My Improbable Return to Racing and 2015 Season Opener

My 2014 racing season ended rather abruptly in December after I fractured my right knee.  This was painful for multiple reasons.  First, it hurt!  Worse than this was that I could not race the rest of the season.  To add insult to injury, I would not be able to complete the Huntsville Grand Slam.  I had already finished the Dizzy 50's 50k, but the Rockey City Marathon, the Recover from the Holidays 50k, and the Mountain Mist 50k were out of reach for me to even walk them.  Walking the Mountain Mist is not even an option due to time cutoffs at select checkpoints.  I had trained to perform well in these events and all of this was being flushed down the drain.

Worst of all, my doctor told me at this time that I would not be able to run again.  My knees have been shot for over 10 years, but I am being told that I cannot run again now??  You.  Have.  Got.  To.  Be.  Kidding.  Me.  

This injury led to two months of almost zero activity; the third month, I began "kneehab" by cycling at the gym.  It was pretty amazing that my back could actually handle the saddle again, so I was stoked!  I am still stoked and I cycle as often as I can now (on road).

By March of this year, I had already decided that I would return to running or get knee replacements trying.  They have been shot for this long -- making them do their job a little longer isn't going to kill them.  What's the worst that could happen?  Knee replacements?  They already need to be replaced!  I am going to run until I can no longer do it (again).

By April, I was building my mileage base steadily and a little speed was starting to come back (fast for me).  I started scouting for an opening race and decided it would be..

The Kiwani's River Run 7km

A 7km race?  That's an odd distance..  Why not add one kilometer to make it a 5-Miler?  But, they never asked my opinion :).

This race is part of the Run Lincoln County Grand Prix series and the Race Director is a very nice, cool guy who hosts well organized events.  This is the main reason why I chose this event as my season opener.

The course itself was a mystery though.  I could never find a route or elevation map for the event - probably because it was being held on private property.  I knew that this was a hybrid style race on asphalt, pavement, and cobblestone sections -- that was about it.  My last speed workout before the race went really well:  1.5 miles x 1.0 mile x 0.5 mile fast finish instead of the normal 3 x 2 mile 10km workout.  I was able to split this workout at 6'42"/mile, 6'44"/mile, down to 6'29"/mile respectively without frying my system and this was actually pretty fast for me.  This workout gave me the confidence to believe that I could reasonably hold a 7'-7'05"/mile pace for the duration of 4.35 miles.

On race day, I remained true to my routine and did nothing different.  My lovely wife drove me to Fayetteville, TN to watch me race, we arrived early, and I got a two mile warmup in prior to the start.  I was feeling pretty good.  I still had NO CLUE what to expect from the course though!

We lined up for race start and were off shortly afterward.  I was using my normal strategy by trying to get out of the pack to choose my lines wisely.  Then, the race route was no longer a mystery!

As soon as we started climbing and I was able to see what I would be facing, I knew my 7'/mile plan was not realistic.  I normally LOVE to climb hills, but I hadn't been able to train enough of them by this time.  From the elevation graph below, you can probably understand why I had to change my pace plan for the race considering that I had only returned to running one month before.

I started to adjust accordingly and everything was going fine until a cobblestone section twisted my ankle about halfway in.  My ankle rolled and almost came out from under me!  This did not feel good!  From the pace chart below, you can see my pace slowing and eventually having to interval myself in.  My ankle was killing me!

The good news is that I finished pretty strong and my ankle did not take long to heal up afterward.  The bad news is that I missed out on my expectations for my opening race with respect to time.  Final results:

Kiwanis River Run 7km; Fayettevillle, TN

• Time:  32' 24"
• OA Placement: 12th of 106, Top 11.32%
• AG Placement:  4th of 8

I cannot really complain considering the circumstances.  You race and learn.  I learn something new from every race that I participate in and I believe that this will be the case for every race in the future.  You can always learn from the events, but you can never improve unless you go race again and implement the lessons learned from previous races.

Until next time, happy racing!