Looking back at 62/47 and running during a pandemic year

As 2020 comes to an end I guess it's time to reflect on running during a pandemic and "pre-flect" on 63/48 years of life and running. 

For a runner who has run solo most of his life and has grudgingly tolerated morning runs, pandemic running has seen few changes. The biggest being since March, when I began working from home, I've not had to do predawn runs, rather wait until the sun is out and my body is awake. I do avoid people more when passing them, stepping into the street or pulling my neck gator over my mouth and nose. I have not missed group runs as, well, I don't run with a group. Haven't really since my college track days.

The other thing the pandemic running has allowed is more stretching. I take breaks from work by getting on the yoga mat, though still not as much as I should. Rachel also bought a really cool plank toy. The device sits on an unstable base to work more muscle groups. But the best part is, it allows you to play a video game while trying to maintain your plank balance. Destroying incoming asteroids or maneuvering around obstacles while hang gliding makes plank time go much faster, and longer. Great core and body workout.

What the pandemic did take away was racing. I had planned on running about 5 or 6 races with a sprint triathlon thrown in to keep me cross training. After doing the 5k at the Roaring River Run in February (I even won my age group) (pro tip: never ask someone who is over 60 how many were in their age group) all races were cancelled or moved to virtual. I ended up doing one virtual race in August. It was organized by the Univ of Evansville and it became a virtual duel between my best friend and former steeplechase colleague, Marky. 

 

Since he has had two knee replacements I spotted him a 10 minute head start minus 2 minutes for me being 2 years older. He ran his 5k on the track at Northwood HS in Indiana, while I ran my at the same time on the Kennedy HS track in Mt. Angel, OR. Our daughters, McKenna and Kasey live streamed and commentated the event on Facebook. Marky tried sandbagging me, putting up a first mile much faster than I was expecting. But I was able pull off the win by just under 2 minutes to keep my win streak against him alive. 

The most enjoyable running related event I did was organizing an informal triathlon for some friends who had their event cancelled. The first weekend in October, after having to reschedule it from 2 weeks prior due to the wild fires in Oregon (damn 2020), we held the Plan B Triathlon: When a Pandemic Cancels Your A Race. We had 5 triathletes and another 6 swimmers on a very foggy morning. The swim course was laid out with buoys and volunteers on kayaks and paddle boards, but were invisible in the fog. The swim course became, follow-what-you-think-is-the-course-and-the-voices-of-the-on-water-volunteers-and-get-back-to-shore-safely. Fortunately, everyone did and those doing the tri enjoyed a clear day of cycling and running. We celebrated with a cookout afterwards. 

From that event has come an opportunity to organize a formal triathlon. I am working with a local elementary school to organize a triathlon as a fundraiser. The event will be in 2022, so 2021 will be planning and fundraising. And we are off to a positive start with Santiam Hospital being a major sponsor and PT Northwest being supporting sponsor. If you have any leads on additional sponsors let me know.

So what did I learn from my 62/47 year of running to carry over into 63/48? I think my biggest lesson was accepting the limits of my training ability. I'm coming to grips with 4 days of running being my body's preferred running load, and 60 minutes for long runs. No more marathon or half-marathon training in my future. But that's okay. With the minor aches from gout in my toes to the occasional pain in my piriformis reminding me I neglected stretching it for most of those 47 years, I have no desire to spend 2+ hours running. 40-60 minutes for a long run is my goal. Those final 20 minutes is where the magic lies. The minutes running up to 40 is for physical and mental health. Those final 20 minutes are for spiritual well-being. Those final minutes the metronomic release endorphins begins, the body accepts the repeditive, rhymic movement, and though it's getting tired, the regularity of pace and breathe allows for a meditative state. 

In looking forward to 63/48, I hope there are more races. Racing allows me to relive my youth. Pushing myself to run as fast as my current body allows brings its own satisfaction. My fastest runs are behind me. I no longer race for a first place finish; but for the same experience I felt decades ago. To experience the challenge, the muscles burnning, the pain of lacking oxygen during the final kick, the concentration to keep going when my brain is pleading to stop, the satisfaction of crossing the finish line. The sensations, emotions, self-talk, the exhaustion, the satisfaction in a strong effort or the disappointment in a lax effort is the same now as it was when circling the track at South Adams HS or the University of Evansville.   

47x500=23,500. That's a conservative estimate of the total miles I've run since my first cross country practice in 1973. Some years I ran over 1000 miles, other years much less. This year it's going to be just short of 450. So I think 500 mile per year is a reasonable average. 23,500 miles, that's just short of one lap around the earth at the equator. Many have run farther in their lifetime, many have much longer daily streaks, but that's still a lot of miles. My streak is that during each year for the past 47 I have done a significant amount of running. Sometimes training for races, other times getting back into running shape after not running due to injury or life's busyness. The constant over the years has been running. The goal for 63/48 and beyond...to sustain that streak.