A couple of weeks ago about two miles into a 5 mile run, my right knee started complaining. Since the hamstring injury early this year training has been something of a gamble, risking reinjuring that hamstring to get training in. So when the knee started bitching, I pulled the plug on the run immediately.
It turned out that was a good decision, because that night, my hamstring was clearly messed up again. The last two weeks have been spent frantically trying to get the hamstring rehabbed in the vague hope that I could still run Hamster Endurance in mid August. I was pretty bummed because it seemed like Hamster Endurance, which I had been training so hard for, had just been snatched away.
After a week of rehab my leg was feeling surprisingly improved, and so the hope was that I could squeeze in one more high volume (for me) week that would be the final training stimulus before Hamster. The problem was that I didn’t dare run on that leg for fear of provoking another flareup. The solution was that every run was basically a fast walk - 15 to 16 minute miles.
Not much fun, but it did provide a lot of time on feet training effect, which is probably what was really needed anyway.
So that high volume week totaled out to a bit over sixty miles. That’s a low volume week if you’re a thirty year old whippersnapper but if you’re a 63 year old duffer it’s a lot of miles.
To top it off, it was hot hot hot, so many of those miles were pretty miserable with my hammering down fluids as fast as I could stand and still ending each run behind on fluids.
I have no idea of what I’ll be able to do at Hamster. But that is the nature of the enterprise, really. Do the training as best you can. Manage injuries as best you can. Show up on race day determined to get it done. And then see if you can overcome the obstacles.
I don’t need easy. I just need possible.