Time Out!

Monday, April 16, 2012 · Mike Davis

Hi Everyone,

What a beautiful Sunday! Unfortunately I had to work on such a great day. Oh well, it’s a great time of year and there will be many great days ahead. This week I’m going to step away from my “basics of running”, to talk about me. Most everyone that follows this website or that may know me, know that I have been training for the Vermont Marathon in May. Well, it doesn’t appear that I will be able to overcome my struggles with my hips to accomplish this goal. I had high hopes that a change of strategy would provide different results and it didn’t work out that way. When people ask me about training for a marathon, I tell them it’s very much like a part time job and if you have any injuries, it will expose them. In my case, something is off my bio mechanics and my hips are the victims. Where do I go from here?

I am frustrated and disappointed, but that won’t get me very far. After seeking an opinion from a physiatrist (skeletal doctor), I will take a couple of weeks off and try some other options. Running in itself is not the problem. Running and uncovering a flaw in my bio mechanics will be my goal as I move forward. No worries, I will continue to run and enjoy it, I will work at understanding how my body works and why it reacts the way it does. I can run a half marathon, I can finish in the top 25 percent of most races, but right now my body doesn’t allow for me to run 26.2 mile or even 18.2!

Many of you battle injuries and no doubt some people would like to think it’s as simple as to stop running. For me, that’s not an option; I believe in running, I would rather overcome than to give in. Right now stepping back both physically and mentally is probably the best thing for me. I have hit a wall and now I have to show the patients that I preach. Stepping back for a short time will give me some healing time and pull me back in mentally as well. I have often tried to run through this hip problem believing that I could overcome, but now I’m thinking long term. Not easy for a person of my makeup and personality. My belief is that I will continue to run for many more years and run happily. The Vermont marathon would take the fun out of running as I would battle through pain to finish much worse than I would like. One of my goals will to qualify for Boston one day and I understand that I will have to be at my best both physically and mentally.

So for now, I will be biking, doing some yoga and doing some cardio/strength training. A couple weeks from now I will be back in my running shoes and back on the road! A few weeks ago I posted a picture of a tee-shirt I saw in Myrtle Beach. On the front it said something this: “It’s how you handle plan B that defines you”. My plan B is not what I hoped for, but my plan B is always the same; never give up!

Have a great week and see you on the roads real soon!

mike