It was the second inning and we were only down by two, but already I could feel the game slipping away. There was a short fly to the first base side, I started to sprint over and — Aiieee! — I felt a hamstring go. The semitendinosus, if my reading of the Full Body Anatomy chart was right. I one-hopped the fly, another run scored and I suddenly had visions of my active life grinding to a leg-elevated, ice-bagged halt.
Category Archives: Fitness
Six runners, six reasons to run
I’ve shared why I signed up for the Fit-tastic running program: to relive the glory days of my running youth and hopefully do sub 8-minute miles in the Halloween weekend Monster Dash 5K. Now here’s why some of my peers in the advanced runner category are in the program.
Coach, redefined
It’s been 35 years since I’ve been under the influence of a coach. Then, playing high school baseball, I listened only out of fascination over how this guy thought his berating and belittling was motivating us. He was a study in growth-stunted, ex-jock, why-didn’t-i-get-drafted psychology.
The power of partners
“4.84?” I asked my running partner. “4.84 what?”
“Miles,” she replied, double checking her wrist-mounted runners GPS.
Awaiting direction before Thursday evening’s run.We’d been out just under an hour, we’d done a 12-minute warmup jog, did some hill work, did the 12 minutes back to the store. Two and a half miles, three tops, was my guess.
Back on the run
I ran back in my 20s, back when my body was more tolerant of the physical toll of running 25 to 35 miles a week. I ran 10Ks (pr of 40:04) and a smattering of 5Ks (20:02 pr). Toward the end of my 29th year my knees and back had had enough. Do something else, my doctor advised. I drifted to the more joint-friendly swimming and cycling, my staples for the next 22 years.
Last fall, I began trail running once a week at Umstead. I can’t recall what prompted me to start — curiosity over how my body would react, perhaps. It went well and I gradually increased my distance. Currently, I run six miles at a pace of just over 10 minutes per mile. Well off the 6:30 pace of my peak years, but acceptable to someone simply glad to be running again.