Reflections on run training

When I first started running outside again this spring, I was dismayed at how my run fitness had deteriorated from last fall. But it's been steadily coming back. I'm still not where I was last fall, but I'm at least where I was this time last spring, so that's something.

Here are two runs along more or less the same route, a year apart:

Date	Distance	Time	Avg pace	Avg HR
May 8 2017	10.24km	0:53:56	5:16/km	152
May 1 2018	12.45km	1:05:13	5:14/km	153

So, pretty similar. Doesn't look like I'm starting this year in a different place fitness-wise from last year, which is disappointing because I'd hoped to make some run gains this winter. But it's looking way better than it had a month ago.

Unfortunately I've also developed another running injury. So far I've had run training derailed by patella-femoral syndrome, achilles tendonitis, and shin-splints/medial tibial stress syndrome. Time to add something new to the list: calf strain.

So I'm back off running for a while. This one has been building for a while, and in retrospect I made some poor decisions. As it's an injury I've never had before, I did really realize what was happening/what could happen. Why now?

One reason is the way I've been doing my runs. This year I'm doing a little more volume than last year, but the big difference is my frequency. For example, last year in early May I ran about 2:20 in a week, spread over 5 runs. This year I ran about the same duration, but in only 3 runs. I'm thinking that more, shorter runs is a better way to build volume, so perhaps I need to rethink my training schedule.

Realistically though, this injury was only exacerbated by my switch to outdoor running and the way I was doing it. I've been noticing tightness/pain in my calves (though one in particular) for a while now, stemming from some lower leg strength/conditioning work I'd been doing in order to avoid the shin splint/achilles issues I've had in the past. The discomfort was mild so I made no adjustments to my routine, but I really should have. I came into outdoor running season set up to fail with injuries that weren't healed. No surprise that outdoor mileage pushed them over the edge.

Too bad because I was just about ready to incorporate speedwork. But so far, it's looking like this injury will take a while to get better. At this point I have no idea when I'll be able to get into race shape this year, if at all. Running really is ridiculous. With the amount of effort I have to put into injury prevention/management, it's a wonder I do it at all. I periodically contemplate just becoming a full-time cyclist, and one of these years I'm going to do it.