A long, slow journey
Ten years ago this March I tore the cartilage in my left knee while I was running. I don’t remember the exact circumstances surrounding the injury. My knee simply started hurting during the run and (unlike most pains that surface during a run) it never seemed to stop. There was a dull ache that was always there, but it turned into a very sharp pain the instant I shifted from a walk to a trot. I tried (in vain) to continue running once a week or so for the next few months, but that was just delaying the inevitable. Eventually I had surgery, a long recovery, and even then I still couldn’t run without intense pain.
At the time of my injury I had run nearly every day for the previous ten years. It was the thing I loved doing more than anything else. Yet there I was, faced with the likelihood that I would never run again. It was very difficult for me emotionally, but I made my peace with it, and I moved on. My consolation was that I could still ride my bike without pain. If you’ve ever looked at my running and cycling mileage logs before in these posts and wondered what the hell happened in 2005-2007, well, now you know.
One day in late 2007 I decided out of the blue to attempt running again. I had no expectation I would actually be able to, but I had to find out. I made it a mile without pain before deciding not to push my luck and stopping there.
That that was one of the best miles of my life.
It wasn’t until I had completely lost hope that I finally rested enough for my body to begin to recover. It’s been a long, slow journey from that single mile in 2007 to recent years where I typically run 10 or so miles 5-6 times per week (and occasionally race 50 or more). My 20 year old self wouldn’t have had the patience for it. Sure, I’ve had a few minor injuries along the way, but I’ve thankfully avoided major problems. As time marches on I continue to get stronger and faster. But it’s always in the back of my mind, the feeling that each run I go on could be my last. And that’s precisely why I savor them all.
Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.
― Aristotle
Running
March felt like a light month, with a week of tapering before LBL and a week of recovery after. I somehow managed to make up for that with a lot of miles in the 2nd half of the month. The six highest mileage months I’ve recorded have all been in the past nine months.
| Month | Distance | # Workouts | Avg per Workout |
| January | 192.03 Mile | 19 | 10.1068 Mile |
| February | 227.4 Mile | 19 | 11.9684 Mile |
| March | 192.96 Mile | 17 | 11.3506 Mile |
| Total | 612.39 Mile | 55 | 11.1344 Mile |
Cycling
Ugh. At least I got a race in, even if that one race did account for the majority of my miles last month.
| Month | Distance | # Workouts | Avg per Workout |
| January | 64.74 Mile | 4 | 16.185 Mile |
| February | 15.9 Mile | 1 | 15.9 Mile |
| March | 51.18 Mile | 2 | 25.59 Mile |
| Total | 131.82 Mile | 7 | 18.8314 Mile |
Walking & Hiking
| Month | Distance | # Workouts | Avg per Workout |
| January | 27.72 Mile | 11 | 2.52 Mile |
| February | 26.8 Mile | 11 | 2.43636 Mile |
| March | 32.72 Mile | 11 | 2.97455 Mile |
| Total | 87.24 Mile | 33 | 2.64364 Mile |
