Instead of time on my feet, I now have time on my hands

Due to my knee issue, I’ve been advised not to run for the next 7-10 days.

I’ve managed to catch up on all of my DVR’d Colbert Report shows and we are making a dent in the backlog of John Stewart’s The Daily Show as well. I even have more time to write blog posts.

Taper Time from Hell

This is the worse taper ever: totally unplanned and way too early. In addition to the agitation that comes with decreased physical activity, in the back of my mind I worry about my running future.

All runners confront the end of their running days at some point in time. All of us will get to a point where it hurts too much or takes too much physical effort to even jog.

This is probably just be a bump in the road for me, but it gives me pause to think about THE END. What will it be like when I can’t run anymore? Ever.

I’m a runner. It’s a big part of who I am. What would I do from now on if I could not run?

At 49 I feel like I have many more years of running in me.

The Male 40-50 bracket always has a good number of runners in it at most races. It is also a competitive bracket with many strong runners. It’s not unusual for the top 25% of men 45-50 to beat the bottom half of the men 40-45.

The statistics here are in 10 year chunks so the drop off looks dramatic. If these were “by year” stats I think the slope would be relatively flat until age 45 and then drop off dramatically after age 50. From my personal observations, I think a lot of men, and women, run well into their late 40’s. These stats don’t show it but I think the dramatic drop off begins after age 50.

The decade between 55 and 65 cuts our number by more than half!

Achy, breakey, bite me!

I’ve had hip problems,muscle problems and tendon problems. A runner’s body always has an ache somewhere, it just moves around. None of those issues made me think about the end of the road the way this injury has. I was in PT for months with a sore hip and hanging up the shoes never crossed my mind.

I often see people running with various knee supports and braces and always hope I can get to 80 and avoid all of that. I still have that hope.

I’m still in the early phase of my recovery and I still have twinges. They worry me, but I keep telling my self that the healing process has just begun. I’m going to miss a race or two, but I will run again. I still have Boylston street in my sites.

Run well my friends!

Andy

© 2014 anagelin