Diddly December

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

As the end of the year rapidly approaches, it is time then to reflect on the last twelve months and indeed the last few years of my running endeavours and to take stock once more. Far from ending on a high, the last six months have been pretty miserable, with barely a single step run. Yet, these weeks and months are not representative of the last few years in general, and so I remain positive and hopeful for the years to come.

It seems to me that friends and acquaintances of about my age everywhere are experiencing the same thing as myself: that as the years advance, fitness becomes harder to attain, and more importantly, the recovery from the loss of that fitness becomes even harder still, whether the loss be through injury, the simple but not inconsiderable turmoils of life, or just through plain inertia. To avoid running injuries and the frustration that age adds to their recovery, some people change to lower-impact sports, such as cycling, swimming or simply focusing on gym work. Others persevere with their running, while still others give up exercise altogether. This latter group, so far as I can see, then rapidly head down the cliff face of obesity and serious disease; something we should all be anxious to avoid.

So it is with mixed feelings that I end the year without a run to report in its last week. It's true that the weather has been ridiculously hot and humid, but when running is going well, one still somehow manages to squeeze in a run of some sort no matter what the weather. But at this early stage of my recovery it is just too much to contemplate, and in truth it matters little. That I will run again, and run well is beyond doubt. My goals for the coming year will be modest, but no less important for that.

There's life in these legs yet, and if there's an edge of desperation in my attempts to prove it, then so be it. Life becomes all the more interesting for that. So, let's take a deep breath and get on it with it.

Here we go...


TO BE CONTINUED