I have always enjoyed all three seasons of distance running. Cross country season places the largest emphasis on the team, as most people in our group train together in all workouts (rather than splintering into their specific groups during the track season). Here at Zap, we have run the US Club Cross Country Championships for the last few years and have brought back the trophy three out of the last four years. After cross country comes the opportunity to chase new personal bests and click off short, quick laps on the indoor track. The indoor track season also offers several opportunities to run the full mile, an event that obviously carries great significance. As the days grow longer and the weather steadily improves, the excitement of outdoor track season becomes palpable. The days of running jackets and pants give way to shirtless runs. All three seasons of running are unique, but outdoor track has special and undeniable importance in the sport. The Olympics and World Championships will always generate much more buzz than the World Cross Country Championships or the Chiba Ekiden.
Unfortunately, a poorly timed sacral stress fracture derailed my outdoor track season. I have spent the last nine and half weeks sweating profusely on the elliptical, stationary bike, and in the pool. Rather than ripping 400s on the outdoor track in preparation for a big race, I have done more 30/30, 45/15, and 50/10 fartlek repetitions in the pool than I could possibly count. The traditional Sunday long run has given way to two-hour pool workouts during recreational swim in the Lenoir Aquatic Center. Instead of enjoying the usual Sunday long run debate topics (Are female runners tougher than male runners? How should we handle overpopulation?), I have been watching local residents jump off the diving board and play Marco Polo. I would be lying if I said that I have enjoyed all this cross-training, but there is something incredibly satisfying about pushing your body as much as possible in preparation for the eventual return to running. Stan Beachem, our team’s sports psychologist, said to me that the key to cross-training when injured is always to remember that you are training as a professional athlete, even if you are unable to run. For the past two and a half months, I have taken this advice to heart and never lost sight of my ultimate goals. With the start of each session, I have had the mindset that setting a new personal best on the elliptical will ultimately lead to personal bests on the track. As I gradually return to running in the next week, I think I should be in good shape for future training and racing.