Conditioning

It takes a really short time to lose conditioning. I didn't run from September 15 till October 2, that's 2-1/2 weeks of no running.

Before September 15, I was running 16.5 K at a 5:30 split and finishing in about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

When I got back to running on October 3, I decided to start with a shorter distance, I knew that I needed some time to build back, and so I was running 14.5 K. However the splits were really slow. Over 6 minutes per K and I was finishing just over 1 hour 30 minutes. I lost 2 K in that 2-1/2 weeks.

It's incredible to me how quickly you loose conditioning if you stop an activity. I suspect this conditioning loss is much faster as we age. If I were in my twenties, then a 2-1/2 week hiatus would mean nothing. Now that I'm closer to fifty, a week of no activity is a lot to lose.

I've been running consistently for about the past two weeks. I recently climbed back to 16.5 K but don't know if I will maintain this throughout the week. I suspect that I need one more week at 14.5 K, then try to run the rest of October, into November at 16.5 K. Once the snow starts, things will be decidedly very different.

Lessons learned:

• Even when injured, keep some level of activity. Walking, swimming and dancing.
• If the injury doesn't mean you have to stay off your feet, then don't keep track of the distance, pace or time.
• Meditate, sleep and eat well.
• Always take care of your legs, they are your greatest asset (at least as a runner).
• Stretch.