During today's run, I came to the bold conclusion that I will most likely never compete at the Olympic level in running. I'm 44 years old, 25 pounds overweight, slow, and what I know about Greece could fit into an ant's rectum: I like feta and olives.... they have statues.... dungeons and dragons theology......and there was a hazy booze fueled 4.5 years on Greek row at James Madison University --that's pretty much it. I think if I lived at one of the training facilities and had time to devote my entire day to serious running, maybe, but most likely not even then. So now....... Acceptance.
There was a British study about rabbits and stress levels. They measured the physical stress of rabbits and found that they lived their lives at a cardio-fear threshold that would kill most of us humans. The hypothesis was that the constant 24 hour threat of hawks and owls was causing the stress, and indeed, the measurements showed a spike during a hunt, followed by a measurable relaxation whenever a bird of prey caught one of the rabbits. The rabbit was serene for the first time in its life because it didn't have to be afraid anymore. It had been caught. I'm caught, but I'm not relaxed. My calf is really killing me. Today it's the right calf. Meh.
Had a nice run with Johnson today out a scenic high rent area in Phx known as Arcadia and into the shopping/tourist center of Scottsdale. WHY are you buying turquoise Kokopeli's???
8 miles total and slow due to injury. This weekend as opposed to last weekend, the calf muscle did not work itself out. It went numb and stiff (tws.... never mind). Cardio is very good, and besides my usual black toenail conditions, everything else is in good shape. I suppose this is as good a time as any to be injured. No major races scheduled in the next couple of months. Rolling, stretching, warm-up, wheedling, and blogging are the components of my recovery plan, and there is a possible trip through the HMO land of horrors to eventually see a third-rate cash-only sports 'doctor' who will likely tell me that I need to choose lower intensity/impact aerobic activity. No. Save your breath, and I'm saving my cash, No.
4 comments:
Good post - you're right, us old guys just have to face the music. And that explains why rabbits are so nervous all the time!
I guess the good news I didn't start running distance until well after my prime, hence lowered expectations!
Not an olympian?? What! And all this time I thought....
What about the horse? Your a principal it's required you know about the big Greek horse!
Hope your calf gets better soon--sucks to be injured.
We are only racing against ourselves...
I guess I'm on a private plan - my "coach" is a friend who is a tri coach down in Miami that I got sober with in Savannah...the thing that is paying the most dividends right now is the speed gained from weight loss...
Post a Comment