The returning runner
Act 40 – You don’t always decide…
It was June 30, 2025 and the US Master’s Track and Field Championships were a little less than 3 weeks out. I had ran the Galena Creek trail route the day before and posted one of my fastest times in the past few years. I felt great! Today I was just going to cruise. I had a little ache behind my inner right knee but it didn’t seem like anything significant. I was surprised when I checked my watch around the 2-mile mark on the 2.5 mile uphill first half that I was making even better time than the day before. Well, heck, I guess I was feeling peppy so might as well make the most of it. With less than 100 yards to the turn-around I decided to push to get the workout benefit of the 6,300 foot elevation. Ouch! Ugh! Pain in my inner hammy on the right leg. Not a full “snap” but I had definitely strained my hammy. Not good. I had less than 3 weeks until the championships and history told me that best-case would be that I might be just about healed by then (but without benefit of any meaningful workouts for the final few weeks. The next day I came down with a sore throat and by nighttime was spitting dallops of thick saliva one after the other.
Well crud. Maybe it was a blessing that I got sick. Otherwise, it was quite likely that I would do something very stupid and try to test my hamstring way too soon (possibly even the next day). But, between being sick and the hamstring, I knew it was a good time to just hunker down and take it easy. So, didn’t do anything for 4 days or so. The only problem was that my sore throat had transitioned into what seemed like the beginnings of bronchitis and with just an easy jog the hamstring was plenty sore. I could barely trot 2 miles without limping.
My “mantra” on my website is “You decide – how healthy, how far, how fast”. Clearly there are a lot of times when you can’t really dictate these aspects of your health and bad things can happen even when you are doing all the right things. When I say “You decide – how healthy, how far, how fast”, I’m talking big picture generalities:
· If you eat healthy and exercise your prognosis for a host of issues is improved:
o Heart disease;
o Knee, hip, and back problems;
o Cancer (yes, many cancers are linked to obesity);
o Dementia (yes, obesity, particularly in mid-life, is linked to obesity); and,
o Stroke.
· If you train smart (with a plan in mind to reach a goal) you are more likely to be successful in achieving your running goals with respect to both speed and distance.
· Oh, don’t smoke – just duh…
But, it is a long game and there will be plenty of times when you take a step or two back before making steps forward. And, age and a host of illnesses and injuries will still present problems even when you do everything right.
Photo: July 6, 2025 – Ed Gookin, 91, running uphill on his regular 0.8 mile loop around the Wesley Palms Retirement Community (and yes he is carrying a cane).