Ramblings from a Mortal Runner

Like most mortals, I will never log 100+ miles a week, and I am no longer able to do those 6 minute miles. In my younger days, the 70 mile weeks were common, as were sub 40 minute 10Ks. But at 59, those days are gone for the most part.

Still, I'm resolved to run every day in 2009. Wednesday would normally be my rest day, and if I were following that plan, my weekly total this time of year would be 45-50 weekly miles. But with that seventh day in there, my total is actually down...intentionally, for now.

In adding that seventh day, I want to feel as though I still have fresh legs for the paltry 2 or 3 miles I've chosen to run on that day. So, for the other six days, I've back off a few miles, hoping that as I continue to build the mileage count, my legs always remain fresh. So far, it's working. By my humble calculations, even a modest 5% increase in my weekly total will get me to a weekly total of 50 to 55 miles in another few weeks.

So why be greedy at my age with trying to get in too many miles, too soon? Come to think of it, why be greedy at all?