CRAMP!!

I was a competitive runner in high school and college. I continued to run after college and I have completed ten marathons. I won’t even think about attempting any more. When I see Cyclocross courses with tough run ups, a broad smile comes across my face. Two knee surgeries have reduced my running to three to four miles maybe one day a week. Despite all the riding I do, I somehow still see myself as a runner. That belief is so deep rooted that even with running being just a small fraction of my training, I always expect to do well on Cyclocross courses that have a lot of running.

With this perspective I just expect my legs to hold up their end of the bargain. For the second time in as many weeks, I went for a run only to be hobbled by a wicked calf cramp. I look down at my legs in disbelief and wonder what is going on. Come to think of it, when I see my face in the mirror and wonder where all those horizontal cracks in my forehead came from.

Somewhere in a shoe box I have a photo of myself as an eighteen year old sitting on a bench in my running shorts. Although more than thirty years have passed since that photo was taken, when I close my eyes, I still think I am that guy. Then I go for a run and reality manages to get through my denial filter. I guess I should look for a better filter......