Philosopher and Physician George Sheehan famously said “Each of us is an experiment of one.” What a powerful reminder – and a motivation to continue the experiment each day, week, month and year, regardless of age. And for those of us in the wellness industry, it’s more important than ever, as our modeling carries significantly more weight than our words.
So what’s next? Well – it’s since both the researcher and the subject are also one, that’s up to each of us individually. Just for fun (and to create a little spark in my training), I’m dialing in a completely new idea for 2017. Coming off a couple years of the longer endurance pursuits (Race Across America, 4 Ironmans, etc), it was time for a bit of a break from what had become “normal.” So in the midst of the seemingly popular move toward “ultra” events, I’m heading the opposite direction – to MicroRunning :-).
Last weekend, I looked through old journals from college and high school along with the tracking Athlinks.com provides. From that combination, I was able to track down my lifetime PRs for running events from 1 mile up to the marathon. They read as follows: 4:53 (mile), 11:01 (2 mile), 16:25 (5K), 32:58 (10K), 1:16:20 (half marathon), 2:47:49 (marathon).
2016 brought with it my 50th birthday. I get it. The body doesn’t respond to training the same or heal as quickly as that of a 20-something. My left hamstring has issues. And I’m having trouble keeping up with our 17 year old son on training runs. So does that mean it’s time to shut things down and settle? With Proverbs 21:31 in the forefront of my mind (we prepare but don’t control the outcome), I’m looking forward to resolutely answering NO!
So, from January – July of 2017, there are now several races on the calendar, ranging from the 1500 M to the marathon. Let’s see what happens with some concentrated training and maybe a little extra wisdom along the way. The training and preparation will obviously have to be completely different from anything I’ve done in the past. And who knows, maybe the hamstring gives out during the very first one. But maybe not. And maybe, just maybe, a couple of those lifetime PRs are still “to be determined” here in the 2nd half of life.
Who’s with me?
