Competitive struggles

Dave Dunham reminded me that I am approaching my 20th anniversary with the Central Mass Striders Men's Racing Team. That made me look up the CMS Bio from 2008 on the racing team blog written when just 34 years old. I don't climb into the archives too much but if I don't document it or look it up once in a while, let's face it, I will forget the years, times, and sweat equity spent. It is sad that runners almost lost their results from the late 90's to about 2019 on Coolrunning. (go check out the link on my blog to find them on the web-archive)

Racing with the team brought me so many memories. I represented CMS around the region and country on the roads, trails, mountains, track and cross country. My first national team race was in Squaw Valley California for the 2004 Snowshoe Championships. I am proud to share the singlet, start and finish lines with some awesome athletes and friends. I had the pleasure of managing the men's racing team for almost half of those decades. I witnessed open runners move to masters and then into seniors. I will be a senior late next year. 

The last few years have been tough competitively with a decline in keeping up with the miles, workouts and races. You get exactly what you put into it. Injuries can set one back and the road to recovery can be slow and arduous. I have seen many come and go from the sport - seen a few transition to other sports with no impact such as cycling. I will continue to pound the pavement, enough to satisfy mileage commitments to which ever wear test brand is on my feet. 

Looking forward into 2024, I am holding myself accountable to set some goals and step out of the comfort zone. I will try some workout sessions with Notch Run Club in Salem. I hope it pays off and can improve the 5K times and see if I can sustain some miles for a road half marathon!