I’ve slacked. I’m still slacking, and still struggling on finding a way back to running.
I did make it to the gym today, and logged a good session of cardio and weight training. Hopefully, that turns into a good start for the week.
So I won’t duck the truth here. I’ve struggled with this comeback.
I built up a nice momentum going before I began graduate school, but since I finished a month ago, I’ve only run a handful of times. The biggest obstacle I’ve encountered is hating where I run. Once I head out of my subdivision, I hit busy roads full of nothing but pavement. So when I do run, I’m trying to stick to my neighborhood or head to a nearby park.
Today, I ran for about 10 minutes with about two minutes of walking mixed in. I felt decent, so I hope to build on this positive start.
My quote of the week comes from Clarence DeMar, a seven-time winner of the Boston Marathon.
He said: “Run like hell and get the agony over with.”
The quote of the week comes from revered distance runner Steve Prefontaine. Pre as he was called, held American records in the seven distance track events. He said, “A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more.”
My running quote of the week goes to Herb Elliot, the legendary Australian runner who broke the 4-minute barrier in the mile 17 times during his career.
“The only tactics I admire are do-or-die.”
No, really. It is. I forget that sometimes.
I started the comeback today, mixing walking and running for 12 minutes. I’m following this basic program because of its similarities to the type of routine we use to put new runners through on my high school cross country team. It’s your classic walk-run approach, building up to a race in about two months.
The knee felt solid.
I’m at the beginning, but that’s better than nowhere.
***
Photo by emilydickinsonridesabmx.
So I’m back. Kind of…
The good news: I graduated from grad school a few weeks ago, leaving more time to get back into running.
The bad news: I haven’t made my first run yet. I plan to tomorrow, and this post serves as motivation for myself. It’s go time!
My goals remain the same. And yes, I’m still toying with going after that mile PR. The knee, you ask? It’s doing great.
My running quote of the week goes to Joe Newton, legendary coach for York High School. He owns 23 AA state cross country titles.
In the recent documentary on his team, called The Long Green Line, he says to his team, “Pressure is just a shadow on a great opportunity.”
I’ve run into a huge setback when it comes to running.
It’s a good one though.
Grad school.
I’ve run very sparingly during the past month. Maybe once or twice.
And unfortunately I don’t see that improving. My grad school program demands a lot of time and focus. As I mentioned, I’m studying Interactive Media at Elon University. I love it, but I think running will have to take a back seat for awhile.
My knee is doing well and at my last appointment, my doctor cleared me to start doing light sport activities.
I still want to return to 5K racing.
And I still want to take another shot at a sub five-minute mile.
However, I’m going to have to be patient. I plan on trying to run at least once a week and reassessing things once my semester ends in December.
The blog stays alive, of course, but the updates may be infrequent. My return to running may have hit a setback, but I’m not giving up.
Things have gone quiet around this blog, but I have a good reason.
Running with Tech
I started grad school three weeks ago, studying Interactive Media at Elon University. That means I’m learning all about video, audio, Flash, website design, social media and so much more. The program has already challenged me in so many ways and proved to be a ton of fun.
You might have noticed the new header, which I designed in Photoshop using some of my new skills. I’m excited for what the future holds for my career.
Morning Runs?
As for the future of my running, fear not. I’m sticking with it.
I’ve only run three times in the past three weeks. That’s not very consistent, but it’s better than nothing. Because of my busy schedule, I’m considering morning runs to make sure I stay focused on my goals. I say consider because I’m far from a morning person, so this would mean “adjustment” in the biggest of ways.
We shall see.
Progress? Check
I also have a new knee brace, custom-made for me, and specifically designed for sports.
I took it for a spin last night, completing a 16-minute run/walk. I need to break it in more, but it provides great support.
My physical therapist says I am ahead of where I should be, but need to zero in on my quad strength and endurance. I’ve begun to feel fewer and fewer twinges when running though.
As I’ve said before, I’m looking at things as if they were a long, slow distance run… No need for speed, just get to the finish line.
I see my doctor today, so more news on that soon. Hopefully, I’ll have a better idea about whether an October 5K is doable.
This tumblelog is powered by Tumblr and was designed by Bill Israel.
Gutcheck Running by David A. Kennedy is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
