Well, blog, it's been a while.
Just about a year, actually. I haven't been writing much because I haven't been running much.
In the meantime, I've moved to a new city, changed schools, and started assistant coaching the cross country and track teams at said school.
Boston last year sucked (and that's all I really care to say about it), and in the year since then I've only run one other race: a 10k at the Mukilteo Turkey Trot where I finished second. I'm used to being second in Thanksgiving races, but I'm not used to something that doesn't exist in Cincinnati -- prize money and pumpkin pie! Imagine that! /s (I joked after the race that Danielle and I picked up dessert for Thanksgiving dinner.)
Since I moved cities, I've also picked up a new race kit and not-really-sponsor-but-brand-I-like-to-race-for: Janji. They're a small running-apparel company located out of Boston that sells globally-conscious running gear and donates a portion of all profits to clean water initiatives around the world. They do a lot of good and their gear is really nice. I like that most of their stuff is actually fit for runners -- or, you know, on the smaller, slimmer side. If you haven't heard of them before you should check them out.
In that same time frame, USATF also announced Atlanta as the host city for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials, and that's partly why I'm starting the blog back up.
For the past 7-ish years, the Trials have been the driving motivation for my running. I missed qualifying for the 2012 race (that was always going to be a long shot), made it and shat the bed in 2016, and have been trying to get back for 2020.
Of course, that whole time between 2016 and the present, I've been dealing with a chronic Achille's injury that I just can't shake and has been hampering my training. At first I was fine managing it, but as my training just kept ebbing and flowing every 8-12 weeks, I got worn down by the injury cycle. I'd have about 8 weeks of decent, mostly pain free training, followed by about 8 weeks of pain and/or no running. After some time off, I'd start from scratch again and repeat the cycle, ad infinitum. I wrote in my running log a couple times that it was sucking all the joy out of not just training, but running in general.
What I should have done was take 6 months to a year completely off, step away from running entirely, and come back to it fresh and healthy. But I couldn't do that because I always had the Trials goal in the back of my head. Can't miss too much time or else you won't be able to qualify.
This winter, after dealing with it for nearly three years, I just couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't do the physical aching and limping around every day. I couldn't do the self-imposed emotional stress of fitting in training around a body that's not responding. I just. Had. To. Stop.
It took three years, but I finally came around to a healthier head space: I am letting the Trials go.
I took nearly three years of banging my head against a wall to move on from Denial to Acceptance. The day I allowed myself to give up the goal sucked. But since then, I've been in a much better head-space -- athletically, anyway.
I'm seeing a physical therapist, getting dry needled (it's weird), and committing to the process of getting healthy no matter how long it takes.
But in the meantime, I've been working on something else -- that's also the point of starting up the blog again.
So. The Boston Marathon is in one month. Instead of running, I've been writing.
The story might suck. Or it might be good. I don't really care either way; it's more an exercise in catharsis than anything.
So stay tuned: The first chapter drops tomorrow.
Just about a year, actually. I haven't been writing much because I haven't been running much.
In the meantime, I've moved to a new city, changed schools, and started assistant coaching the cross country and track teams at said school.
Boston last year sucked (and that's all I really care to say about it), and in the year since then I've only run one other race: a 10k at the Mukilteo Turkey Trot where I finished second. I'm used to being second in Thanksgiving races, but I'm not used to something that doesn't exist in Cincinnati -- prize money and pumpkin pie! Imagine that! /s (I joked after the race that Danielle and I picked up dessert for Thanksgiving dinner.)
Since I moved cities, I've also picked up a new race kit and not-really-sponsor-but-brand-I-like-to-race-for: Janji. They're a small running-apparel company located out of Boston that sells globally-conscious running gear and donates a portion of all profits to clean water initiatives around the world. They do a lot of good and their gear is really nice. I like that most of their stuff is actually fit for runners -- or, you know, on the smaller, slimmer side. If you haven't heard of them before you should check them out.
In that same time frame, USATF also announced Atlanta as the host city for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials, and that's partly why I'm starting the blog back up.
For the past 7-ish years, the Trials have been the driving motivation for my running. I missed qualifying for the 2012 race (that was always going to be a long shot), made it and shat the bed in 2016, and have been trying to get back for 2020.
Of course, that whole time between 2016 and the present, I've been dealing with a chronic Achille's injury that I just can't shake and has been hampering my training. At first I was fine managing it, but as my training just kept ebbing and flowing every 8-12 weeks, I got worn down by the injury cycle. I'd have about 8 weeks of decent, mostly pain free training, followed by about 8 weeks of pain and/or no running. After some time off, I'd start from scratch again and repeat the cycle, ad infinitum. I wrote in my running log a couple times that it was sucking all the joy out of not just training, but running in general.
What I should have done was take 6 months to a year completely off, step away from running entirely, and come back to it fresh and healthy. But I couldn't do that because I always had the Trials goal in the back of my head. Can't miss too much time or else you won't be able to qualify.
This winter, after dealing with it for nearly three years, I just couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't do the physical aching and limping around every day. I couldn't do the self-imposed emotional stress of fitting in training around a body that's not responding. I just. Had. To. Stop.
It took three years, but I finally came around to a healthier head space: I am letting the Trials go.
I took nearly three years of banging my head against a wall to move on from Denial to Acceptance. The day I allowed myself to give up the goal sucked. But since then, I've been in a much better head-space -- athletically, anyway.
I'm seeing a physical therapist, getting dry needled (it's weird), and committing to the process of getting healthy no matter how long it takes.
But in the meantime, I've been working on something else -- that's also the point of starting up the blog again.
So. The Boston Marathon is in one month. Instead of running, I've been writing.
Starting tomorrow and continuing every day until race day, I'll be releasing one chapter of a fictional story about the Boston Marathon.
The story is called Mile By Mile and it chronicles one amateur runner's race and the people/circumstances that helped him get there.The story might suck. Or it might be good. I don't really care either way; it's more an exercise in catharsis than anything.
So stay tuned: The first chapter drops tomorrow.
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