I’ve been fond of saying the last couple of years that once I turned 40, my body has had a hard time recovering from my injuries. The last 2 years has literally been one minor injury after another, with my mileage in those years each being the lowest since 2007. As a result, this year I’ve had a calf pull, sciatica, an ankle problem and plantar fasciitis. I thought these were a result of my body telling me I was too old to run, but now I am coming to the realization that it is my body telling me I am too heavy.
I came to that interesting conclusion today after reviewing the weight information I’ve quietly kept in my running log since the beginning of 2007. The injuries I’ve had in the last 2 years is more likely a result of the 10 pounds that I gained around 2010, and probably not from being 2 years past the age of 40.
While I’ve been logging my weight almost daily since the beginning of 2007, only today did I actually try to analyze my weight over that time. Early in 2007, I had lost about 10 pounds, and also had a resurgence in my running, with an end to a series of injuries that plagued me throughout 2006. I then had very strong years of running in 2008, 2009 and 2010. And then in 2010, I gained about 10 pounds, and early in that year started experiencing a slew of minor injuries that kept piling up to where I am now.
As of today, I’m down almost 10 pounds from my peak weight last summer, with plans to lose another 7 pounds or so. I am now even more hopeful that if I can reach that goal, and smooth over my existing injuries, I’ll be able to start my running program again, and get myself back on my road to marathons again, no matter that I am over age 40!
