Better Days

This blog has definitely seen its share of better days. Since my last post I have been in 3 races. There has been a lot going on in the story of my life that has precluded me from sitting down and hammering out my race reports. In addition, I don’t think I am really that great of a writer. I have been told I am slow at getting my thoughts put together.

Before I can complete a race report, I find it important to analyze my entire race performance over this last month, my self proclaimed "Race Month," and the decrease in results I was hoping to attain.

Over the summer, I started training more for the long distance events, therefore my speed work had been taking a serious hit. After my endurance weekend in July and my 45 mile run in early August, there were other parts of my life that need to get “fixed.”

I started going to a center where I was working at re-training my brain to help with memory. Going through a program called “Interactive Metronome” my brain was working on firing its synapses’ differently. The eternal clock in my head was too fast, and this program would help get my brain back in sync.

This training took place 4 times a week at an hour in the early day where my Army physical training hour was cut short, or made non-existent. I would often have to fight to find a way to get in my runs during the work week and I would more often stray off the highly regimented schedule that had worked for me from February through July.

Another factor going against me was the week long field training that was conducted in mid-September. The training was in a bad part of my schedule to continue my efforts on speed work that I needed to do. Little sleep played a toll on my training.

My speed took a hit and has produced, what I personally consider, dismal results this month. I feel like I should have been able to break away in my new age group, yet I feel as if I am struggling to get it all put together. My success in late July to get onto the Fort Benning Army Ten-Miler team was triumphant, but I feel that I have fallen apart some since then.

So I submit to you that it is not my blog that has been in recession, but my racing. And my personal feelings towards my own results and performance. Why write about what I was internalizing as performance below what I want to achieve. I am my own hardest critic, and I have taking a beating in my own head. All the races that I have run this month have been fantastic! I don't want to distract from that as every event has been a top notch affair. The only thing that I am not proud of is my own performance.

Now let us move on to some race reports. Coming up soon... The Army Ten Miler, Disney's Race for the Taste and Fort Bennings' Oktoberfest Cross Country Classic.

Bottom Line: I do not offer up my TBI or PTSD for an excuse, nor for acknowledgment. I simply mention that treatments and medications designed to help me and also are more important than running and racing, have had a slight effect on me. I want to get back out there on a well built, very serious plan, so I can gain back what I am missing in my running life. I need to continue the treatments to bring my life back inline.