Tuesday, September 25, 2018

It's Been Awhile

...since I have written and I'm not sure why...because I really enjoy writing about running. I read enough about it so I might as well get back to writing about it. My last post in April was about the 'exit strategy' and frankly not having one. Since that post up until about two weeks ago, I have run really well, losing 35 pounds hasn't hurt either. Consistently, my pace has been between 8:30 and 9 minutes per mile and on race days at short distances around 8 minutes per mile. I had not seen this kind of pace for nearly 8 years. They say every pound is a difference of 3 seconds per mile pace. It has held true as I had increased my pace by more than 90 seconds per mile from last summer. Last year, I could barely make it through the summer heat and humidity from 10:00 to 10:30 per mile. I sued to make excuses as to why I was at the weight I was. Uh, I am getting older and getting older it is harder to lose weight. Uh, I am running OK because as I am aging I am running slower. Uh, what is wrong with a bowl of ice cream every night? In any event, I eat differently now and I run better. Believe me, I have not really given up anything but very conscious of what and how much I put in my mouth or I have made substitutes. Overall, I am feeling great and my running has been great.

...until the weekend of hurricane Florence. I went out on a run in the rain and going uphill, my left quad didn't like it and I felt a strain that in 25 years of running I had not felt before. What the hell? I have had aches and pains through those 25 years but nothing debilitating except maybe a sprained ankle from trail runs. I have run through most everything, changing what I needed to to get through the runs, even marathons. In 101 marathons, I have never had a DNS or a DNF. But for this simple 5-mile run, my quad was not going to let me go any farther, so I walked and then gingerly stepped/jogged two miles back home. It was as if overnight, my body deteriorated, or at least my legs. I took the next 5 days off walking in the mornings to stay somewhat active. Feeling a bit better and knowing I have a half-marathon and marathon coming up in October, I ventured out for what I thought was going to be 10 miles. Being a nice day and changing my stride, I ran 13.1 miles but at an 11+ minute pace. How do I go from running 8:40 pace for 13.1 a few weeks ago to barely under 11:30? I don't get it. Of course, compensating for my left leg, my right leg took much of the pounding and felt worse than my left. The next day I ventured out for 7 miles, did 6 slowly and walked 1. It felt like I had run back-to-back marathons. It was crazy! Looking back, the only thing I can put my finger on was a binge on sugar (candy bars) and some other not so good things over the few days of the hurricane. My body has likely been living in ketosis from losing the weight and those few days of binge eating sugar may have taken its toll on my muscles. So, I am back to regular healthy eating again, lean proteins, fish, spinach salads, vegetables, carb smart ice cream, but yes, my burgers, beer, and occasional funs stuff. There is no reason to give up the fun stuff at age 58 but there is a reason to not binge on it. I think I now realize that! I am happy being around 160 give or take a few pounds, down from 193 in December. Now I just need to keep the muscles fed appropriately to run most effectively!

Monday, April 23, 2018

Exit Strategy

I have never thought about an exit strategy from running. While reading the March issue of Ultrarunning Magazine, Errol "Rocket" Jones had a piece about an exit strategy called Exit Stage Left.  In many companies that I have worked in, particularly start-ups, there has always been an exit strategy, whether it is to go public, be bought by another company, or to have an exit strategy of not exiting at all, continuing to grow, to serve and be better with age. There are generally two motivating factors as to which strategy to follow, money or ego.

The same might hold true for elite runners. Being an older mid-pack runner, there are many reasons to exit. Our aging bodies slow us down. health issues and aching bodies may present a challenge, motivation wanes, it takes longer to recover. None of these things has had me think about an exit strategy. Its made me think about managing expectations, managing my runs, and managing my health. So, it is all about managing oneself. At 58, relatively speaking, I am running better than I have in many years. It would be difficult for me to think about exiting and nearly impossible to actually do it. I'm sure that day will come but I think it will hit me all at once.

Some companies try to be more than they are and think they are more valuable than they are. I run the way I can and the way I am. I can't think that I am an elite runner when I'm simply not. But within the context of where I am in life, I can be the best I can be. In March, I ran 3 half-marathons three weekends in a row. For the first time in nearly 25 years of running, I pulled in two age group awards with some seriously good runs. My age-graded times were better than my pure times when I was younger.

Some people want to exit when they are on the top of their games. I just want to be in the game as long as I can. I have been through the valleys where I could have easily hung up the running shoes. I have also run well enough, in quantity or quality, where I could say, it's enough, I've reached my goal and its time to exit. Running, particularly races are great because there are age groups. Every five years, you are the youngest in your age group. We not only get to reset our expectations, but we can be rejuvenated and run past the exit ramp.

We need to look for more entrance ramps, maybe even entrance strategies to keep us going and motivated as opposed to exit strategies; new distances, volunteering, age-graded times, new events, new states, new countries anything that keeps us in the game, the one that has given our life meaning.