By: Mizuno Race Team Member, Mike Aish
Well, the time has come to get myself back in to shape. I’m at the point where I can run for an hour without any pain, but there is a lot of work to be done if I want to compete this year. So, I’m off to training camp! Since the weather has been so up and down in Colorado and the ice has kind of taken over every run-able surface, I thought it would be a good time to get back to basics and head to the New Zealand for some hard training in the summer heat.
I’ve kind of been taking things slow with the idea that I would have all this time to get fit and be ready to race by the time the weather started to get nice and the season started, but the fact is I’m just about out of time. I’m healthy, but am really out of shape. Cross training is nice but I just don’t feel that it checks all the boxes. It’s felt like I’ve been working my ass off on the bike and in the pool, but the mirror shows a whole different picture. I’ve put on some weight, and it isn’t helping my comeback.
Since the doctor gave me the “OK” to start running again, I’ve taken it slow. Mostly because I just felt so out of shape, but also because the weather has kind of been crap. The ice around my house is insane, to the point that I’ve had to drill metal screws in to the bottom of my shoes just to keep upright!
Thing is, even without the ice, things have just been hard work. The other day I made the bad decision to try and workout with one of the female track athletes I coach. Long story short is she demolished me. I ran a 5:12 mile, my lungs were on fire and it felt like my heart was going to stop. Side note, she ran a 5:06 mile so she’s no slouch.
Good news is that I went to LA and the weather was great. I was able to get in a few good runs, and I have to say the trails out there are really unexpectedly good. Also, to add more fuel to the fire, I spent most of that weekend watching the men’s and women’s Olympic Marathon team trials.
So, as I sit here ready to get on to the plane back to the old country, I’m motivated and ready to get to work. I always get excited to go back home. There is something magical in the air and I just can’t wait to get my shoes on and connect with where it all started for me. My goal for this trip is to come back in a few weeks, as a whole different animal- lean, mean and full of steam. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Michael Aish is a former New Zealand Olympian, 2000-10,000/2004-5,000m, and current ultra marathoner for the Mizuno Race Team. With PR’s of 13:22 for 5K and 27:46 for 10K, Michael has been tearing up the ultra scene for the last four years, with his most notable performance being a 2nd place finish in the 2014 Leadville 100.