Tim L
It’s been a while since I posted an update on here and that was the case for a couple of reasons. Anybody that follows the site would have noticed that I had a significant drop in my mileage over the last couple of months starting at the beginning of April. I wrote briefly about it when it happened but I did something in my hip area that I’ve still been unable to isolate. Luckily it’s been getting better on it’s own over the last couple of months and I’ve been able to get back at ‘er a bit. I’m still taking it easy and going really slow, but at least I can walk the next day now after a run (which is good since being able to be mobile is super handy for my paying job).
I’ve been bit somewhat by the injury bug over the last few years and it’s always made me think about what a guy I worked with told me once. He was about 55 or so at the time and said to me that when you get into your 50’s, something hurts everyday and it’s just the location that changes. I laughed at the time but now I’m starting to get an idea of what he was talking about! While that’s a sobering thought for me since I’m 43, and 50 is just over the horizon, I tell myself that, on the other hand, many in their 50’s can still run sub-3 hour marathons! This is on my list of things to accomplish but to date I’ve only ran one marathon and it was years ago in Regina SK. I slayed the first 30km and was already calculating in my head that a sub 3 marathon was in the bag, when, precisely at that moment, my legs gave out on me and it ended up taking me longer to get through the last 10km as what I did the first 30 in. Talk about hard lessons in improper pacing, haha! There is nothing like the feeling of agonizing quad and hamstring cramps to drive home the point of a lack of training for a race! I think my longest training run for that was only about 20km. For anyone who hasn’t suffered leg cramps, you can feel it coming on seconds before it hits and when it takes hold, the feeling is difficult to describe, but, believe me when I say they can subdue even the hardiest of people. Imagine that foot cramp you get in bed from time to time and apply it to your entire leg. It’s truly an unpleasant experience.
“Duuuude, are you ok??” a heavily dreadlocked race volunteer asked me as I laid on the sidewalk shivering in the fetal position. When the pain passed and I could see again, I said yes, grabbed a complimentary Gatorade and limped through the final portion of the race when not in the throes of intermittent cramping episodes. I believe I finished in a time of 4:08 or there abouts. I’ll be back though, what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger!
Going back to the hip, that’s the one thing about momentum. It takes a series of events to create but only one to end it. I was able to overcome a few injuries, started getting decent mileage even through some seriously cold weather this winter, and liked where my head was at heading into spring and summer. Then out of nowhere, BAM! Hit with a lower body injury! To be honest, I don’t look at it as being a super big deal other than it being an inconvenience and one of those things that derails your training plan a bit, but it is unfortunate that the Edmonton Food Bank lost out on a few hundred dollars they could have had if I had been able to keep running. Actually, this is a good opportunity to give a big thanks to anyone who was kind enough to donate through this last period, I really appreciate it (Don’t forget, as little as a $5.00 subscription donation through my site will get you a limited edition Streets Initiative coffee mug filled to the brim with a random type of candy. Maybe you get gum, maybe gummy bears, possibly even sour soothers, I don’t know, but that’s what makes the promotion so exciting!). Later on, maybe they will get chosen again and I can redeem myself a bit. I knew going into this there would be periods of adversity, so it’s expected and not the end of the world.
Thanks for reading and I’ve got my fingers crossed that it’ll be a super period for YESS, this period’s current recipient!
-Tim
