3: The Unreasonable Midlife Fitness Challenge: Hitting Stride

I came up with the concept of the "Unreasonable Midlife Fitness Challenge" because I know that I am very goal-oriented. If I was going to get myself back in shape, I couldn't set that as the goal. Although it did at least start the ball rolling, it's too vague. As I began to see success in general fitness, I knew that I needed more specific targets to make it interesting, motivational, and sustainable. As runners know, there is great motivation in paying an entry fee. I wasn't yet a runner, so I looked in other directions. I figured running might enter the fray at some point, but not yet.

Unreasonable Midlife Fitness Challenge #1: Throw the Shot Put at a Master's Track Meet

Although it was approaching 30 years since I had picked up the 16 pound cannonball known as a shot put, I was feeling stronger as my fitness increased. Energized by helping my teenage daughter at practice, I determined that I would prepare for and enter a meet. So I began a transitional training program, integrating exercises that would prepare me for the explosive strength necessary to throw successfully and without injury. Running, of course, was in the mix as part of the balance between the cardio and strength exercises that had produced success in weight loss as well as other fitness measures (but more on that process in a future blog).

I targeted a regional Master's Track and Field meet at Taylor University in Northern Indiana, scheduled for February 12, 2011. I spent more than a year working on strength and technique, thoroughly enjoying the process and feeling good about the results. Then, on February 3rd, 2011, I tore the right rotator cuff. OUCH! I was getting set for my usual sets on the bench press, but all of the free-weight stations were in use. Opting for the available Smith Rack setup, I jumped in and started my reps, feeling quite good. If you are not familiar with the Smith Rack, it can sometimes be presented as a "safe" option. The bar is contained and travels a vertical track. Thus, it cannot fall (assuming you remember to set the stops at a level above your chest, which I did, thankfully). What it also does, however, is remove the need for a balanced technique as you move the bar. The weight will still go straight up even if you do most of your pushing with a single arm. This is what I did. In one smooth motion, I brought the bar down, and as I pushed it back up, I actually felt the shoulder come undone. I assumed it was a muscular injury and gave it a few days. When it didn't seem to feel any different, I went to a sports medicine clinic. After a couple sessions of massage and microtherapy, I told the doctor that it really felt like the pain was emanating from dead center in the shoulder rather from the deltoid, which is what we were focused on. With that, she said it was time to get an MRI, but now my scheduled track meet was a mere two days away. I asked if she thought I would do more damage if I threw, or if it would just hurt, promising to throw left-handed if I was likely to exacerbate the injury. She said it would hurt, taped me up, and away I went.

She was right about the pain. By the end of the day, I had thrown the shot put slightly shorter than I had anticipated before the injury. Despite the pain and shorter throws, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience -- and even garnered a silver medal for my efforts.  (Okay, in the interest of full disclosure, there were only two throwers in my age division. But even at full health, I would not have caught the other guy.) I left the meet with thoughts of one day returning to compete again.

The following week, the MRI confirmed a very complete tear of the rotator cuff, and surgery was scheduled to undo the damage.

Unreasonable Midlife Fitness Challenge #2: Compete in an Olympic Distance Triathlon

Should you ever experience a rotator cuff injury, I have a recommendation: swim. As I progressed through physical therapy, my range of motion continued to improve and I was a model patient. But there was still a noticeable difference between my right and left shoulder movements. As I pondered what I would do next to challenge and motivate myself, I determined that it might be fun to alternate challenges between strength and endurance. Bear in mind that at this point, I was assuming that these challenges would be an annual event. With nearly a year to prepare, I decided on an Olympic distance triathlon, which includes a 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike ride, and 10 km run. This would present a challenging, yet doable, goal, wrapped in a nice training plan. As soon as the surgeon released me to swim, I hit the pool focusing on reach and form, switching up strokes to introduce variations in directional movement. I am convinced that my magic technique for rotator cuff recovery came from the backstroke. Now,with the exception of the surgery scars, you would never know I had been injured.

Preparing for the triathlon was grueling work. I loved it! I felt like an athlete again! I developed a training plan that included all three events plus supportive strength training. I felt great, even if exhausted, but ultimately, it caught up to me. I had registered for the "Muncie May Traithlon," Scheduled for May, 2012, but in March came down with a very bad and persistent respiratory infection. It knocked me off of my training plan for nearly 6 weeks. I was able to transfer to the June event, but still did not feel as well in June as I had back in March. It was a frustrating setback, but I moved forward.

The event itself was an interesting experience. And, despite doing some training days where I mimicked the mechanics of the race, there were two things that took me by surprise: blinding sun, and cramps. Due to logistics and cold weather, I was not able to swim in open water until the actual event -- or even at an outdoor pool. So it never really dawned on me that I might need tinted goggles instead of the clear ones that were serving me so well. On the outbound swim, all was fine, but once I rounded the buoy and headed back to shore -- East, into the morning sun -- I couldn't see anything. Correcting my tack about every 10 strokes, I am certain that I lengthened my swim as a result of all of my zigzagging. I couldn't even see the swimmers next to me. Eventually, I made landfall, transitioned to the bike, and had a good ride. When I got to the running segment, the cramps set it and it felt like my calves were in vices. After a very uneven final leg, which consisted of alternating between running until I couldn't take another step and then walking until I felt I had worked it out, I crossed the finish line. It's a good thing that my Unreasonable Midlife Fitness Challenges did not incorporate the expectation of a competitive finish. But at least I was finishing -- even if under great discomfort.

Unreasonable Midlife Fitness Challenge #3: Complete a Marathon Before the 50th Birthday

Two things happened as I was training for the triathlon that, as it turns out, lead to my becoming a runner. First, on January 1, 2012, I participated in my first "Polar Bear Plunge." While there, I was chatting with a friend who I knew was a runner and had recently completed a marathon. She said she had run one many years before and decided to get another one in before her 50th birthday. You know how when you can't get a song out of your head, people refer to it as an "earworm?" Well, "Marathon before the 50th Birthday" became my earworm. Despite initially dismissing the idea as ridiculous for my 225-pound slow-moving frame, I couldn't shake the worm. Sure I could do a 10k, or even a half marathon. But a FULL marathon? Pshaw!

The second thing that happened truly took me by surprise. While training for the triathlon, I had come to enjoy running. I'll go into more details about how this happened in a future blog, but the upshot is that I had re-learned how to run. I ditched the jarring form that sent shockwaves with every footfall from my heels to my teeth, and it became such that when I returned home from a training run, I actually looked forward to the next run. So to answer my earworm, when the triathlon was in the books, I began looking for a marathon. I figured that even if I walked a fair amount, I should be able to stay ahead of the course closing times.

Finishing the triathlon, I had now passed my 49th birthday (April) and had 10 months to prepare for and complete a marathon before hitting 50. Since marathons are less frequent at the start of the calendar year, I found one in early December that I figured would give me time to train: The Tecumseh Trail Marathon. It's close to home, so I could train on the actual trail, so I figured it to be a good start. The only problem is that for a first marathon, you could say that it's a pretty tough course. So, on the advice of the good folks at the Indiana Running Company, I signed up for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, four weeks earlier than Tecumseh. Actually, I signed up for both.

Figuring I had built a decent training base after the triathlon, I moved into a Hal Higdon-inspired running program and began preparing in earnest for my first marathon. Knowing that I had thoughts of doing Tecumseh as well, I tried to get in some trail miles when I could. On one such outing, I decided to get a feel for the Tecumseh Trail by taking a day hike. I only took one wrong turn -- which turned my planned 25-mile outing into 35. And, the large Timber Rattlesnake that I nearly stepped on late in the day did serve to quicken my pace substantially.

The training went well. Originally thinking that I was just building enough of a base to stay on my feet for a 6.5 hour trot/walk, my endurance and speed increased much better than I had anticipated. When I toed the line in Indianapolis on November 3, 2012, I actually thought I might be able to do this in 5 hours. "Shattering" that goal, I crossed the finish line with a time of 4:59:11. WooHoo! It was a beautiful day: started cool -- got wet -- had a little snow -- some small hail -- and more heavy rain. The hot bowl of chili at the rest & recovery tent was the best I had ever tasted!

In the end, crossing the finish line was an amazing feeling of personal accomplishment. If you haven't seen the video documentary, "Spirit of the Marathon," it does a nice job of telling the story of how a first marathon feels. "Now," I thought, "I am a runner!" Bring on the next one!


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