A new appreciation

One of my biggest annoyances in discussion is the "wait until your my age" song and dance.  I 100% acknowledge the realities of aging.  In respect to myself, look at a picture from 16 to 21, 21 to 29, and you'll visibly see aging.  Hopefully nothing too drastic by 29 but the rate of change men and women naturally endure post 30 is inevitable.

Individuals who haven't invested much time into a regular exercise regimen, diet and rest during their life, and preach about how bad we'll feel at their age, really need to reexamine their approach.  When I was 20-23, I was curious if by 30, I'd begin to feel physically different.  Not as quick, not as strong, maybe a lack of wind?  I would say no to all three of those earlier questions, and while my weight room all out strength has dropped since I was 19 and 20, my approach to overall fitness has shifted. My perspective has matured into sustaining a level of training for many decades, keeping my testosterone just high enough and my lung capacity ready for competition.

It's the easiest pattern to fall into when clocking more miles in prep for an upcoming race, chasing down that new goal, I like many others, have hit the overtrained wall.  Instead of toeing the line strong and at peak, you're beat up and depleted.  My first half marathon was an awesome experience, it took me to a newfound threshold, but I never want to crash to that extent again. I expect to feel the burn and the internal chatter that comes with an endurance push, but the intense thigh cramps and body fatigue was an eye opener in my post race recap.  Not all was bad, my blood sugars were very steady, below 175 and no emergency hypoglycemia moments 6-48 hours post race.  That feat alone was a huge confidence boost to me that I've continued to build upon.

I am naturally curious of the human body, and being a diabetic has been a big factor for that.  From strength training to endurance sports, one common remains the same, rest and recovery.  The not so fun classic symptoms of overtraining; fatigue, odd sleep, mood and frustration, elevated heart rate in the AM might not seem too extreme, but nonetheless, should be taken seriously.  You won't survive long in any endeavor if you're continually burnout.

In prep for this year's Pittsburgh Half Marathon, I've been logging easy mileage in December and January, and will continue to do so into February.  In early March with a higher volume, I'll begin incorporating half specific speed work and in early-mid April, wrap up official training before tapering.  Easy mileage is relative.  Keeping your breathing steady and heart rate in the 130-150 range is my easy.  Now while this all sounds like I really know what I am talking about, I'd be full of shit lying to you all if I lead you to believe these are my original thoughts.  I've learned a great deal from Youtube (Ryan Hall, Sage Canaday, Tim Olson, Avery Collins, Dean Karnazes, Cameron Hanes, the Ginger Runner and all his bad ass films amongst many others.)  Completing long runs with men 30 years older than me and picking their brains has been another big catalyst to evolve myself as a runner.

20-30 has been a unique ride, and I am now 5 months removed from embarking upon my 3rd decade.  It's exciting, it really is.  I've already began building out a list of goals I aim to attain within the next 10 years.  Until this past year, a marathon for a type 1 diabetic just seemed unattainable. I've read about others achieving 26.2, but to me, it just seemed too much, I had no desire to subject myself.  After some hesitation of adding more mileage to my regular running routine, I've seen my bodies' adaption to the higher volume and my blood sugar has responded very well. A new goal has taken flight, completing a full marathon and qualifying for Boston before June 15, 2027. Wow, that date looks odd and far away, but just as I think back to January 15, 2007, I am left wondering, where the hell did 10 years go?

At 29 and some change, I accept that I no longer have to or should I train to max intensity on a regular basis as I have in the past.  While you think you're getting stronger, overtrained will only get you injured, eventually.  Running is a huge passion of mine obviously, but it will never define me.  I love getting out there and mixing it up, variety keeps me inspired and like most things in my life, there is no real schedule or specific format.  If I run one day and follow it with strength training, maybe the next day I am feeling a hike with my dogs, a biking session, or an hour of active stretching and breathing to keep the muscles guessing.  A lifetime goal of mine is to stay inspired enough to hopefully keep me creeping towards the front of the pack 30 years from now.  Maybe even inspire the next generation of young bucks half my age to stop and think, "hey, he must have done something right over the years, wonder how he did it?"