Pain and Aging

I’ve been in a lot of pain the last few weeks, a combination of the specific problems of trying to train for a marathon while also dealing with an ongoing (7 year) Achilles problem. I’ve been trying to increase the number of minutes I can run all together while also increasing my distance and, well, it isn’t going very well. I was running a month ago on the treadmill and suddenly felt a sharp pain in my left buttock. I tried to get off and stretch, then run some more, but probably should have given up instead of persisting for another hour.

This has led to me asking myself why I’m doing this to myself (a question I suspect most readers are asking). For most of the last twenty years, I’ve enjoyed racing and training. Yes, there has been pain, but a level of pain that has been a lot less than what I’m currently experiencing, and it has been mixed with the reality that the racing also was more enjoyable than it currently is. Add in divorce, aging, and a difficult full-time job into the mix, and I’m questioning all my previous decisions about exercise.

So, what would I need to do to be in less pain? Not just today, but on a regular basis. I’m thinking about this a lot and trying to make some better decisions in my life.

I’m already aware of the reality that there is not a ton of research on aging female athletes. The only books I’ve found with good information are targeted toward aging male athletes, and how well that translates is frankly unclear. I need more rest, that’s clear. I also need a different build schedule as I age. Instead of a weekly schedule of workouts with tempo and intervals an a long run/bike every week, it’s likely I need to use a two week time period to build those into. And I also need to put in more time weightlifting to counter the effects of aging on my female body.

I enjoy exercise. Usually. I like the endorphin hits I get. Usually. I like challenging myself. Usually.

But I’ve always struggled with taking time off because I like to have the same schedule all the time and it’s a pain to change it up. I don’t like giving up my daily endorphin hit. It messes me up mentally. I’ve tried to explain this to coaches before, but they don’t seem to care or understand that exercise is an important component of my mental health and that I actually prioritize my mental health over my physical health, to the point that I’m probably always over-exercising.

How to balance my mental health needs and also still not be in constant physical pain? At least I’m not awake at night with pain. That’s a low bar, but it’s still a bar that matters to me. I’m going to make a goal for myself for the next month to end each day in LESS pain than I did the day before. I do this cautiously because goals are an obsessive focus of mine and making a goal that I actually write down is serious business that I will likely not ignore because that’s how my brain works, for good or ill. Here goes.