The Story

Distance running can be thankless, isolating, and physically debilitating. Why do it, then? I put in the work for those days when everything clicks into place, when my body seemingly forgets it's limits and the run becomes effortless. I'm also working towards overcoming a year-long injury and training for the Olympic Trials Marathon in February. This blog follows that story and beyond, however it may happen.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Decisions

I got an email over the weekend asking trials qualifiers to officially "declare" for the race. I wasn't sure how to react to seeing the email at first, and sort of avoided it for a few hours before finally reading it. These kinds of things are exciting when training is going well, but quite the opposite when they haven't been "going" at all. At the time I still hadn't been able to run more than a few minutes here and there, and the idea of declaring for a marathon seemed ridiculous and impossible. (Well, that's because it is both those things!) I knew I wouldn't be able to complete the race, but I decided (with some help and encouragement from friends) that being on the starting line is something that I've earned; it's important even if I have zero intention or ability to actually cross the finish line. My goal is to get as much experience out of the weekend as possible, and being on the starting line should be a part of that. I ran the time to deserve to be on the starting line. Even if I know completion is more than a pipe dream, I now have every intention and every motivation to get up that day, put on my singlet, treat it like any other race morning and get my ass to the starting line with everybody else. It was a nice conclusion to come to and I find myself looking forward to the race more now that I've got that figured out in my own head.

In other news I was able to run for 30 slow, nonstop minutes today. Probably 7:30-8:00 pace. It wasn't without significant pain in my upper hamstring/butt, but it was tolerable today. The injury itself seems to be staying pretty much the same-- the other conditions of my body (flexibility, strength, motivation) being in alignment seem to at least allow me to get out there and run for a reasonable distance at a reasonable pace. It did wonders for my mental state, no doubt about that. Hopefully I can keep things consistent and be in a good spot for the start of the race in about 10 days! 

AH      

4 comments:

  1. Ahhh Andrew...life throws us such curve balls. We can't control them, but we sure as hell can control our attitude and our spirit. You've got an incredible handle on both! Everyone that knows you, recognizes what an an amazing talent you have and how far it's taken you. We are all extremely proud of you!!

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    1. Thanks Debbie! That's such a nice thing to say! I'm doing what I can. Looking forward to being in LA soon

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  2. John Barbour here, Andrew -- I had the privilege of writing your New England Runner profile. I support your going to the starting line, even knowing you won't finish. I was in a similar position in 1988. I had to DNF at 10K, but being on the starting line with the very best, and being IN the race itself, even for a limited time, were moments to treasure. Best wishes for your recovery and future runni ng, and good luck to all New Englanders! -- John

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  3. Hi Andrew! I just wanted to wish you all the best tomorrow. You have accomplished something truly amazing! Thanks for representing Portsmouth. I hope that you have yourself an awesome experience!

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