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January 26, 2005
learn how
Initially I was going to put "I am a piece of shit" as the title, but I don't know what kind of language will fly around here and I didn't want to offend anyone. I'm in something of a down period about running. Since the half on Sunday I've been tired and sore. My track workout yesterday (15x300) left me very discouraged.
I could split 2004 up into the following chunks:
1. Jan - Feb: training for 1st marathon, fighting ITB problem, 50 - 60 mpw, ok times, sometimes an AG award in local races. Marathon, 2 weeks low-mileage recovery
2. mid-March - late July: 60, 70, 80mpw, lots of improvement and just tickled to death about it
3. Aug - Oct: running injured while training desperately for a marathon; injury turned out to be a sfx; I ran on it anyway for 2 weeks until I couldn't run anymore. no marathon.
4. Oct - mid Dec: xtraining only until late Nov; a week of overdoing then back to xtraining
5. last 2 weeks of Dec: verrrrry slowly coming back to running; lots of gallowalking
Currently I'm back in the 50s per week, with a "long" run (still under 18 miles) and a track workout every week.
Anyway, the point of all this is that after all that training I am currently slower than I was at chunk (1) last year! I'm worse than I was a year ago. I was never what you'd call good or fast, but I'd gone way past any expectations I'd ever had about running, and I was interested to see what would happen next. All that time was such a waste. Work and work and work, and then stop for 7 weeks (and I did crosstrain, so it's not I like I totally stopped) and it's as though I never did any work at all. I just can't get over it. At track yesterday I struggled to hit times way slower than what I ran last summer. Jeez.
When I was confined to the walking boot, I thought everything would be just perfect once I could run again. I didn't realize that the novelty would wear off so soon, and I'd be stuck with my slow self.
Posted by joe positive at January 26, 2005 6:28 PM
Comments
I'm okay with the language, I just don't think you can title an entry "I am a piece of shit" if you call yourself joe positive!
Please don't be too down about your running. The speed will come back, it just takes time. I had to take two years off due to injuries and I got really slow, to the point that I had to reset all of my PRs so it wouldn't be so depressing. Just keep plugging away and the speed will return, maybe when you least expect it!
Posted by: Alison at January 26, 2005 9:14 PM
joe positive is an ironic nickname, sorta like Mary Sunshine. I came up with joe positive about 10 years ago, when I'd just dipped a toe into the internet and I was somehow afaid to out myself as female.
Anyway, thanks once again for the encouragement. You had to take 2 years off? Wow, your running right now doesn't show it. Then again, you're young :-)
Posted by: joe positive at January 27, 2005 9:57 PM
The hard work never *ever* completely goes away. You'll have it forever.
Posted by: jenandmats at January 27, 2005 10:31 PM