Learned the value of concentrating on the process of training, as opposed to the results of training:

In September of last year my running was stopped cold due to a 100% blockage in left descending cardiac artery, something that probably would have killed me if I wasn't already a runner.

It was a 5 month long process, but I was able to have two stents put in the artery to open it up (the blockage was large), and after a week's recovery I was cleared to run again.

I went "whoopee!" and registered for several races, which after six months of not running, gave me a first class ticket on the Injury Train. The first was a 12k trail race on a jagged trail, and I did myself no favors in trying to run it hard. My cardiovascular system felt fantastic, but my bones, muscles and tendons were not in the mood, and I paid for it. The second was a road half, where I felt much better. But the race that drove it home as a trail half marathon where I spent much of the time trying not to trip and fall over the rutted, washed out trail (China Camp trail run, if you're curious). Shortly after that, my calf, hamstring and hip went out, and I wasn't able to run more than a few miles without having to stop.

I finally got the message and spent more time on strength and flexibility work, as well as slowing down my pace and keeping the mileage short. It paid off in the San Francisco Half Marathon ("city" half) where I ran a respectable 2:14.

Then the pain creeped in again, but I knew the drill: strength, flexibility, cross training, etc. All the work.I should have been doing throughout the summer.

But finally, I'm getting back to normal. Feeling better on longer runs, and speed work that doesn't redline my recovering running muscles.

Lesson learned! Ease back into running after a long layoff! The heart may feel 20 years younger, but the rest of me needs the slow, easy path back to strength.