Friday Ramble 11/19/21
Each week the Friday Ramble takes a closer look at training, along with whatever else is happening. This week: Gauging fitness, incorporating calf raises, and a few shoutouts to RP runners doing big things.
After fretting about the state of my foot in last week’s Ramble, my body has recovered to the point where it's no longer an everyday concern. I’m not out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination, but at least I’ve found a clearing.
I’d like to credit some magical potion that alleviated this condition, but it was probably a combination of extra rest days, active recovery (walking, stretching, and cycling), better sleep patterns, and a slight reduction in life stress that did the trick.
I’d also like to think that by articulating my physical issues, both internally and externally via this newsletter, I was able to demystify this particular pain process and attach some meaning and explanation to its source. That allowed me to not only prescribe the rehab course outlined above, it also helped me mentally manage the pain and discomfort more productively.
A few takeaways from the experience: Listen to your body, allow yourself time to recover, and keep a journal where you are able to put emotions into words so that you can then turn those words into positive action.
The upshot is that I was finally able to put together a week of consistent running with no major physical concerns. Huzzah! My mileage is still down from what I’d consider “normal,” but the quality of my runs has begun to improve. Easy runs have felt somewhat easier and an offseason speed program has been rounding into form.
All of that gives me confidence that I’m back on track. It also leads to a question: How’s my fitness? This is a loaded query because the answer depends on a host of variables that inevitably lead to even more questions.
Are we talking volume or speed; aerobic or anaerobic? Also, by whose measure are we gauging fitness: Yours, mine, or some idealized version of what we once were, or what we’d like to be someday?
Despite what our watches and activity trackers may tell us, “fitness” is less of a fixed number and more of an ideal that requires a contextual framework. I’m nowhere near as fit as I was during the summer when I was training for a 50-mile race, but that doesn’t mean I’m starting over from scratch.
While our devices may not be able to paint a complete picture of our fitness, they can offer clues that aid our awareness and understanding.
