In my long distance running career, that started sometime in 2001, I hit peak form between June 2011 to August 2013 achieving PBs in 10K, HM and FM distances and qualifying for the Boston marathon. Since then it has been a steady downhill with perennial niggles in the left glutes and left sole hitting the nadir in 2017. While I continued to enjoy my running and be fit and healthy for my age , it was a disappointing realisation that the days of setting time targets and achieving them were over. With minimal running and focused strength training from mid 2017 to mid 2018 (including a personal strength trainer for the first time ever) it looked like the niggles had been overcome and I had a decent run at the challenging course of The Malnad Ultra in Oct 2018. Then I narrowly missed my goal at TMM 2019 in spite of training well for it. And it has been back to square one or actualy square minus one since then. The niggle in the left glutes has been replaced by one in the left quads/IT Band with the numbness in the sole showing up on almost all longish runs specially on gradients.Unable to put the right finger on the issue to get it fixed has been very frustrating and demotivating.
Nevertheless, I decided to make another attempt at sub 3:48 FM (and BQ ) at , the flat as a pancake, course of Spice Coast marathon in Cochin on 1st December 2019 . The ten weeks training post the Mysore celebration half on 22nd September has not been going well. There has not yet been a single week when all 3 training runs(interval, tempo and long run) have gone as per target pace. The intervals have been by and large fine(except the one this week which I ran the day after a 13K at MP). The tempo runs are going ok. The strange thing is the mental and physical struggle in completing the long runs when in the past I have usually completed 32K or even 36K training runs well within the target time. This is playing on my mind to such an extent that, for the first time in 18 years of distance running, I am no longer enjoying the long runs. In fact I am starting to dread them and the thought of sticking to shorter distances and giving up on racing has crossed my mind more than once. This does not seem to be just due to the stress in the quads and left sole which increases even with a few meters of elevation. The increasing dogs, dust and traffic on my usual running routes as well as higher than optimal weight and slightly worn out shoes are probably playing their role. Also the frequency of the strain in my right hip/abdoemen has increased- it occurred this week for the 3rd time in the past year or so.
With just about 7 targeted training runs left, before the Spice coast marathon, the next 4 weeks is critical not just for achieving the FM timing goal but to determine the psyche and course of my future running career. Am giving it all I can by running the two remaining long runs (35K on 3rd November and 32K on 17th Nov) on relatively flat courses, dilgently working on strengthening of glutes, quads and calves, recovering through weekly workouts in the swimming pool and taking it easy two days before the long runs. In spite of this if the long runs and/or race on 1st Dec goes badly or is not enjoyable then a serious introspection on future running plans and goals will be in order.
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