Running Past the Pain

Heading into 2016, I had no clue what to expect with my running. 2015 had been such a difficult year dealing with several injuries. I had got to the point where when I ran I was more focused on what was hurting than actually running. This is not a good mental or physical place to be in when pounding pavement or traversing trails. I gutted it out because I wanted to run so badly, but I have to admit that I was not enjoying the experience. When the calendar turned to January 1st 2016, I had mostly rehabbed my plantar fasciitis that plagued me through the entire second half of 2015. At this point I had not run a race since the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in April of 2015. So I went into 2016 with cautious hope.

My initial goal was to just get out and run pain free. I had not signed up for any races and frankly had not intention of running one until I could get 5 miles in without any pain. Due to the weather in Virginia in January running outside is difficult. So things started out slowly. Which is probably a good thing in hindsight as one of the hardest things to do when you are coming off an injury is to stay restrained early on in your return to running. I only ran 7 times in January and most of those were on the dreadmill. I stayed at 4 miles or under and my pace times were slow. However, I ran without pain. It gave me hope.

As February came around I started to mix in some cycling on the stationary bike. Up to this point in my running career I had not really cross-trained all that much. While I was injured I did some reading about how cross-training can help reduce the likelihood and impact of running related injuries as well as benefit overall fitness. I had often done yoga to help with flexibility and recovery, but very little else. The interesting thing I started to realize was that doing other activities is stimulating in that it breaks up the monotony of doing the same routine all the time. It also requires more focus as you are learning something new. In addition to the cycling I also started doing a little strength training. Obviously the cold weather is conducive to being inside and the gym fortunately provides one access to many various forms of exercise. My running improved as I reached my 5 mile goal and continued to do so without pain. There was definite joy in what is otherwise a generally bleak month.

As March got into full swing and spring was on the horizon, I began having visions of racing again. I had run the last two Cherry Blossom races and although I had been denied a lottery entry into the 2016 race, my then girlfriend had been accepted and could not run due to her own injury suffered in the Marine Corps Marathon. I decided that I had just enough time to train and she was gracious enough to give up her bib so that I could run. This gave me the motivation I needed to ramp up my running. It was also at this time that I decided to get a personal trainer to continue with my cross-training. I needed to learn some better lifting techniques and flexibility training exercises that would benefit my running. This turned out to be a great idea and in combination with my continued use of cycling I saw very fast improvements in both distance and pace. By the end of March I was up to 9 miles and feeling pretty good about the upcoming race in early April.

The Cherry Blossom is one of DC's premiere running events every year. The race has 20k+ runners and walkers and a race course that starts at the Washington Monument and runs down into the River Basin where the cherry blossom trees line the street. When they are in full bloom it is a spectacular scene. 2016 unfortunately featured some early warm weather which induced the cherry blossoms out before the race, so they were mostly gone. The weather on race morning was less than ideal. It was in the low 40's with gusting winds of 30 MPH. I was in good spirits however. I had made it back. This was my first race in one year and I was excited. I truly believe that my cross-training played a huge role in getting me back to this point and healthy. I was not quite at peak running shape, but mentally I was all in. The race went well and despite the conditions I ran a solid 10 miles. My pace was well below my previous two attempts at running it, but finishing felt really good. This was a runner's win!

The rest of 2016 has been geared towards continuing my ascent to longer race distances. I am running two half marathons before the end of the year and have already run several 5 mile and 10 mile races. My conditioning has reached a peak level that I have not seen since my 2014 marathon training and most importantly I am healthy. I have continued to cross-train, even ramping up the amount of activities each week. This really has opened up my fitness levels to a new spectrum. I also believe it has gone a long way to keeping me from getting injured. Being in my 40's means paying close attention to my body. I do not recover the same way I did in my 20's and 30's. That does not mean that I cannot achieve outstanding results, however I just cannot take the same path to greatness. I truly believe that while 2015 was a trying year filled with disappointment, the process of going through those injuries has helped me to become a better runner. Who knows, perhaps another marathon is on the horizon in 2017! Baby steps.

So what injury stories do you have?
How did you overcome them?
What did you learn?

Our greatest triumphs often arise out of our most tragic defeats.