Running Goals After Injury

Injuries are frustrating things, but if there is one benefit to them they cause me to do some thinking about what my goals are when it comes to running.

1. Physical Fitness. Aerobic fitness is important. It feels better to be in shape that out of shape.
2. Thinking Time. It is good to have some time alone outside to think or simply let the mind wander.
   
3. Personal Challenge. Big goals motivate me. Having never been particularly fleet of foot, running goals have generally been about distance rather than time.
4. Lifetime Sport. I want my running to be a lifetime thing. I want to be that old guy you see running.

The frustrating thing for me is that I seem to keep breaking down physically when I get up to a certain mileage...somewhere in the 10 mile long run range with a 25 mile week.

I'm not quite sure what to think about it. I completed three marathons in my late twenties and would like to do another one, but I'm not sure if this mid-forties body can handle it. This last injury I can attribute in part to not changing shoes quickly enough which can lead to shin splints, but I don't think that shoes were the lone culprit.

I need to do is think about what has changed over the years. Is there something missing?

I can think several things other than the simple fact that I am older:

1. When I was marathoning, I also went to the health club 2-3 times a week and worked out on the weight machines.
2. I was about 15-20 pounds lighter.
3. I was more flexible.
   
4. Many of my miles back then were run on a converted railroad line...which means that there was very little crown to the surface. My current routes are on the shoulders of country roads. There isn't much crown, but there is some.

So what to do? I guess part of it is reorient my thinking when it comes to running and come up with a plan that takes these things into consideration.

• Lift weights regularly. Dust off the weight bench in the basement.
• Lose weight. It's really not hard if you put your mind to it.
• Stretch. Get some information on the best ways to do this.
• Cross-train/rest more regularly. The problem is I really prefer running.
  

I also have scratched my marathon plans for this year. Instead, I'm going to try to incorporate these changes into my plans and get ready for a fall half-marathon.