Training Again

Last November, I ran 281 miles over 10 days for diabetes. It was a huge undertaking and broke me down mentally, emotionally, and physically.  My original goal was to cover 500 miles but my left IT band became so tight (from the angle of the road) I was unable to run another step. I was happy to be the catalyst for almost $6,000 raised for the Iron Andy Foundation. After that last step, I didn't run for almost four months.

It wasn't until this past March that I felt interested in training again.  I knew I had let my fitness deteriorate, but in a weird way, it was necessary to feel unfit so I would once again give value to the feeling of being fit and healthy. The four months away were awesome and I enjoyed doing other things I enjoy, including vegan cooking and reading books.

March was difficult and my first few runs reminded me of why people don't like running. I felt like I was using one lung. I hadn't worked so hard at jogging in many years... I continued a gradual increase in my distances and tuned into to my body as not to break down or create some imbalance in this build phase. It wasn't for a few weeks before I felt like I was ready to head back to the mountains of S. Boulder and run some hills.

In April, I started tackling heavier trails.   I jumped right into 2-3000' climbs over 10-15mi. I wasn't sure I was ready but I felt it was important to face the fact I wasn't where I was last summer. I had to hike some hills that were effortless before...(I even passed a group of women one day only to have them huff past me 5 minutes later. ) Overall, I think it took about 8 weeks before I felt like an athlete again.

Many training guides discuss a 10% increase in volume per week. The 10% is conservative, but if you stick to it, you avoid overuse injuries and break down. I think this is valid advice for most athletes, especially beginners.  Over the years, however, I've found that I can sustain a 20% increase in volume without problems. I have to be careful regarding recovery, injury prevention, and hydration but that is a given with higher training mileage.

Currently, I find myself well into May. I'm feeling fit enough to compete and planning out my year of competition. I enjoy blogging for the anonymous athletes that link from DailyMile or search terms and find me.  I have self-coached and worked my way through various hurdles to run as far and fast as I do today. In that, I make myself a resource to those that are out there training hard and fighting the quiet voice inside that says, "You can't, that's impossible."

It's not impossible......nothing is.