It Can Be Boring

I've begun a six month journey with the intent of rebuilding my 'spring' (connective tissues, like the Achilles tendon). The initial phase is pretty basic: exercises like calf raises and toe yoga are central to the plan. Also isometric holds. High Mileage is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. A calf raise workout looks like multiple sets of slow moving raises and decents, one foot at a time. The workout itself only takes about 10 minutes. For some reason, it feels like an hour. It's truly a take-your-medicine kind of workout. Other ancillary workouts to help a Masters runner, like weight training and plyometrics, can be much harder to do but oddly more fun. Or maybe satisfying is the better word. I imagine as I get deeper into the program and notice some improvement, like using weights for the raises and seeing the amount of weight increase, it will have a little more kick to the work. But right now it's just something to get through. The other major component of the next six months is really focusing on improving body composition. You don't want extremely low bodyfat when you're a masters runner — it messes with your hormones — but you don't want to be carrying around an extra and unnecessary 20 pounds around your waist. You might as well be running with a dumbbell. A fun note: this past weekend I successfully lured my kids to the track with me for a light and fun workout of sprints and running up stadium steps. I'd love to lure them into slow running — like a couple of miles — but have some work to do on making that appealing to them. High Mileage is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.