look back, review numerous let-downs, move on

january
this year started out great. i pr'd in the mile and 800 (448/210). i beat four of my friends that run for keene st and i definitely had no business beating them. theyre all way better runners than me, and two of them made it to xc nationals, so i was pumped. (i must take a minute to thank fyffe for awarding me 'race of the day' status for that 800, and for naming it 'the 210 smackdown') too bad that day was as good as it would get.

february
i continued the baker st workouts and was able to avoid injury. the only problem was having a sinus infection during the last two indoor meets. i was always tired from it so i wasnt able to improve my times. i was trying my ass and came close but being sick took away just enough energy to keep me from more pr's. but at least i wasnt injured. yet.

march
i was in good shape and getting ready for the new bedford half. i had a goal of running 1:16, which i felt was challenging but possible. i wanted to get one last good workout in before the race, and fyffe and me were talking about 10 x mile at half marathon race pace. it seemed like a good idea so i did it. i averaged 543 pace and felt really good doing it. the next day my lower abs hurt so bad i couldnt sit up in bed. i have had the injury every day since then. most days, i took advil so i could run, cough, laugh, and sneeze. i didnt expect that workout to injure me because of the slower pace compared to all 400s did without a problem throughout the winter. man, was i wrong.

april
after a few weeks of easy running, my torn abs felt less like i was being stabbed each time took a running step. when i took advil it felt even better, like i was getting poked with a finger instead with a knife. i didnt race too well but at least i was still avoiding any injuries with my legs.

may
i was starting to get some good training in again. the ab pain was always there, but i was able to start working out again without too much pain. i had a good race at wachusett mtn, and i won a 5k by 3 minutes and got a course record (1st annual of course).

june
i ran the 3 fastest miles of my life at the hollis 5k (15:58). i dropped out at 3 miles because i wasnt going to pay 30 bucks for a pr that doesnt really count. i was very pleased with that time, especially considering i did a workout the day before. a few days later, i caught some kind of stomach bug and spent 24 hours in bed. this wasnt a normal bug though. i was so sick i couldnt eat anything for 4 days. this made it tough to run.

july
it took a couple weeks to get my energy levels back after that stomach bug on roids kicked my ass. i was running like shit, and getting dropped on long, hilly runs. this was discouraging because my specialty is grinding out those tough runs and hanging with people who are way better than me. as soon as i was feeling strong again, i got injured. it was my achilles. i couldnt do any fast running because it irritated it more. every day before i ran, i had to take advil, walk for 15 minutes to get it loose, and put heel lifts in my shoes. this went on for two months.

august
i refused to take time off, and just accepted running slower. the good thing about the achilles injury was that it gave me chance to do some epic long runs. i did a 3 hour 43 minute run and it was one of the best days of the year. i could have run another hour. i was slow, but i had gotten very strong.

september
the achilles was starting to get better. i ran the pisgah 50k and then i took a week off. when i started running again, the injury was gone.

october
i had a lot of solid workouts and tempo runs. my legs felt good and i raced well at the ksc invite.

november
getting plantar fascitis was annoying, and all of my races were terrible.

december
the achilles bursitis wasnt fun, and neither was the bruised knees and the passing out.

there. the book on 2010 has been slammed shut. im so ready for 1.1.11. bring it on.