A Long, Hard Year, So Far....

Health: 90%
Conditioning: 80%
Running: POOP (see 2014 race schedule post for details)

Scratch that on the title. A TERRIBLE year, for and because of running. And terrible bad luck. I've suffered a continuous stream of injuries since I started distance running - everything from slips, trips, strains, sprains, (fractures?), overuse, overtraining, you name it. I continue to learn many lessons about quality, quantity, and walking *extremely* fine lines between productive and destructive. I once considered myself nearly indestructible. But running brings out the best and worst in us, and is an oddly addictive and repetitive cycle of building yourself up and tearing yourself down again. And with each new learning experience, I seem to come back better and stronger than I was before (at least for the very short periods in between injuries :P )

And now for my Ghastly Injury Timeline:

2013, May - Jul: Outer knee bursitis from bike riding only
2013, Aug - Oct: Sprain / possible fracture of left midfoot (slipped while dumping compost)
2013, Sep - Oct: Second metatarsal overload syndrome (byproduct of sprain + running)
2013, Oct -  Dec: Left outer quad spasms, compounding...
2013, Oct - Feb '14: Left ITBFS (iliotibial band friction syndrome) - came from nowhere
2013, Dec - May '14: Calf imbalances, micro-trauma, and stiffness (2 miles barefoot on treadmill), resulting in:
2014, Feb - May: Right inner soleus rupture (P90X3 jumping and trail running on ice)
2014, Mar - May: Left mid-upper calf injury / complex leg strain (icy steep trails), aiding in the cause of:
2014, May: Left runner's knee and pes anserine bursitis (below the knee, mile 10 Pittsburgh Marathon)

Currently, all injuries are almost history. The runner's knee is down to a minimum and the calf injuries are to the point where I can actually jog up and down stairs and do a full squat for the first time in three months.

As you could imagine, all of these injuries have resulted in an uneven gait while trying to train around and through them. And in almost all attempts, left or right upper quad / flexor spasms have occurred while running with an uneven gait.

Because of all this crap, I haven't been able to actually run more than 10 miles sine February 11. My road pace was just beginning to drop under 10 min/mile when my right soleus took a crap. And that was a month before my first scheduled race (Shamrock Shuffle half). By the time the first race came, I'd sustained the left leg strain and could barely walk. I've not finished a single race this season. Even now, with no running since Pittsburgh on 5/4, the right calf has needed at least several hours of massage per week to keep it loose as it continues to regain its spring. The left leg / calf is also just starting to regain spring. As you can imagine, spring and plantiflexion are the two main aids in speed / shock absorption as you run. Without these ingredients, I've not been able to run faster than a 10:40 / 13:00 pace in a road / trail race scenario.

I should be able to resume light runs in the next few days as I continue to heal up and feel better. I'm now waking up with no pain or stiffness of any kind in the morning, which I hadn't been able to do in almost a full year. I've not taken an NSAID in over a week.

Mind you, this post is just a snapshot of my training through all the injuries I've suffered. If I'd actually posted in the last three months, they'd probably read a lot like this.

SO, the main lessons I've learned here are that being injured all the time is:
1. Expensive (blown race registrations)
2. Time Consuming (limited mobility, wasted productivity and training time)
3. Demoralizing (lots of time spent angry and eating junkfood)

I have a shit ton of work ahead of me before Laurel Highlands 50K and Rachel Carson Trail Challenge next month. And I don't even care how far I'm able to run in training. My main pre-race goal is to go into it FRESH. And lastly, FINISH. I have races planned later in the year but will not register for any of them until I FINISH SOMETHING. Hopefully I can toss out the history, and June will be the benchmark for this year. Period.