10K and Still Running
By Eric Uyeji
NAP Contributor
The year sure is flying by! I cannot believe it is already the end of the year. A few months back, I wrote about my desire to get back into running. It is something I have mentioned in the past and has been part of my life at various stages since high school.
Arthritis has hampered this effort the past four-five years. Now that I have had my hip surgically repaired, I felt this was a great time to start over. I had this conversation in my head a few years ago when a surgeon told me I had run my last 10K (ten kilometers/ 6.2 miles). I really want to conquer that.
Here is the hard part. My hip joint has difficulty dealing with the impact of running. Initially, after surgery, I started to push my running a little too early as the pain would come quickly and force me to stop. I waited almost a year and noticed less pain on a few runs, but then occasionally it would start up again. It is frustrating and, on top of that, I am out of shape!
As of now, I am attempting a few runs a week at various short distances. This journey appears to be longer than what I had originally thought. My goal is to run a pain-free three miles a week by the end of the year. Based on my old standards, this would be a snap but now it is actually a more realistic goal. If I can go pain-free every week then I can add more.
Next year I plan on running a 10K just to prove I can still do it. I am currently looking for a good race in the spring or summer of 2025 that will give me the necessary time to train and work up to that level. Wish me luck!
