Consistency

To say that consistency was my primary running goal the past couple months would sound like I've been reading Runners World just a bit too much. Don't get me wrong, RW is a great magazine, but it's just not exactly the guide book for competitive runners (Running Times is a better read along those lines). Since last spring, my running has been anything but consistent. From the end of March through August, there was a sprained ankle, recovery, a furious 4 weeks of training for the Dipsea, a week of down-time, a 1200 dash off no speedwork, unsuccessful mileage build-up, alternating weeks of 60 miles then being too run down to train well for a week or two, then finally a strained calf muscle. Whew - I'm out of breath. The lesson was that I kept wanting to jump straight into heavy training, but by skipping little steps I was falling more and more out of shape.

This blog has been quiet lately because there really hasn't been much to talk about. At the end of the summer, when I was frustrated & on the DL, I chatted with Jack - our West Valley coach - while he timed a workout for the rest of the team. Todd Rose, who was also nursing an injury, showed up with three Lagunitas IPA's (a very good Bay Area brewed beer if you've never tried it), and we had a nice training discussion. It because obvious to me that I had to be patient, not focus on speed, but methodically build my mileage back up, and yes... be consistent!

I was back jogging in early September, threw in a weekly workout in October, then was running a few XC races, and running up to 55 miles a week by early November. Nothing exciting, but I'm feeling like a runner again. My races results have been ok for someone racing their way back into shape, but not where I want to be (and certainly behind a year ago). My last race of the fall will be Sunday at the highly competitive PA Cross Country Championships. Sure I wish I was heading in off of a longer base buildup, more tempo runs, more speed, and faster race results, but it's coming around just at the right time, and I'm ready to give a good shot!

After the race - and a little bit of down time - I'm really excited about training hard, training smart, and being ready for some fast results in the Spring. I can’t wait to replace focus on consistency with a focus on intensity.

Here's a pic from my most recent race in Sacramento. Racing your way into shape is a little more painful!