Trial run, more cross training

My return to the track today was disappointing.  I did just 6 short stride/sprints and realized my feet aren't well yet.  Improved, and I probably could tolerate some training with minor pain, but not where I want to be.  I'm not ready to launch into a regime of any substantial volume.   It's not like I've been totally resting it... been doing squats, stairmaster, and even ran the stairs 20x in the Fowler Center Sat night (only 23 steps going every other stair, about half what the MTSU stadium has, but 20x full speed is a workout).

Today was the kind of day I usually like to suffer a hard one.  Cool, cloudy, dry, 47º on the Sewanee track.  It felt good to run again despite the minor foot pain.  I ran both on the track and grass.  Had my new Hoka Clifton 3s with my inserts which do help. 

Hoka trainers on 

400m warmup, stretches, drills 

4 x 50m - at 75% effort

2 x 100m on grass - 14.8, 14.2

I was walking back to do a 3rd 100m, but I thought, better not.  Dissatisfied with the workout, later in the evening, I went to the gym, did some ab work, 2000m on the rower in 8:53, and the usual 6 x 15sec sprint intervals on the bike w/ 45 sec rest.  I did notice a slight amount of knee pain from the squats I've been doing. 

I guess I'll try it again next weekend to run, maybe Friday. 

My weigh 148-150 and I'm feeling in really poor condition.  The May 5 Nashville Masters meet is looking less possible. 

I remember what it feels like to run fast.  Don't know if I'll get there again.  So many things have to work right.  The plantar issue doesn't worry me.  I can stretch and strengthen, I just wonder if the bone issue in my right foot will ever be completely gone.  I remember complaining about this issue 6 yrs ago.  It's nothing new.

Looking at athletes over the yrs, I'd sometimes notice a big drop in times  ... I would think 'what happened to that guy?'     And some who completely disappear from the sport after being elite.  Lee told me he was in the best shape of his life in Toronto but didn't run fast.  I felt about the same way.  I guess my time has come to get slower. 

I am about to embark on what may be a long period of free time.  If I don't teach this summer, it would be nice to be able to train.  Considering the relatively small investment of time training takes, no more than 2 hrs a day, I hope to maybe do some traveling this summer.  It would be nice to make Nationals in Spokane a destination for some touring out west, but I'm not going to make arrangements until I really feel like I can train.  I could put off running for 2 more weeks and still have 14 weeks to train.  We'll see.   Maybe time to also consider life without track and training.  Hard this time of year.