I'm giving myself a half marathon for my birthday this year.
If all goes to plan, it'll be the best thing I've done for myself in a while.
I'm not nearly ready for it now, but I will be in 15 weeks.
My story is the same as any other ex-high school athlete who has allowed time, mismanagement and apathy to cancel out a seven years of hard work, training and sacrifice. (If you want to skim through my trip down memory lane and on to my plan, skip the next section.)
.................
I ran cross-country and track in middle school and high school. I was fairly good, too. I was a varsity runner on an XC team that qualified for the semi-state every season (our semi-state was largely considered more competitive than the state meet). I was a 4x800, 800, 1600 and 4x400 runner on a track team that made strong showing at regionals every year. I ran a 5:37 mile and a 2:24 800.
Then I got hurt.
After a decade of wear and tear on the basketball court, the ligaments in my right ankle snapped once and for all during a summer league basketball game in 2004. After six weeks of unsuccessful physical therapy, my doctor said surgery was the next step.
I had reconstructive surgery on Dec. 23, 2004, but I never fully recovered, physically or mentally. I was slower after that. More timid on the basketball court. My 800 and 1600 times nose-dived my senior year. I was depressed (Not clinically, but in the way of feeling hopeless, washed up and unmotivated).
I've used that surgery as a crutch for 8 years now.
Eight years.
I'm not doing it anymore.
I'm throwing the crutches away.
...................
So I'm getting back into it. I may never get my speed back, but I can sure as hell get the endurance back.
I've tried to jump-start my running career a dozen times over the past few years and have come up short every time. A missed day turned into a missed week turned into a missed month. Not this time.
What am I doing differently?
If all goes to plan, it'll be the best thing I've done for myself in a while.
I'm not nearly ready for it now, but I will be in 15 weeks.
My story is the same as any other ex-high school athlete who has allowed time, mismanagement and apathy to cancel out a seven years of hard work, training and sacrifice. (If you want to skim through my trip down memory lane and on to my plan, skip the next section.)
.................
I ran cross-country and track in middle school and high school. I was fairly good, too. I was a varsity runner on an XC team that qualified for the semi-state every season (our semi-state was largely considered more competitive than the state meet). I was a 4x800, 800, 1600 and 4x400 runner on a track team that made strong showing at regionals every year. I ran a 5:37 mile and a 2:24 800.
 |
| Sectional champs my sophomore year |
Then I got hurt.
After a decade of wear and tear on the basketball court, the ligaments in my right ankle snapped once and for all during a summer league basketball game in 2004. After six weeks of unsuccessful physical therapy, my doctor said surgery was the next step.
I had reconstructive surgery on Dec. 23, 2004, but I never fully recovered, physically or mentally. I was slower after that. More timid on the basketball court. My 800 and 1600 times nose-dived my senior year. I was depressed (Not clinically, but in the way of feeling hopeless, washed up and unmotivated).
I've used that surgery as a crutch for 8 years now.
Eight years.
I'm not doing it anymore.
I'm throwing the crutches away.
...................
So I'm getting back into it. I may never get my speed back, but I can sure as hell get the endurance back.
I've tried to jump-start my running career a dozen times over the past few years and have come up short every time. A missed day turned into a missed week turned into a missed month. Not this time.
What am I doing differently?
- I'm blogging. I'll be updating my path every step and misstep of the way, from songs to runs to bad days to personal goals. This puts my plan in the public sphere and will hold me accountable.
- I have a plan, courtesy of ASICS.com.
- I have circled two races on the calendar (a 5K in March and a half-marathon in June). I'll be registered by the end of the week. I'm not about to let myself throw away that money. Plus, I love the shirts...
The Sunburst half-marathon is June 1.
I turn 26 on June 5.
Let's kick some asphalt.
No comments:
Post a Comment