Training update

I just want to keep everyone updated on my training....or lack thereof.

My Achilles has been giving me problems for over a month now.  It's getting better but not as quickly as I would have hoped.  Luckily this time of year is really low key for me anyway, but I want to get back to full training as soon as possible.  In some of my earlier posts, when it first started, I assumed that it would be a relatively quick process and that I would be back to training in no time.  But things don't always go the way that they are planned.

Anyways, no more moping.  That's what I have decided.  My stubbornness hasn't helped, but I have quickly learned that patience is the biggest piece to the puzzle when it comes to rehabbing an injury.  It will heal.

So in the meantime, I have been cross-training like crazy.  I want to still work on my aerobic fitness even if that means I can't go out and pound the roads and trails.  Swimming is a daily necessity for me.  I know what some of you might be thinking...."I can't swim! That's not for me!"  And one year ago, I was thinking the same exact thing.  I couldn't do one lap in a Junior Olympic pool, without stopping and catching my breath.  After about 5 strokes, I would find myself hyperventilating and my training swim would quickly turn into a struggle to get to the wall during each lap.  My advice...keep with it!!!  I decided I needed to learn to swim in order to supplement my training.

Swimming takes pressure off of your joints and muscles but you can still get a good workout from it.  Believe me, it takes time to get the hang of it.  But once you do, it's a great way to get a little extra work in without beating up your body.  At the moment since swimming is my primary form of training, I swim twice a day for a total of 60-90 minutes depending on how hard I am pushing myself.

Other ways that I cross train is via the dreaded elliptical and the stationary bike.  Both are not fun for me.  I'm not a big fan of going to a gym, stepping on a machine, sweating like crazy, but not going anywhere.  I have come to accept it, but I still don't enjoy it!  Twenty to thirty minutes on those machines is a good way for me to get a second aerobic effort for the day, besides swimming 30-40 minutes that morning.

My advice to anyone going through an injury?  Stay positive, no matter what the circumstances are.  Negativity will only lead to laziness and a lack of motivation to get back to fitness.  Not to mention it will make everyone around you annoyed and you don't want your problems to become their problems.

So at the moment, this is my life.  I hope to be back on the roads soon, and the track soon after that.  I am still motivated as ever to get back into racing shape and mixing things up on the track.  This is just a slight hiccup in the road.

For questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to post below or email me directly at mikeruttrunning@gmail.com!