On cue, after racing a dude up the last 20 yards of this hike, followed by tennis, climbing, pickleball, and hill walking over the ensuing two days, I’ve injured my hip. I think it’s a hip flexor strain.I suspect I exercise in that range as well (90+ minutes daily), though it isn’t high intensity cardiovascular training.Holy carp, no one in this thread has a VO2 max under 50? That’s like 95th percentile for 50+ year olds.
For most, time spent running/exercising is also well into the 95th percentile. No coincidence, of course.
I need to get with the program, but running is too unkind on the joints imo. Always tricky threading the needle between athletic performance and injury with age.
Do you have your goal/plan worked out @xulf ?
No
It will be 62 at the start and 67 at finish. Wind will be 13-15mph (better than expected). Looks like no rain, but overcast.
Wind will be from the south tomorrow, which is abnormal here. Based on the course layout, I'm going to positive split (it's inevitable, so may as well go with it).
First 1.5 miles will be into the wind.
1.5-7 will be with the wind
7-8 crosswind
8-finish right in my face.
Probably will go for ~6:40 for the first 7, then hold on the best I can with <7:00 for the remainder. That should put me in position for 1:30.
Surprisingly, this race doesnt have a 1:30 pacer, or that would have been my plan.
Another sub 1:30 would be great, but if I come up short, I come up short. These conditions aren't ideal and after I got sick early in training, I wasn't expecting a PR or even a 1:30. But, may as well go for it and adapt as needed.
Bib #3770. Gun at 8:00 eastern.
I should have mentioned that you shouldn’t copy the “go out fast and blow up” half marathon strategy I’ve used the last two times. Also, if you’re trying to see who can make their HR go the highest in a race, I think I’ve got you there.Positive split? Nailed it
Good that you still ran it in. Hopefully you'll get a good weather race to really show your stuff.Ultimately just kept backing off the pace to finish.
Pretty certain that the best you’ll get in the way of tracking is that they might report times at the 10k mat, but at any rate my race tomorrow is St Luke’s Half Marathon. Planet of the Ape’s fake doctor is Bib 1014.
Gun time is 8:10. First mile is -75 elevation, so plan is to run that at ~6:40 then settle in to 6:57 give or take a few seconds depending on how hard it feels. That should hopefully allow me to either back off and nip a PR or finish strong and push for 1:31 or better. Forecast kept getting better but now is trending towards maybe sun coming out right away. Should be low 50s at gun, hopefully staying out of the 60s but we’ll see. Wearing my thinnest shirt and shorts and hoping for the best.
Scary. I’ve had a similar experience trail running, when a family of wild boars darted right in front of me. And I skied within 5 feet of a moose.New experience for me today... I was biking a multi use path that has Forest on both sides. Not very crowded. I was approaching a small hill so started revving up. About 5 feet ahead of me I see a deer is going full blast on perpendicular collision course with me. Fortunately the deer saw me and did a 180 right at path edge that would impress any scout at a combine. I had zero time to react and would have been screwed if the deer didn't reverse. Since it all happened in less than a second, I never had a chance to get nervous or soil myself.
Scary. I’ve had a similar experience trail running, when a family of wild boars darted right in front of me. And I skied within 5 feet of a moose.New experience for me today... I was biking a multi use path that has Forest on both sides. Not very crowded. I was approaching a small hill so started revving up. About 5 feet ahead of me I see a deer is going full blast on perpendicular collision course with me. Fortunately the deer saw me and did a 180 right at path edge that would impress any scout at a combine. I had zero time to react and would have been screwed if the deer didn't reverse. Since it all happened in less than a second, I never had a chance to get nervous or soil myself.
Since trails aren’t littered with bodies, I’m guessing collisions are pretty uncommon.
Chip time has me at 1:30:36. Waiting to grab my 3rd place AG award. Maybe went out a hair fast, but hung on okay. Didn’t quite have the kick for sub 90, but very happy with a 2 minute PR.
Congrats on the PR. You also did a great job with pacing.St. Luke’s Half Marathon
Warning that this is a bit long. Folks hit the nail on the head about how tough races make the successful ones sweeter. I ran my first HM on this course in 2015, running a respectable time on relatively limited mileage. I PR’d it again in 2017 and 2019 with some more serious training. I was training for the 2020 version when Covid hit, so I had to content myself with the FBG races. I ran high mileage for me in the pandemic years, but both 2021 and 2022 HM were rough races where I tried to go out at 7:00 pace and had to brutally slog through the second halves.
2022 particularly stuck in my craw because I put in a lot of [apparently ineffective] training. I felt like my leg strength was holding me back and was also discouraged, so I didn’t sign up for anything other than my yearly 5Ks for 2023. I resolved to do more strength training and try to up the power in my stride. I also wasn’t going to squeeze in runs if they were affecting the balance of other things.
Funnily enough, even though my mileage was down in 2023 the pace of my typical runs trended faster, and I went into the end of year 5Ks feeling optimistic. I PR’d a 5K New Year’s Day and decided to try my hand at the local half again. I’ve always done my own sort of plans based loosely on what I see in “real” plans, but I tried the Garmin Greg McMillan plan this time. When I told it I only wanted to run 4 days a week, it wouldn’t let me put anything better than 1:32 as a goal, but since that’d be a PR I figured that should work well enough.
I did all 59 workouts save one easy run that I couldn’t squeeze in due to travel, and in all but a few cases did the “optional” mileage since I figured I was light on that front. Some parts of the plan seemed weird, like how quickly it ramped me to 100 minute and longer runs. Also, there were some brutal faster than 5K tempos where I couldn’t hit the paces. But all in all it seemed reasonable, and it definitely forced me to run more quality than I have in the past. And other than some foot trouble in the first couple of weeks, while feeling a bit beat up I never felt like I was straddling the injury line the way I was in other half cycles where I was running 6 or 7 times a week.
I did a lot of traveling in the month leading up to the race, and between that and suddenly having to run in 70+ weather after an unusually cool spring, I had some confidence-shaking workouts the last couple of weeks, but I tried to remember some really great runs I had in mid-March to keep optimistic. Also the encouragement from folks in here helped on that front.
Race day was low 50s to start and overcast. Almost no wind so only potentially real whammy was how early the sun would peek out, as forecasted high in the afternoon was 79. Course is downhill and then flat on streets for first 10k, followed by about 4.5 miles through the big city park which has some smallish hills and light loose gravel paths, then back slightly uphill through streets and finish with 3/4 of a lap in the high school stadium.
Tried to start off strong but controlled to use the hill. Watched the 1:30 pacer take off like a rocket, but I wasn’t planning on running with him anyway. During mile 2 I decided to engage the woman that had been running alongside of me since the first minutes of the race. She had come up from the Philly area with her mom and some friends to do the race. Very nice lady. We chatted intermittently for the first 7 miles, which was nice as a distraction although maybe caused me to lose track of my pacing a bit. I did consciously back off after I saw the mile 3 split, but other than that pretty much was just on cruise control. First 6 miles were 6:48, 7:01, 6:45, 6:55, 6:57, 7:04. When we got into the parkway for miles 7 and 8 we started coming across people fading, so I passed a string of people, yielding 6:50 and 6:38 splits. Probably got a bit carried away here, and Lindsay did drop off behind me during the mile 8. I was feeling tired by this point, but the realization that a PR was assured barring a collapse kept my spirits up. Miles 9 and 10 were 7:01 and 6:55. Mile 10 ends with a short steep hill which took a lot of the remaining pop out of my legs. Did the math that I would need a sub 21:00 final 5K to break 90, which seemed possible but unlikely. Sun also finally came out here.
Tried to grind, but legs only had so much left and I felt like I was riding the red line and didn't want to send myself over. When I realized in the last mile I would be between 1:30-1:31 I mentally forced myself to try to claim every second for my PR and not just settle for 1:30: xx. Last 5K was 6:48, 6:58, 6:53, maybe 6:15 (although gps looks wonky on track so who knows). Accidentally stopped my watch quite late, but when trying to crop later it wasn’t clear where the right spot was so it’s just staying in Strava as-is. 1:30:36 is the official time, technically 4th in AG but bumped up to 2nd due to Master’s awards. 2:09 PR, finally after a few years of frustration.
Walked up the stadium steps to get refreshments and relax with family. Walked back down 30 minutes later to grab my AG thermos. Ran into Lindsay again who was excitedly collecting her own AG award. She thanked me again and said she would never have run so fast if I hadn’t been there, which was probably not true but still put a smile on my face. It was a good day.
Thanks not too much to report, I had to take more time off in April than expected due to knee pain. April was the first month in 7 years that I didn't get in at least 100 miles. I felt terribly out of shape upon returning and wasn't sure what I'd be capable of at Broad Street. I decided to pace my buddy Steve who had a PR 1:10:36 going into the race and was hoping to run sub 1:05. I felt that was aggressive for both of us, but I'm slowly learning to stop doubting Steve as always seems to outperform his training.@pbm107 Kick *** 10-mile race! Share the deets!
One of the guys I follow on Strava had a dog run out in front of him this weekend and bit it hard on pavement. Road rash in all the places. Gonna be a bit before he rides again. Musta been a full moon spooking the animals this weekend or somethingNew experience for me today... I was biking a multi use path that has Forest on both sides. Not very crowded. I was approaching a small hill so started revving up. About 5 feet ahead of me I see a deer is going full blast on perpendicular collision course with me. Fortunately the deer saw me and did a 180 right at path edge that would impress any scout at a combine. I had zero time to react and would have been screwed if the deer didn't reverse. Since it all happened in less than a second, I never had a chance to get nervous or soil myself.
Thanks! Looking back it was less erratic than it felt at the time. We'll see about sub 1:30, but it's nice to feel it's actually on the table again rather than a lifetime goal forever unachieved.Congrats on the PR. You also did a great job with pacing.
There are people in this thread with way more experience than me, but yeah less than two weeks out you definitely don't want to be doing any more taxing long runs. While they might be good for race day nerves, you won't be recovered in time and thus they will end up slowing you down. "The hay is in the barn" is one of the sayings about this effect, meaning nothing you do now will improve your fitness in time for race day. In general the idea is at this point you should be tapering significantly off of the quantity of your miles. It doesn't have to be all slow, "junk" miles, but definitely no effort that is going to take you days to recover from. Some short runs with some time at goal pace can be helpful to get your mental clock in synch with your goals.At this point, I think I am done with such long prep runs and will likely do three runs this week
Thanks. Appreciate the insight.There are people in this thread with way more experience than me, but yeah less than two weeks out you definitely don't want to be doing any more taxing long runs. While they might be good for race day nerves, you won't be recovered in time and thus they will end up slowing you down. "The hay is in the barn" is one of the sayings about this effect, meaning nothing you do now will improve your fitness in time for race day. In general the idea is at this point you should be tapering significantly off of the quantity of your miles. It doesn't have to be all slow, "junk" miles, but definitely no effort that is going to take you days to recover from. Some short runs with some time at goal pace can be helpful to get your mental clock in synch with your goals.At this point, I think I am done with such long prep runs and will likely do three runs this week
I would also start carb loading earlier in the week. I would usually start on Monday and load up all week. Proteins, carbs, some veg.Thanks. Appreciate the insight.There are people in this thread with way more experience than me, but yeah less than two weeks out you definitely don't want to be doing any more taxing long runs. While they might be good for race day nerves, you won't be recovered in time and thus they will end up slowing you down. "The hay is in the barn" is one of the sayings about this effect, meaning nothing you do now will improve your fitness in time for race day. In general the idea is at this point you should be tapering significantly off of the quantity of your miles. It doesn't have to be all slow, "junk" miles, but definitely no effort that is going to take you days to recover from. Some short runs with some time at goal pace can be helpful to get your mental clock in synch with your goals.At this point, I think I am done with such long prep runs and will likely do three runs this week
So you are saying I can eat like a pig. That shouldn’t be a problem.I would also start carb loading earlier in the week. I would usually start on Monday and load up all week. Proteins, carbs, some veg.Thanks. Appreciate the insight.There are people in this thread with way more experience than me, but yeah less than two weeks out you definitely don't want to be doing any more taxing long runs. While they might be good for race day nerves, you won't be recovered in time and thus they will end up slowing you down. "The hay is in the barn" is one of the sayings about this effect, meaning nothing you do now will improve your fitness in time for race day. In general the idea is at this point you should be tapering significantly off of the quantity of your miles. It doesn't have to be all slow, "junk" miles, but definitely no effort that is going to take you days to recover from. Some short runs with some time at goal pace can be helpful to get your mental clock in synch with your goals.At this point, I think I am done with such long prep runs and will likely do three runs this week
I would have my big pre race meal at lunch the day before my race. Then for dinner that night something not as heavy.
Less fruits and veggies a couple days before the race so I wasn’t a salad shooter on race day.
So a good sequence over the past week:
- had a successful colonoscopy last Tuesday (no polyps). My dad died of colon cancer when I was in college, so comforting to know I don't have any issues.
- on Friday night I formally accepted a new gig for next year as a full-time, visiting instructor at a new school (North Central College). The back story is that I was inexplicably denied tenure at my current school (where I worked for 27 years; last several at a FT faculty member) and knew I had to retire or move on. I had warmed up to the idea of retirement, but the new one-year commitment allows me to control when I phase out or retire. I'll probably continue on with some adjunct teaching after next year. I taught a course in fall, 2022, at NCC and had a great experience. I know their accounting faculty, and they were quite aggressive in pursuing me after learning of my free agent status. Win/win. Plus, it's just 15 minutes from home.
- on Sunday, I wrapped up my spring term at my current school, and I don't have any summer teaching for the first time in forever. Which is ideal because ...
- yesterday marks the start of a 20-week cycle until my fall marathon on Sept 22, the Fox Valley Marathon here in the Chicago suburbs (also not far from home). Expecting fall to be rather busy with the new job, I picked this familiar marathon instead of an October race up in Grand Rapids as I can taper starting in early September. One benefit of the Fox Valley course is that I'll be able to see if anyone has left a flower memorial at the spot where @Juxtatarot crashed into the wall. Beyond that, I should be able to comfortably qualify for Boston, 2026 and medal mong in my AG.
Yeah, I'm sure he can find some new foxy co-ed to "mentor".So a good sequence over the past week:
- had a successful colonoscopy last Tuesday (no polyps). My dad died of colon cancer when I was in college, so comforting to know I don't have any issues.
- on Friday night I formally accepted a new gig for next year as a full-time, visiting instructor at a new school (North Central College). The back story is that I was inexplicably denied tenure at my current school (where I worked for 27 years; last several at a FT faculty member) and knew I had to retire or move on. I had warmed up to the idea of retirement, but the new one-year commitment allows me to control when I phase out or retire. I'll probably continue on with some adjunct teaching after next year. I taught a course in fall, 2022, at NCC and had a great experience. I know their accounting faculty, and they were quite aggressive in pursuing me after learning of my free agent status. Win/win. Plus, it's just 15 minutes from home.
- on Sunday, I wrapped up my spring term at my current school, and I don't have any summer teaching for the first time in forever. Which is ideal because ...
- yesterday marks the start of a 20-week cycle until my fall marathon on Sept 22, the Fox Valley Marathon here in the Chicago suburbs (also not far from home). Expecting fall to be rather busy with the new job, I picked this familiar marathon instead of an October race up in Grand Rapids as I can taper starting in early September. One benefit of the Fox Valley course is that I'll be able to see if anyone has left a flower memorial at the spot where @Juxtatarot crashed into the wall. Beyond that, I should be able to comfortably qualify for Boston, 2026 and medal mong in my AG.
Congrats on the new gig! Much better cross country team at the new school too!
I'm hoping for a massive outbreak of plantar fasciitis on the women's team, leading to a call for foot massage volunteers. Well, the men's team, too. History says I'm not choosy when it comes to workin' the feet ...Yeah, I'm sure he can find some new foxy co-ed to "mentor".So a good sequence over the past week:
- had a successful colonoscopy last Tuesday (no polyps). My dad died of colon cancer when I was in college, so comforting to know I don't have any issues.
- on Friday night I formally accepted a new gig for next year as a full-time, visiting instructor at a new school (North Central College). The back story is that I was inexplicably denied tenure at my current school (where I worked for 27 years; last several at a FT faculty member) and knew I had to retire or move on. I had warmed up to the idea of retirement, but the new one-year commitment allows me to control when I phase out or retire. I'll probably continue on with some adjunct teaching after next year. I taught a course in fall, 2022, at NCC and had a great experience. I know their accounting faculty, and they were quite aggressive in pursuing me after learning of my free agent status. Win/win. Plus, it's just 15 minutes from home.
- on Sunday, I wrapped up my spring term at my current school, and I don't have any summer teaching for the first time in forever. Which is ideal because ...
- yesterday marks the start of a 20-week cycle until my fall marathon on Sept 22, the Fox Valley Marathon here in the Chicago suburbs (also not far from home). Expecting fall to be rather busy with the new job, I picked this familiar marathon instead of an October race up in Grand Rapids as I can taper starting in early September. One benefit of the Fox Valley course is that I'll be able to see if anyone has left a flower memorial at the spot where @Juxtatarot crashed into the wall. Beyond that, I should be able to comfortably qualify for Boston, 2026 and medal mong in my AG.
Congrats on the new gig! Much better cross country team at the new school too!
I am reaching out for shoe advice. I don't think the on clouds are the only problem, but between my age and increasing waistline I think I need something with more support to get back on the right track. The knee ailment that developed after several others issues I mentioned back in March persisted. I hoped a week off around Vegas would be the cure, but I only lasted ~10 days before it returned so I shut things down the last 3 weeks. Getting back out today was fine, but since it's now been 15 months since stringing more than 4-6 weeks in a row (what do ya know- that's when I turned 40 ) without something stunting progress I have no confidence I'll be saying the same thing come mid-June. Any suggestions? As 30something year old me said over and over again, I am NOT a shoe guy. I didn't need to be, I suppose father time is undefeated and it's past time to adjust.
My first thought was to check out the Hokas (Cliftons) as well.I am reaching out for shoe advice. I don't think the on clouds are the only problem, but between my age and increasing waistline I think I need something with more support to get back on the right track. The knee ailment that developed after several others issues I mentioned back in March persisted. I hoped a week off around Vegas would be the cure, but I only lasted ~10 days before it returned so I shut things down the last 3 weeks. Getting back out today was fine, but since it's now been 15 months since stringing more than 4-6 weeks in a row (what do ya know- that's when I turned 40 ) without something stunting progress I have no confidence I'll be saying the same thing come mid-June. Any suggestions? As 30something year old me said over and over again, I am NOT a shoe guy. I didn't need to be, I suppose father time is undefeated and it's past time to adjust.
First 2 light, cushiony and plenty supportive shoes that come to mind are Saucony speed 3 and the Clifton 9s.
I know you and @gruecd are big fans of the Speed 3s. I just got a pair and, while they are good, I'm not sure I like them better than the 2.I am reaching out for shoe advice. I don't think the on clouds are the only problem, but between my age and increasing waistline I think I need something with more support to get back on the right track. The knee ailment that developed after several others issues I mentioned back in March persisted. I hoped a week off around Vegas would be the cure, but I only lasted ~10 days before it returned so I shut things down the last 3 weeks. Getting back out today was fine, but since it's now been 15 months since stringing more than 4-6 weeks in a row (what do ya know- that's when I turned 40 ) without something stunting progress I have no confidence I'll be saying the same thing come mid-June. Any suggestions? As 30something year old me said over and over again, I am NOT a shoe guy. I didn't need to be, I suppose father time is undefeated and it's past time to adjust.
First 2 light, cushiony and plenty supportive shoes that come to mind are Saucony speed 3 and the Clifton 9s.
I second the Cliftons. I do the vast majority of my easy runs in them. Neutral but well-cushioned.My first thought was to check out the Hokas (Cliftons) as well.
Yeah, I like v3 significantly more than v2I know you and @gruecd are big fans of the Speed 3s. I just got a pair and, while they are good, I'm not sure I like them better than the 2.I am reaching out for shoe advice. I don't think the on clouds are the only problem, but between my age and increasing waistline I think I need something with more support to get back on the right track. The knee ailment that developed after several others issues I mentioned back in March persisted. I hoped a week off around Vegas would be the cure, but I only lasted ~10 days before it returned so I shut things down the last 3 weeks. Getting back out today was fine, but since it's now been 15 months since stringing more than 4-6 weeks in a row (what do ya know- that's when I turned 40 ) without something stunting progress I have no confidence I'll be saying the same thing come mid-June. Any suggestions? As 30something year old me said over and over again, I am NOT a shoe guy. I didn't need to be, I suppose father time is undefeated and it's past time to adjust.
First 2 light, cushiony and plenty supportive shoes that come to mind are Saucony speed 3 and the Clifton 9s.
And the Speed 2 can still be found much cheaper.
I am reaching out for shoe advice. I don't think the on clouds are the only problem, but between my age and increasing waistline I think I need something with more support to get back on the right track. The knee ailment that developed after several others issues I mentioned back in March persisted. I hoped a week off around Vegas would be the cure, but I only lasted ~10 days before it returned so I shut things down the last 3 weeks. Getting back out today was fine, but since it's now been 15 months since stringing more than 4-6 weeks in a row (what do ya know- that's when I turned 40 ) without something stunting progress I have no confidence I'll be saying the same thing come mid-June. Any suggestions? As 30something year old me said over and over again, I am NOT a shoe guy. I didn't need to be, I suppose father time is undefeated and it's past time to adjust.
I may have mentioned it sometime this winter, but the source of my issues appears to be my hips. Do those issues bear themselves out in my legs (i.e. running) or my back (i.e. yard work) depends on the activity. That's my indirect way of saying I solved my calf problem, but it's still susceptible to returning without awareness and maintenance. I think I've developed a plan to manage them better as when it flares up it's much minor relative to the past (2 days off usually does it), but now this knee thing has thrown another curveball. As is, I don't know what triggered it, but I'm hoping tomorrow's scheduled massage and new shoes are the solution...or at least steers me towards better problem ID if it comes back again.I am reaching out for shoe advice. I don't think the on clouds are the only problem, but between my age and increasing waistline I think I need something with more support to get back on the right track. The knee ailment that developed after several others issues I mentioned back in March persisted. I hoped a week off around Vegas would be the cure, but I only lasted ~10 days before it returned so I shut things down the last 3 weeks. Getting back out today was fine, but since it's now been 15 months since stringing more than 4-6 weeks in a row (what do ya know- that's when I turned 40 ) without something stunting progress I have no confidence I'll be saying the same thing come mid-June. Any suggestions? As 30something year old me said over and over again, I am NOT a shoe guy. I didn't need to be, I suppose father time is undefeated and it's past time to adjust.
I don’t have shoe advice but I was wondering how your calves are these days. I keep thinking about a post you made a few years ago about how excruciatingly painful foam rolling was. It made we wonder if tight calves were triggering other issues. I think I’ve had some of that personally.
Welcome to my world, tubby.I may have mentioned it sometime this winter, but the source of my issues appears to be my hips. Do those issues bear themselves out in my legs (i.e. running) or my back (i.e. yard work) depends on the activity. That's my indirect way of saying I solved my calf problem, but it's still susceptible to returning without awareness and maintenance. I think I've developed a plan to manage them better as when it flares up it's much minor relative to the past (2 days off usually does it), but now this knee thing has thrown another curveball. As is, I don't know what triggered it, but I'm hoping tomorrow's scheduled massage and new shoes are the solution...or at least steers me towards better problem ID if it comes back again.I am reaching out for shoe advice. I don't think the on clouds are the only problem, but between my age and increasing waistline I think I need something with more support to get back on the right track. The knee ailment that developed after several others issues I mentioned back in March persisted. I hoped a week off around Vegas would be the cure, but I only lasted ~10 days before it returned so I shut things down the last 3 weeks. Getting back out today was fine, but since it's now been 15 months since stringing more than 4-6 weeks in a row (what do ya know- that's when I turned 40 ) without something stunting progress I have no confidence I'll be saying the same thing come mid-June. Any suggestions? As 30something year old me said over and over again, I am NOT a shoe guy. I didn't need to be, I suppose father time is undefeated and it's past time to adjust.
I don’t have shoe advice but I was wondering how your calves are these days. I keep thinking about a post you made a few years ago about how excruciatingly painful foam rolling was. It made we wonder if tight calves were triggering other issues. I think I’ve had some of that personally.
And I write all that understanding it could just be weight as I'm up ~20 lbs vs racing shape. I was up ~10-15, which is why I shifted focus back to running late winter, but did that accelerate the problem, putting me on the shelf, and adding even more weight! Hope this isn't a vicious cycle...I miss being young
I have the Brooks Glycerin 20s and just ordered a new set. They are onto version 21 now so discounts are available on 20 if they have your size in stock. They are definetly full cushion shoe and if you are looking for that I recomend them. If you want something in between with speedier focus they probably aren't the best for you.I am reaching out for shoe advice. I don't think the on clouds are the only problem, but between my age and increasing waistline I think I need something with more support to get back on the right track. The knee ailment that developed after several others issues I mentioned back in March persisted. I hoped a week off around Vegas would be the cure, but I only lasted ~10 days before it returned so I shut things down the last 3 weeks. Getting back out today was fine, but since it's now been 15 months since stringing more than 4-6 weeks in a row (what do ya know- that's when I turned 40 ) without something stunting progress I have no confidence I'll be saying the same thing come mid-June. Any suggestions? As 30something year old me said over and over again, I am NOT a shoe guy. I didn't need to be, I suppose father time is undefeated and it's past time to adjust.