I have bitten the bullet, at least slightly, if that's possible. Like many ultra guys and gals I have been trying to squeeze as much training as possible into this new year. The thought of getting left in the dust at Coyote 2 moon egging me on I have been pushing pretty hard. I have been carefully adding mileage and trying to take care of some residual back issues that plagued me all last year. Last week I was doing great all week and I planned to get in 4 straight hours on roads and snowshoes. Halfway through my run, my back seized up and brought me to a grinding halt.
In the past, I have resisted too much technology (HR monitors, altimiters, etc, etc) with my training. My Northwest ultra-hippie up-bringing has preferred to go by feel and flow rather than gadgets and numbers. After a conversation with my friend Luke I have decided to try working with the "Restwise" folks to see if I can use some feedback to be a better runner. We'll see what happens. As I have been contemplating my training I came across this story by Kelly Cordes which seemed to sum up much better than I can how I have been feeling lately.
I'm not ready to pull and Leland Barker and run 50 or 100 miles off the couch and a couple of antler-hunting trips, but I am hoping it will allow me to push harder when I need to push harder, and rest harder when I need the rest. If all the running I've done has taught me anything it is that no matter how fast or slow we are we want to know that we've reached our potential. And to quote Kelly Courdes, "There is no greater wasted resource on the planet than talent."
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i love kelly's stories, and i know how you feel. i've been trying to get through a stubborn IT band issue for about 5 months. i can still go out and run 8 miles off the couch, but it's nowhere near as "easy" as it was even a year ago.
i've turned to skate skiing again this year, and the lateral leg movement feels really good on my hips and knees.
we're not as young as we used to be, and it takes a little longer to bounce back.
best to you for 2011.
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