End of an Era

So...a rare post!

I'm sure nobody reads this blog anymore, and for good reason — I haven't posted anything in six months!

I started this blog in 2009 to document my return to running, after a several year layoff. I wrote about running my first half marathon (and several subsequent halves), my first (and only) full marathon, and all training involved en route. I wrote about my diet, my weight training, weight loss, my injuries... oh, did I write about injuries! Some of them sidelined me for months (over a year in one case), yet I "resurrected" myself as a runner, as best I could, after most of them.

As the years wore on, my body kept sending me messages that it wasn't tolerating the running any longer. Be it from poor training choices, insufficient rolling/stretching/mobility, my propensity to "overdo" things, or just biomechanical flaws. Perhaps a combination of all of those.

After my marathon in May of 2010, I developed "Haglund's Deformity," which was basically a heel bump and very aggravated achilles tendon. After months of rehab and physical therapy, I resumed running. Long story short, I then managed to pull a hamstring, tweak a calf, endure hip pain, and permanently (?) develop a sharp pain under my left knee cap every time my left foot landed while running.

I went to physical therapy for said knee issue, only to discovery that I also had a torn labrum in my right hip. I'll be having surgery for that less than a month from now.

So, with my running more or less shut down, I decided to take up the sport of road cycling in early 2015. All was going swimmingly until I crashed in May, due to a leg cramp. The urgent care clinic didn't detect it at the time, but I actually fractured my left wrist in the crash.

Riding resumed, fitness improved, enjoyment increased as I continued to ride into summer. Then, one fateful day in August, I had a violent crash that snapped my left radius. Surgery was required to insert a plate and 8 screws to hold the bone in place.

Five months later (January of this year), I tore my right distal biceps tendon, requiring yet another surgery to repair it. Yes, I had surgeries on both arms within a 5 month period. Quite fun.

To continue this ride on the "Woe Is Me Train," I tore my left calf muscle a couple of weeks ago while doing stunts off a diving board (trying to keep up with teenagers) while visiting relatives in Texas. No surgery required for this injury, thankfully.

With all that said, I believe my running days are now behind me. It took a while, but I've come to terms with it. I fell short of several of my goals (I did hit 10,000 lifetime miles last year, though.)  I can't say I'll never run again, but I can pretty confidently say I'll never again approach running like I did when I started this blog. That's not to say I regret what I did as a runner. Sure, I could have been smarter, but I enjoyed the process. I met a lot of great people in the running community (both in person and online); many that I'm still friends with today.

As I approach the age of 50 in a few months, and as I endure one injury after another, my goal now is to do whatever it takes to be fit, healthy and injury-free from here on out. Much easier said than done, especially knowing myself, but I do know that the extremes (which may not be extreme for others) don't work at all for me. My "all-or-nothing" approach has been a recipe for disaster in most cases. The well-worn cliché of "moderation is key" seems to contain more truth than I ever realized.

So with my with that, my 549th post here, my friends (the one or two of you that may accidentally read this!), I bid you farewell. Thank you for your friendship, your comments, your support, your encouragement, and for buying my parody songs! Unless there's a reason to post here again as a "resurrected runner," I think the purpose of this blog has been met. Maybe it's time to start a "Moderate Fitness" blog!

Be well, run strong, stay safe.

Cheers!
-Colin