What happened to JC?

So how's everyone doing out there? Or maybe I should ask, is anyone out there? I can't believe how long I've gone without posting and I'd like to apologize to those of you that have actually checked this thing each week only to find the same unfinished post from November. It's amazing how you miss one weekly post and then you turn around and all of a sudden you've gone six weeks and it's a whole new year.

Well, this is me getting back on track (in more ways than one). Like this guy, as we enter 2009, I vow to get back into a weekly routine of logging all my training on here, even if that training is not all that great. As bad as I feel about not posting in those six weeks, I have to admit that there hasn't been anything real exciting to report on the running side of things, which just happens to be the back bone of this blog.

To help bring everyone up to speed, let's briefly recap 2008 so you get a better idea of what we're dealing with.

Leading into 2008, I was probably in the best shape of my life, coming off a very solid XC season and ready to have a stellar track season. A couple days before the new year, I took a nasty spill on some ice and busted my hip. Ok, it wasn't busted, but it was pretty badly bruised, hurt like hell, and put me out of commission for a while. A week later, I was running again. Eager to make up for lost ground, I jumped back into some high intensity training and tried to resume the plan I had set out for the winter. A few weeks later, I strained my hamstring in a workout and again missed some crucial training. I continued training at a mediocre level, ran some mediocre races, went to Ireland, and finally came back around by the end of February. Over the next couple months, I had a really great stretch of training and was getting some good workouts in with this guy as he was prepping for the Boston Marathon. Despite the fact that I was dealing with some issues at work during this time, I felt I was back to (or very close to) the best shape of my life.

Feeling very optimistic about where things were going and what possibilities might be presented to me, I decided to quit the job that was causing some stress and just focus on the task at hand, which was running fast. Two weeks later, I was literally halted in my tracks with excruciating pain in my right shin. I had an acute flare up of my tibialis anterior, causing a very painful compartmental syndrome. I ended up cutting my season short and started the longest break from running of my career. This closed a couple doors for me that I was hoping to open and I became desperate to find something to fill the void.

At the end of May, I was presented with the opportunity to join a training group in Southern California. I accepted the offer, packed my stuff, and moved there at the end of June. I drove from Mass to Cali in 5 days and then hopped on a plane to Eugene for the Olympic Trials. It was around this time that I was finally getting back into running again, which eventually turned into actual training. While in CA, I slowly built up my mileage and regained my strength as an athlete. However, there were some issues with the situation I was in which ultimately led to me leaving the program and heading back to the East Coast. On top of this frustrating situation, I had strained my hamstring in a workout, which ended up causing me trouble over the next 6-8 weeks. I was able to deal with it and actually did a couple races upon returning to New England in November, but wasn't getting in the type of training I wanted.

And that's about where I left off in my last post.

I am now officially back on the New Balance Boston squad and again under the guidance of our great coach, Kevin Curtin. It feels good to be back on a team with so much peer support and organization, and I knew right away when I returned that it was a step in the right direction from where I was. Unfortunately, after a couple workouts with the team, I started having some more injury issues, including an issue with my right hip and right forefoot. The hamstring issue seemed to be clearing up and the hip pain was tolerable, but it was the mysterious foot injury that would again put me out of commission for a few weeks. With the frustration building again, I decided to take a step back and just focus on settling back into the Boston area and finding a lifestyle that could meet my needs and aspirations.

I played out hundreds of scenarios in my head and ultimately decided to move in with some family members in Taunton (about 45 min south of Boston) until I sorted things out. I also started working as a server at the Olive Garden as an easy way to make money until I decide what my next career move will entail. I started seeing my chiropractor again and getting massages as needed to help in the healing process and did as much cross training and strength training as I could to limit any loss of fitness. In addition to letting my body heal, and my bank account build back up, I've also used this time to get reacquainted with my friends and teammates in the area. As you can imagine, the holidays presented some great opportunities to do this, but also presented many distractions. I haven't had a lot of extra time and I guess that is my main excuse for not updating this thing. I also have limited internet access where I'm staying right now, so some of my usual web-based routines have been limited as well.

Without getting too far off topic, I will say that I am now running again. The hamstring issue is a thing of the past, the hip seems to be cleared up with the help of chiropractic therapy, and the foot injury has improved to the point where I think I can cautiously resume a regular training schedule.

I know this post hasn't included any specific training from my log, but I think I've written enough already and will therefore start back on the more training specific posts next week. In the meantime, feel free to contact me with any questions about things I've talked about and I hope that I can provide you with a sufficient answer. I will also work on finishing up the Running Across America post that I started and will try to update it on a semi regular basis.

Before I close, I just want to update you on another guy that has been trying to figure out which path to choose as well. Steve Magness, who was my roommate and training partner in California, left the program about a week after I did and moved back to his home in Houston. Just recently, he took another big step and moved to Northern Virginia to join Scott Razcko's training group. It should be a great fit for him and I wish him lots of success there.

Stay tuned for what I hope will be a much healthier and happier 2009.