Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/1515290
Page 22 | Abby's Magazine | instagram.com/abbyshealthfood Since taking up running 14 years ago, I've been considered a masters (those over 40) runner for nearly 9 of those years. I was a little late to the game by taking up the sport at almost 35. When I turned 40, it was like being reborn. Not only was I entering a new age group, but I was also entering a whole new world of awards and respect. Some races offer a separate category of "age-graded" results which makes it fun to see how older athletes stack up against those in their younger years. One of my favorite masters results is when 98-year-old George Etzweiler won the 2018 Mount Washington Road Race age-graded category and the prize money that comes with it. As of this writing, George is 101 years young and still running! The oldest trail race in America known as the Dipsea Race uses a combination of age and gender in its age- graded formula. The older you are, the greater head start you receive. My friend and fellow Colorado Springs resident, Mark Tatum, won the 2021 Dipsea at age 61. Second and third-place finishers were also in their 60s. These are just a couple of examples that keep me motivated as I inch closer to that 50 mark. Motivation is a key ingredient for any successful masters athlete and it's something I found I was lacking during the second half of 2021. Maybe it was a nagging calf strain that kept me taking one step forward and two steps back. Perhaps I had tapped out my adrenal glands. My nutrition certainly could have been better. Regardless, it felt like I was losing motivation like air out of a balloon. After crossing the finish line and winning the Flapjack 5k in Pensacola, Florida on June 5th, the overwhelming emotion was relief that it was over. Sure, it was an added bonus to beat the young bucks, but I was ready for a break. So, over the next 5 months, I indeed took a break. There were long stretches of no running and very little movement. Lots of sitting and reading with the occasional walk or jog sprinkled in. And then my wife and I contracted Covid (Delta) at the end of October and I did nothing but sleep or recline for 10 days. A long walk consisted of going to the kitchen for more chicken broth. And then something snapped inside. Though I was at one of my lowest fitness levels since taking up running in 2008, I felt a spark of motivation kindling deep down inside. I was tired of all the sitting and was ready to begin running again. Those first few days were a huff and puff fest. Isn't it amazing how fast we lose fitness, but it takes forever to regain it? After knocking off a couple fifty- mile weeks, everything was great until it wasn't. First, the inside of my right knee began barking at me, and then my right calf (soleus) decided to chime in. All that sitting and decreased mileage between June and November took a greater toll than I realized. I thought I could just start where I left off. Easy to do when you're 18 but not 48 as I learned the hard way. Injuries are always a bummer for any endurance athlete since we work so hard to build that hard-earned endurance. But after sulking for a couple days, I began to see these injuries as blessings in disguise since I would be able to begin working on my weaknesses. I was also grateful they occurred in early December and not during the summertime when more races happen. I'm happy to say that as of this writing (March 2022), my injuries have healed and I'm putting more fitness in the bank with each passing week. I want to share a few tips that I've learned along By CJ Hitz Use It or Lose It Advice for MASTERS ATHLETES