The enjoyable fitness irony of the day is the inimitable Dutch Lowy posting a picture of his torn apart collarbone a day after his guide to shoulder injuries.
Back when my knee MRI came up, I posted a log of hang wringing stuff about never being able to run again. I packed up all the running kit. I gave Torch from CrossFit Brooklyn my unread copy of Born to Run.
Then, I healed up a bit, got a different medical opinion, and I spent a little while rebuilding my running. I’m back up to 15-20 miles a week and was seriously thinking about some more racing and distance trail running. I pretty much planned out a long slow distance program with some supplemental strength work.
But deep down inside, I know that running is terrible for you. It weakens you. It gives you relatively poor conditioning in return for hours of effort. In doses of more than a few miles, it’s just a sorry program to have. So in the end, my reaction to this was, “you know, you can have running back.” The happy old guys don’t do a lot of it. Ultimately, it’s just a painful combination of ego, podcasts and Central Park that keep me doing it at all. I can get in better shape following any number of programs, even one that incorporates occasional running as a part of other training.
So, I was at peace with this decision, tore open a box from Amazon and remember that I had ordered another stupid copy of Born to Run. Augh. My life…
Geez, I was just about to a point where I convinced myself I should try to start running to get some cardio, and I read this. Hmph.
Comment by Chris Wage — February 1, 2010 @ 11:28 pm