So I have to be careful in determining what my next goal will be.

My 2008 injury was stressful because I didn’t know exactly when I would heal and I was trying to qualify for the olympics.  When I broke my foot at the end of 2008 it was aggrevating that I couldn’t do much but I knew my timeline early enough to be realistic with upcoming races.  This injury once again has been frustrating in terms of prognosis but I’ve learned not to add pressure by trying to qualify for the Commonwealth games.  For a bit it’s hard to let go of a goal but overall it’s better to be able to move on to something else.  Having a fall marathon as my focus is fueling the fire without  adding any timeline pressure. 

With all the lows that come along with injuries it’s important to get out, have fun and have a laugh…