man... it is AHHHHHHH-MAZ-ING how much the body can change (read: lose) in 6 weeks off. humbling would be an accurate description of the current state of my running life. absolutely humbling. i am slow. very very slow and there isn't a damn thing i can do about it. i started back a little over 3 weeks ago on the dreaded treadmill. i was just doing 3 milers, but because i'm having such a hard time running on the treadmill my habit is to do fartleks. i don't do them for the speed benefits more so i do them so that i can get the run done sooner. i hate the treadmill so much. it is such a challenge for me to spend any length of time on it.
last week wednesday i finally made it back to lapham for a short run. it wasn't even a challenging course. it was 4 miles on the prairie side. mostly flat and usually easy. man... this was anything but easy. it was borderline hard. also... very very fun. i will never tire of the trail.
i know that it was challenging because i woke up several times between wednesday night and thursday morning stretching my legs. my legs were also fatigued thursday morning upon awakening. now, don't get me wrong... i'm not complaining. just making a mental note of my condition.
i'm trying to build my mileage slowly so as to avoid any of those pesky overuse injuries. i'm really disappointed that i've been saddled with injury after injury. i've been toying with the idea of getting together with a coach. i feel like maybe i need the guidance. given that i've only been running for almost 4 years (it will be 4 years march 2016) i sort of feel like i have so very much still to learn. i learn more about running every day. i learn about my body and myself every day. what works... what doesn't... but that doesn't always translate into the whys and hows of things. i kinda feel like if i had a coach to guide me i might have a better chance of reaching my goals. other times i feel like a coach might be a waste of money. i've reached out to a coach and we'll see...
in the meantime i will continue running, building my base, and getting stronger. next sunday is when i get to sign up for iceage and as of right now i've got my sights on the 50K again. my goal is to shave time (of course) but to also run smarter by pacing myself more moderately and consistently so that i don't poop out in the last 9 miles like i did last time. i need to make sure to go into the race strong and uninjured. that means careful and slow training.
4 years of running is really not that long all in all. comparatively to some people who've been running since high school... 20+ years and such... i'm a running baby. every day i get better, stronger, smarter... just gotta keep plugging along i guess.
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